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Tag: Banana

  • Waste not, want not economy: Banana peel, is super food

    Waste not, want not economy: Banana peel, is super food

    Everywhere you go, everywhere you turn, almost everyone is screaming that the economy is hot and scorchy and that they no longer have enough to eat. Even the Alsatian dogs in the house opposite mine are always barking. I guess they, too, want more food. So, I am careful to not be on the road alone, for I still vividly remember the story of five months old  Mariam Muhideen.  Two hungry Alsatian dogs wrenched her from her mother’s back on 23 August 2023 and ferociously devoured her.Her mother screamed for help, but none came.  Baby Mariam and her mother, Nasifat Muhideen, were attacked by the two dogs in unity estate, Hallelujah area of Ido-Osun, Osun State. Mariam had catarrh. Nasifat strapped her on her back and left home to buy a catarrh medicine for her. Meanwhile, two hungry Alsatian dogs had been digging the earth from  a walled property through the underneath of the gate to the street. Nasifat fell when they pounced on her, and Mariam became an easy  target for them.

    Nasifat may bear emotional injuries for life and suffer from their attendant health problems whenever she sees dogs or hear the bark of any, or if her subconscious mind recalls her experience in dreams. Our society can be an unfeeling one. How many of us remember this poor and unsung mother and her baby? Since this case has no political roots, flowers, fragrance and fruits, it has not much follow-up value for the traditional and social media. What has even Governor Ademola Isiaka Jackson Adeleke done about it? Couldn’t this woman and her family have voted for him? Governance is more of empathy for the fallen in society than it is of wriggling bum bum to the sound of music at public and private functions. Where are the women’s societies? Is this not a woman, mother, child and family matter before it is a Nigerian matter?

     In the years before the 1970s, I would have blamed our growing insensitivity on a visitation or pummeling of The Time in Which We Stand. Do we not carelessly and ignorantly say that Time flies?  Since the mid 1970s, however, I have realised that Time Does Not fly, that Time Stands Still, that Time is eternal, that we human beings are the causes of whatever we experience in the bowels of time. At a lower level of expectation, we can imagine that huge hollow space in which numberless material objects conduct themselves. It is the period certain occurrences regularly take place or the opening and closing of cycles we assume to be time, and then time. Thus, we speak of seconds, hours, months, days, weeks and years, seasons, cosmic ages and all of that. If one year on planet Earth is 248 years in planet Pluto( or six days on earth make one day on Pluto), If 12 years on planet Jupiter is one earth year, if 88 days on earth is one year on planet Mercury, If one day in heaven is 1000 years on planet Earth, What is time and Where is time? Certainly, it cannot be our earthly conception of it which is relative, nor can it reside among us for it is universal, untouchable by us and irresponsive to our whims and caprices. Time is Life, God.

    Economy  Woes

    If the economy has overheated to the point that we cannot find the money to buy enough food to fill our stomachs whenever we find food to buy, we must ask ourselves how this problem came about and solve the equations as we do in Algebra, arithmetic and Geometry. Time did not bring about hunger in the land.  We cannot blame it if there is food but we have no money to buy it, or if there is money, but there is no food to buy with it, or, as some people are experiencing, if there is no food and there is no money. The Almighty Creator provided us land on which to exist. The land is among the most arable on earth. Earthquakes, turbulent winds, snow, winter and floods do not disturb us, and we have abundant tropical sun which energises our environment. There are places on this earth with 24 hours of daylight or 24 hours of nightfall most of the time. We have about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of nightfall  year round. So, what is our problem that we cannot easily feed ourselves? Countries with 24 hours of sunlight  live under “The Midnight Sun”. Those which live under 24 hours of darkness are “The  Polar Night” nations. Among Polar night countries are Norway, Sweden, Finland, parts of Russia. How do they grow their food and do not have to complain about hunger while we , the blessed ones, are complaining? Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and some parts of Canada have a breather in their summer months when the sun stands above the horizon for months, giving them continuous daylight . We are blessed in Nigeria, I say again. Imagine yourself to be living in a country where you have to sleep for one whole month and work without rest for another. How do you go to the farm in the wholly night months to cultivate land or to bring the farm harvests home? I was shocked in 1979 during my first travel outside Nigeria…to London . The sun was  up till about one hour from midnight and came up again at about 3:30am or 4 am. All my “O” level geography disappeared in my head. I could not sleep because the sun was still up, and I had to rise when the sun prematurely rose. Everyone around me who had lived in England for some time had adjusted to what, to me, was a”strange” phenomenon. Suddenly, I remembered the conception of Adaptation to the environment as well as to social events which I had learned from a spiritual work, back in 1977 as a Nigerian youth corps member in Calabar, Cross River State.

    Spiritual  Indolence

     We are an inwardly or innately, that is spiritually, unadaptable and wasteful, lazy people, even, if on the surface, we appear physically active, struggling and religious.

     Even plants and animals struggle and adapt to environmental changes. Which bird or ant or lizard doesn’t fill its stomach everyday? When we plant seeds in the soil, do they not sprout, push the soil and pebbles aside, grow roots to secure themselves and then rise against the forces of gravity, to the top soil to flower and then fruit? Do ants, birds and other animals blame anyone else but themselves if they are hungry? It is because we do not study their lives that we always point accusing fingers at everyone but ourselves whenever things go wrong for us and with us. In the country, we have all the arable land we need, but we are too lazy to cultivate it. We would rather, for example, like to eat the rice grown on foreign land which, devitalised from refining for longer shelf life, is less nutritious than ours. When the government encourages local farmers to grow more rice and bans foreign rice, we smuggle in foreign rice. We do not realise India and Thailand are selling theirs at cheaper prices to deplete our foreign reserves, keep their citizens employed,  keep ours unemployed and make us a dependent people. Many of us are religious but not spiritual christians. The parable of the 10 virgins is about castigation of dependency. Dependent persons are foolish persons. Which stalk of corn in the field depends on the other for its nutrition and survival? Among nations, we are habitual importers, not producers and exporters. That is why our foreign earnings are grossly below our spending and there is a near war-rush for the U.S Dollar and  other European currencies. How would the government and the country not be broke in these circumstances? Who but ourselves can we blame? In June, this column published a series of warnings that no fewer than Six Mafia Wars were coming, beginning with that of petroleum subsidy, foreign exchange equalisation and food.  It is in an effort to help pave some ways for an escape from the hunger in the land that I wish to make one or two comments today.

    A  WastFUL PEOPLE

    We waste food a lot. Yet, we are in a WASTE NOT, WANT NOT economy. Our wedding and funeral banquets are opportunities to throw away large remnants of food, notably rice, cow meat, chicken, turkey and fish, most of them imported with hard earned foreign currency. We cannot start a rabbit farming revolution to reduce or stop importation of cows from  Chad and Niger Republic and stop their herders from grazing foreign cattle on our farm lands, killing, maiming and kidnapping our farmers. Indians do not eat cow meat. We relish it. According to Google, Indian life expectancy in 2020 was 70.15 years, while Nigeria’s was 52.89 years. So, there should be no need for all the cry that many families cannot afford beef and fish protein at this time.  What adaptation is all about is that there are other sources of protein, probably healthier than flesh protein, to which the poor can be guided.

     I AM thinking of Banana Peel and other plant Protein Substitutes which may minimise the roles of fish, egg and cow meat in the diet.

     When my household couldn’t cope with daily budgets of beef and fish, we switched to soups made from peanut( groundnut) and crayfish pastes, assorted edible leaves in the garden with good protein content, all garnished with banana peel. For some years, I have been eating banana with the peel because the peel is more nutritious than the fruit. We do not throw away plantain peel either. We prefer the green plantain. We grate fruit and peel into a mesh , cook as porridge with crayfish and groundnut paste. If tomatoes are cheap, we add. Otherwise we leave out. For the soup, three or four of us will eat about three times, we require no  more than N300 worth of crayfish and the same amount of groundnuts.

    Read Also: Trump’s banana republic

    Nutrient Values

    From www.healthline.com comes this amazing nutritional treasure trove of 100 grams of groundnuts…

    “Total fat 49 grams; cholesterol 0 mg; sodium 18mg; potassium 705mg; total carbohydrate 16g, dietary fiber 9g; sugar 4g; protein 26g, vitamin c (0%), iron (25%), vitamin B6 (15%), magnesium (42%), calcium(9%), vitamin D(0%), cobalamin…B12(0%)

     What about crayfish? According to www.fitnigerian.com, crayfish provides the following food values: ” calcium 3,760mg; iron 28.6mg; magnesium 1,100mg; phosphorus 1,310mg; potassium 1,760mg; sodium 0mg; zinc 0.16mg; copper 0.25mg; manganese 0.275mg

    What about banana peel? Cured, diced and eaten raw with food or perboiled before serving , banana peel is a rich source of antioxidants, digestive aid in constipation and diarrhoea, anti cancer substances and depression fighter, sleep improvers, bacteria killers and immune boosters, among others.

    Here are a few potential health benefits of banana peels:

     Depression Relief

    The high levels of tryptophan in bananas, combined with the B6 in banana peels, can help relieve some symptoms of depression and other mood disorders. Tryptophan turns into serotonin as it breaks down, which can improve your mood. Vitamin B6 can help improve sleep, which has a positive impact on mood over time.

    Fiber-rich banana peels can help regulate the digestive system, easing both constipation and diarrhoea. This can be a particularly important benefit of banana peels for people with Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome.

    Vitamin A can help keep your eyes strong and healthy. This vitamin is abundant in both bananas and banana peels.

    Banana peels are packed with polyphenols, carotenoids, and other antioxidants that fight cancer-causing free radicals in your body. Eating more banana peels, especially green, unripe peels, can increase your antioxidant levels and help reduce your risk of cancer.”

    What about leaves? We cook a mixed grill of bitter leaf, scent leaf , oregano leaf, dead nettle, young potato leaves and iyana ipaja leaves which also go by the names ewe awolowo, ewe Akintola or, in Akwa Ibom State and Delta state, Hospital too far. Natives of these states believe it saves them the trouble of hospital visits. In Mexico and Guatemala and Cambodia, this leaf is a popular vegetable. Mexicans call it tree spinach or chaya. For centuries, it has been a staple food of the Mayans. It is not eaten raw, but cooked for about 20 minutes to neutralise the hyddrocyanic glycosides. It may be stirred and added to rice, beans or porridge, even corn porridge if powdered. Americans now encapsulate it for the natural health market.

     Michelle Blackwood says in www.healthiersteps.com:

     “Chaya has been used traditionally to treat many ailments such as diabetes, kidney stones, arthritis, obesity, eye problems, and acne.Chaya is a good source of Vitamin A and C, a great source of protein, calcium, iron, phosphorus.”

     According to pdf.usaid.gov:

     “… Chaya is more nutritious than many green leafy vegetables such as spinach, Chinese cabbage and amaranth. The leaves are very high in protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C…The following table summarises the range of nutrition values found in a 100g serving of Chaya, and the percentages of recommended daily intakes of key nutrients.

    Protein 6.2 – 7.4 g 12-15% Protein builds muscles. One serving of Chaya has the same amount protein as an egg.

    Calcium 200 – 330 mg 20-33% Calcium builds strong bones. Chaya has more calcium than any other vegetable.

    Iron 9.3 – 11.4 mg 42-52% Iron is good for healthy blood and more energy.

    Chaya has two times the iron as spinach.

    Vitamin A 1,357 IU 27% Vitamin A prevents night blindness and protects the body against infections.

    Vitamin C 165 – 205 mg 275-342% Vitamin C builds strong bones, protects against infections and helps the body absorb iron.

     In general, Chaya leaves are boiled in the same way as spinach

    The leaves have a bland taste so they can be easily added to many foods such as soups, mixed vegetable dishes and omelets without changing the taste of these dishes.

     Stir frying Chaya leaves with onions, garlic and chili peppers is another way to make an easy, nutritious dish.

     Or add chopped, cooked Chaya leaves to rice just before it finishes cooking, to add nutrients to this staple dish.

    Always cook Chaya leaves. Do not eat uncooked leaves. Raw Chaya leaves contain hydrocyanic glucoside, a toxic substance that can make you sick. However, cooked leaves are safe to eat. By cooking the leaves, the toxic substance is released as a harmless gas…

    For many dishes that cook quickly, it is important to pre-cook the Chaya leaves before using them…

    When you boil Chaya leaves, much of the vitamin C ends up in the cooking water. Do not throw this away as it is a good source of nutrients. Add the cooking water to soups. Or, drink it like a tea. Because the leaves have been boiled, the liquid is safe to use or drink.”

    CONCLUSION

    I have not mentioned many leaves, including pride of Barbados and hibiscus flowers. Many Nigerian wives have got hooked on spinach, water leaf and ugwu that they do not know other leaf vegetables exist. When the prices of these three popular vegetables rise or they are scarce, there is commotion everywhere in the social media and the government becomes the whipping boy. When are we going to stop this behaviour and learn to adapt? Can we not grow tree spinach at home? Can the farmers not grow it on the farms? Can the media not redirect our gaze to other food types when one food type is scarce? Do we respond to re-orientation? This column has reported how an agriculture revolution in Nigeria can produce 100 billion rabbits and 100 billion pawpaw fruits in only four years. How many persons have joined the revolution? Iamgrowing about 10 papayas in my house. When they mature, would I cry that I have no money for breakfast or for dinner? We waste banana and plantain peels, more nutritious than the fruits as they are. We waste nutritious vegetables or ignore them and complain that we are hungry and starving. We do not ask ourselves why the animals we do not cage in our homes have a lot to eat everyday and we live in want. We approach everything we do with delimited brain and not the free soaring spirit, ranking below the animal when we are meant to be Lords in this wonderful Creation. The ingredients proposed for soups here are abundant, cheap, nutritious, bulk of the meal and, thereby, reduce quantum of the non-vegetable content and the cost of a meal.

     Finally, we have a serious convenant with the Almighty Creator who permitted us existence on earth…that we would always reap bountiful harvests of whatever we sow. Hunger in the land admit plenty, I say boldly, is the harvest of Spiritual Indolence…seeing we see but comprehendest not!

  • Banana: Cure for hangover, good for Ulcers

    Banana: Cure for hangover, good for Ulcers

    Bananas are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world for good reason. Some scientists believe that the banana may have even been the world’s first fruit.

    Nutritional breakdown of bananas

    One medium banana (about 126 grams) is considered to be one serving. Bananas are naturally free of fat, cholesterol and sodium. Bananas provide a variety of vitamins and minerals.

    Here are some benefits of banana:

    Blood pressure: Maintaining a low sodium intake is essential to lowering blood pressure, however increasing potassium intake may be just as important because of its vasodilation effects. A high potassium intake is associated with a 20% decreased risk of dying from all causes.

    Asthma: A study found that children who ate just one banana per day had a 34% less chance of developing asthma.

    Cancer: As a good source of vitamin C, bananas can help combat the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer. High fiber intakes from fruits and vegetables like bananas are associated with a lowered risk of colorectal cancer.

    Heart health: The fiber, potassium, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas all support heart health. An increase in potassium intake along with a decrease in sodium intake is the most important dietary change that a person can make to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.

    High potassium intakes are also associated with a reduced risk of stroke, protection against loss of muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density and reduction in the formation of kidney stones.

    Treating diarrhea: Bland foods such as apple sauce and bananas are recommended for diarrhea treatment. Electrolytes like potassium are lost in large quantities during bouts of diarrhea and may make those affected feel weak. Bananas can help to promote regularity and replenish potassium stores.

    Eye Health

    Adding a banana to your diet also helps keep your eyes healthy. Bananas have a small amount of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that is vital for protecting your eyes and normal vision. Bananas also contain alpha-carotene and beta-carotene, which convert to vitamin A to further keep your eyes healthy.

    Regularity: Enjoying a banana each day aids in keeping you regular. As insoluble fiber travels through your digestive tract, it sweeps up waste and helps push it out. You’ll have more regular bowel movements that are soft and easy to pass.

    Weight Loss: Finding foods to fit into your weight-loss diet can be challenging, but bananas make a perfect fit. Bananas are naturally sweet and can help curb your sweet tooth if you get that afternoon sugar craving. Food is forced to sit in your stomach for a while, making you feel full. If you have a banana before lunch, you’ll be less likely to overeat when your food comes to the table.

    Helps Digestion: Bananas are a great source of dietary fiber that most of us don’t get nearly enough of. Fiber helps the food you eat move smoothly through the digestive tract and improves elimination.

    A couple of bananas may be a healthier choice than laxatives to treat occasional constipation.

    A Hangover Cure

    Bananas are a great hangover food for mornings when you’ve overdone it a bit the night before. A couple of bananas in a blender with ice, some berries and coconut milk or organic cow’s or goat’s milk makes a really good recovery drink.

    Good for Ulcers

    Eating bananas regularly may help protect against stomach ulcers. Compounds in bananas seem to create a thicker protective barrier in the stomach against hydrochloric acid.

    Bananas also contain protease inhibitors that work to eliminate certain bacteria in the stomach implicated as a major cause of stomach ulcers.

    Build Better Bones with Bananas: Eating bananas frequently as part of your healthy way of eating can help improve your body’s ability to absorb calcium via several mechanisms.

  • Glad to survive poisoned banana, thanks to Diatom

    ALMOST excluded sublingual Vitamin B2 from my diet last month after the second close encounter with fainting in about two weeks. The first spell occurred just after lunch in the office. Suddenly, I remembered that I had not taken sublingual Vitamin B2 which is a part of my dietary food supplement whenever my ophthalmologist spots cataract developing in the corner of the eye lens. This day, I felt too lazy to place the Vitamin tablet under the tongue and move it from one spot to another, as it is used, until it all dissolves and passes into the bloodstream from there. Rather, I swallowed it with water. In about five minutes, I felt a powerful wave of acid rise from one part of my stomach and rapidly spread. My eyes were closing on their own. My nerves were tremulous. My brain became foggy and light. I knew I was fainting. With the little consciousness and energy I had left, I summoned first aid to my aid. I opened the buttons of my top dress to obtain more fresh air, feebly massaged with fingers the dimples on both sides of my cheek near the eye level to get more blood to my head and then wrung my toes and ankles to boost energy flow up my trunk by improving metabolism. I told the women around me I was fainting. They sprang to their feet. Mrs Bukola Azeez, CEO of Budget Travels, got water. Mrs Rashida Kekereekun got milk and malt drink. Tolulope Christiana Arogundade was too frightened to remember that I had in my office some fresh jars of Activated Charcoal which helps immensely in food poisoning of this sort and similar situations of gastritis or ulcer pain or of troubles in the abdomen. In all my 67years, I have not experienced pain of this nature that was so acute, rapid, almost suffocating and killing within minutes. And quite naturally, when I was back on my feet, I immediately called the doctor who sold the Vitamin to me. He has a vast knowledge of nutritional medicine that I doff my hat for. I wanted to know if taking sublingual Vitamin B through the stomach and not from under the tongue could have such an impact as I experienced. He did not think so. Rather, he thought I would merely absorb less of it and that would be a waste of money. The stubborn person that I may be when it comes to experimenting with food supplements, I again took my sublingual Vitamin B2 through the stomach a few days later…and nothing happened. So, what could have gone wrong the last time? Whatever it was would come to light in about one week. I had just had a dinner of bananas about five days later when the answer popped up. The day before, I had thrown away the bananas I bought on the way home for dinner because I did not like the smell. This evening, the banana did not smell bad. But as soon as I ate the third or fourth one, that awful acid flood erupted again. I was alone in the house. I quickly opened the house door and the small entrance gate, just in case I would need help. I rushed to the kitchen for palm oil, holding my stomach and crying and struggling not to collapse. In the confusion, I did not know if it was palm oil I was smelling. I dropped the bottle so I did not take the wrong remedy. I couldn’t go upstairs for Activated Charcoal because I may fall on the stairway. Luckily I had a bottle of diatom in the sitting-room. I gulped about one or two tablespoons of this powder and then washed it down with water, more water…and more water still. The effect was like throwing surfing or bubbling detergent soap on a fire. My stomach began to cool off. I removed my top dress for fresh air, walked out of the house towards the nearest provision store, holding my stomach, in a search for palm oil, a poison antidote. (I learned of palm oil remedy from the survivors of Lake Nyos volcanic eruption in The Cameroon Mountain a few decades ago. Many people died of gas poisoning. Some of the survivors said they were drinking palm oil or honey as they were fleeing). But mid-way to this store, I experienced enough respite that encouraged me to return home so I did not get the neighbours talking. By this time, the time was about 9:30p.m.

    Carbonic Acid

    What I experienced was carbonic acid poisoning. The banana was force-ripened in a sack-load of bananas and carbide chips. In this manner, banana sellers get immature green bananas to soften and appear edible within 24hours of this treatment. Plantain sellers do it also. It gives them business and money everyday instead of about two or three times a week. I had heard so much about carbonic acid poisoning but had only just personally experienced it. It lands many people in hospital. It may damage the stomach or the intestine if the poisoned person does not receive help in good time.

    Automobile panel beaters place carbide in water to generate acetylene gas which they burn to weld metals. Carbide in the stomach reacts with water also to produce this gas and with hydrochloric acid to produce a more dangerous acid. In the sewage business, carbide is used to burn feaces in pit toilets or soak-aways. Its chemical name is Calcium Carbide.

    According to Dr. Liang Hai Sie, retired general internist, former intensive care physician:

    “Calcium carbide is extremely hazardous to the human body as it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus. It is banned in many countries of the world, but it is freely used in India, Pakistan, Nepal and other countries. Thus, we are at risk of short term and long-term health effects simply by eating fruits that are induced to ripen. Calcium carbide (CaC2) is used to easily generate low levels of ethylene gas which can hasten the ripening of fruits like banana, mango et.c. Ethylene gas is only dangerous if inhaled greater than 33percent concentration, which we would find in after-use, but the contaminants arsenic and phosphorus hydride are the dangers to look out for.”

    Dr. Liang Hai Sei says the early symptoms of arsenic or phosphorus hydride poisoning may include “vomiting, diarrhoea, with or without blood, burning sensation of the chest and abdomen, thirst, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, irritations or burning in the eyes and skin, permanent eye damage, ulcers on the skin, irritation in the mouth, nose and throat. Throat sore, cough, wheezing and shortness of breath may also occur soon after exposure to the chemical. Higher exposure may cause a build up of fluids in the lungs”.

    The warnings continue: “Eating artificially ripened mangoes causes stomach upsets because the alkaline substance is an irritant that erodes the mucosal tissue in the stomach and disrupts intestinal function. Chronic exposure to the chemical could lead to peptic ulcer. As CaC2 initiates acetylene gas, it may affect the neurological system by inducing prolonged hypozia in the body.”

    Hypozia is a state of oxygen deficiency with many symptoms, including dizziness, tiredness and pain.

    Dr. Liang Hai Sei says that recently, carbide food poisoning has been related to “headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, sleepiness, mental convulsion, memory loss, cerebral oedema and seizure. Though eating the fruits would not bring about such an allergic reaction, the method of ripening could cause such problems”.

    In India, the calcium carbide is sold in sachets called MASALA. A sachet is placed in every carton of green mangoes to make them ripen within 24hours. Although a law bans the use of calcium carbide in the ripening of fruits, the practice is widespread underground. It will not be surprising if MASALA has found its way to Nigeria.

    In Nigeria, we eat all sorts of poisoned food, and this may be the reason all sorts of diseases are hitting heavily at the population. There is a particular monosodium glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer, known to bleach coloured dresses to white which is a popular ingredient in canteen or restaurant food. Sometimes, I imagine if this may not be a cause of the growing number of eye problems in hospitals. For if this MSG can bleach clothes, will it not bleach delicate cells of the eyes as well? I do not trust even the corn sellers. Their trick is to pass on thier wares as “today’s” corn. They cook it with an arsenal of nails to soften it. They add saccharine, a suspected carcinogen,  to the water to sweeting the corn! Water melon is injected with a dye to make it reddish and appealing to the eye. Apples are waxed to make them solid for a long time. And unless you immerse them in boiling water to de-wax them, you’d be eating chemicals with the good, old apples. Poultry egg suffers the same fate. The feed of the chickens is loaded with dyes to give the yolk a super yellow colour. What of ground pepper? It is diluted with Colanut powder! And palm oil? It comes with reddish dyes! The only way out of this poisoned world, as I often suggest, is to keep an arsenal of antioxidants and detoxifyers at home for inclusion in the diet. I wonder what would have become of me last month if I did not have DIATOM and ACTIVATED CHARCOAL at home. To these should be added stuff such as CHLORELLA and WHEAT GRASS. And, of course, GERMAN CHAMOMILE which calms the nerves, as these poisons cause nerve damage. I shouldn’t forget to mention LION’S MANE MUSHROOM as well. It supports the brain to make Nerve Growth Hormone or Nerve Growth Factor which improves nerve energy and helps the repair of damaged nerves.

    sublingual B2

    If sublingual Vitamin B2 were personal, I would tender my unreserved apology for linking it to my first experience with calcium carbide poisoning last month.

    I learned about the importance of Vitamin B2 in the prevention and cure of cataracts of the eye lens about 1980 from Dr. Robert Atkins, now of blessed memory, one of the frontier-moving conventional doctors in the United States who paved the way for Alternative Medicine ingress in that country.

    In his VITA NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS, Dr. Atkins says: the amino acid Lysine slows damage of blood sugar to the eye lens which results in cataracts. He suggests that while beta carotene is good for vision, it is Lutein and Zeazanthin “are the dominant carotenoids that protect our eyes. They are concentrated especially in the macular, our true center of sight at the back of the retina. Because of their yellowish colour, Lutein and Zeazanthin are particularly adept at absorbing the damaging blue rays from the light spectrum. Lutein also seems to be better than beta carotene at heading off free radicals harm to fats inside the eyes. If consumed regularly from Kale, Collard greens, Spinach and other leafy green vegetables, the two carotenoids are unbeatable combination. Not only can they ward off cataracts, but they can also cut by 57percent the risks for macular degeneration, a deterioration of central vision that is responsible for about one-third of all new cases of blindness every year”.

    Apologies if I have drifted from Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin). Dr. Atkins was versatile. I read his book about 1980. It was only about 2000 onwards that many ophthalmologists began to let their patients take Lutein and Zeazanthin, abundant in Marigold flower (as shown last week for their vision).

    Dr. Atkins says Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) is a “superstar player” on the B-complex roster”. He believes without B2, the B complex would not be a star food metabolizer, food and cell guards. It helps the conversion of Vitamin B6 to its active form. It supports the activation of glutathione, one of the body’s three basic antioxidants.

    He says Riboflavin and Glutathione are so related that glutathione’s levels are often measured by Riboflavin’s levels. Riboflavin is crucial in the “natural approach to preventing and beating cataract”. During a stroke or a heart attack, Riboflavin “limits the cell damage and minimises respiratory injuries from various toxins”. Even sickle cell anaemia “improves when Riboflavin which guards our red blood cells is included”. Iron absorption may be impaired, and the thyroid gland may be weakened by Riboflavin deficiency. Some studies, says Dr. Atkins, suggest that “a B2 deficiency increases the likelihood of depression and/or other mental health problems.”

    The Dr. Edward Group corroborates Dr. Atkins’s conclusions. In this group are doctors and researchers in prominent American universities and other institutions. It says, for example, that children and adults who obtain little or no Riboflavin in the diet tend to have more headaches and migraines. They quote the National Institute of Health as suggesting that “people who get more Riboflavin along with Niacin may have a lower risk of getting cataracts”. Iron absorption and red blood formation are promoted by Riboflavin.

    Dr. Axe, writing under the subject FOOD MEDICINE, lists some signs of Riboflavin deficiency as:

    “Signs of Vitamin B2 deficiency can include anaemia, fatigue, nerve damage, a sluggish metabolism, mouth or lip sores and cracks, skin inflammation and skin disorders especially around the nose and face, inflamed mouth and tongue, sore throat, swelling of mucus membranes, change in mood such as increased anxiety and sign of depression.”

    Dr. Atkins said in his days: “Most doctors know only the superficial sign of B2 deficiency, including cracks at the corners of the mouth and difficulty in adjusting to darkness and bright light. My suspicious arose when I find out that someone eats a diet high in carbohydrates. Wholegrains, it is true, are good sources of the nutrient, but refined flours, even if fortified, are not.

    I am happy I recognised in good time that my food poisoning was caused not by a Riboflavin supplement but by calcium carbide reacting with water in my stomach to form a more toxic acid and gas.

    The lesson in this for everyone ought to be that, everyday, our bodies are degraded by poisoned food, air and water, not to mention negative emotional responses to events around us. While our bodies may struggle to overcome these challenges, they do not succeed 100percent. We can aid them with daily intake of antioxidants and detoxifiers to hit the upper mark. We should remember that that left over or remainder is that “something that must kill a man someday”. That “something” may be accumulations of carbide or arsenic in the system.

     

  • 3 Common Fruits That Help You Last Long In Bed

    3 Common Fruits That Help You Last Long In Bed

    Have always said it and would continue to. The easiest way to completely get rid of premature ejaculation is this: A healthy diet + regular exercising + natural supplements.

    It is as simple as that, part of having a clean and healthy diet is the fruits you take in. Most of us dont even take fruits at all except during fasting period (oranges and apple).
    Before I continue for the sake of those just reading my articles here on staging.thenationonlineng.net,
    “My name is Uncle D who used to be a one minute man like most Nigerian men, almost lost my beautiful wife due to this problem. That was when I started researching and trying everything out there, its all now history as have now solved the one minute riddle, I now last more than 30 minutes every time I have sex with my wife and now am out to help as much Nigerian men out of this problem too. Over 1000 Nigerian men have had great results taking my advice and saved their marriage”
    Water melon:
    capture-6
    I use to hear about this growing up but never for once took the claim serious until few years ago. Although this fruit is low in calorie, it contains a significant amount of phyto-nutrients that could boost libido and stamina. It contains citrulline, lycopene and beta-carotene. Citrulline is converted to Arginine, an amino acid that increases citric oxide levels in the body. This helps relax the blood vessels in similar ways Viagra works you can call it natural viagra, this is also good for cardiovascular muscles. 
    Water melon is a natural enhancement for boosting sex drive; the seeds contain magnesium which has aphrodisiac effects on the consumer thereby increasing libido and stamina.
    Avocado:
    Avocados contain lots of potassium which improves stamina as well as it increases blood flow. When blood flows and rushes into the sexual organ, the desire to have sex is increased. The avocado tree is sometimes called the Testicle Tree because of the fruit’s shape when compared to the human testicles and it growing in pairs. Avocados also support healthy cardiovascular system and help in the regulation of blood sugar; thus they are safe to consume. Avocados are high in folic acid which would help increase sperm count in men.
     For the women, it would help prevent birth defects. There you have it,you want a great sex life add these fruits to your diet.
    And to get better and quicker results, use a NAFDAC approved herbal supplement, like the one I recommend here.
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  • Banana Peel: 2016 upcoming herbal medicine…(4)

    When I told Sunday Papa Danson last week that banana peel has caught my attention as a nutritional or food supplement, he screamed:

    “Are we now animals?” Papa is an always funny young man who makes light of anything, including the serious. Asking a young man like him to eat banana peel, so soon after introducing orange peel to his dining table (21 January 2016 column), isn’t a playful matter at all. “Aren’t we supposed to be higher animals?,” I asked him, as a way of playing back the joke like a table tennis, Ping-Pong game, but clear in my heart that we human beings aren’t higher animals. Charles Darwin made many people think so with his theory of evolution. Many people have interpreted or misinterpreted this theory to mean that from single-celled plants, complex life forms such as the human cell form emerged over millions of years after intricate adaptation to the environment.

    Today in some spiritual circles, it is even thought that the evolutionary process involves many earthly incarnations in which plants become animals and animals become human  beings. By this thinking, humans will one day become gods.

    In serious spiritual circles, however, it is known that each plant or animal specie as a creation idea, does not abandon its primordial family or specie and evolve into another creative idea in creation. Thus goat can never become dog nor can mosquitoe become lion. What actually happens is that each specie evolves to the highest point possible for it development and then becomes extinct on earth after this achievement or turns its cloak, covering or body to another specie of a higher origin which can further develop that body or covering to the ceiling of its own capacity. The dinosaur disappeared because there was no inheritor of its cloak. The human spirit, set for its sojourn on earth, inherited the body of the most developed animal at that time which was to vacate the earth.

    Thus, the human spirit from the spiritual world, a world far, far above the animistic world from which the souls of animals come, made that inherited body not only to be able to stand erect and walk on two feet instead of fours, but to also develop the vocal cord and speak, and the brain so that, today, it builds houses, even skyscrapers better than any animal can, makes and fly aeroplanes and made the computer among other things.

    But we cannot write off Charles Darwin. Our bodies are derived from the animal kingdom and has gone through an evolutionary process which has made our children look and think better than we do, as we also belooned beyond our parents, and they beyond theirs. Is Papa Danson listening? Primates eat banana and the peel. So do Asians, who cook or eat it raw. In Babanki Village in the Cameroun, the peel is roasted to fine powder in earthen wave pots and added to foods such as pap to treat peptic or duodenal ulcer. This is not surprising, given the wide range of nutritional factors found in banana peel.

    Foremost among this is potassium, which may help to resolve primary hypertension, that is elevated blood pressure which may develop when there is not enough of potassium in the bloodstream. Another important constituent of banana peel is tryptophan, a chemical substance which improves the level of Serotonin in the body especially in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is a brain chemical. Insufficiency of it may cause insomnia or depression or most swings, irritability and agitation. Two banana skins eaten every day for three days is reported by researchers to increase Serotonin levels in the blood by about 16 percent.

    Owen Bond reports in www.lifestrong.com that “banana skin contains Lutein, a powerful antioxidant that protects the eyes from free radicals and harmful frequencies of UV radiation from the sun. Lutein has been proven to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, as cited in BIOCHEMICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL and MOLECULAR ASPECTS of HUMAN NUTRITION”

    Owen Bond adds that Asians parboil banana peel, juice it and add the puree to other juices, eat it raw or fry it.

    “In addition to eating banana peel,” he says, “they can be used to rub on your skin to stop inching, reduce inflammation, remove warts, smooth out wrinkles, get rid of stains, control psoriasis, and improves skin tone and texture.”

    Even in the United States, efforts are being made to sell banana peels a food form in the bid to cut food wastages says Samantha Oison 2035.

    One of the leaders of the efforts is the Educational Outreach and Environmental Advocacy Group Sustainable America. www.healthyliving.com says that this organisation “created an all-encompassing infographic to help banana lovers and newbies everywhere reap the many benefits and their peels have in store for us.”

    Their target is to cut the current 40 percent food wastage in America to 20 percent by 2035. For every one who would like to try banana peel, www.starcraze.com is a good guide it says: “The flesh of the banana is rich in many nutrients and carbohydrates. It is high in Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, magnesium and potassium. The sugar content is the highest when the banana peel turns black. Role the banana peel every day on your teeth for about a minute. This actually results in teeth whitening which can cause a lot of money otherwise.

     

    REMOVES WARTS

    The banana peel helps in removing warts and eliminate the occurrence of new ones for this, simply rub the peel on the affected area or tie the peel overnight on it this is one of the simplest ways to use banana peel on the skin.

    “EAT THEM

    Face, skin clear facial hair remover, permanent weight loss retreat. Reduce wrinkles. Hair loss solutions. Best acne scar treatment. Lose belly fat quickly.

    “CURES:

    PIMPLES. Just massage banana peels on your face and body for five minutes every day to cure pimples. The result should be visible within a week. Keep applying the skin until the acne disappears.

    “REDUCES WRINKLES.

    The banana peel helps to keep your skin hydrated. Add an egg yolk to marshed banana peel. Apply this mixture on your face for five minutes. Wash up after five minutes.

    “PAIN RELIEVER.

    Apply the banana skin on the painful area. Leave it for 30 minutes till the pain is gone. A mixture vegetable oil and banana peel also helps in pain relief.

    “HEALS PSORIASIS.

    Apply the peel on the psoriasis affected are. The banana peel has moisturising properties and also reduces itchiness. It will quickly heal psoriasis and you can see reasonable results within no time.

    “HEALS BITES BY BUGS.

    Apply the peel on the mosquitoes bite to get instant relief from itching and pain.

    “SHOE, LEATHER, SILVER POLISH

    Role the banana peel on shoes and silver articles to make them shine instantly.

    “UV PROTECTION.

    Banana peel helps in protecting the eyes from the harmful UV rays. Make sure you leave the peel under the sun before rubbing the banana peel on your eyes. It is also proven to reduce the risks of cataract!

    We learn a little more from www.businessinsider.com, which says: “People around the world are eating banana peels because they know something that Westerners do not. That’s right, we can eat banana peels. And not only are they edible, they are also good for you. If you live in the US, you are probably used to tossing banana peels in the trash. But people in other countries, including India, have been taking advantage of their nutritional benefits for decades. While banana flesh is soft and sweet, the skin is thick, fibrous, bitter. To eat the peel, you can either blend it into smoothies or fry, bake, or boil them for at least 10 minute. Heat brakes down the skins fiber and loosens up that tough texture, making the peel easier to chew and digest. Also, the riper you allow the banana to get, the thinner and sweeter the peel becomes. That’s because of a natural plant hormone called ethylene the fruits release as they ripen. Ethylene interacts with the sugars and fibre in the banana skin, changing complex sugars into simple sugars and breaking down pectin, a form of fibre in banana that keeps them stiff.” The sweet flesh of a medium sized banana contains significant percentages of your Daily Recommended Intake (DRI) of various nutrients such as:

    “ONE, 12 percent of your daily fibre, which helps with digestion and may help lower your risk of diabetes.

    “TWO, 17 percent OF YOUR Vitamin C, which is important for your immune system as well as growth and development.

    “THREE, 20percent of Vitamin B6 which aids the body’s ability to convert food into energy.

    “FOUR, 12 percent of your potassium, which helps in development of cells’, Tissues and organs throughout the body.

    “FIVE, eight percent of Magnesium, which is important for the body’s energy production and regulating glucose and blood pressure level”.

    Potassium is important for people who would like to avoid or combat abnormal growths such as uterine fibroids. Dr. Max Gerson of Germany resolved his terrible migraines with a potassium extract from fruits and vegetables, and went on to prescribe it for skin troubles such as tuberculosis of the skin, and then various cancers considered hopeless by his colleagues. He believed that tumours occur because the affected tissues or organs do not have enough potassium in them, leading to the infiltration of sodium. In this condition, the cell adapts itself from an oxidative (oxygen using) lifestyle to a fermentative one in which oxygen is not required.

    Papain, pawpaw seeds and pineapple peel

    Is Sunday Papa Danson still out there… and listening? Has he heard? Of papain tablets? Pawpaw seeds, like the leaves, sap of the unripe fruit and skin are medicinal. So is the peel of the pineapple. Both are rich in papain, a chemical substance which resembles Pepsin, an enzymes found in the stomach which helps us to digest proteins. Papain tablets, sold for the digestion of proteins and elimination of dangerous protein molecules foreign to the body, such as those of germs (typhoid e.t.c) are, made from pawpaw extracts from pawpaw (carica papaya) sources.

    Many people need Papain because their bodies no longer produce enough pepsin in the stomach or other protein-digesting enzymes in the Pancreases and intestine. Such people may not have enough hydrochloric acid in their stomachs to induce the production of pepsin. Such people are, therefore unlikely to be able to efficiently digest meat (beef) or even fish and milk. Such people may complain that they have heart burn when they eat beans or other protein-rich foods. Such people may end up with food overstaying in the stomach. And this may cause food to become rotten in the stomach. Germs visit rotten food and may cause such damage to stomach tissue we call peptic ulcer. In this case, delayed digestion in the stomach makes the stomach over acidic.

    Trying to heal such acidic stomach with acid-blocking antacid tablets or drinks may worsen the situation. In other cases, incomplete digestion of protein either in the stomach or intestine may cause protein slidges in the system which may cause allergies and related problems.

    To top it this week, let’s listen to Dr. Paul Haider’s 10 amazing health benefits of papaye seeds:

    “ONE: Liver Disease. Papaye seeds contain vital nutrients that help heal cirrhosis of the liver. Take five or six papaye seeds and grind them all or crush them and take them with juice, especially lime juice. Do this every day for 30 days. And some people have amazing results healing liver cirrhosis with papaye seeds.

    “TWO: Detoxin. Eating just a little small amount of papaye seeds can detox the liver. Eat a small amount every day.

    “THREE: Antibacterial. A small amount of papaye seeds also kill bacterial such as E.coli, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and poisoning gases.

    “FOUR: Viral Infection. Papaye seeds also work as a good antiviral agent helping heal viral infection, papaye seeds have been used extensively in Costa Rica for dengin fever infections.

    “FIVE. Cancer. Papaye seeds contain agent that stop the growth of cancer cells and tumours. Papaye seeds contain Isothiocyanate which work well for colon, breath, lung, leukemia and prostate cancer.

    “SIX. Parasites. Papaye seeds contain an alkaloid. ‘Carpaine’ that kills intestinal worms and amoelia parasite. And papaye fruits help to break down protein and, this, make the Gastro Intestinal Tract a hostile place for parasites to live. Studies show that drinking papaye seed juice for seven days helped children in Nigeria get rid of parasites at the time.

    “SEVEN: Fertility. Research shows that eating papaye seeds can greatly reduce sperm production without affecting libido.  Taking a teaspoon of papaye seed daily for three months seem to work well. Studies with rats and monkeys showed no sperm production after taking papaye seed for 90 days without side effects. And when papaye seeds were removed from the diet, fertility came back to normal. And women in Asia used the sap of the papaye sap and the grape fruit to prevent pregnancy. And many people make a papaye seed and pulp smoothie with approximately a teaspoon of seeds in each smoothie which seems to work well for male fertility. Of course, there is no money in natural products so research has stopped. But that does not mean it is not effective.

    “EIGHT: Anti-inflammatory. Papaye seeds are anti-inflammatory, making them great for arthritis, joint diseases, swelling, pain, and redness.

    “NINE: Pepper substitute. Some people dry papaye seeds and grind them in their pepper grinder. They are peppery in flavour with a little bit of bitterness. But once you get used to the flavour, they are a nice substitute for pepper.

    “TEN: Kidney disease. At the University of Karachi, they found that papaye seeds can be used for treating kidney disease and preventing herbal failure, and works especially great for poisoning related kidney disease.”

    Sunday, Papa Danson, let’s call it a day.

  • Banana consumption maintains normal pressure – Nutritionist

    Banana consumption maintains normal pressure – Nutritionist

    Miss Yemisi Olowokere, a nutritionist with Garki Hospital, Abuja, on Tuesday said consumption of banana was ideal for the maintenance of normal blood pressure and heart function.

    Olowokere told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that bananas were the best source of potassium, an essential mineral for normal blood pressure and heart function.

    “Bananas help restore normal bowel activity, rich in non digestible fibers, help with constipation and diarrhea and normalise the colon’s function to absorb large amounts of water for regular bowel movements.

    “Bananas have long been recognised for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage.

    “They help to neutralise acidity, a great way to get rid of heart burn,’’ she said.

    Olowokere said bananas were a perfect baby food, adding that they were the best solid food to introduce to infants.

    She said that bananas were easy to digest and rarely caused allergic reactions, and that they could be recommended for children recovering from gastrointestinal problems, particularly diarrhea.

    Olowokere said the dietary fiber component in banana pulp had cholesterol-lowering effect and also promoted an overall improvement of the functional efficiency of kidneys.

    “The benefits that the kidneys derive from bananas are due to the high potassium content present in it.

    “A normal intake of potassium suppresses calcium excretion in the urine and minimises the kidney stone,’’ she said.

    Olowokere said bananas were also known to calm an upset stomach and helped to rehydrate the body.

    She said bananas contained 25 per cent of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin B6 necessary for producing antibodies, red blood cells and aiding in the metabolism of fat.

    “The Vitamin B6 present in banana serves as an immunity booster.

    “Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that converts into serotonin known to make one relax, improve one’s mood and generally make one feels happier,’’ Olowokere said.

    She said bananas could stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helped in cases of anemia.

  • N20b Banana Farm tears Ogoni community apart

    N20b Banana Farm tears Ogoni community apart

    The youths, women and elders of Ueken, an Ogoni community in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State are fuming over alleged diversion of funds paid for acquisition of their land for the N20bn banana plantation project. PRECIOUS DIKEWOHA, who visited the community, reports that the aggrieved landowners are threatening showdown with the traditional ruler and members of the council of chiefs over their role in the deal

    There was hardly a smiling face in Ueken community when Niger Delta Report visited the sleepy Ogoni town last Wednesday. The people were seething with anger and pain over the perceived act of betrayal by their leaders. The state government in August 2012 acquired their land for the Precious Banana Plantation project. The compensation money was reportedly paid to some elite and leaders of the community who, according to the people, diverted it into their own pockets. This has led to incessant protests and agitation among the youths of the community who have continued to disturb the operation of the Precious Banana Plantation Limited.

    “What we are saying is who is to be compensated is it the chiefs or the landlords? Who represented them on the agreement that led to the alleged payment of the first compensation to their community? How much was paid and if the government actually paid something to the chiefs, where is the people’s share as landlords of the acquired land? These are questions that Ueken community needs urgent answers from their leaders,” a leader of the community said.

    The people feel that some elite used their position to shortchange them.

    One protester told our reporter: “When the people were eager to hear a positive result from such representation, they saw nothing. The worst thing is that since then these elite have refused to fight for our rights, instead they are busy praising government and blocking every effort for the community to express their plight.”

    Chief Lucky Agbe, an aggrieved member of the Council of Chiefs, was overjoyed when he saw our reporter. He welcomed him and invited all the youths, women and elders who to meet with him to express their feelings. A town crier invited them to the village square where our reporter was properly briefed on the matter.

    The Chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr. Anthony Nubani, said the news was everywhere that government had compensated the community.

    “Everywhere you go, the people will tell you that government gave Ueken community billions of naira, but nobody in this community has collected kobo as compensation. We want to tell the world that our land was confiscated and till now we have not received anything. Government may claim to have given people money but we have not seen any money, we are the landlords,” he said.

    Nubani said it was wrong for the government to give money to a handful of chiefs to pay landlord, lamenting that the government acquired their land without due consultation, negotiation and a concrete agreement as to due process of acquisition of land in Nigeria.

    “The government connived with the Chiefs and Royal Highness of our community and grabbed our lands; they believed that lands in Ogoni belong to the chiefs and not the people.  But as far as I am concern land in Ogoni and other parts of Nigeria belong to the people and the people are members of specific families. The chief can be a member of a particular family and community but the chief cannot own the whole land in a community.

    “It is a fallacy for the chiefs, the paramount ruler of Ueken community to purportedly claim that land in Ogoni belongs to the chiefs. So on that basis we stand on our right. We have not signed any document with anybody either government or otherwise that our land should be sold or has been sold.”

    Nubani posited that the constitution and Land Use Act do not abolish the right of the indigenous people who own their land, adding: “It does not claim all the land of the indigenous people, the constitution did not state that either local government, state or Federal Government should not negotiate with people in any particular area where they have interest in the acquisition of land.”

    He said the people were prepared to confront the government and military over the land. He appealed to the international community and the National Human Rights Commission to wade into the perceived injustice being meted on the people. He said several letters to the Rivers State governor, the Rivers State House of Assembly and several petitions to the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Agriculture have failed to give them justice.

    “What we heard was that the people whom government claimed to have given money went and tipped them and for whatever reason the investigation was stalled. We wrote a letter to the EFCC and they told us that we should go to the police whereas the police have failed in their bid to investigate the matter.

    “The National Human Rights Commission wrote to the EFCC acknowledging them of their role to investigate this case of fraud. All the documents in the course of this case are ready. Every ancestry rites of the Tai people came from Ueken. We remain the custodian of Tai culture and tradition and if Tai people will come out and lay false claim about Ueken people that all lands in Ogoni belongs to the government and the chiefs and not to the people, then it is an abomination and on that note we stand and continue to press forward that our rights and all payments due to Ueken people must be given to us.”

    Nevertheless, Nubani assured that the people would continue to be law-abiding and peaceful in their determination to get justice. He said when they protested and stopped work at the farm, there was no harm done to the workers, the plantation and any other person.  He said they merely remained there until the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tai local government Hon. Mbaakponee Okpe came in with the, State Security Service (SSS) and Commander Internal Task Force and other security agents to address them

    “The chairman promised us that by the next day we will be having a meeting of all those involved in this deal at the Presidential Hotel and he has promised to ensure that justice is done to us. It is on this note we suspended the protest. After the meeting with the chairman if nothing is done  we will enter the farm and  clear the banana, we are waiting for Rivers State government to bring whatever arms available to destroy us. We are ready. On this Ueken land, we will die.”

    Agbe, who is at the forefront of this agitation, said he was attacked by members of the Council of Chiefs for backing his people.

    “First and foremost, I was the person that took this matter to court. I am a member of the council of chiefs. When I heard about this matter that the military are coming to survey our land, I mentioned it in the council. I did not receive any fruitful answer from the council and I kept asking but I didn’t get any answer from them.

    “We called on the paramount chief of this community to hold a stakeholders meeting and discuss what we’ve heard about the land. The answer we got was that he cannot hold such meeting for security reasons.  Until today, I do not know what he calls ‘security reasons’ when the citizens of Ueken community want to discuss issues that affect them and we cannot sit amicably and resolve it.”

    Agbe said when troops were moving into their farms, the people cried out.  He said the soldiers moved into the farms, beat up and drove out the landowners, a development that compelled him to file a case in the Federal High Court, on behalf of the people. He said he addressed the human rights conferences in Lagos and in Benin. The case was struck out because the court lacked jurisdiction to hear it.

    “Based on that we called on the Commissioner of Agriculture, but there was no fruitful reply.  We have about 30 to 40 cases in court to prove that there has never been anytime where the chiefs of this community sought the opinion of the masses because of their selfish interest.

    “They suspended me from the Council of Chiefs, accusing me of leaking out their secrets to the people. I told them to consider the poor. As you can see, many of us are not working. We are peasant farmers of about 3,000 in population. The land remaining for our population is not up to one-third of the land acquired for the banana plantation. It is the very place they surveyed that our people farmed last year. Even when the Managing Director of the banana plantation drove in to see the surveyed farm, he saw that our women were cultivating the farm. He was surprised because he was told that the site for the plantation was a forest where nobody has ever entered for cultivation.

    “Now we are appealing  for the matter to be addressed because it is getting out of hand. This year we are supposed to go there for farming but they said nobody should be found close to the farm if not they will kill us. But we are all going there to farm in between their banana stands, we will plant our crops and when it is time for harvest, we will also harvest our crops,” he vowed.

    Comrade Saturday Ntaadua, Vice Chairman of Ueken Youth, who led the recent protest, said, “What we are hearing is that they gave the money to some people in the community, but those that received the money  did not send any kobo to us. The money has not been paid to the rightful owners of the farmland. We will continue to protest until those who ate our money return it to us.”

    Comrade Joseph Nsua said the few elites took the advantage of the poor citizens of the community who are not enlightened to oppress them. “If you take the statistics of this community you will see that few of them are educated while majority are not. It is like what caused the industrial revolution in Europe, the peasant farmers land where confiscated and at the end of the day they were told you must work for the company or you leave and that led to revolution.”

    The National Coordinator of Ogoni Solidarity Forum (OSF), Mr. Celestine Akpobari, advised the state government to pay the aggrieved landowners. He said over 30,000 landowners have already lost their land. He regretted that the state government paid some traditional rulers for the land instead of the real owners.

    A Non-Governmental Organisation, Social Action, also urged the government to compensate the landlords and not the chiefs. The group’s Head of Communications, Vivian Bellonwu said: “The state government should explain how a commercial venture undertaken by a foreign investor had satisfied the interest of the people under the Land Use Act to warrant the alleged seizure of land without compensation. The Federal Government should enforce the Environmental Impact Assessment law of 1992 with regard to the proposed commercial banana plantation in Ogoniland.”

    Meanwhile, at the Presidential Hotel, Port Harcourt where Hon. Mbaakponee Okpe arranged for a peaceful meeting between the accused and the complainant, he told the Niger Delta Report that he would not discuss anything with the press concerning the lingering crisis of the Precious Banana Plantation. He also accused the people of Ueken community of complicating issues and making things difficult for him by inviting the press to the venue of the meeting.

    Chief Deede Fred, the head of Ueken community, who is accused of conniving with other chiefs in Ogoni land to divert the compensation money, commended our reporter for the effort he made to get his side of the story.  He promised to call back, but never did.

    When the reporter called him again his phone was unanswered. A text message sent to him with details of why he was making the call was un-replied. Two days later, the reporter called back, he picked the calls, but as soon as he identified himself as a journalist, Deede hung up.

    Commissioner for Agriculture Mr. Emma Chinda described the protesters as jokers. He explained that the government would always follow the normal procedure in land acquisition.

    He said the Amaechi administration did not seize land from members of the community, adding: “We do not owe anybody, and we did not seize any land from any landlord or community. This government has always put the people first before anything, the idea of banana plantation was not to intimidate anybody but for the economic development of Rivers people.”

  • Benefits of banana

    Banana is ready to eat when it is quite firm, bright yellow, and emanate rich fruity fragrance. Ripe fruit peels off easily. Ripened, fresh bananas are nutritionally enriched and sweeter in taste than raw green ones.

    Here are some benefits of Banana:

    •Bananas help overcome depression due high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin — the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter

    •Eat two bananas before a strenuous workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar

    •Protect against muscle cramps during workouts and night time leg cramps by eating a banana

    •Counteract calcium loss during urination and build strong bones by supplementing with a banana

    •Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation

    •Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6

    •Strengthen your blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas

    •High in potassium and low in salt, bananas are officially recognized by the FDA as being able to lower blood pressure, and protect against heart attack and stroke

    •Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body

    •Constipated? High fiber in bananas can help normalize bowel motility.

    •Bananas are soothing to the digestive tract and help restore lost electrolytes after diarrhea.

    •Bananas are a natural antacid, providing relief from acid reflux, heartburn and GERD

    •Bananas are the only raw fruit that can be consumed without distress to relieve stomach ulcers by coating the lining of the stomach against corrosive acids.

     

    Source: www.naturalnews.com

     

  • Banana race is important too

    Who says full-bodied children cannot actively participate in sports? Not only can they be athletes, they can also do it well.

    This was proven by the representative of Yellow house, Ibeakanma Success at the sixth biennial inter-house sports competition of Little Gems Private School, Surulere, Lagos.

    Ibeakanma participated in the Banana 25 metres Race for pre-school pupils to the admiration and amusement of the parents, teachers, pupils and guests that filled the stands of the University of Lagos Sports Complex, venue of the event.

    The pupils were required to pick a banana cut into halves from a stool in front of them, eat it then run 25metres to the finish line. At first when the spectators noticed Ifenna’s size compared to others, they wondered that the house Master, Evans Obialo, must have made a poor choice of athlete. But when the whistle went, Ibeakanmagobbled down the banana so fast and started the 25m dash to the finish line while other athletes struggled to finish the banana in two or three bites. It was only one nimble athlete, Ifenna Obumneme who took off after Ibeakanma that beat him to the finish line. Ibeakanma won the silver for his house and was cheered by all.

    The dressing for school event was another exciting one. It featured pre-school boys and girls dress themselves for school. Head Teacher, Mrs Ihuoma Ucheya underscored the importance of this event, saying it was crucial to the development of the pre-schoolers. She insisted the pupils be allowed to dress themselves.

    The event elicited a lot of laughter as some the young ones, who started out only in their underwear wore uniforms inside out, struggled to wear socks and buckle shoes, or forgot to pick their bags as the ran to the finish line. Because of the hurry, some shoes that were not well fastened went off before the finish line.

    Many other events were decided during the competition, including the traditional sprints and relay races for nursery, lower and upper primary classes.

    At the end of the competition, Purple House came first with 10 Gold, six silver and six bronze medals. Yellow was second with nine gold, six silver and 10 bronze medals.

    The most decorated sports pupil was Chinemelum Okafor with four gold, one silver and one bronze medals; while Mary Inyang placed second with three gold, one silver and one bronze.

    The school’s proprietress, Mrs Frances Femi-Pearse said sports is taken seriously by the school because it aids the development of growing children.

    “You really cannot deviate from sports because sports is part of the development of a child. They learn to be competitive; they win or lose and accept losses, and when they win, they rejoice,” she said.

    A parent, Mr John Ibeh said he appreciates watching pupils participate in sporting activities as it exposes their talents.

    “I am so happy to see the kids doing what we have done in the past. You get to see what your child can do. With the performance they put up today, I am impressed,” he said.