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In what would go down in history as the first of its kind, a new Head of Service has emerged in Osun State through a democratic process involving civil servants in the state who voted for his emergence.

The new Head of Service is Mr. Sunday Olayiwola Owoeye.

Similarly, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, has charged the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries and the Head of Service to rededicate themselves to the service of people.

While swearing in the new HOS and the 29 newly appointed Permanent Secretaries, Aregbesola said that for the first time in the history of the service, the government has introduced merit and professionalism as the basis for appointment and career advancement, adding that the new system has come to stay.

Aregbesola stated that hitherto, when promotion examination was introduced as the basis for promotion, many civil servants kicked against it.

“We also realised that given the trend in public administration in the modern world, there is a yawning need for reprofessionalisation of our service. Our first task in this endeavour is the process of your emergence as Permanent Secretaries and Head of Service.

He, however, noted that the appointment was not and should not be considered as a gift or reward, but a clarion call to serve the people and government in the state.

He said by the appointment, it is not a call for sycophancy or conspiracy, but rather, to serve diligently and professionally in whatever position they find themselves.

He said: “I must let you know, however, that this appointment is not a reward or gift – it is a call to service. In the real sense, you are civil servants who are indeed called to serve the people. You must, therefore, live up to the billing of your name by serving with honour and integrity without being servile.

“Your appointment is not a call to sycophancy and supine conspiracy. I have no personal agenda and do not intend to cultivate personality cult.

“My emergence is by divine appointment and my unmistakable mission is to serve the people. I cannot do this alone. You are the executing arm of this mission, the sharp edge of my weapon.

“Indeed, by your training and tradition, this is what you should give to any transient political authority that docked at this port.”

He enjoined the new appointees to always allow merit, excellence, thorough professionalism be their watchword and do their work as professionals.

While charging them to be courteous and humane without compromising integrity, he averred that despite the fact that professionalism has been lost in the past, he charged them to emulate legends of the civil service like Simeon Adebo, Udoji, Tejumade Alakija, Fola Ighodalo, Adeyemi Bero and others, who have left indelible marks in the civil service.

The new HOS, in his remark, advised the civil servants to continue to learn in the discharge of their duties, as he will ensure that the meritocratic system employed in his emergence will continue to be in place.

He noted that with the new system used for the appointment of the new HOS, Aregbesola has put the state on a path of glory.

Barrister Femi Falana (SAN) yesterday disagreed with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, over his reference to ‘State of Osun’ as illegal and unconstitutional.

Falana, in a press statement, tagged “Adoption of ‘State of Osun’” is not unconstitutional, said it is not stated anywhere in the constitution that it is illegal to refer to any particular state government as the government of a state.

He challenged the SGF to point to specific provisions of the constitution or any other law, which the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is alleged to have violated.

Falana stated: “At a public event which held at Abuja yesterday, the Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG) who is inappropriately referred to as ‘the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, described the ‘State of Osun’ as illegal and unconstitutional. With respect to Senator Anyim, who is a senior lawyer, the statement credited to him cannot be justified under the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Section 2(2) of the Constitution states that “Nigeria shall be a federation consisting of states and a Federal Capital Territory while the thirty six states are listed in section 3(1) thereof and in the First Schedule to the Constitution. Specifically, section 3(2) of the Constitution provides that “each state of Nigeria named in the first column of Part 1 of the First Schedule to the Constitution, shall consist of the area shown opposite thereto in the second column of that schedule.”

In the said Part 1 of the First Schedule the 36 states of the Federation are listed together with the local governments and the capital cities being the headquarters of the governments of the states. Nowhere is it stated in the Constitution that it is illegal to refer to any particular state government as the government of a state.

“For the avoidance of doubt; section 176 of the Constitution refers to ‘the governor of a state’ and not to a ‘state governor’ while section 194 thereof refers to the ‘government of a state’ and not to a ‘state government.’ Furthermore, section 90 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of ‘a House of Assembly for each of the states of the federation’ while section 270 refers to ‘the High Court of each State’. Since there are no references to ‘state governors’, ‘state governments’, ‘state houses of assembly’ and ‘state high courts’ in the Constitution the adoption of the ‘State of Osun’ is not illegal or unconstitutional.

“However, if the Secretary to the Federal Government, Senator Anyim, disagrees with our submissions on this diversionary debate, we challenge him to refer to the specific provisions of the Constitution or any other law whatsoever which the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is alleged to have violated. This challenge has become necessary in view of the fact that it is not considered illegal or criminal in the United States of America, a federation which operates a presidential system of government to refer to New York State as ‘the State of New York.’

Feed your immune system the right ingredients to help keep it running in peak condition.

Immune System Boosters

If you’re looking for ways to prevent winter colds and the flu, your first step should be a visit to your local grocery store.

Feeding your body certain foods can help to keep your immune system running strong. Plan your meals to include the following 10 powerful immune system boosters (we’ve included lots of recipes that make it easy) and you’ll increase your family’s chances of fending off those winter bugs before they get anyone sick.

Citrus

Most people turn to vitamin C after they’ve caught a cold. But did you know it tops the charts of foods that keep your immune system running at 100%? Vitamin C helps increase the production of white blood cells, key to fighting infections. Because your body doesn’t produce or store it, daily intake of vitamin C is essential for continued health. Almost all citrus fruits are high in vitamin C and with such a variety to choose from it’s easy to add a squeeze of C to any meal.

Red Bell Peppers

Vitamin C not only boosts immune systems but it helps maintain healthy skin, which is the frontline in our war on colds. Think citrus fruits have the most vitamin C of any fruit or vegetable? Think again. Ounce for ounce, red bell peppers have twice as much flu-fighting vitamin C, as well as being a rich source of beta carotenes.

Broccoli

Broccoli is super-charged with an arsenal of vitamins and minerals ready to do battle with any germ or infection. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E, as well as numerous antioxidants, broccoli is one of the healthiest vegetables you can put on your table. The key to keeping its power intact is to cook it as little as possible, or better yet, not at all.

Garlic

Found in almost every cuisine around the world, garlic not only adds a little zing to foods, it’s a must-have for your health. Early civilizations recognized its value for fighting infections and modern science has shown that garlic helps to lower cholesterol and prevent hardening of arteries. Its immune-boosting properties seem to come from a heavy concentration of sulphur-containing compounds, such as allicin.

Ginger

Ginger is another ingredient many turn to after they’ve caught a cold. But like vitamin C, ginger can also help you prevent that cold from taking hold in the first place. While it’s used in many sweet desserts, ginger packs some heat in the form of gingerol, a relative of capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their distinctive heat. Ginger may help decrease chronic pain and may possess cholesterol-lowering properties.

Spinach

Spinach made our list not just because it’s rich in vitamin C but because it’s packed with numerous antioxidants and beta-carotene, which have been proven to increase the infection-fighting cells of our immune systems. Similar to broccoli, it is best cooked as little as possible so that its nutrients are retained.

Yogurt

When selecting yogurt look for ones that have “live and active cultures” printed on the label. Recent studies suggest these cultures help stimulate your immune system to help fight diseases. Additional studies also suggest a link between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of catching a cold, so select brands fortified with vitamin D.

Almonds

When it comes to preventing and fighting off colds, vitamin E tends to take a backseat to the more commonly mentioned vitamin C, but vitamin E is also key to a healthy immune system. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it requires the presence of fat to be absorbed properly. Nuts (especially almonds) are packed with vitamin E and a half cup serving provides nearly 100% of the daily recommended amount.

Almonds

When it comes to preventing and fighting off colds, vitamin E tends to take a backseat to the more commonly mentioned vitamin C, but vitamin E is also key to a healthy immune system. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it requires the presence of fat to be absorbed properly. Nuts (especially almonds) are packed with vitamin E and a half cup serving provides nearly 100% of the daily recommended amount.

Green Tea

Both green and black teas are packed with flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Where green tea really shines is in its levels of epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, another powerful antioxidant. The fermentation process black tea goes through destroys a lot of the EGCG. Green tea, on the other hand, is steamed and not fermented, preserving that EGCG. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also a good source of the amino acid L-theanine, which aids in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells.

www.healthline.com

With the year 2015 drawing close, the 2012 MDGS( Millennium Development Goals) gap task force has warned that some countries will fall far short of some targets and goals by 2015. Three of these goals impact on the social and economic aspects of HIV/AIDS; Goal one is directed at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger . Goal 3 aims to promote gender equality and empower women . Most talked about is goal 6 “ which is designed to combat HIV/AIDS Malaria Tuberculosis and other diseases. Nigeria is a high incidence country for respiratory Tuberculosis, the major HIV/AIDS related opportunistic infection in Nigeria . The Nigerian National agency for the control of Aids in accordance with the MDGS established a National strategic framework to cover the period from 2010-2015 with programs estimated to cost about 5 billion us dollars. Specifically, by 2015,Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is to be made available for 80% sexually active adults and 80% others at risk. Still by the end of that year , 80% of affected adults and 100% of children are expected to be on antiretroviral treatment(ART), in addition, to 50% of people living with AIDS who are expected to have access to good care and Support services.

No doubt collaboratory efforts to stem the tide of the HIV/AIDS Global pandemic have been largely successful, judging from the morbidity and mortality statistics that have reduced considerably. However, Worldwide, the number of HIV-1 infected persons now exceeds 40 million, and most of the new infections appear to be coming from couples initially thought to be at low risk of contracting the virus. The number of Nigerians living with Aids is currently around 2.98million .Current prevalence is about 4.1%, Having dropped remarkably from a previous National average of 5.3%. These figures may be low estimates when one considers the issues of under reporting, and other subterranean issues, Urban HIV /AIDS, as against Rural and Costal HIV/AIDS, all with different serotypes .Quite frightening is the reported current Prevalence of 5.6% in the 25-29yrs which shows that more needs to be done on the youths

The path towards meeting Goal 6, Target 7 of the 2015 MDGS have become narrowed by the emergence of new challenges, some of which are within our capacity to control. Within this context, issues bothering on finance are likely to be most significant in the sense that donor funding on which we are heavily dependent is dwindling , except for programs involving prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT ).This is because donor countries are struggling to get out of the current global economic crisis. In most countries in Africa, the incidence and prevalence of HIV-1 infection continues to increase over that of Europe and America especially for the first ten developing nations with the high HIV/AIDS illness burden of which Nigeria is one. To worsen matters, the Health sector continues to get grossly inadequate budget allocation. The gradual shift of attitude as well as human and material resources towards what appears to those in authority to be a more serious health problem; probably Cancer, has provided the scaffold for a constellation of issues , and theoretical constructs, some complex, others simple and which in the final analysis determines what lies ahead of the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Nigeria in the context of the 2015 MDGS.

As a result of all these resident and non resident Africans and particularly youths who account for about 20% of the world’s HIV/AIDS burden, now see the human immune deficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS as something that has come and gone; if it is still around, it is ‘JAV’ just another virus. For others like discordant couples, or partners in sexually active relationship, you can now seriously , put an end to prevention fatigue and throw away the condom. Some of us have attempted to nominate why very many people now feel that HIV/AIDS is after all the hue and cry just another virus.

The course of the HIV pandemic, in developing countries seem to depend very much on the degree of medical progress achieved in Europe America, and recently Eurasia, but assumptions based on progress records overseas are bound to impact negatively on our knowledge, attitude and perception as individuals .For example, new problems relating to access to essential medicines, pharmacovigillance ,short- and long-term toxicity of drug treatments , the occurrence of resistance mutations in both circulating and transmitted viruses, when to commence therapy among others, have made the use of highly active retroviral treatment complicated.

Sexually active young adults are still making the terrible mistakes of assuming that once an individual looks clean, he is unlikely to have HIV. They may be aware of the three months diagnostic window period but chose to ignore it,for reasons difficult to comprehend. ; In fact, there are men regularly having sex with HIV positive female partners , and who have elected never to go for voluntary counseling and testing. Added to that new home or office based methods of testing don’t require people going to Hospital ; The opportunity to test for confection with Tuberculosis, Hepatitis Band C viruses, Syphilis and others is thereby lost

Another problem is that of Claims of cure for HIV/AIDS are all over the place , and it is difficult to know what to believe.

Where centers for testing are same as or too close to treatment centers, people are unlikely to go there for fear of stigma and discrimination

The matter of pregnant women is not simple; Most women found to be positive on routine antenatal visit are lost to follow up , Negotiations for home based care are quickly arranged for them ,with unpredictable consequences. On the other hand, Viral load in children with HIV can remain below detection level for years and yet show their presence by recurrent chest infection such as pulmonary tuberculosis

Some people have been found to have mutation for some Chemokine receptors , CXCR4, and CCR5 , CCR3, CCR2, CCR8, etc. which could be used by the HIV independently of the CD4 receptors ; such people though few(about 10% of populations) can live with the virus for many years without developing AIDS , but recent studies have shown that they eventually succumb to the virus without antiretroviral treatment. Discordant couples not aware of these are at the risk of very serious problems.

Nigeria is becoming quite permissive and sophisticated with wide social networks now available for human to human interface widening via the internet . There is now no doubt that some of these are beneficial. What has also become very clear is that some of them serve as bridges or networks of wrong information on human sexuality, infection, and even death, many are presently having unprotected sex with people they met on face book, with no idea whatsoever whether these face book individuals are harboring dangerous microbes such as HIV, HBV, HBC, Syphilis, HPV, Chancroid, to mention but a few.

Recommendations

Fresh ideas from policy makers to face new challenges, reawaken preventive measures, with awareness creation, age appropriate health education.

Federal government to search for home grown solutions through training of Nigerians, direct funding of research . Centers for the control of HIV/AIDS in schools, and Universities that are paralyzed should be treated and made to function by providing funds and training.

Voluntary counseling and testing centers (VCT) could be set up to operate separately from HIV/AIDS treatment centers.

Voluntary counseling and testing in well established centers with quality assurance provides you the opportunity to also test for the presence of other viruses some which are many times more virulent and kill faster than HIV, and if when present makes the patient worse of. More over, by having HIV and not knowing it , you deny yourself of the benefits of HAART, and the complications from HIV/AIDS associated opportunistic infections are more severe and life threatening.

Regulate activities of people advertising unverified claims of cure.

Schools, Families, Churches and Mosques still need to carry the message that there is still no cure for HIV/AIDS, and abstinence, use of condom and faithfulness remain the best way to stay alive and remain healthy.

Please, I read your instruction on how to get rid of sleepless night. Sir I have been having sleepless night for more than eight years now, due to negative thought. I have been trying to get rid of it but all my effort proved abortive. Please what is the way forward? J.A…….@gmail.com

Dear Reader, Thank you for sharing your problem. You seem to have been living with a bad problem for 8 years. Surely you are not having sleepless nights for 8 years but a sleepless night anytime you have the negative thought. Since you seem to have tried everything within your power to get rid of it, and have failed, it is time to seek help from other people. Consider who you can confide in such as a faith-based advisor, a professional counselor, a doctor, a psychologist, a family member, or a wise elder. Make sure the person keeps your confidentiality as the tongue is a wild fire that hardly any one is clever enough to control. On your part, you know the nature of your negative thought and what arouses it. Try to avoid the arousal factors. If it is something you can live with, ease yourself up about it. Life is full of roses but there are also thorns. You can enjoy the smell of roses without pricking yourself with the thorns if you learn to take care. While the arousal factors may continue to exist, your attitude can change so that they do not affect you negatively. If it is something you cannot live with, there are miracles in life and I wish you a safe solution. Hopefully this problem will not reach nine years. Good luck.

I am a civil servant based in Lagos. I have been depressed due to work stress and matrimonial problems. This has made me start getting used to pills to be able to sleep. I need help please. O. P.K …. .@yahoo.com Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.

Dear Reader, Although you say you have been depressed you need to clarify from a doctor whether you are really clinically depressed in which case you would need appropriate treatment or if you are just feeling the weight of problems which you may need to learn to deal with better. The two major problems that you mention, work stress and matrimonial problems, can be like a prison that you cannot get out of. Only you can convert that bondage into freedom. Examine the work situation for the things you can change and how best to change them, for the things you cannot change and how best to cope with them, and I wish you wisdom to know the difference. The matrimonial problems can be complex depending on if you are a man or woman, if the marriage is secured or crowded, if there are financial, emotional, or health problems, and if there are issues about children. With matrimonial problems, you may need a lot of patience. Deal with aspects one by one, balance negative aspects with positive aspects, and do not allow yourself to get overwhelmed by anything. Be sure that within a marriage you are the most important to your spouse and don’t be cheated by problems but do what you can to enjoy your marriage. When you feel you hate your job, ask yourself if it is better than being jobless. When you feel you hate your marriage, ask yourself if it is better than being spouseless. A popular proverb says: half bread is better than none. If that is where you are now, there is good news for you. You can get full bread. First establish your peace with everything. Then just work at the various aspects patiently, hopefully, and optimistically. I hope you start to depend less on pills, if your doctor rules out clinical depression. If you believe in freedom, you will not stop till you reach it.

Good day Sir,

I read in Saturday Nation news paper the topic “before you take sleep aids”. I want to let you know that I have sleeping problem. I cannot sleep except if I took sleeping pills and this is disturbing my emotion. This problem started about eight years ago…..I went then to see the doctor. He placed me on a medication but the medication did not work. He told me that I am suffering from depression and placed me on totranol. That was what helped me then. This year when I lost my daddy the problem started again. For me to sleep is always a problem. I went to see the same doctor who placed me on the same drug totranol but the problem is that the drug is not working for me again. I work offshore – two weeks in and two weeks offshore. When I am in town, I feel better but one week into my working period offshore, for me to sleep is always a serious problem even with my medication. Please Sir, I will be very happy if you can find solution to this my sleeping problem for any night I could not sleep the day will always be useless for me and I need to be alert in my job. I am 40 years, married with children. I need your response to this mail. Thanks. M.E…… @yahoo.com

Dear Reader, You need to remain with the doctor who has been treating you or find another one that you will stick to confidently. Since it is clear you have depression, you need to give your doctor time and room to treat it well for you. Aside from knowing you have clinical depression and it is being treated by a doctor, it is helpful to trace the underlying cause. Check if you like your job, if your sleeplessness is an occupational hazard, if you overreact to events of life such as death and loss, etc. You know your life better than anyone else so you a great part of the solution to your problem. My guess is that you have occupational stress and you may need to examine how to carry on with that occupation peacefully or see if you have any opportunity for a less hazardous job. Your job may not be a problem if you are good at handling your feelings and responses to life moments. Some meditation or reflection exercises on a routine basis may help you gain peace and power over events and circumstances. I wish you a great career and happy married life.