President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday held a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London.
Details of the meeting is not known.
Buhari according to his media team, left for London on Friday on a private visit.
Tag: BUHARI
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Buhari on private visit to Britain
The President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, left for Britain on a private visit.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by Malam Garba Shehu, Head of the Media Team of the President-elect said General Muhammadu Buhari will use the opportunity of the visit to take a much-deserved rest ahead of his inauguration on May 29th.
”He is expected back in the country a few days before the inauguration, refreshed and ready to hit the ground running once he is sworn into office,” he said
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Buhari: Transition Panel’s job not to indict Jonathan
Without an input from the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Ahmed Joda-led transition committee set up by President-elect Muhammadu Buhari yesterday submitted its interim report.
Buhari lamented the lack of cooperation from the government which he said “misunderstood” the committee.
The Federal Government Transition Committee, led by Vice President Namadi Sambo, was expected to interface with the Joda committee.
The president-elect, who returned from his hometown Daura, to receive the report at the Defence House, said he was disappointed that “the incoming government was misunderstood”, adding: “It is not that we are preparing for indictment. We are trying to get a starting point; where exactly are we going to start from?
“We have seen the debt profile now and the performance of the economy. The question is, what can we do about it, especially the urgent ones like the social security and lack of fuel in the country and fraud?. The list is endless. I thank you for what you have done and I hope that the subsequent submission by the government will make your job easier and more efficient and tell us where to begin from.
“What we expected was for the outgoing government to make a presentation to this committee and for this committee to study the document and make submissions to the incoming government.
“For your simple mindedness, you went to work. But unfortunately, this committee is accused of being a federal government. From then on, this committee was constraint to take this initiative and breaking into various subcommittees and assigned various tasks to study the most important issues nationwide and see what they can put on record.
“I thank you very much for the efforts which you have made and I want to assure you that we will find time to read your initial report and when the government decides to finally present to you their own records, you will study them and merge them with the reports of the various committees and present to the incoming government.
“My expectations was that each ministry makes their own presentations. The politicians know that they are going while the bureaucrats who do the jobs know they are staying.
“They are the ones who are going to do the job and they are going to be available to help cross check the information. I think this research you have made will help the incoming government to cross check the information on paper given by the outgoing government”.
Joda said the committee had to prepare the first interim report without the input from the government, adding that they are expecting the government to make a presentation to the committee today.
Joda said when they eventually get such government’s input, it will be built into the final report which will be submitted after the inauguration.
Joda said the committee received lots of contribution from Nigerians especially those who served in the private and public sectors in various fields.
He said they received tremendous support from the organised private sector, the Lagos Business School and international development partners on how to move the nation forward.
Joda said his committee worked through four sub-committees.
The interim report is in the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, finance and economy.
The committee also wrote on sectors like agriculture, oil and gas and solid minerals.
The report also looked at Infrastructure, power, national security, education, health and social welfare.
The president-elect requested the Joda-led committee to be ready to resume work the moment the outgoing government’s handover notes are received.
Present at the event were APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Chief Bisi Akande, APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
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‘Buhari must overhaul security agencies’
Former Provost Marshall of the Nigerian Army Brig.-Gen. Don Idada Ikponmwen (rtd) has advised the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to overhaul the nation’s security agencies.
This, he noted, will go a long way in addressing abuses by the agencies and strengthen the confidence of the citizenry.
Idada, a legal practitioner based in Benin, told reporters that the primary responsibility of any government globally is to ensure safety of lives and property of the citizens.
He lamented how security agencies were reduced by politicians to do their personal biddings against being loyal to the state.
The army general said: “Security is the primary purpose of government and that is the first thing any nation must look at. A government that cannot provide that has failed; God forbid that Buhari should fails. Therefore, he must first reorganise the Army, Police, Department of State Security Service (DSS), Customs, Immigration, Fire service by making them non-political.
“Their loyalty must be to the laws of this country and not to individual or political leaders.
“For long, the Nigerian Police have been known to be for those in government and their friends. From beginning, it was the police of the British sovereign, the police of the monarchy and that was why they called it Nigeria Police not Nigerian Police. Over 50 years of Independence, there is no reason why our security organs would not have learnt that loyalty is to the system and not to individual.”
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Traditional rulers seek support for Buhari
THE Association of Royal Traditional Rulers of Nigeria yesterday reaffirmed its support for President-elect Muhammadu Buhari’s incoming administration.
The association spoke in Abuja after an emergency meeting. It urged Nigerians to support Gen. Buhari to succeed in his rescue mission of the nation.
The association hoped that Gen. Buhari would put right a lot of the ills afflicting Nigerians and take the country to greater heights.
The association’s President, who is also a member of the Imo State University Governing Council and the Paramount Ruler of Umudioka Ancient Kingdom in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, Eze Thomas Obiefule addressed reporters.
The monarch urged the incoming administration not to scrap the Office of the First Lady.
He noted that President-elect is astute, disciplined and principled.
Obiefule said the association would continue to back the incoming administration based on its conviction that Gen. Buhari would stem corruption in all sectors of the economy.
The monarch said the association hoped the Gen. Buhari administration would also curb insecurity and give Nigerians a sense of belonging.
According to him, the monarchs also deliberated on various threats to the incoming administration by Niger Delta militants and resolved that such threats were unnecessary.
The monarch urged the militants to support the incoming government in the interest of national development.
Obiefule said the association advised the incoming administration not to scrap the Office of the First Lady.
He hailed the All Progressives Congress (APC) team, especially former old Anambra State Governor Ogbonnaya Onu.
The monarch praised the former Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) for his interest, ideology and sincerity.
He advised Onu to use his style of statesmanship to help the President-elect succeed.
Obiefule urged Nigerians to give the Buhari administration some time to put the nation in proper shape, adding that changes cannot occur overnight.
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‘Buhari should reduce cost of governance’
Dr. Onaolapo Soleye, 82, is a former Minister of Finance under the military administration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. In this interview, the former lecturer at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, spoke about the recent general elections and his expectations about the incoming Buhari Administration.
Can you assess the just concluded general elections?
It was a successful election during which Nigerians spoke with their votes and chose their leaders into various elective offices, including the office of the President. The elections also laid to rest the much-talked about disintegration of Nigeria as a country. We thank God for making the election possible amid fears and apprehension. Nigerians must also appreciate the personal contribution of the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan who conceded defect even before it was concluded. This, to an extent, doused tension across the country.
I rejoice with Nigeria and Nigerians that in spite of the doomsday prediction, it went on smoothly.
What lesson has the outcome of the elections taught Nigerians?
I don’t know what lessons the elections have taught Nigerians, but personally speaking, it has shown that there I a limit to which we can rely on the media, including the so-called social media. The media hype on the elections was so high that you will think Nigeria was going to collapse. To God be the glory, the elections have proven pessimists wrong that the media could speculate, create tension, but Nigerians have made up their minds on how to move the country forward.
In spite of what people say or write, God has destined what would happen and what would be. That’s another lesson. If not that, Buhari would not have emerged the President-elect, if all the negative things said about him were anything to go by. Another lesson is also that the Nigerian electorates are now more enlightened than before and can differentiate between what they want and what they don’t want.
As someone who worked under Buhari, what should Nigerians expect from his government?
I expect discipline and austerity, which will later in the years impact positively our economy. I expect him to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria for better; turning the present economic woes to economic gains for the country and Nigerians. I expect him not to compromise his frankness, straightforwardness and thoroughness in the name of anything. In anything he will do as the President, I want him to always place the interest of Nigerians at heart and not that of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
No doubt, because he’s now a politician, his party would have some element of influence on him, but he should always remember Nigerians that voted him into power. He must not compromise critical values he believed in like his anti-corruption stance. Under no circumstance must he concede to people who know nothing but corruption. He must let people know that the situation has changed, through his actions and utterances.
With the economic situation in the country today, what should be the thrust of the policies you would like Buhari to adopt?
It is not only his economic policies that are necessary; he must also maintain national stability. There are other many areas in our national life which he must address, if he wants to succeed in office. I suggest that he should address the inability of many state governments to pay workers salaries. Ordinarily, one may want to say that it is not the Federal Government that is owing, but he should not forget that he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It is shameful and a national disgrace, as well as unethical and a great disservice for governments not to pay workers that they are using to execute their progrmmes. I urge Buhari to address the issue as soon as he assumes office. If possible, I want him to give state governments that owe workers ultimatum within which to pay or face the wrath of the Federal Government. However, from available records, I must state that state governments in the country have no business not paying their workers.
The President-elect also needs to get the cooperation of the trade unions. As much as workers welfare should not be jettisoned by him, I want to canvass that there should not be wage increase for the first two years of his administration.
Since the first two years should be sacrifice, I also want to canvass for the reduction in the cost of running government by at least 50 per cent. I am of the opinion that we are wasting money in running government. I find it scandalous that our Senate President earns more than the US President. That is spendthrift which must be addressed. Although my suggestion may meet with stiff opposition from members of our National Assembly, but I think this is the best for Nigeria at this critical moment of her economic life.
The Central Bank governor has tenure of four years. What do you expect Buhari to do about the CBN governor that has another four years to complete his renewable tenure?
Buhari is not only inheriting the CBN governor, he is also inheriting the entire Civil Service, so he must contend with that reality. Don’t isolate the CBN; as far as I am concerned, the CBN position is governed by law and I know that Buhari is a respecter of law. It is natural that politicians will jostle for positions, including that of the CBN governor, but Buhari should know that there are many of them that are statutory. Hence, he can’t just remove the occupant of such a position without facing the wrath of the law that established them.
How should Buhari handle the series of new appointments by Jonathan, few weeks to his exit from office?
My reaction is that he is still the President and can still make or mar, irrespective of what anybody or group says. All these things some people are saying about the appointments Jonathan is making in the twilight of his administration are nothing but pettiness. The task before Buhari’s administration are enormous than appointments. Nigerians must note this. He can’t succeed without national stability and discipline which we lead to eradication or reduction corruption in the country.
However, this may be difficult for him to achieve if Nigerians saddle him with mundane and petty issues. The expectation of Nigerians is so high that he can’t afford to reduce himself to petty issues of who gets what. As a former military officer, I know he will handle it with tactics and integrity, putting the interest of Nigerians first.
Do you think the Buhari of today can still have vigour to effect the desired change in Nigeria?
I will answer this question by appealing to Nigerians to support Buhari’s administration and see whether he has or lack the vigour to run the country. As someone who had the chance of working with him, I know he will run this country well.
He is a man who is highly religious, fears God and has absolute confidence in those working with him. Even as a military Head of State, he was not as dictatorial as many of his adversaries want Nigerians to believe.
I remember very well that there was a situation when he crossed the name of somebody from a list of contract brought to him for approval. Though I was not the one involved, but I went to him to know the rationale and he explained that he did not want to be blackmailed. He is such a person who carries along his subordinates in the scheme of things.
There was also an incident when the Chief of Air Staff took a proposal to him to purchase Alpha jet or do something. What the Chief of Staff was expecting was that Buhari in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief would just say ‘minister go ahead’. But, the service chief got the shock of his life when Buhari asked him to get in touch with the Finance Minister. In a military regime, that was strange because the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Defence Staff and other security chiefs were expecting the Head of State to call the minister and say ‘minister, call your Perm Sec., and see what you can do’. But, instead, Buhari would say go and convince the Minister of Finance.
That’s Buhari’s personality for you and I don’t think he has changed. So, I expect those who will work with him to bear this in mind. As much as he will have confidence in them, they must know that they will be under careful monitoring and they should make sure that they don’t betray the confidence he will repose in them.
Do you think Buhari will survive the pressure from politicians who bank-rolled his election?
There is a limit of decadence that Buhari will tolerate, whether anybody or group financed his election or not. Having worked with him, I know he is a very disciplined and courageous man.
Should Buhari probe the outgoing administration of President Jonathan?
To me, probe is diversionary and when you talk about it, you continually look back, when actually you are supposed to be moving ahead. Probe wastes a lot of time and I want to advise that Buhari should look elsewhere. But, If in the course of running the country, he crushes people along his way, I am sure he will have the cooperation of Nigerians instead of probe.
How do you want him to handle the problematic oil subsidy and power sector?
As a former minister in charge of Ministry of Petroleum, he will know how to handle the issue. But, I want to appeal to him to handle the issue with national interest.
Do you think Buhari has the skill to fight politicians who made him president?
Why not? Let us wait and see whether he could do that or not. But, if it is the same Buhari that I worked with as Finance Minister, politicians should not expect business as usual.
I am sure he will not fight them, but he will let them see reasons why certain things can’t be going on, so Nigerians should brace up for austere period, if they want Nigeria to be a better country. They must be ready to cooperate with him, as well as ready to make unconditional sacrifice.
How do you feel when people blame the military under which you served for being responsible for Nigeria’s current economic woes?
Financial recklessness? Not in Buhari’s regime. In fact, we managed more debts; this made members of the cabinet to be calling me minister of debt management. Our debt was so high that we were paying both domestic debt and foreign debt. It was a disciplined regime and that was probably why we didn’t last two years before we were kicked out.
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Much ado about Ndoma-Egba’s visit to Buhari
It was supposed to be just a visit to congratulate and solidarise with President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, but the furore it has generated has left much to be desired.
Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, who represents Cross River State Central Senatorial District, recently led a group of eminent Cross Riverians on the visit, which he said was devoid of any political undertone.
The visit, it was gathered, was intended to present various problems bedeviling the state to Buhari.
However, for a group of elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state led by Eyo Nsa Ekpo, the Senate Leader wanted to reap where he did not sow.
The Senate Leader’s political future became precarious after failing to get his party’s ticket to seek re-election. It was against this backdrop that some perceived teh visit as a first step to reposition himself.
But the Senate Leader had condemned attempts to politicise the visit. He said he has a thriving legal practice so the future held no worries for him, though he remains committed to his political calling. He said besides this, he had spent the greater part of his adult life serving the people of the state in various capacities and it was was too late in the day for him to be looking for a job.
Also as a result of the development, the PDP in the state had described the Senate Leader as unstable.
According to the party chairman, Ndoma-Egba was like a masquerade dancing and that his dance steps were being examined.
Lawyer and public commentator Utum Eteng, who was a member of the delegation, felt the backlash was more because of who led the delegation. According Eteng, who is also a human rights activist, the backlash was fueled more by the establishment in the state to ensure the Senate Leader was subdued.
Hence, he advised leaders against working against the state’s interest, in their bid to push political interests.
He described the backlash from some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state about the visit as misplaced.
He reiterated the visit was in the interest of Cross Riverians and not one that was politically motivated.
“I was in the delegation of eminent Cross Riverians that visited president Buhari to congratulate him. I have seen reports in the papers about the bad belly of Cross Riverians.
“The delegation was led by Chief Victor Ndoma-Egba and members were not necessarily of the All Progressives Congress (APC). We did not pay that visit as members of the APC.
“Ndoma-Egba made it clear that we were there not as politicians but as Cross Riverians coming to share in his victory. So that those who went ahead to describe members of the delegation as gold digger are not properly not informed about the visit. It was not a political visit. It was an independent visit of independent persons. So for them to think that anybody to overtake them in APC they are getting it all wrong. Even though some of us in that delegation worked actively for the success of Buhari in Cross River State, we did not go there in that capacity.
“Those who described members of the delegation as gold diggers are unfair and disrespectful to seniority and age. Because in that delegation we had the likes of former Minister of Finance, Tony Ani, and others. I wonder what kind of gold they would be digging.
“I don’t want to join issues. But, I think to a very large extent after the visit, we discovered some persons felt very agitated, especially the hierarchy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who felt bad that they had worked against it. But they ought to have led us.“
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We were apprehensive about Nigeria’s elections – Niger President
President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou, said on Thursday that the people of his country were apprehensive during the last general elections in Nigeria because of the history of electoral violence on the African continent.
Speaking with journalists after a closed door meeting with President – elect, Muhammadu Buhari, at the Defence House, Abuja, Issoufou said they were grateful to God that the announcement of the results did not result in any conflict.
The Nigerien leader said his visit to Abuja was to congratulate the president-elect on his victory in the presidential election.
He said, “I also came to congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan on the elections because he has played a great role by accepting the presidential election results.
“If you can remember, whenever there is an election in Africa, we always have disputes and crises in some instances after results were declared. But we thank God that the Nigerian elections were conducted peacefully and peace was maintained afterwards.
“We became apprehensive in Niger before the announcement of the results because of the history of post election crisis in Africa. So we came to felicitate with the people of Nigeria for having a peaceful election. We conveyed the goodwill of the people of Niger and its leadership to you.
“So we congratulate Buhari on his victory and wish him God’s guidance. We only pray for peace and prosperity for all our countries. We also hope that his election will bring development and good fortunes to Nigeria and the whole of Africa. You know Nigeria is the engine room of not only West Africa but the whole African continent.”
In his remarks, Buhari said “the Nigerian President purposely came to congratulate me on my victory and President Jonathan for the maturity and statesmanship that he exhibited by accepting that he has lost the election.
“His action actually doused tensions and averted crisis in Nigeria. Not only Africa, the world has commended the President for that. This is because if he had disputed the elections, there would have been a crisis in the country. That is what people don’t want, not only Nigerians but other countries.
“So he came to commend President Jonathan for his courage and statesmanship. He also came to greet us on our victory. As he rightly puts it, if Nigeria sneezes, the rest of Africa catches cold, because of its importance, population and resources.”
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Jonathan seeks global support for Buhari
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called on the global community and Nigerians to support the incoming government of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.
He spoke while receiving members of the African Ambassadors Group, who were on a farewell and solidarity visit to the State House, Abuja.
The President, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said that the incoming government will need the cooperation and commitment of the global community and Nigerians to effectively deliver on its promises to the people.
He said: “The President-elect is not new to governance in Africa. So, I want you to show the same commitment to him as you have to me. The President-elect knows that our commitment is always to project Africa. I am urging you to extend the same warmth and solidarity you have shown to me to him.”
He enjoined African leaders to encourage trade within the continent by building infrastructures and institutions that promote trade and relationships.
The President recalled working extensively for more than five years with other African Presidents to forestall crisis in some African countries, especially in the West African sub-region, and also leading peace efforts in Cote ‘d’Ivoire, Mali and Guinea Bissau.
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Anti-aging tips for Buhari in Change era (7)
Every day, the average heart, your best friend, beats 100,000 times and pumps 2,000 gallons of blood for nourishing your body. In 70 years, that adds up to more than 360 million (faithful) heart beats.” Patricia Bragg in ‘The miracles of fasting’.
QUOTATION
“To understand high blood pressure, you need to know a few interesting facts about the heart. The human heart beats an average 70 times per minute, 100,000 times a day and 2.5 billion times in a lifetime. With each heart beat, about 2.5 ounces of blood are pumped through the heart … that is 1,980 gallons every day..’, Judy Limberg Mcfarland in Aging without growing old.
MAY 29 is only seven days away. That is the D-DAY on which outgoing president Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan will hand power over to president elect Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (rtd). Many hearts are pounding. Many people must feel their hearts agitating against their throats. The big thieves in public offices must be wishing the hands of the clock can still be turned backwards and events would come up that will save them the pains or trauma of Buhari succeeding Jonathan. Buhari said a few weeks ago, after defeating Jonathan in the presidential election, that a major change will occur in Nigeria in June. No one as yet knows what change will come from this seemingly incorruptible man who has promised to sweep the dirty, foul-smelling Aegean stables clean of dirt, grit and odour. In a country where many public officers are big-time thieves, as Senator–elect Ben Bruce said recently, an echo of the incumbent Emir of kano, Sanusi, when he was Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Buhari’s testimonials make us believe he can tidy up the financial and economic mess into which the Jonathan Administration over six years has plunged Nigeria. Here are the records:
•Buhari has only two houses and about N1million in his bank accounts
•Buhari has been Governor of Borno State
•Buhari has been Nigeria’s oil minister two times,one as chairman of the presidential task force on petroleum.
- Buhari has been head of State (President)
•Buhari has held many Seniour military commands, one of which is enough to make a multi-billionaire of a big- thief incumbent
I cannot vouch for Nigerian figures. The word going round is that former Nigerian Presidents are on N24 million pension a year and that retired Nigerian generals earn a pension upkeep of about N2.4 million a year. The rhyme of these figures almost makes me wish to doubt their veracity. Nevertheless, as we know, there is no smoke without a fire behind it. The story is that some retired generals who were former heads of state draw both pensions, but buhari accepted to draw only his general’s pension.
If we can trust these credentials to be true, we can expect major commotions in the polity and in the economy. That’s why I believe, from open talk and whispers throughout the country, some great events of our time are shaping up for manifestation. If you would recall one of the columns in the Jonathan, Buhari, the rich and the poor series, I almost gave the election to Jonathan after he postponed the polls for weeks and, in that period, literally hurled Nigeria’s treasury at the voters. I recalled then a spiritual code for understanding the time in which we stand, in this case…
As we march towards the end of time, belief in the power of money would reach its zenith or climax and many people will replace the Truth, that is God, with money.
n retrospect, we can now see that many voters, even in Lagos, fell for the President’s money. But, at that, Jonathan Buhari column suggested, a Jonathan victory would guarantee no safety for the thieving Nigerian Establishment because, unknown to many people, we stand in the precints of a great purification of the earth from all Opposition to light and goodness. A great event occurred in Nigeria about 40 years ago to plug our country in the mainstream of the spiritual cleansing process. It was, therefore, a question of time before the leader would arrive whose aura would link up with the ethereal forces at play and anchor them in the Government and other social institutions. A Jonathan victory would not have hatched this march. The heat and the fire would merely have diverted their course to spring up elsewhere. Who can stop the flow of water? Even when you surround it with concrete, it would merely percolate into the soil to find a new level for its flow.
Our hearts are pounding now because we do not know what Buhari would do? Would he cut his own pay to, say, N5 million a month and ask senators to downgrade theirs to, say, N3 million. How would he tackle the mess in the oil and gas sector? Will he declare a State of Economy Emergency? How would he reform the Army and the Police? What about the Customs and Excise department and the immigration service? Will he wish to know how federal roads in a South-south state cost about N3 billion naira per kilometre in laterite terrain and less than half of that on the same terrain in a nearby state? Will he reverse all the appointments and other decisions of lame-duck President Jonathan intended to plant human land mines around him?
What of the US 500 million Oil and gas project at the Lekki EPZ in Lagos lame-duck President Jonathan has unilaterally ordered be taken to Bayelsa, his home state? Even if Buhari would like to stick to agreement with international power brokers not to probe Jonathan, for which reason he has promised to treat the outgoing President with “respect and understanding,” what would happen if private citizens file allegations against the Jonathan administration and, in the process of tackling them, the president’s name and involvement keep popping up? Our hearts are pounding, I keep saying. I have refused to be connected to municipal electricity supply for about 12 years running because the bill is outraging. With my children now on their own, I live alone. I run no electrical appliance, not even television or fridge, I leave home about 10 a.m and return about 11 p.m, have, my bath and go to sleep. Why should I pay N 40,000 a month for electricity I do not consume simply because, from its size, the electricity–man believes the house should gulp that much every month. You can be sure that if I am a thief and can steal money to pay the bill this month, the bill will go up next month, electricity would not be regular, the process will go on and the owners of electricity will be smiling to the bank, raking in money from millions of people they do not deserve to earn and poisoning the economy as the cost of electricity is plastered on goods and services. Jonathan promised to deliver us all from this mafia, but failed. Will Buhari be man enough to look them straight in the eye and tackle them? Will he take electricity back from the mafia? He owns them nothing, the contributed billions of Naira into Jonathan’s election campaign fund, not his, which was funded by poor people and some rich friends.
Buhari’s heart
Gen. Buhari’s heart, too, must be pounding. He would move the levers alright. And that will ignite a chain of events. But there is no man who moves a lever or who starts a process who can ever determine its dimensions or end. For these events soon don their own garbs modulated by other influences, and go their own way, far, far away from the originators imagination. Buhari must wonder if he can find the right people to do the job he wishes to accomplish. Was this why he suggested we should expect no miracles? Will there be moles in the house? What if Senators rebel and Governors hijack the government? If he cannot dislodge the mafias within three months will they not regroup and with new found confidence confront him? Does he recognise that when the lair of a poisonous snake is lifted, it will surely lift its head and attack the intruder unless it is killed outright. Buharis victory at the polls has exposed and lifted the lair of the poisonous snake which is now waiting for the opportune time to take its revenge.
Pounding heart
The heart does not pound on its own. It pounds when we are afraid. Fear may be conscious or unconscious. Whatever it is, fear keeps us on our toes to make us survive the event(s) we are afraid of. What keeps us on our toes to fight the fear causing event or to flee from it are stress hormones which are poured into the blood stream by adrenal glands, the anti-stress glands located on top of each Kidney. When we are afraid of anything or situation.
These hormones are double-edged swords. They enhance our survival in dreadful situations. But they may also harm our organs and our health if they persistently flood the blood stream over a prolonged period of time, as happens to many people who live under stressful conditions as the next four years may bring upon some people Buhari will be de-establishing and upon himself who must be in stressful battle gear. Do not forget that we hardly forget the past. Buhari would surely remember that, as Head of State, a military coup which brought Ibrahim Babangida to power was staged against him when it was thought that he was going too far with social reforms!
This column is incompetent to address major problems the heart may suffer from in this situation. That is the realm for cardiologists or heart doctors. But it can venture nevertheless on a limited scale into some of the common heart troubles in Nigeria from which senior citizens suffer, including:
•Hypertension or elevated blood pressure
•Congestive heart failure
•Heart attack
•Enlarged heart
•Angina pectoris
•Low blood pressure or hypotension and palpitation
The list can be endless. So are the remedies to these conditions as stated, only a few of them will be addressed, and briefly.
Hypertension
To understand hypertension, we must understand that the blood or the river of life flows around the body to give each of the 100 trillion or so cells which compose it nutrients and oxygen, and to remove their waste products or poisons for evacuation from the body. The heart as a pumping machine pumps blood through many blood vessels of varying sizes and receives used or deoxygenated blood which it pumps back to the lungs for oxygenation. Oxygenated blood is pumped out again. Blood vessels are meant to be unblocked and supple, so they can dilate easily when blood flows through them. If they are blocked and hardened like stone they offer resistance to blood flow. Normal resistance of blood vessels to blood flow which does not permit through them is essential hypertension. This tension drives the blood along homewards to its target. If there is too little magnesium in the blood, an excess of calcium, its antagonist, may cause the extra or excess calcium to deposit in soft muscles of blood vessels. This causes hardening or tightening called arterosclerosis. It increases resistance to blood flow, and hypertension. Thus, a deficiency of magnesium can be a cause of hypertension. This deficiency is prevalent today because many people do not eat greens, especially deep, leafy vegetables, or take green food supplements such as liquid or capsulated chlorophyll, wheatgrass, spirulina, barley grass, spinach and kale powder drink or a mix grill of about 40 green plants in varying formulas. Many physicians believe the best blood pressure is 120/80. The top reading is called Systolic, the bottom one Diastolic. The diastolic reading is considered more relevant. For many years I ran a 110/70 blood pressure which nowadays sometimes drops to 100/sixty-something. In such situations fending towards low blood pressure or hypertension, I wish I had around me the herbal supplement BROOM TOPS, which is good for low blood pressure or CARROT JUICE, which elevates blood pressure whole carrot doesn’t. But I find a useful friend in L- Arginine or a product called STAMINEX which is on and off the Nigerian shelf.
lockages of all sorts occur in the blood vessels. One of them is caused by HOMOCYSTEINE, a greasy by product of the break-down of a protein. This can be easily dissolved and thorough fare created for the blood by any good blood thinner. Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and folic acid in a good formula performs this trick. So does cayenne. I have found useful, also, Serrapeptese, which dissolves growth. This as well, Brome lain, which tackles pain, as well as Attokenese. Sometimes, the blockage is due to fatty cholesterol plaque or the failure of the anticlotting factor, which allows blood platelets to spike and dump. The aforementioned blood thinners “defrost” the platelet clumps. So does the fatty plaque. Additionally, fish oil and Lecithin help against cholesterol build-up known also as atheromas (atherosclerosis) Please note the difference between arterosclerosis and artherosclerosis.
Heart attack
In a heart attack, the vessel is taking blood to the heart (the carotic arteries) are blocked. A warning may have been coming from swellings in the legs which are due to blockages of blood circulation, or from chest pains called argina pectoris. chips of a blocking matter may escape from the foot to blood circulation to the heart. When the heart does not get enough blood for its sustenance and to pump, it packs up like a pumping machine without fuel or water to pump.
Enlarged heart
An enlarged heart is often due to secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension results more from dietary deficiencies such as potassium, magnesium, and Vitamin E deficiency. In secondary hypertension, many vital organs such as the liver and the kidneys are so congested, blood cannot easily flow through them. In this case, they resist blood flow, and the heart has to enlarge in order to pack more power to pump harder in order to overcome resistance to blood flow. But this over stretches its muscles and may damage or kill them. This condition often responds to Vitamin B1 and garlic therapy, according to Rex Adams in Miracle medicine foods. Hawthorn berries and Co-Enzyme Q10 or CoQ10 do it also.
Angina pectoris
The carotid artery is hardly harder than a soft drinks straw. When it is blocked, chest pains may arise in the left side of the chest and may, be followed by shooting pains in the left arm from the scapula (shoulder blade) to the fingers.
Now, let’s hear from Judy Limberg Mcfarland and Jean Carper and, perhaps also, from Patricia Bragg. Judy Mcfarland, in Aging without growing old, one of the books this series recommends for your library, says:
“In most nations, every other death is caused by cardio vascular disease, both in men and women… Co-Enzyme Q10, also called CoQ10, Ubiquinol 10 or Vitamin Q, is now being called a ‘miracle nutrient’ by many. It is an essential component of metabolic process involved in energy (ATP) production. Dr Karl Folkers, who was professor and director of the Institute for Biomedical Research at the University of Texas in Austin, has been recognised for years as the world’s leading researcher on CoQ10. I had the honor of hearing Dr. Folkers’ lecture at the America Academy of Antiaging Conference in 1996. He was over 90 years old and charming. During his lecture, Dr. Folkers said, ‘I don’t use the word cure lightly, but CoQ10 is the cure for heart disease’ he has concluded biochemical, biomedical and clinical research on CoQ10 for some 35 years and has succeeded in establishing its structure and in isolating CoQ10 in human heart. The highest concentration of the enzyme is in the heart’s muscle. His research shows a definite link in CoQ10 deficiency and human heart disease.