The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cross

  • Native doctors and their cross

    Caught in the crossfire of a battle between the Osun State government and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opposition, native doctors must be wondering about a cross they have to bear. It is a heavy cross indeed.

    The weight of the cross was highlighted by the Osun State chapter of the PDP which alleged that Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was planning to sack striking doctors in the state and replace them with traditional healers. The party’s spokesman, Diran Odeyemi, said in a statement on February 21: “Now that all the ill-conceived measures to cow the doctors have failed and the Plan “B” of replacing them with new intakes had been frustrated by the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Governor Aregbesola, wants to experiment with the use of native doctors.”

    The reaction of the Osun State government didn’t reduce the weight of the cross. A statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, said: “Weird is the logic of PDP and nothing can change the illogical reasoning of people whose illogical ways brought Nigeria to her present predicament. Because of those who abandoned their jobs as a result of seemingly irreconcilable terms, the government has left no one in doubt on its efforts to deploy doctors from the state Ministry of Health, doctors in the Security agencies in the state to complement the consultants and local governments’ doctors who are working.”  The statement added: “The native doctors’ idea is in the imagination of those who are touting it and honestly such thoughts can only come from PDP and no other party on earth. It amounts to a waste of time not to ignore PDP.”

    This unflattering exchange should fuel the efforts of the National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners (NANTMP) to lessen the burden native doctors carry. Interestingly, NANTMP President Prof. Omon Oleabhiele reportedly called for a traditional medicine bill at an event organised by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to mark the 2015 African Traditional Medicine (ATM) Day in Lagos State. Oleabhiele urged the National Assembly to sponsor a bill in support of traditional medicine and its practitioners in the country. He also argued for the creation of a Traditional Medicine Board in all the states of the federation for the regulation of traditional medicine.

    It is an indication of the importance of traditional medicine and traditional healers that since 2003 African Traditional Medicine Day has been observed every year on August 31. Ministers of Health adopted the relevant resolution at the 50th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The special day is meant to promote the critical role of traditional medicine in Africa.

    African traditional medicine has been described as “the African indigenous system of health care”.  It has been argued that “In fact, the frequently quoted statement that 85 per cent of the people in Africa use traditional medicine is an understatement because this figure is much higher and continues to increase”.

    A picture by M. Kofi-Tsekpo illustrates the thinking about African traditional medicine at decision-making levels since the 1970s: “At the Alma Atta Declaration of 1978, it was resolved that traditional medicine had to be incorporated in the health care systems in developing countries if the objective of the “Health for All by the Year 2000” was to be realised. Notwithstanding this strategy, African countries did not come near the objective at the end of the 20th century. Therefore, the Member States of the WHO African Region adopted a resolution in 2000 called “Promoting the role of traditional medicine in health care systems: A strategy for the African Region”. This strategy provides for the institutionalisation of traditional medicine in health care systems of the member states of the WHO African Region. Furthermore, the OAU (African Union) Heads of State and Government declared the period 2000 – 2010 as the African Decade on African Traditional Medicine. In addition, the Director General of the World Health Organization also declared 31st August every year as African Traditional Medicine Day. All these declarations signify the importance and the approval by Governments and international institutions of the need to institutionalise African traditional medicine in health care. Therefore the mechanisms for institutionalisation have to be developed to make these resolutions a reality.”

    Clearly, the unfavourable perception of Nigerian traditional medicine reflected in the comments of the combatants in Osun State has to do with its infirm institutionalisation in Nigeria’s health care system. The clash shows that the establishment of NANTMP in December 2006 by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health, although well-intentioned, has not made traditional medicine more acceptable at formal levels of governance in the country. At the time, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was the President and Prof. Eyitayo Lambo was the Minister of Health.

    A NANTMP communiqué is worth quoting: “We thank the Governors of the states that have formed the Traditional Medicine Board in their states such as Edo, Lagos, Anambra and Bauchi states. We urge other Governors whose Commissioners of Health and State House of Assembly have not created the Traditional Medicine Board to kindly request them to do so with dispatch.”

    The body added: ”We also pray the Governors to ensure that genuine and registered members of the NANTMP be made Chairmen and members of the Board to protect the interest of the practice, unlike the present practice in some states whereby Medical Doctors and Pharmacists are made Chairmen of Traditional Medicine Board. What does a Medical Doctor who doesn’t want traditional medicine to be given to his patient want to do in a Board that is set up for regulation and promotion of Traditional Medicine Practice?”

    If native doctors are formally integrated into the country’s health care system, there won’t be this kind of politically motivated attempt by the Osun State PDP to ridicule their role as healers. Also, there won’t be this kind of defensive effort by the state government, which had the effect of ridiculing traditional medicine practitioners.

  • Firm faults govt’s take-over of Cross Country boss’ trial

    Firm faults govt’s take-over of Cross Country boss’ trial

    A firm, AG Moeller Limited, has faulted the Federal Government’s bid to take over the trial of Cross Country Limited’s Chief Executive Officer Bube Okorodudu.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Okorodudu, Cross Country and Car Link Limited with nine counts of conspiracy, stealing and forgery at the Lagos State High Court.

    It accused them of stealing N82.8 million through the fraudulent sale of 17 units of Volkswagen Transporter buses belonging to AG Moeller, which they denied.

    The Federal Government, through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Mohammed Adoke (SAN) had sought to take over the trial.

    The AGF’s office, in a letter to the EFCC by the Federal Director of Public Prosecution, Akin Akintewe, had demanded to takeover the case with the view to forming an opinion on what to do considering the existence of a sister case at the Federal High Court in Lagos involving Okorodudu.

    Subsequently, an order was obtained during the Lagos High Court’s long vacation empowering the AGF to take over the case.

    But AG Moeller’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Kemi Adeloye, in a petition to Adoke, insisted that the AGF lacked the constitutional power to take over the case filed under state laws.

    Adeloye said given Adoke’s antecedents of outstanding success in the legal profession, he (the petitioner) had every reason to believe that the AGF was wrongly briefed by his officers as to the facts of the case.

    According to him, there had been a court decision that the charge against Okorodudu and his companies was not an abuse of court process.

    Adeloye, who insisted that there is no other authority that can be superior to the courts, argued that Akintewe’s letter to EFCC demanding to take over the case was done in utter contempt of court.

    To him, the Federal prosecutor arrogated to himselve the power of adjudication when reaching the conclusion that the charge is an abuse of court process, as against the subsisting ruling delivered by Justice Lawal Akapo of the Lagos High Court on May 26.

    Adeloye alleged there is a bid to frustrate and lay a foundation for eventual failure of the case, thereby denying him justice for the alleged fraud committed against him and his company.

    He added that despite two bench warrants issued by Justice Akapo, Okorodudu had allegedly refused to appear for trial, adding that it would be absurd for the AGF to be associated with an absolute illegality.

    Adeloye, therefore, urged Adoke to investigate the circumstances of Akintewe’s letter to the EFCC demanding to take over the case.

    He further wants the AGF to direct Akintewe to immediately cleanse himself of alleged contempt of court by retracting the September 4 letter.

    Adeloye also urged Adoke to initiate the process of vacating the order empowering the AGF to take over the case because vital facts were allegedly concealed before it was made.

  • Tier-1 banks’ gross earnings cross N200b mark

    Tier-1 banks’ gross earnings cross N200b mark

    Tier-1 banks last year recorded gross earnings in excess of N200billion, according to the Deposit Money Banks’ 2012 profitability report.

    Tier-2 banks recorded N102 billion average, Afrinvest West Africa Plc, said in its report.

    The Tier 1 banks, as defined by asset size and market share, are: Access Bank, First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank.

    The Tier 2 banks are: First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Skye Bank, Fidelity Bank and Diamond Bank.

    The report is part of the highlights of the firm’s report tagged: ‘Special Report on Nigerian Banking Sector 2013’ which will be launched in Lagos on July 24.

    The report hinted that banks’ Return on Equity (RoE) revealed that most Tier-1 banks’ earnings resulted from high profit margin while Tier-2 banks relied more on assets turnover to grow earnings.

    It said that in 2012, banks’ management tried to beat high earnings expectations, causing them to focus on fixed income securities like treasury bills because of their high yield capabilities. The report projected that the “treasury focused” investment strategy would moderate in 2013 as outlook on yields and fee income decline.

    It said that Tier-1 banks account for 68 per cent of the N21.3 trillion of industry assets, with First Bank Nigeria Limited mainly accounting for N3.2 trillion asset base (or 15 per cent of industry assets).

    It said that with the implementation of the preceding three pillars, banks are expected to begin to engage the real economy through initiatives such as development finance, foreign direct investment, venture capital and public private partnerships.

    The Afrinvest report said the future of the Nigerian banking space will rest on ancillary banking services such as Merchant Banking and Primary Mortgage Institutions. There are also renewed hopes in Retail Banking and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) banking. The industry, it claimed, is now confronted with the reality of declining fee incomes, mobile money and dollar denominated capital sourcing.

    It predicted that the era of “real banking” appears to be gradually re-emerging as traditional sources of high income/profitability continue to come under threat from increased competition and tighter regulation.

    It predicted that in the next five years, outlook on yields and fee income remain downwards, necessitating the need for banks to focus on lending to the real sector. Also, banks are expected to develop and grow the depth of their core retail banking businesses to retain and amplify cheap deposits.

    The lenders also need to expand their geographic footprint and business scopes as urbanisation gradually remodels cities and sub-urban areas. “Mid-Tier banks will need to consolidate and integrate vertically in order to compete with Tier-1 banks as economies of scale and scope increasingly become differentiating success factors,” it said.

  • Cross River ACN holds activities

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Cross River State has outlined its end-of-the-year activities.

    A statement by the Chairman, Hillard Etta, said there will be a city walk in the morning on December 29 and lectures will be delivered by Prof Afolabi Jacobs of the University of Calabar and Dr Vincent Asor.

    There will be a thanksgiving service at the Delightsome Ministries in Calabar, the following day.

    The programme will be rounded up with a dinner/fund-raiser in the evening of the same day.

    Deputy National Chairman Boss Mustapha is the guest of honour. National Vice-Chairman, Southsouth, Pastor Ize-Iyamu, is the chairman.

     

  • Bakassi: Cross River Assembly protests

    Bakassi: Cross River Assembly protests

    •Imoke: Justice can still be done

    The Cross River State House of Assembly yesterday accused the Federal Government of being part of an international conspiracy to frustrate Cross River and Bakassi people.

    It asked the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, to resign.

    This follows the government’s position not to seek a review of the 2002 International Court of Justice (ICJ) judgment, which ceded Bakassi to Cameroon.

    The 25 members of the Assembly marched in protest from the Assembly Complex to the Governor’s Office to register their grouse.

    Speaker Larry Odey, who led the protest, was diplomatic.

    Odey said they only came to find out from the governor, if there was any positive development in the direction of the review, but other members were more direct in expressing their bitterness.

    Mr. Saviour Nyong (Bakassi Constituency) said: “We are very perplexed that the Federal Government, with the mandate of Nigerians and by extension, the mandate of the people of Cross River State and Bakassi, to defend us, has only played politics with the people of Bakassi.

    “One therefore wonders if Nigeria is an independent nation, because no nation in the history of the world has given out its own territory on a platter of gold.

    “We have heard of other ICJ judgments that have been given more than three to four decades ago, yet, no Green Tree Agreement has been reached, talkless of its implementation.

    “So one wonders the haste in the ceding of Bakassi. In my own words, I term it to be an international conspiracy against the people of Bakassi and Cross River State, which was made possible because our leadership was part of it.”

    Mr. John Gaul Lebo (Abi Constituency) said: “This shows clearly that there is a conspiracy by the Federal Government. First by the President’s setting up of a shadow presidential committee less than three days to the expiration of the 10 years we had to seek a review.

    “Two, it is not for the AGF to say that documents presented before him are no fresh and credible facts. He is not the court. The ICJ provision under Article 33 provides that every new evidence must be presented before the ICJ. The ICJ has the jurisdiction to determine whether that evidence is credible or not. As AGF, it is a conspiracy against the people of Nigeria for him to say to the press that that evidence is not a fresh and verifiable evidence.

    “It is not the business of Cross River State or the people of Bakassi because we are only a part of the Federation. We have no locus standi to go to the ICJ.”

    Mr Agbiji Agbiji (Ikom 1) said: “Nigerians have called for a review. If the president fails to carry out the mandate of the people, the constitution says no treaty can be implemented without the resolution of the National Assembly. So the question is which constitution is the president upholding? Which constitution is he operating?”

    Mr. Jake Enya (Boki 2) said: “The Federal Government should listen to the voice of the majority of the people which says that this ICJ judgment must be reviewed.

    Mr. Joseph Bassey (Calabar South 2) said the legislators will embark on a hunger strike and prayers, so that everyone involved in the ceding of Bakassi should die.

    Governor Liyel Imoke said: “The very intractable problem of Bakassi is a problem which I have been careful to manage, so we do not politicise it because there are a number of humanitarian considerations, security issues and of course being a part of a country, Cross River State on its own has no locus to file an action at the ICJ.

    “So what is important is that the authorities at the federal level understand the pain the people here feel and the consequences of the judgment on the people.

    “There are a lot of grievances, pain and hurt, and we can only appeal to everyone at this time to remain calm and understand that there are processes and procedures that are followed in cases of this nature.

    “All hope is not lost. We may have reached the end of one stage of this struggle but I believe there is still an opportunity to address some of the real challenges that the ceding of Bakassi has brought upon the people.

    So, yes, we may not meet the deadline for a review. I hope we do and we still have a few hours to be considered, but in the event that we do not, I believe very strongly that there are still other opportunities which we will pursue to ensure that justice is done.”