The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 19

  • Boy, 19, charged with murder

    The police yesterday arraigned a 19-year-old man before an Ebute Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stabbing a colleague to death with a screw-driver.

    Police prosecutor Chinalu Uwadione said the accused committed the offence on August 27 at Alaba Bus stop in Amukoko.

    He alleged that the accused stabbed 18-year-old Musa Bili on his chest with a screw-driver.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Chief Magistrate A. O. Adedayo ordered that he be remanded at the Borstal Correctional Institute, Adigbe in Abeokuta.

    The chief magistrate directed the prosecutor to take the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) for advice.

    She adjourned till September 17.

  • 19 benefit from group’s dental defects makeover

    19 benefit from group’s dental defects makeover

    Five of the 19 beneficiaries of Project Smile have certain things in common:  dental flaws and defects. Destiny smiled on them through the Project Smile, a corporate social initiative of Smile360 Dental Specialists. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes on how the programme is transforming people’s lives.

    Project Smile is a social initiative that identifies individuals with dental flaws and defects who would want their defects corrected but are handicapped financial.

    Designed to engage individuals through a contest, the initiative encourages response to its eight-week call for entry campaign. The candidates are subjected to various stages of screening and shortlisted for the final clinical evaluation. Finally, three winners are determined in three main categories-severe, moderate or mild. The goal of the initiative is to transform 500 people with a smile makeover by the 10th season. In all, 19 people have emerged.

    For a 36-year-old civil servant, Mrs Funmilayo Olufa who had an accident and lost all her teeth in the process and developed a severity of dental flaw, life was never the same again. She lost her confidence. According to her, she regained her confidence after undergoing the Smile makeover.

    Before the Smile makeover, Funmi’ lost her looks but few stages into the Smile makeover, her friends could recognise her. She recalled: “A friend and long-time classmate of mine that I lost contact with some 15 years ago saw me at a bus stop and shouted my name. I was happy she could recognise me because some couldn’t before the Smile makeover. I am so happy that though the Smile makeover is yet to be completed, the positive effects on me are tremendous. Regaining my confidence is the best part of my transformation story thus far.”

    Chichi Anosike, sole beneficiary, Project Smile maiden edition in 2011 had an accident that damaged her dentition and seriously affected her facial expression. She heard about the Project Smile and was requested to write why she thinks she needed a Smile makeover. She had completed her Smile makeover and today she says with confidence, “I can flick off a dazzling smile easily without being conscious of it.” She thanked Project Smile and Smile360 for restoring her dentition.

    A 24-year-old creative writer, Adelekan Tayo, said whenever he talked to people, they are ever conscious of his teeth. And he always feels dejected as a man. He was always worried and perplexed. He got to know about the Project Smile through listening to the jingle on a broadcast station.

    According to Tayo, he reluctantly put in an entry, thinking that it couldn’t be true. When he was selected through a credible screening done by an independent panel, he said he couldn’t believe it. Going through the Smile makeover, he was delighted, aware that it was what he had always desired.

    “The project is not about reconstructing the dentition alone but also building on the psychological confidence. I did not pay a dime. The members of staff are wonderful. It is a life-changing experience. It is a wonderful initiative,” he stated.

    Mobola Abodunrin, 31-year-old Marketing/Brand Manager said: “As an image maker in a communication firm, having an over-protruding gum and teeth could be worrisome. That is always the focus of attention when I am interacting with people. I became an introvert inadvertently because I was disturbed emotionally.”

    Mobola heard about the Project Smile through a friend and put in an entry. She was lucky to be selected and just going through the Smile makeover, she is already experiencing a turn-around. When Mobola was on the braces, some people actually thought it was for cosmetics reasons and complimented her equally. “I like your rocks,” they would say.

    Mobola said: “I corrected their impressions I told them that it was part of medical procedures. And now I am gaining more confidence than before. People do admire me wearing the braces. I don’t receive curious looks or comments again. Though I am not through with the Smile makeover, the stages I had gone through have already changed my life and psychology. I knew I needed the Smile makeover but could not afford same. For this, I am grateful to Project Smile.”

    For 22-year-old Dumebi Olanne; a final year student of Mass Communication at Babcock University, it was a real life changing experience; having gone through some stages of Smile makeover. Being born with bad dentition, she had lived an hermit life. She loved surfing the net and one day, she stumbled on Smile360 Project.

    Her mother encouraged her to put in an application. She did and was shortlisted but no sponsor was there for her. As she made to depart the venue, a participant saw her dejection and wouldn’t allow her to go with that look. The participant sponsored her for the Smile makeover and today, Dumebi smiles more, talks more and is looking forward to a more prosperous life as a budding lady.

    Dr Amy B. Traore-Shumbusho is the founder of Smile360 Dental Specialist, Ikoyi Lagos.

    Explaining the rationale behind her effort, Dr Amy, as she is fondly called, said the ability to change people’s lives with a great smile is powerful and a privilege.

    Recounting some of the achievements of the initiative in the past three seasons in view of the goal and mission set out to give great smiles since the commencement of the project in 2011.  Dr Traore-Shumbusho said the last three seasons of Project Smile has achieved remarkable success with a record of 19 beneficiaries most of whom are still undergoing their dental corrective surgery and treatment.

    “As we joined all dental stakeholders and the general public to mark this year’s World Oral Health Day, (WOHD) there is no better time to pause and recount our successes than this momentous period in the dental world. The World Oral Health Day has always been epochal in launching each season of the Project Smile Initiative.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Nigeria,19 others to benefit from $63m project

    Nigeria is among 20 African countries that will   benefit from a $63million project that seeks to increase the potential of four key crops, rice, maize, cassava, and wheat.

    The  project  would  increase yields of each crop by 20 percent, and a 60 per cent increase in annual average household income in five years through technology adoption.

    The  Support for Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC), has four components which include agricultural technologies and innovations generation to ensure the right technologies tools have been identified to drive food  production, technologies and innovations dissemination which entails farmers spreading the technologies to others and ensuring they can use  them to increase production and yields and  capacity building to  empower the farmers to  adopt  technologies and project management.

    Other countries to benefit include Kenya, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana,, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

    The project will be implemented by three Africa-based centres of the Multinational Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). These are Africa Rice Centre (AfricaRice), the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).  Meanwhile,Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Kenya are set to benefit from a new breed of Vitamin A cassava  that  can  mature  within a short  time.

    The   cassava that  can   bred on a large scale and  contains high contents of vitamin A is  produced    by researchers from Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in  Columbia..

    The lead author and a plant breeder at CIAT, Hernan Ceballos,  explained: “People need other nutrients like minerals, vitamins and proteins and cassava roots currently don’t have them and that is why we are initiating this research. This revelation comes at a time when statistics indicate that millions of people in Africa are typically affected by vitamin deficiency.

  • Boy, 19, arrested for alleged bestiality

    A 19-year-old boy identified as Osagiator Ighodaro has been arrested by the police in Edo State for alleged bestiality. He was caught with a dog in an uncompleted building.

    The bestial act occurred at Iguosa community in Ovia North East Local Government.

    Osagiator was caught after a neighbour suspected the manner in which he carried the dog into the uncompleted building.

    The suspect, who lives at 13, Midwest Lane, off New Lagos Road in Benin City, said he often visits Iguosa community to search for menial jobs.

    He said the dog followed him as he walked in the street and he carried it into an uncompleted building.

    Osagiator said: “As I was walking in the street, I saw a dog following me and I carry it like a baby. I took it to an uncompleted building. One man caught me in the act and apprehended me. I did not know what came over me.”

    An eyewitness, Mr. George Ogbonmwan, said he was concerned about the manner in which the boy was fondling the dog.

    He said he thought the suspect wanted to steal it, but was surprised when he saw the boy on the dog.

    “When I saw the way the young man carrying the dog like a baby and fondled it, I told the owner and advised him to go towards the uncompleted building. He went to the building and caught the boy in the act.

    The owner of the dog, Mr. Garuba Samari, said the dog should be given to the suspect and urged the community elders to report the matter to the police.

    He said: “The dog has to follow him. I have nothing to do with it again.”

    The community leader, the Odionwere, Pa Clifford Igiehon, said the act was an abomination.

    He called for a medical examination of the suspect Police spokesman Noble Uwoh confirmed the arrest and said the suspect would be charged to court today.

  • 19 bag scholarship

    Nineteen Nigerian students have been awarded scholarship to do their Master’s in Australia next year, the Australia High Commissioner to Nigeria, Jonathan Richardson, has said.

    The scholarship is a programme of the Australian government.

    Richardson spoke at the launch of the Northwest and Northeast zones of the Australia Alumni Association in Nigeria in Kaduna. He said between 2010 and 2014, more than 200 students benefited, including 86 postgraduate scholarships.

    The envoy said the scholarship, which offers both long and short term study and professional development opportunities to citizens of developing countries, is aimed at providing enhanced leadership skill, knowledge and technical expertise for students to work in strategic organisations driving development.

    Richardson, who represented by the Third Secretary of the Commission, Mr Matthew Mechan, said a total of 923 Nigerians are stusying in Australian universities and vocational education school.

    He said: “We want to encourage Nigerians interested in studying abroad to consider Australia as an option, given the strong record and high quality of our universities and tertiary institutions.” He added that another scholarship window will open in September.

    He added: “Australian Scholarship Award covers a wide range of areas but is focusing on disciplines relevant to building government capacity including agriculture, food security, extractive industry, infrastructure, health and public policy.”

    The co-ordinator of the zone’s Australia Alumni in Nigeria, Dr Zainab Mohammed, said the establishment of the association was necessary to build influence and contract, and to facilitate contact between the alumni and Australia in pursuance of developmental goals.

    “We want to encourage Nigerians interested in studying aboard to consider Australia as an option, given its strong record and high quality tertiary institutions and to also take advantage of the scholarship,” she said.

    In his goodwill message, Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Thot, praised the Australian government for its magnanimity and educational support for Nigerian students.

  • Nigeria,19 others to get $63.4m grant

    NIGERIA and 19 other countries are to benefit from $63.4 million grant by the African Development bank (AfDB) to boost the production of four crops.

    The countries are Benin, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, and Niger, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan, and Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo,Lesotho, Zambia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

    President, Institute of Science and Technology, Prof. Lateef Sanni, disclosed this to The Nation.

    Sanni, a Professor of Food Science and Technology at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (UNAAB), said the structure of the project is such that it would enhance wheat, rice, cassava and maize production.

    “And it has engagement protocol for partner countries and has a lot of spill over effects potentially in the future if the project is solidly implemented,” he said.

    “The fact that the AfDB is championing the project shows that is commercial and will be private sector driven and there is a lot of sustainability in the project, he said.

    The project, Support for Agricultural Research and Development of Strategic Crops (SARD-SC) will focus on production to marketing of food.