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Tag: deaths

  • 25 percent of malaria deaths occur in Nigeria

    25 percent of malaria deaths occur in Nigeria

    Twenty-five per cent of the  627, 000 people, who die from malaria each year, are from Nigeria.

    This fact was released as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the World Malaria Day today.

    The  Marketing Director, RB West Africa, Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili,  spoke at a news conference to mark the day in Lagos.

    Silivrili said the victims of malaria were mostly children under the age of five.

    He said: ‘‘As I speak to you, millions of people are suffering from malaria all over Nigeria and every minute a child reportedly dies from malaria, it  is not a destiny for Nigerian children, malaria is preventable. We have proved this in Kosofe with a 55 per cent reduction in malaria cases in children in only six  months.

    “To replicate the success of the project, we would go from community to community, house to house and mom to mom with the help of grass-root NGOs, to distribute insecticide treated nets and Mortein, as well as educate them on how to protect themselves and their families against Malaria,” he said.

    The Public Health Vector Control Specialist and Head, Malaria Research Programme at the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Dr. Sam Awolola said a six-month project, which was conducted in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and RB Nigeria, makers of Mortein in Kosofe Local Government of Lagos State, noted a 55 per cent reduction in malaria in the area.

    He said adherence to three core integrated malaria prevention methods would reduce the incidence and death associated with the disease in sub-saharan Africa.

    The project, tagged: “Mortein Own a Community Project”, was to quantify the efficacy of adherence to the WHO three core integrated malaria prevention methods of reducing Malaria.

    According to Awolola, there was a 55 per cent reduction in tmalaria among children under the age of 10, in homes where interventions provided to them were used. The Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Lagos, Mr Ronald Kayanja, hailed Mortein’s work on malaria prevention in Nigeria. He also stated that initiatives, such as the Mortein Own a Community Project is supporting the United Nations to achievea part of goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals: ”To end the epidemic of Malaria by 2030″.

    The  Advocacy Sensitisation Mobilisation Officer, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Mrs Akintunde Ibironke, who represented the commissioner of Health, hailed Mortein for its work and support in the fight against malaria.

  • Lassa fever: Plateau records eight deaths

    Plateau State Commissioner for Health Dr. Kunden Deyin has said the state recorded eight deaths, 13 confirmed cases and 50 suspected cases of Lassa fever from December.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos yesterday that the state began sensitisation and awareness campaigns in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis and in 17 local governments.

    Dr. Deyin said the campaigns were aimed at enlightening the people on how to prevent the disease and ensure it was eradicated.

    Said he: “Lassa fever is transmitted through the urine and faeces of a rat that serves as a reservoir for the Lassa virus.

    “The ministry, through its sensitisation campaign, is making an effort to educate the populace on the importance of keeping a clean environment and on the need to ensure that foods are stored in rodent-proof containers.

    “We also encourage them to desist from drying foodstuffs on the roadside, since rats can urinate and defecate on them.

    “We embark on this social mobilisation because we believe prevention is better than cure.”

    The commissioner said the ministry liaised with traditional and religious leaders to sensitise their people on the importance of promoting good community and personal hygiene.

    He said this was the surest means of discouraging rodents from entering their homes.

    Deyin said the ministry trained 54 laboratory scientists from the 17 local governments to ensure that basic precaution methods were practised. Twenty morticians were also trained on how to decontaminate bodies.

    He said the ministry procured drugs, personal protective equipment and other materials to make sure that standard precaution methods were observed.

  • Tale of four deaths

    First, it was  Senator Donald Dick Etiebet, Senator in the Second Republic – 1979-1983, Governor of old Cross River State (now Cross River and Akwa Ibom States in July, then Dr. Mathaias Oko Offoboche, renowned academic, outstanding Obstetrician and Gynecologist, respected politician, Deputy Governor of the old Cross River State on the same ticket with the illustrious economist and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Clement Isong as Governor  in the same Republic, on October 4. Then it was Navy Captain Edet Akpan Archibong (retired), who served  briefly as Military Governor of the same old Cross River State at the inception of General Muhammadu Buhari’s military administration  on October 12, and lastly, Dr. Walter Patrick Eneji, resourceful career civil servant who became a Permanent Secretary, Commissioner and later Deputy Governor in the present Cross River State to the charismatic and affable Donald Duke on November 4. They all died. Senator Etiebet at 85,  Dr. Offoboche at 78, Archibong at 85 and Eneji at 68.

    Remarkably, Eneji, the youngest of the quartet had served as Principal Secretary (now known as Chief of Staff) to both Offoboche as Deputy Governor and Archibong as Military Governor and all three died within one month of one another.

    Dr. Offoboche was more or less an uncle to my immediate family and I. He had had a long standing relationship with my larger family, from my grandfather, parents, uncles and aunties. He was an alumnus of my Secondary School, Mary Knoll College, Okuku where he was more or less a legend having established a number of academic records long before I found my way there.

    Captain Archibong it was who without knowing me previously appointed me on his assumption of office as Military Governor of Cross River State as Commissioner for Works and Transport at the unusual age of 27. He gave me the biggest introduction to public life as it were.

    Walter on the hand was a senior friend. Also an alumnus of Mary Knoll, I got to know him later as I did not meet him in school and developed a friendship that lasted until his death. Indeed, he had called from the UK the Saturday before his death and we had our longest telephone conversation ever. He apprised me of certain major developments in his personal circumstances and that he would be home in December. That conversation turned out to be a valedictory. When I became commissioner, we served in the same government and he became during my time, the General Manager of the then Cross River State Housing Corporation, one of my parastatals.

    The build up to the elections in 1983 in Cross River State (now Cross River and Akwa Ibom States) was tension soaked and interesting. There had been the expectation of the creation of a new state out of the former South Eastern State.When Murtala Mohammed created seven additional states in 1975, everyone expected Cross River State to be one of them. Rather than a new state, General Mohammed merely renamed the then South Eastern State Cross River State without more. This expectation, or rather, disappointment was to define the local politics of the Second Republic. The National Party of Nigeria, NPN rode on the sentiment of a new state to power. Dr. Clement Isong became Governor of the state while Dr. Joseph Wayas emerged as President of the Senate, the country’s third citizen. With time, the local politics became bifurcated along the Lagos Group, led by Dr. Wayas and the Home Front led by Dr.  Isong. The Lagos Group was believed to be championing the creation of the new state while the Home Front was perceived to be indifferent to it. This defined the elections of 1983. Dr.Isong lost the NPN primaries to Senator Donald Etiebet, an Anang, whose ethnic group entered into a political alliance with the Orons, Efiks and Ogoja to upstage the majority Ibibios. Senator Etiebet won the election and was sworn in as Governor of Cross River State in October 1983.

    The NPN’s bandwagon and landslide victory was contentious. The other political parties rejected the results. The polity was agitated and tense and the atmosphere ominous. On December 31, 1983, the military struck. The Shehu Shagari government was overthrown and General Muhammadu Buhari became the new military Head of State with Tunde Idiagbon as Chief of General Staff. In Cross River State, the two months governorship of Senator Etiebet came to a sudden end.Navy Captain Edet Akpan Archibong, an Ibibio, was appointed military governor of the state. He lasted four months, just twice as long as Senator Etiebet before he was redeployed to purely military duties. He was succeeded by Colonel Dan Patrick Archibong of blessed memory, an Efik.

    All three were gentlemen of the highest order who served their state, nation, humanity and the Almighty with all their strength and might. They were of unquestionable integrity and loyalty; they were icons and idols to the generations behind them. They belonged to that fast diminishing generation that believed in others before self, in a good name rather than wealth, in simplicity and rectitude rather than conspicuousness and arrogance. They were exemplary in their honesty and dignity.

    They were connected by their origin but more importantly by the history of their state, and their service to their state, nation and humanity. Though they died on different dates, in our mortal understanding, they died at the same time. We are therefore confronted with that question that has haunted humankind throughout history, that question that Thornton Wilder in his classic The Bridge of San Luis Rey sought to interrogate without an answer: “Is our fate random, or is it planned and controlled by some higher power”?

    In their deaths, we see the cynical democracy of death. It spread among the Anang, Ibibio, Yala and Bekwarra, from the elected governor to one who was not elected, from the lawyer, lawmaker to the soldier; from a famous doctor to the classical civil servant; from those in their eighties to one in his seventies and yet another in his sixties. From the swashbuckling to the suave, to the genteel.

    Etiebet, Offoboche, Archibong and Eneji will be remembered not for the quantity of their years or for their riches, they will be remembered for the richness of their lives.

    In the words of Wilder;  “But soon we shall die and all the memory of those five (these four) will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough, all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning (The Bridge of San Luis Rey)’’

    They have run their race and played their parts. May they rest in peace.

     

    • Senator Ndoma-Egba OFR, CON, SAN, was Senate Leader in the 7thSenate.

  • Curbing deaths from falling containers

    SIR: It is appalling and pathetic how the country continues to lose her citizens in callous road mishaps on daily basis. Most disturbing is the fact that majority of these road accidents are highly avoidable if, and only if, the appropriate authorities had been proactive and willing to enforce the relevant traffic rules without fear or favour.

    Last week, the media was dominated by shocking images of a 40-feet fully loaded container which fell off at the ever-busy Ojuelegba fly-over bridge crushing three occupants of a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the process, while a driver of another vehicle barely escaped death by a whisker. From different accounts of this sad event, one thing remains abundantly evident; both the driver of the articulated lorry and the state traffic management officials acted without due diligence. A particular eye witness, according to media reports, allegedly made efforts to stop the lorry from using the bridge at material time without success. Curiously, officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LATSMA) were also reported to have dissuaded this patriotic Nigerian, even when it was overtly obvious that the driver of the ill-fated truck was violating the traffic rules and heading for danger.

    The Ojuelegba tragedy was not the first time the state would record such a tragic incident in the recent past. In January this year, a young woman and her son were crushed to death after an unhooked container fell on them at the Ketu bus-stop. We can’t also forget in a hurry the Anambra incident of a few weeks ago where an entire family was wiped out when an unlatched container fell on a bus they were travelling in. Countless number of these misfortunes occur every now and then in virtually all the major cities in the country. Authorities appear to be as helpless as the victims of these sad events in terms of addressing it.

    Interestingly, there are explicit rules and regulations on how these articulated trucks should operate. What baffles one then is how various states have continued to allow the menace to fester amidst existing regulations. For instance, the Lagos State Traffic Law, 2012, places a restriction on articulated trucks on the road from 6.00pm – 9.00pm. For avoidance of doubt, Section 2 (1) of the said law states clearly that “Save as may be prescribed by the Commissioner by Regulation, no trailer other than petrol tankers and long vehicles used in conveying passengers, shall enter into or travel within the metropolis of Lagos between the hours of 6.00am-9.00pm”.  Subsection (2) further prescribes a fine of N50,000 or a term of imprisonment for six months or both upon conviction on the said offence.

    Sadly, this law appears largely a dead wood as far as its enforcement and implementation are concerned. The state is yet to prosecute a single offender of this law.  Yet the truck drivers continue to violate the law on daily basis with impunity. If the Lagos State government had deployed similar zeal it adopted in enforcing the sections that deal with motorcycle and tricycles restrictions from selectd areas in the metropolis in checkmating these trucks, many lives would have been saved in the process. One does not want to believe that the law was merely targeted only at the Okada operators in the state. It is absolutely sad that the state government has refused to enforce the law in spite of deadly activities of these truck drivers in the state.

    The rule that every articulated trucks carrying goods must be properly latched before taking off should be implemented and enforced to the letter. There is also a need to train the personnel of various traffic outfits in the state for an effective enforcement of the law.

    It is also important that the driver and owner of the ill fated truck be made to answer for their callous negligence. The families of this unfortunate mishap and other road users in the state need to be reassured by the Lagos State authorities that no pin will be left unturned in bringing the culprits to the long arm of the law, while hoping it restores sanity on the roads. Thankfully, the state governor,  Akinwunmi Ambode, has issued directive to relevant authorities to begin to implement the laws henceforth . However, Nigerians and Lagos residents are waiting anxiously to see how this will play out in the days to come even as it is sincerely hoped that this will not just be one of those grand standings by the government.

     

    • Okoro Gabriel, Esq.

    Lagos.

  • How to reduce maternal, infant deaths

    How to reduce maternal, infant deaths

    •USAID lists misoprostol, chlorhexidine as essential drugs

    Although Nigeria did not attain the Millennium Development Goal 5 target, which is improved maternal health, before it lapsed this year, the Federal Government and its partners are not resting on their oars in the fight against maternal and infant mortality.

    This was made known by Chief of Party, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Targeted States High Impact Project (TSHIP), Dr Nosa Orobaton, at a media parley in Lagos.

    He said mother and child can be saved if they have access to essential drugs outside the health facilities.

    Many women, he said, die daily because of preventable conditions, such as postpartum haemorrhage, also known as excessive bleeding after childbirth because they deliver at home rather than at health facilities where they can closely monitored.

    “Many infants also die from infections which affect their navel or umbilical cord,” he added.

    Orobaton said maternal deaths can be controlled by making expectant mothers, who deliver outside of health facilities without a health worker present take misoprostol and other drugs on the essential list. “Their babies too can have access to chlorhexidine and as such, prevent infections from attacking their navels,” he added.

    Misoprostol, he said, was on the essential drugs list and as such had been recommended for expectant mothers. The drug, hitherto, was not available outside health facilities.

    He said about 85 per cent of pregnancy progress to full term, but nobody knows which one of them would have safe delivery.

    This, according to him, is why women should be at a health facility to have safe delivery.

    The Chief of Party said the survival rate of expectant mothers, who take the drug, is 98.8 per cent, adding that Nigeria was one of many countries that adopted the drug to tackle bleeding after childbirth.

    He said: “Statistics from 2003 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) shows that the percentage of women, who deliver with no one present (NOP) is high. One in five births is delivered with NOP. In 2008 it is 19 per cent. But in 2010, it reduced by five per cent to 14 per cent.

    “The study revealed that the prevalence of NOP is highest in the northern part of Nigeria with 94 per cent of all observed cases. Socio-demographic factors, such as women’s age at birth, birth order, being Muslim, and region of residence, were really associated with NOP deliveries. Mother’s education, higher wealth quintiles, urban residence, decision-making autonomy, and a supportive environment for women’s social and economic security were inversely associated with NOP deliveries.”

    He said there is limited use of skilled birth attendance (SBA) in most parts of Nigeria, adding that the World Health Organisation (WHO) said one in seven of women dying of maternal related causes across the world live in Nigeria.

    Orobaton said aside from bleeding, malaria is another disease affecting women, adding that anaemia is the next important secondary cause of maternal death.

    He said the proportion of women, who sleep under net, is not high enough because only 55 of 99 per cent of women who have insecticide treated nets (ITNs) actually sleep under them.

    Many of them usually complain that it is too hot while others say the smell is horrible, he added.

    He said the immunity of women is reduced when they are pregnant, adding that this make them more susceptible to malaria attack.

    “Malaria goes into the placenta to attack the foetus. It can cause stillbirth. If the baby survives it can lead to low birth weight. It can also cut short the life of the mother,” he said.

    He said the government is addressing the problem with presumptive treatment of the disease, saying: “At 16 weeks of pregnancy, the expectant mother is given malaria drugs to prevent the disease.”

    Orobaton said the national policy and the WHO recommendation are that expectant mothers, who are exposed to malaria attacks should be given the presumptive treatment.

    He said the percentage of teenage pregnancy in Lagos State is five percent, while that of the northeast is 40 per cent.

    The agency, he said, also recommended chlorhexidine for the prevention of infections in newborns, adding that the ointment should be applied on the baby’s umbilical cord/ navel with clean hands to prevent infection.  ”This should be in the mama kit. It is sold for about N200,” Orobaton said.

    He said magnesium sulphate is also on the essential drug list for expectant mothers, adding that it can prevent eclampsia. “Women can have eclampsia, but if they are in a facility it can be picked up in time before it becomes dangerous,” he said.

    Orobaton advised women to breastfeed their babies as it is a natural family planning method. “Breastfeeding mothers do not get pregnant. Also, their uterus is contracted by the prolactin hormones,” he said.

    He said family planning is a good intervention to reduce maternal deaths, adding that mothers would have recovered fully before getting pregnant for another baby, thereby preserve their lives from anaemia and other conditions.

    He said maternal and infant mortality rates are coming down but the country’s rising population makes it as though it is increasing.

    Orobaton said TSHIP is already getting result in Sokoto and Bauchi States, adding that everybody has been working together to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

  • Contaminated ogogoro: Rivers confirms 70 deaths

    The Rivers State Government said yesterday that 70 of the 80 persons who took the contaminated local gin, ogogoro, earlier this month, have died.

    The Director Public Health Services in the Ministry of Health, Dr Nnanna Onyekwere, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that two of the survivors had visual impairment.

    He said the cases were reported in Woji and Gokana communities.

    Onyekwere said: “So far, in the past one week, we have not had any more deaths or new cases. The situation has been under control.

    “In the beginning, it started somewhere in Woji. By the time we had the last count, we had about 80 persons tracked down, who took the drink.

    “Of the 80 persons, 70 had died. The rest survived. But two have visual impairment as a result of the drink.”

    The director said the state government had liaised with relevant stakeholders, especially ogogoro dealers, to enlighten the residents.

    He said: “The state has done so much already. We started with public enlightenment with grassroots mobilisation in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and National Road Transport Workers (NRTW).

    “Luckily, with the Federal Government’s announcement banning the gin, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the police are working with us. We have achieved success in terms of control.”

    Onyekwere said the state government had done a line listing of those affected, getting their level of disability or those who lost somebody because the government wanted to assist them.

  • Breaking the cycle of maternal and child deaths

    SIR: It is hard to believe when not directly affected, that globally, a woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute – about 529,000 each year. To Barrister Victor Laima such ordeal has been made a fact as he witnessed the death of three pregnant women within an hour in a medical centre in Gombe State. Such deaths are more peculiarly in developing countries like Nigeria. The direct causes of maternal deaths are haemorrhage, infection, obstructed labour, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, and complications of unsafe abortion. There are birth-related disabilities that affect many more women and go untreated like injuries to pelvic muscles, organs or the spinal cord. At least 20% of the burden of disease in children below the age of five is related to poor maternal health and nutrition, as well as quality of care at delivery and during the newborn period. And yearly eight million babies die before or during delivery or in the first week of life. Further, many children are tragically left motherless each year. These children are 10 times more likely to die within two years of their mothers’ death. Another risk to expectant women is malaria. It can lead to anaemia, which increases the risk for maternal and infant mortality and developmental problems for babies. Nutritional deficiencies contribute to low birth weight and birth defects as well. A majority of these deaths and disabilities are preventable, being mainly due to insufficient care during pregnancy and delivery. About 15 per cent of pregnancies and childbirths need emergency obstetric care because of complications that are difficult to predict.

    A woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a one in 16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth; in Nigeria the chances are one in every 13, compared to a one in 4,000 risk in a developed country. This glaring disparity is reflected in a number of global declarations and resolutions which have not only being signed by governments, but given full commitments in implementation.

    In September 2001, 147 heads of states collectively endorsed Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5: To reduce child mortality rate by 2/3 and maternal mortality ratio by 3/4 between 1990 and 2015. Strongly linked to these is Goal 6: To halt or begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. To ensure these efforts, the AU Abuja Declaration was signed to improve health sector budgeting to 15% of aggregate budget as well as the actualization of the National Health Act 2014 which compels the federal government to allocate at least one percent of the consolidated revenue fund into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. Regardless of these commitments, the sector still remains underfunded, opaque and disintegrated.

    Access to skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth and the first month after delivery is key to saving the lives of Nigerian women and those of their children. As well as the need to ensure that medical staffs are well compensated, else the continual risk of capital flight as well guaranteed consistent and sufficient supply of drug, working equipments and erecting standard medical facilities especially in the rural communities that have none. The actualization of all of these requires the non-hypocritical implementation of the NHA 2014 by the government, improvement of funding to the Primary Health Care Development Agency, as well as effective monitoring, evaluation and public reporting of the expended funds and donations to the sector by the agency. Lastly, broad grassroots community sensitization by the government agencies, religious organisations, CSOs and other health development stakeholders on the importance of quality health services and practices, family planning, immunization, use of insecticide treated nets, etc, as well as their rights to engage and demand from their House of Representatives members, Senators, Governors, Community and Traditional Rulers, and the incoming administration their “Right to Life” which can only be guaranteed when their “Right to Basic Primary Healthcare” is provided for.

     

    Donald Ikenna Ofoegbu,

  • Ode-Irele deaths: Were the gods responsible?

    Ode-Irele deaths: Were the gods responsible?

    When a strange disease suddenly descended on Ode-Irele, a community in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State ,last week killing no fewer than 22 persons at a go, the fear was rife that the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) had arrived in the town, but that was not the case. DAMISI OJO reports that both the locals and the government are however in disagreement over the cause.

    This is not the best of time for the people of Ode-Irele, a sprawling Ikale community in Ondo State that was thrown into mourning last week following the sudden death of no fewer than 22 young persons in strange circumstances.

    Horror has enveloped the ever bubbling town, headquarters of Irele Local Government Area of the state since a strange disease was reported in the community leading to the death of the young men.

    Though the disease which manifests itself in several ways including severe headache has been traced by experts from the Federal Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO) to  Ethanol poison found in the local gim (ogogoro) drank by the victims shortly before their death, the locals are blaming the theft of the town’s historical artefacts, kept in the sacred “Malokun” shrine by some unknown people for the outbreak of the disease.

    They claim that their gods are not happy with the stealing of the artefacts and out of anger have sent the disease down on the community, particularly on the thieves.

    It was indeed a strange development in the history of the town as the people of the community lamented that such unfortunate incident has never happened since the inception of the town almost 200 years ago.

    Although controversies had initially surrounded the death of the victims thought by many to have contacted the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the picture somewhat became clearer when the traditionalists among the people disclosed that the victims died following their involvement in the theft of some ancient artefacts after they had visited the Malokun shrine, located in a secluded area of the town, without performing the necessary rituals.

    This submission was however countered by medical experts including the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Dayo Adeyanju who stated that the position of the community has no scientific backing.

    He posited that the strange disease could be linked  to the presence of Ethanol poison in the alcoholic substance consumed by the victims. “We strongly suspect ethanol poison and in view of this, We have ordered for another toxicology test for  surviving  victims’’ he said.

    •Ode-Irele women fetching water for spiritual cleansing to appease Malokun
    •Ode-Irele women fetching water for spiritual cleansing to appease Malokun

    However, the people insisted that the epidemic was from the gods of the town who were angry with the community following the appearance of some unauthorised persons at the traditional shrine and the subsequent theft of some ancestral artefacts by these unknown people.

    As at the press time, no fewer than 22 natives have been confirmed dead while many are still lying critically ill in various hospital beds.

    The development has brought negative publicity to the town as the world is now aware of the report of the outbreak of the strange disease in the town.

    When The Nation visited the community, many shop owners have returned to their shops and social activities  gradually picking up despite the incident, but the issue is still being discussed in hushed tones by the residents.

    Many were also seen mourning their beloved ones who died as a result of the strange disease.

    The traditional ruler of the ancient town, Olofun of Irele kingdom, Oba Olanrewaju Lebi was said to be away in Lagos when the ugly incident happened, but it was gathered that he had ordered that arrangementments be made for  the rituals which would be used to appease the gods of the land.

    The Oluomo of Irele Kingdom, Chief Jimi Adekanle who spoke on behalf of Oba Lebi explained that the disease was caused by the blatant disregard of some individuals for the tradition of the community.

    Adekanle said the gods of the land sent their wrath on the town following disobedience of some individuals who visited the Malokun shrine located in the town without performing the necessary ritual and carted away some traditional artefacts which are synonymous with peaceful co-existence in the town.

    His words “some individuals who we believe are robbers went to where we called ‘Oju Malokun shrine” in Ode-Irele with an attempt to steal some antiquities at the Malokun shrine. It was impossible for them to steal many of the antiquities but eventually they stole some artefacts which are useful to the town, and that was the major cause of the problem we had in the town.

    “The gods became angry and we informed the people accordingly, sending words round that anyone who stole or knew any person that stole any of the artefacts at Malokun shrine should return same within seven days, but they thought it was a joke. When we consulted the gods, the gods insisted that after seven days if the artefacts were not returned they will strike.

    “This message was passed round the town. At the end of the day, the gods struck in a

    strange manner and lots of people were killed.

    “There are ancestral artefacts and antiquities in this town that should not be seen by people including the traditional ruler of the town, except the custodian of the shrine. Some of these artefacts are deposited at Malokun shrine.

    “These artefacts were stolen and the thieves felt they could go scot free,”

    Adekanle emphasised that only the custodian of the artefacts are allowed by the gods to visit

    the shrine and that could only be done at night.

    But he said “from our findings these hoodlums and thieves went into the shrine which is located in a secluded area during the day and carted away the artefacts, hence the disease that cut their lives short.”

    Also, the Oyewoga of Irele kingdom, Chief Moses Oyewole said it was the palace chiefs who met at the palace of the Olofun after the artefacts had been stolen that invoked the deity on the hoodlums and cursed them with strange disease for stealing their cherished and historical artefacts after due warning for them to return them.

    Chief Oyewole said the deity only visited the perpetrators of the devilish act through strange ailment to expose them.

    His words “the disease was not anything short of the wrath of gods. It was meant for those involved in the stealing of the precious artefacts and not for the people of the town. Any one of those who stole the artefacts would be struck down by the ailment even if he or she is outside the town or even outside the country.

    “We knew that none of the thieves will reveal that they stole the artefacts, because if they say the truth they will die. Many of them are the miscreants residing in the town. They are mostly commercial motorcycle riders. The effigies and historical artefacts they carted away were important to our existence in this community.

    “We specifically told Malokun, the god of our land to punish those who looted the shrine. We asked the god to make them blind and kill them all. Few days after, we started hearing that some persons had headache, went blind and eventually died few hours after some of them turned black no matter how fair skinned they were before the illness.”

    The Octogenarian traditional Chief who said such incident has never happened in the history of the town informed further that all the victims were males whose ages were between 25 and 35.

    He appreciated the state government for deploying medical experts to the town, but said” the truth is that the matter is beyond orthodox medicine, it is purely traditional”.

    Chief Oyewole regretted that the community has not been able to recover any of the stolen artefacts, as according to him some of those involved in the theft “ were not able to talk when we saw some of them before they finally died. The government recorded 22 deaths, but the truth is that some were buried without the knowledge of the community or the government. So, those who died are likely to be more than what was recorded.”

    One of the victims of the strange disease who is still in the hospital, Mr Gabriel Adegbehin however denied involvement in the looting of the shrine.

    According to him, he was sitting at home when he discovered that he could no longer see well and later went to the hospital through the aid of his daughter.

    He said: “I did not enter any shrine to steal anything. I lost my wife recently and I have been mourning since she died some days ago. Later, I just discovered that I had chronic headache and after some hours I could not see well again.”

    The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Adeyanju and his Information counterpart, Hon Kayode Akinmade have however allayed the fear of people that the disease was an Ebola Virus, saying that the samples from the victims had been taken for laboratory tests and the results did not suggest Ebola Virus Disease.

    He said the state government influenced the deployment of World Health Organisation (WHO) officials to the town in an attempt to cure the disease, adding that the state government was also responsible for the treatment of the victims who were hospitalized.

  • Deaths under pedestrian bridges

    Deaths under pedestrian bridges

    The route to safety is just overhead and does not take more than a few minutes, but the pedestrians prefer to dash across the expressway. They shun the overhead bridge. Many have died because of this negligence, if not foolhardiness.

    That is why residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) want more pedestrians built.

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has obliged and started building more pedestrian bridges to avoid the increasing deaths on the fast lane.

    Yielding to the cry of residents, the FCT Administration awarded contracts for the construction of pedestrian bridges at strategic locations across the city.

    With this development, the administration expected the residents and road users to make use of these bridges. Unfortunately, despite making these bridges available, residents, in total disregard for the foot bridges provided by government for the safety of lives of citizens, have continued to cross the ever-busy highways.

    After this, to instill the habit of using the bridges into residents, the administration decided to use barbed wire fencing to demarcate the lanes and to prevent people from crossing.

    Despite this move, our reporter observed that residents destroy some of the barbed wire fences just to enable them to cross the expressway, abandoning the footbridges provided for their safety.

    Moved by this unsavoury situation, some concerned residents have called for the creation of mobile courts in order to prosecute offenders, even as others suggested that Abuja city should adopt what is obtainable in Lagos to reduce the rate of casualty.

    Security agents have, in the past, disclosed that running across the road while trying to cross the barricade was a serious traffic offence but cases of such still persist.

    A security agent who didn’t want his name in print because he was not competent to comment on the issue said: “Where there are pedestrian bridges, we expect that people should make use of such facility and be safety conscious. Running across the road is a very serious traffic offence because it can lead to accidents and loss of lives.”

    Some of the places where these bridges are situated in Abuja are Mabushi/ Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway Junction, Area 1/Area Three Junctions and the Wuye/Wuse Junction and Kubwa Expressway, among others.

    Unfortunately, the huge amount of money invested in the construction of these pedestrian bridges appears to be a waste as many of them are hardly used by pedestrians, thereby defeating the purpose for which they were constructed.

    Today, people are only seen using the pedestrian bridges as location for brisk business where they sell hand-me-down clothes, belt, shoes, wallet, movies; rechargeable lamps, under wears, books, fruits, plantain chips, groundnuts and other items.

    Also, beggars have taken over some of the bridges as points to wait for kind-hearted passersby to give them money.

    Some residents who spoke to our reporter advanced some reasons for preferring to cross the road to using the pedestrian bridges.

    Sule Idris, a road side seller admitted that the rate of accidents on the highway was alarming, a situation which he blamed on the failure of security agencies to arrest defaulters.

    He said: “Failure of the residents to use the foot bridges should be blamed on security agencies that cannot enforce the law prohibiting people from crossing the expressway at locations where pedestrian bridges were provided. If the security agents will arrest defaulters, I think people will start using pedestrian bridges.

    “Apart from neglecting the foot bridges, there are few pedestrian bridges in the FCT. We need more foot bridges because of the size of the roads.

    “Crossing the expressway is shorter and faster than using the pedestrian bridge which happens to be too stressful,” Taiwo, another resident said.

    A resident of Kubwa, Mr. Soji Daniel said the absence of mobile courts along the highways, especially the ones close to the pedestrian bridges, would instill fears, even as it will make residents imbibe the culture of using the foot bridges.

    Mrs. Ijeoma Okoye, who our reporter met after she crossed to the other side of the road at NICON Junction said: “I know that it is dangerous to cross the expressway the way I just did but truth be told, I am scared of height. It makes me feel dizzy. So, instead of climbing the bridges, I prefer crossing the road, but I have to watch carefully before doing so.”

    Another respondent, Olaiya Thomas said: “The problem with some of these bridges is that they are too far from most junctions. And when one considers the stress associated with climbing the bridges which obviously has stairs, one will just take the risk and cross the expressway.

    On his part, Mohammed Bashir said: “People are not using the pedestrian bridges built at some locations in the city out of fear of being attacked by hoodlums.

    He added: “My sister came back home lamenting how her bag was snatched from her on the bridge. She tried to be law-abiding and used the bridge instead of doing what others did. And what did she get in return?

    “Even if she shouted for help, before help comes, the person who snatched her bag would have escaped. So, I advised her to join others crossing the expressway to avoid such situation repeating itself. I thank God it was only her bag. It could be worse.”

    At Gwarinpa Junction, Madam Beatrice said she avoids using the bridge because it will make people assume that she went to buy something on the bridge which hawkers and traders have turned into market.

    A trader on one of the bridges, Chidi explained that trading on the bridge provides him opportunity to escape arrest by task force operatives, adding that many petty traders could not afford the high fares charged for shops in the FCT markets.

    He said: “In Abuja, some of us cannot afford to pay for shops and at places like this which are used very well by residents, market moves better because people must pass here. Since our own products are cheaper than what they will get in the markets, customers will always patronise us.”

    Besides heavy human traffic situation generated by the activities of marketers on the bridges, there are several other reasons for residents not making use of the pedestrian bridges.

    Some mentioned the long distances of the bridges to the designated bus stops as their reasons for not using them.

    As reasonable as some of these excuses might sound, however, it cannot justify the non- use of the bridges, especially when compared with the dangers associated with crossing the ever-busy highways.

    In the face of this, some residents opined that security agencies should arrest and prosecute those who still cross the expressway, adding that it will serve as a lesson for others, even as it will go a long way to reducing the rate of accidents and deaths on our highways.

    Mr. Rasheed, who our reporter met in Area Three Junction Garki said: “The inability of security agents to arrest defaulters will continue to encourage people to cross the roads instead of making use of the pedestrian bridges for their safety. Many have died and some might still die as a result of their failure to use the pedestrian bridge.”

    He added that there is need for the FCT Administration to enlighten residents on the importance of pedestrian bridges and the hazards of crossing the expressways.

    A security agent who spoke to our reporter in confidence said: “The reasons advanced by pedestrians are not enough to risk their lives while crossing the road.

    They are expected to use it because it is safer than to risk their lives.

    Also commenting on the issue, an officer with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said: “The commission has been carrying out regular intensive public enlightenment campaign on the need for pedestrians to make use of the foot bridges. A patrol team is stationed at some bridges to ensure compliance, but even with the presence of our officials, some pedestrians still play smart to cross the road.”

  • Tears,agony, deaths at UCH

    Tears,agony, deaths at UCH

    Nigeria’s premier tertiary health institution, the University College Hospital (UCH) remains a shadow of itself as the nationwide strike by doctors enters its second week. BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON report tales of agony and death at the hospital as patients are left to seek alternatives elsewhere.

    For Mr Babatunde Abass, life is becoming meaningless as his hope of relief from pains and agony associated with hernia, which he suffers from, is dashed. He sat on his bed at a male ward at the University College Hospital, (UCH), Ibadan, looking pale.

    As if trying hard to interpret a dream or make a salient point, the patient looked into the space in the midst of his other bed-ridden patients in the ward. His looks conveyed hopelessness and frustration as he was later helped by his relations to make a trip to the toilet. With a singlet hanging on his Ankara trousers, his looks summed up the effect of the ongoing strike by medical doctors on patients at the UCH, the only major tertiary health institution in Oyo State.

    The situation of Mr Abass is a sample representative of many patients in government hospitals across the country.

    Medical doctors had commenced an indefinite strike last week over unresolved issues within the hospital system.  The doctors are demanding issuance of a circular for restoration of sanity in hospitals as well as increment of hazard allowance by about 100 per cent and delisting of all workers on Grade Level 15 as directors. The strike has since paralyzed health care services in the nation’s government’s hospitals one of which is the UCH, Ibadan.

    Worse hit by the unfortunate development are the less- privileged patients who could not afford to patronize private hospitals whose bills are beyond their reach. The situation is increasing deaths at the hospital daily. Some patients in critical conditions, some in urgent need of surgery as well as those newly seeking such services are losing their lives daily.

    When The Nation visited the UCH, only nurses, pharmacists and other health workers were attending to the patients, while new patients with complicated issues were being turned back.

    Relatives and patients were seen leaving the hospital in frustration as there were no doctors to attend to them.

    Patients, who were rushed to the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital, were advised to seek medical care in private hospitals.

    Many of the patients who cannot afford private hospital bills have since given up hope. A good example is 60 years old Babatunde Abass a resident of Oyo town, in South West ward of the UCH. Although the ward was getting empty as patients literally discharge themselves, but Abass stayed on due to his inability to foot private hospital bills.

    Abass, it was learnt, has been a regular patient at the UCH and was due to undergo a surgery on July 2.

    It was learnt that he got an offer for the surgery at a private hospital in Ibadan but the bill was beyond his almost empty pockets.  He had to resign to fate, praying for a quick resolution of the crisis.

    Another patient, Alhaji Mukaila Ogunsina who suffers heart related disease, was writhing in pains in another ward in the South West wing of the hospital. Ogunsina, who is in his late 60s, is only hoping the strike would end soon. His relative, Mr Ola Akande, said:” If this strike is not called off, I may likely lose my uncle because he has been abandoned and we cannot afford to take him to a private hospital. This place is our only hope and the doctors are nowhere to be found now. We have spent a lot on this sickness and we cannot start his treatment again in another hospital from the scratch. I am using this medium to appeal to the government to meet the demands of the doctors so that they can resume on time.”

    During The Nation’s visit to the hospital, it was discovered that many patients in the wards had been discharged while a few consultants offer skeletal services to outpatients. But all other units such as Laboratories, Eye and Dental are open to patients. Doctors in such units are, however, not attending to patients, leaving only other medical personnel offering services.

    The Chief Medical Director, Prof Temitope Alonge, along with two consultants were seen going round the wards on a routine check to ensure safety of the patients.

    An out-patient, ýwho didn’t want her name in print, said: “I was not aware of the doctors’ strike until Friday. But since I already have an appointment for the day, I have to come.

    “The whole place is dry and the doctors are not on seat. I am still trying to see what will become of my treatment and how my appointment can be rescheduled.

    “I wish the government answer them on time or ensure skeletal services are arranged to attend to some patients that are hanging between life and death.”

    Also, Mr Bade Lawson, whose relation was on admission, said that the family was already planning to transfer the patient to a private hospital.

    “We were shocked when we received information about the strike.  We have to think of how to transfer our relation elsewhere for treatment. The Federal Government and the doctors should settle the issues once and for all. Doctors and health workers are very critical to this nation and to our economy. I believe the health sector should be adequately catered for. There should be enough funding and functional facilities on ground. Doctors on their own part should be more dedicated. They should be efficient and well-grounded to save lives. I hope the issues will be resolved promptly to forestall it from becoming a full blown strike.” Lawson lamented

    Another stranded patient who preferred anonymity, explained that doctors prescribed ultrasound for her at the last visit before the strike but she could not complete all the tests. The patient, who came from Amuloko area of the city, lamented the strike. She said she had spent about five hours doing other tests.

    She said: “Let government answer them so they can return to work fast. Government should pity the masses. People come from far distances. No healthy person visits the hospital.”

    In his own reaction, the President of the UCH Chapter of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD),Dr Franklin Anor , said patients on admission before the commencement of the strike were being taken care of, adding that the strike was not total at they were still rendering skeletal services.

    According to him, the strike is not against the public, but it’s just to call the attention of the government and the public to the atrocities that are being committed in the health sector.

    “Some emergency cases like accident victims are being attended to when we are called upon. We don’t know when we will be calling the strike off but whatever the Federal Government is offering, we shall consider it at our next delegates meeting and a concrete decision will be taken there. We are not trying to punish Nigerians but we are just drawing the attention of government to do the right thing.” Anor said

    He urged Nigerians to be patient with them, saying that their action is to save the future of the healthcare delivery in Nigeria and on the long run to save the lives of the patients themselves.

    The Head of Public Relations Unit of the UCH, Mr Toye Akinrinlola, explained that the hospital embarked on emergency services for patients with critical cases. Senior doctors are called on to offer minimal service to patients with critical cases that cannot be discharged abruptly.

    When asked about increasing number of deaths at the hospital since the strike started, Akinrinlola said he did not have data to confirm it.