The Nation Newspaper

Tag: epidemic

  • New epidemic

    New epidemic

    • Rape of minors has reached alarming proportions in Nigeria

    In three short words, borrowing from the renowned dramatist Wole Soyinka, the girl died. Her identity remains unknown, just as the predators who raped her to death. She died a horrible death while she remained innocent. The questions are, where are we as a people? What does this say of the community, the people and the nation?

    The girl deserves justice, even in death. She was yet to know life when it was snuffed out of her. The killer could have been a relation or friend of the family, who knows? Who knows the purpose of the criminal taking to that line of “business”? Was it for pleasure or out of a desire for money or power ritual? We hope that the Commissioner of Police in Bauchi State, Auwal Mohammed, will live to his promise to sniff out the killer rapist or rapists.

     As a starting point, when the lifeless body was recovered from the side of a mosque in Ningi where it was dumped, it was rightly taken to the general hospital where violent penetration or violation was established and semens were extracted for analysis. Beyond this, though, not much could be scientifically established as biometrics of citizens are not documented, nor are there laboratories for forensic analysis. Yet, this should not be an excuse for the police to throw up their hands in the air and pretend nothing could be done.

    We hope the parents of the girl would show up, if they had not. Then people around the home and precincts of the mosque should be quizzed with a view to obtaining some facts. Those with history of rape and paedophilia should be taken up to see if any of them had been involved or knew about it.

    A time there was when every adult regarded any wandering child as theirs. They cared. The Nigerian society, even in the rural area, has since lost that communal kindred spirit to the individualism of this age imported from the west. A rousing campaign to restore this pristine culture would go a long way to help in restoring desired values to protect our children.

    Read Also: Freeze Edo accounts, lawyers tell EFCC, Police

    Parents are as guilty as the criminals — guilty of neglect. Where were the parents when the girl was snatched? Or, was she already roaming the streets at that age? When children are left to their own devices, with little or no parental care, devoid of social cover and lacking governmental compassion, what else is expected, but rape, kidnap, murder and other forms of violation?

    This has become rampant all over the country. The corollary is that we have so many children who should be in school wandering through streets scraping for food and being trained by rough necks to be street urchins. Unless something is done, and quickly, too, the future may be bleak. Any society that exposes so many of the young ones to life of criminality has no right to expect them to contribute anything meaningful to national development.

    As the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) indicated, one in four Nigerian girls is sexually violated before attaining age 18 years, while one in 10 boys suffers the same fate. This is dire statistics and government should come up with clear policy to halt the ugly trend.

    The police, as lead civil law enforcement agency should immediately embark on mass training of its personnel so that all the divisions nationwide would have specialists on handling such cases, from offering psychological support for survivors to obtaining justice for the dead. Unless this is done, the cycle will continue.

  • ‘ Cancer is now an epidemic in Nigeria’

    ‘ Cancer is now an epidemic in Nigeria’

    Prof. Remi Ajekigbe is a consultant at the Department of Radiotherapy, Radiodiagnosis and Radiography at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba. In this interview, he tells OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA some of the steps that can be taken to stem the cancer tide ravaging the country. 

    hat have you discovered over the decades in the treatment of cancer?

    I have learnt in close to 40 years that the management of cancer and its care treatment have not changed. We still see cancer patients coming late to the hospital. I remember we have written papers, talked at seminars and made recommendations on what the positive difference of early presentation can make in the overall treatment of cancer patients. And till date, we still have patients coming in at very late stages.This is traceable to our cultural belief that these diseases are caused by human beings in form of ‘enemies’, ‘the other woman’, as a form of attack through diabolical means.The hospital, unfortunately, is not the first place of call by these sufferers, except for few highly educated ones, who come in early. Even those ones, how early in the real sense do they come? So, we are tasked with educating people on cancer.

    Why did you say that?

    It appears that the government is not too serious about cancer treatment in Nigeria. As of today, I can say categorically that cancer has become an epidemic in Nigeria. I do not know when the government will be convinced that cancer is now an epidemic. We haven’t got enough facilities to treat cancer to international acceptable standard. And the manpower is not enough. Virtually all the cancer machines across the country are down. When we were being trained abroad, we were told that we are doctors of the future in Africa and the future is now here. Africa, especially Nigeria, is not prepared for cancer treatment. When we talk of Africa here, I mean the Sub-Sahara black Africa. North and South Africa are ok. Why Sub-Sahara Africa is not prepared for cancer treatment is still a puzzle. I do not know. Nigeria is the future of the black man. I hope Nigeria will take up the challenge.

    Cancer rate is that it is an epidemic. There is no Nigerian family that would say it does not know or have somebody affected by cancer. The reality is that everybody is a potential cancer victim.This disease does not have respect for age, creed, gender, wealth, and position. Everybody should avoid it. For instance, prostate cancer is becoming at par with cancer of the breast. Virtually all men, who come to the hospital have cancer of the prostate. Some argued that it is due to awareness. That is, men report themselves to the clinics. The rate is on the increase, not only caused by ageing factor, for we now see 42-year-old patients.

    What do you think are the causes?

    For cancer, the genetic factor is there, social factor is there. Total environmental factors are there as well. Frightening enough, we are becoming less and less Africans except in our complexion. We are becoming more westernised. Cancer with other non communicable diseases are the supreme prize.

    What is the way out?

    Cancer education should be done in all nooks and crannies of the country. Every state should have a cancer centre. This is possible because more manpower should be trained in cancer care and treatment.The ones trained some years ago are already ageing and close to retirement, and will ease out of the system. The younger ones are not showing much interest because it is not a lucrative part of medicine. Many medics are moving across the country now with titles like ‘I’m an oncologist’, because cancer is now ravaging. If the government wants to ensure that cancer, as an epidemic, is arrested in the country, it must as a matter of urgency allocate an oil bloc to cancer. That will create more cancer centres across the country. It will train more manpower that can be deployed in all parts of the country as cancer specialists. That will stop people from travelling from one part of the nation to another in search of treatment.

    Imagine somebody living in Maiduguri coming to Lagos, or from Calabar to Abuja. Every state will have cancer centres with the necessary machines. At least, two machines so that when one breaks down, the other gets people treated while the former is being repaired. The situation is so bad that patients are requesting to be transferred to Ghana. That is an insult to the country. Even referrals to India is insulting. We have qualified hands here, but lack  facilities.

    Are there other ways out of this epidemic?

    We should just encourage more doctors into the field of oncology. And those trainees should forget about the lucrative part of medicine and come to cancer management. Naturally, such trainees will have milk of kindness. People with cancer are really suffering. Many do not even know that cancer is a bone-seeking disease. It can affect any part or bone of the body except hair, teeth and nail, leading to severe pains. If you see a male cancer patient crying, you will be dejected knowing that ordinarily men don’t usually cry. I see all these and I do not feel comfortable with them and that is why I am appealing to those, who matter in government, to please listen to what we are saying on cancer management.

    What about drugs availability?

    The drugs that really work in cancer cases are very expensive, especially the ones called Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). These drugs are effective. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with a chemotherapy drug or a radioactive particle are called conjugated monoclonal antibodies.The mAb is used as a homing device to take one of these substances directly to the cancer cells.The mAb circulates throughout the body until it can find and hook onto the target antigen.  A Federal Government civil servant with cancer of the breast was a patient here. The breast cancer dictated the drugs it needed and they are Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We cost it and arrived at N18.6million. There was no way she could raise the money being a junior civil servant. If all she has, along with friends and co-workers are put up as bazaar, all cannot amount to that amount. I had to write to the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) that the patient was too young to die, appealing that he should use his offices to assist a Federal Government civil servant.

    After many attempts, he listened and approved the drugs. He gave a condition: that the drugs would be procured but first doses given at a Federal hospital in Abuja and others in Lagos, to be absolutely sure. The lady and I complied and she was sent to Abuja for the first cause of chemotherapy and the Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). She is cancer free now. That is an isolated case. How many have gone because they could not afford the drugs – males, females, even children, and cannot be helped; the list is endless. Another was the wife of a soldier. She too could not afford the drugs and I cited the isolated case because I know her as a civil servant working in LUTH. That if the couple can follow same by requesting the Chief Commandant to write such a letter, who knows? They did and the woman is also ok.

    What lessons did you draw from those experiences?

    I will strongly recommend that the NHIS include the coverage of cancer treatment to, at least, an extent. For instance, take a look at children with cancer, otherwise called childhood cancers. When these children are in pains, no matter how strong you are,you will break down; something will give way in you. Each time I see them in that ward  – I ask, what is the government doing for its citizens? This is not a game-blaming situation. The poor have many children and when those children fall sick with cancer, you cannot but see their raw sufferings. There are no charity organisations that give out drugs, no government, so the children suffer. Government really needs to help cancer patients.

    The Federal Ministry of Health recently took some steps on cancer care nationwide, do you see them working?

    I think the Federal Ministry of Health is the only ministry that does not bring in money to the coffer of the government. It is ever spending. So, in budget allocation in spite of the World Health Organisation’s recommendation, the country is way far back. Health is wealth. If Nigerians are healthy, they will work and increase the gross domestic product. More investment should be done in the health sector.

    What are to be done to avoid developing cancer?

    Nigerians should re-embrace organic foods. Enough of this western diet – fast food, fizzy drinks, noodles, pasta, white bread, over processed food, can food, smoked/burnt food etc. Nigeria is yet to see what the future is like because these noodles-eating generations by the time they grow up, without being a pessimist, we will be recording more colorectal, and gastro-urinary cancers. This is the time to go back to our natural foods. Most Nigerian staple foods have fibres that help  to ease digestion and passage of faeces.Women should avoid expired or inferior cosmetics. Some of those ingredients – lead, mercury etc are carcinogenic. They can lead to cancers of the skin, breast, even leukemia (cancer of the blood), among others. Also, the moderate use of roll-on is good. Most Nigerians are right handed, so when they apply roll-ons, they apply much on the left side, hence higher cases of left cancer of the breast. The nation is paying a lot of price for civilisation.

  • Epidemic of illicit wiretaps

    Epidemic of illicit wiretaps

    IN the past few days, the social media has been buzzing with stories of a supposed telephone conversation between Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State and Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State on the state of the nation. In the conversation, a vitriolic Gov Shettima called the bluff of separatist movements, particularly south-easterners, and ramblingly advocated for synergy between the Southwest and the North. But as the aides of the Borno governor said — and they are more believable — the voice on the supposed telephone call neither sounded like that of the governor nor did the cadence resemble anything close to that of the governor. They attribute the impersonation to 2019 political machinations designed to undermine the governor.

    In the call, Mr Amosun was also portrayed as a long-suffering, reticent man on the other end who could hardly get in a few words compared with the Niagara from Borno. His silences and pauses were telling, and he seemed at pains to rebut the trenchant and dismissive characterisation of the Igbo as perpetual naysayers and troublemakers. The voice sounded a little like that of Mr Amosun, but it was unable to reflect his well-known convictions, his support and empathy for President Muhammadu Buhari, and his general reluctance to embrace rabid and fanatically supremacist language. As his aides also affirmed, again plausibly, neither the voice nor the views were Mr Amosun’s. The aides ascribed the supposed telephone conversation to mischief makers of unknown origin.

    But far beyond whether the wiretapped calls were genuine or not is the rather casual manner commentators have glossed over the main issue: the legality and propriety of the wiretaps themselves. Gradually, Nigerians are becoming less resistant to the reproduction and dissemination of illicit telephone conversations. The bugged calls tickle and excite, especially given the phantasmagoric window they open into the privacies and secrecies of those labelled as private or public enemies. Regardless of how they are obtained, the new normal is to accept wiretaps as valuable contributions to progress and public safety, unencumbered by ethical restraints and legal considerations. This was why the supposed telephone conversation between Governors Amosun and Shettima was instantly and uncritically accepted as a fairly accurate reflection of the hidden truth, particularly what is believed to be the general and widely held anti-Igbo position of the North.

    It is hardly surprising that every supposed wiretapped conversation is held to be true. A few weeks ago, the social media also propagated what its authors believed to be a telephone conversation between Senator Dino Melaye (APC–Kogi West) and Mohammed Audu, son of the late Prince Abubakar Audu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate who won the 2015 poll but died before he could be sworn in. In the conversation, which was done mainly in Hausa language, the two APC politicians were heard plotting against their opponents and celebrating their dominance, if not ownership, of the national power structure, including the police. Neither Sen Melaye nor Mr Audu has put the lie to the audio reproduction of what the social media swore was an authentic telephone conversation between the two politicians. In the euphoria of reading a terribly revelatory exchange unearthing deep-seated animosity and hubris between Kogi politicians, the public conveniently forgot the ethical problems associated with conducting and releasing the wiretap.

    But much worse, as far as wiretaps go, is the release to the public of the apparently undisputed but bugged telephone conversation between Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State shortly after the December 2016 legislative rerun election in Rivers. In it Gov Wike was heard boasting of what he did to win the election, and in another wiretap promising to deal violently with electoral officials who double-crossed him. The views of the two governors were explicit, threatening, daring and ethically problematic. Both governors made only feeble attempts to deny the conversations or their authenticity. Instead, they chose to excoriate the secret service for invading their privacies and engaging in illegal wiretaps. On the other hand, most Nigerians were more interested in the views of the governors than the threat unlawful wiretaps constitute to privacy and democracy.

    Perhaps the Muhammadu Buhari administration is the wrongest to saddle with the onerous task of safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic experiment, or defending, in accordance with his oath of office, the rights of citizens. But if he is not to leave behind a democratic and political wasteland, he simply must reconcile himself with the principles and practice of democracy, and find ways to balance national security interest with the need to protect the freedoms endued the people by their constitution. He must clampdown vigorously on the rash of irresponsible and reckless wiretaps upending the laws and the constitution. It is urgent he does what the constitution expects of him.

  • Sacked contractors warn against epidemic

    EXECUTIVES and members of Refuse Contractors Association of Oyo State have urged the government to rescind its decision on the termination of contracts with private waste contractors.
    They warned that there could be an outbreak of epidemic and job loss if the workers were not recalled.
    Addressing reporters in Ibadan, the association Chairman, Mr. Tunde Ahmed Olowoporoku, said his union was not on a collision course with the government, but wanted it to be compassionate with refuse contractors, as its decision would render over 400 members jobless.
    Olowoporoku, flanked by Mr. Stephen Ogundipe, the former president, Mr. G.O. Omotoso, John Komolafe and Elder Fajemiyo, among others, said the association was ready to dialogue with the government.
    He said the union did not fail in its financial obligation, adding: “Payments, such as renewal of licence for the year and monthly dumping fees are being paid by our members into a designated account, the Oyo State Centralised Pollution Account.”

  • ‘Stroke becoming an epidemic’

    •Firm launches product for treatment

    AN Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Kolawole Wahab, has described stroke as a disease that deserves  more public attention like others in its category.

    He spoke at the launch of a  product NeuroAid, manufactured by Moleac PTE Limited, Singapore and introduced to the country by Bolar Pharmaceuticals Limited, in Ikeja, Lagos.

    Speaking on Incidence of stroke cases and current treatment strategies, Dr Wahab said no day passed at the varsity’s teaching hospital without a case of stroke being recorded. The disease had become an epidemic, he said.

    ‘’Its epidemic is here. One in every six persons worldwide has stroke. One in six seconds dies of it. Seventeen million people experience it yearly while six million don’t survive it. We need to do something about it,’’ he warned.

    Wahab, a neurologist, said there were several unreported cases of the disease, adding that while it is prevalent among elderly Whites, it is more with the Blacks who are in their productive years.

    Wahab said this called for concern. He suggested use of appropriate drugs, such as NueroAids, to treat the disease and regular intake of vegetables, and undergoing exercises to prevent it.

    Bolar Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Bolanle Soremekun said he brought the drug because the current treatment was inadequate. He said the product was researched for over 10 years and that it  had been okayed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    Soremekun, a pharmacist, urged stroke patients to use it, assuring that they would see improvement in their conditions and be able to live normal lives.

    ‘’NeroAids enhances neurorestoration, promotes neuroplasticity, stimulates neurogenesis, neurogrowth and synptogenesis,’’ he  added.

    A representative of the Lagos State Commissioner for Health Mrs Olawale Poleyi, a Director of Pharmacy at the ministry, okayed the product. ‘’It is good and safe for patients. I recommend it to them,’’ she said.

    Moleac PTE Key Manager Mariela Romero announced that the firm would soon kick off a six-month clinical trial of the product in the country, enjoining clinicians to bring their patients for the programme. She assured that within three months, they would recover.

  • Fighting tobacco epidemic

    Sir: We are encouraged by recent moves by the federal government to implement the National Tobacco Control Act (NTCA). The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunsho Adewole at the inauguration of the National Tobacco Control Committee (NTCC) indicated that the government plans to introduce pictorial health warnings (PHWs) on tobacco packages and is considering raising taxes on tobacco products.

    PHWs and tobacco taxation are two of the measures in the international treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Nigeria became an FCTC Party in 2005; today there are 43 parties in Africa and 180 worldwide, representing nearly 90 percent of the world’s people.

    Study after study has demonstrated that PHWs are more effective than text-only warnings at communicating the dangers of smoking to prospective smokers, especially young people. Remember: one-half of smokers will die of a smoking-related disease, so it is essential to prevent young people from starting and becoming addicted. PHWs also more effectively provoke current smokers to consider quitting.

    Increasing the cost of tobacco, including by raising taxes, is proven to be the most effective way to get smokers to reduce the amount they smoke and to prevent children and youth from starting. Because the measure is so effective, the tobacco industry lobbies loud and hard against any proposed tax increase, arguing that it will result in cigarette smuggling.

    The industry’s strategy is simple. It tries to scare off governments by twisting facts and data, particularly about what happens after significant tax increases are put in place. However, what the industry always fails to mention is that the countries with the highest tax rates have some of the lowest smuggling rates, in part because they devote resources to fighting illicit trade, within their borders and in co-operation with neighbouring countries. The FCTC now has an additional tool to fight illicit trade – the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, adopted in 2012.

    Expect the tobacco industry to scream loudly against Nigeria’s proposals; however, the country, and the entire continent, needs urgently to put in place these and other FCTC measures to counteract the industry’s increased marketing on the continent. As The Economist recently reported, 17 of the 27 countries in the world where smoking has increased over the past 15 years are in Africa. The costs of the tobacco epidemic are huge, and they will only rise if action is not taken now. For example, by 2030, 80 per cent of tobacco-related deaths will be in low and middle-income countries,

    The negative consequences of tobacco use extend far beyond the health realm. Tobacco use is also a drag on development. It robs families of resources that could be invested in education, health care and even food. Because up to half of all tobacco-related deaths occur during users’ prime productive years (ages 30–69), countries’ economic outputs also suffer. In addition, tobacco growing has a massive impact on the environment. For example, between 1990 and 1995, tobacco farming accounted for 26 per cent of deforestation in Malawi.

    Recognising tobacco’s devastating impact on development, world leaders in 2015 included the FCTC in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the blueprint for the world’s development between now and 2030. The SDGs call on countries to accelerate implementation of the treaty (Target 3a). Just months before the SDGs were adopted, the Financing for Development conference recommended tobacco taxation as one source of domestic revenue for financing the SDGs. In fact, putting the FCTC’s proven and effective measures in place on the ground is one of the easiest ways that governments can begin living up to their commitments on the SDGs.

    Governments’ adoption of these and other measures, including increasing co-operation to fight tobacco industry interference globally, will help ensure that the FCTC can live up to its potential in fighting the increasingly deadly tobacco epidemic in Africa.

     

    • TihNtiabang,

    Framework Convention Alliance (FCA). & Akinbode Oluwafemi,

    Environmental Rights Action Friends of the Earth, Nigeria.

  • ‘Dirty environment attracts epidemic’

    ‘Dirty environment attracts epidemic’

    The Sole Administrator of Isolo Local Council Development Area Abimbola Oshikoya has urged residents to cultivate the habit of cleanliness.

    This, she said, will prevent epidemic in their environment.

    “Lagos State Government is trying all it could to ensure disease-free society, hence the essence of my going out to encourage our people to embrace cleanliness. They should always clean their surroundings because it is good for them, their health and that of their families,” she said.

    The council, she said, will not hesitate to sanction erring communities and individuals.

    She said: “The act of dumping refuse inside drainage should stop. When the drainage is blocked, the water forces its way to the road, which resulted to flooding.

    “We need the cooperation of our people; we want them to develop interest in clean environment. It is all about educating them; it is all about we going to them not to beg them, but to let them know that they have to do this thing; it is good for them and their health. If they don’t do it, nobody would do it for them so they should come out and do it. I think it is all about talking to them and educating them because some of them do not know the value of cleanliness. I think that is what we will continue to do.

  • Epidemic looms in Ondo communities over workers’ strike

    Unless the ongoing strike by civil servants in Ondo state is suspended, an epidemic is imminent in major towns in the state.

    The affected areas include the Local Authority (LA) Primary School axis, State Hospital,Ikare-Akoko, frontage of Olukare Palace and Okere market and the popular Oyemekun road in Akure, the state capital, among others.

    Our correspondent who went round some of the affected communities observed that heaps of refuse with offensive odour have taken over the major roads.

    Refuse collection vans of the Waste Management Board (WMB) were not on the streets to dispose the refuse.

    A cross section of residents said that the development portends danger to their lives and urged the state government to arrest the situation to forestall an outbreak of contagious diseases.

    A health worker, Ayo Olola, said the strike has led to the deaths of many people particularly pensioners.

    He said since hospitals were on strike, sick people could not afford high charges of private hospitals.

    A retired teacher and elder statesman in Ikare-Akoko, Chief Saliu Okoja noted that the ongoing industrial strike has aggravated the sufferings of pensioners and aged people.

  • Epidemic looms in Ondo Communities over strike

    Unless the three weeks strike by public servants in Ondo state is suspended, an epidemic is imminent in Ikare-Akoko and other major towns in the state.

    Our Correspondent observed that heaps of refuse have littered the major roads with offensive odours oozing out ceaselessly.

    Observers opined that the development might constitute health hazards to its inhabitants.

    Mostly affected areas are between Local Authority (LA) Primary School and the State Hospital,Ikare-Akoko,frontage of Olukare Palace and Okere market as well as other strategic areas.

    An Hospital Worker,Ayo Olola said the strike had led to the deaths of many people particularly the pensioners.

    He said since hospitals were on strike, sick people could not afford high charges of private hospitals.

    A retired teacher and elder statesman in Ikare-Akoko, Chief Saliu Okoja described the three weeks strike as a time bomb that aggravated the sufferings of pensioners and aged people.

    He urged Governor Olusegun Mimiko to find urgent solution to the strike in the interest of pauperised workers and pensioners.

    Also in Akure,the state capital,mountains of refuse are littering the popular Oyemekun road and other areas.

    Refuse Vans from Waste Management Board (WMB) were not on the streets to dispose the refuse.‎

     

  • Nigeria’s epidemic of imploding marriages

    Nigeria’s epidemic of imploding marriages

    Going by the spate of upheavals, violence and breakages in marriages, this year’s Family Day celebration essentially had enough issues on the front-burner, as several fora tried to explore the issues. Assistant Editor, Yetunde Oladeinde and Dorcas Egede attempt an appraisal of the situation..

    Families, healthy lives and a sustainable future. That is the theme for this year’s Family Day celebration. Unfortunately, a lot of things threaten the existence of the family today. This includes the spate of spousal abuse, abandonment, betrayal, extreme financial crisis and the unbearable desire to get rich quickly. Spouses are therefore always ready to do anything to satisfy this – no matter whose ox is gored.
    Marriage, interestingly, is one factor that is considered when describing who is a responsible member of a society and who is not. In spite of the advantages, we still have a great number of divorce cases in our societies. One therefore begins to wonder what has gone wrong with this most respected social institution.
    The reason for this ugly phenomenon is not far- fetched. It ranges from economic problems to misunderstanding from both parties and other extraneous factors.
    Violence and spousal abuse has become very rampant because of frustrations and economic problems. One of the most recent cases involves Lekan Shonde, the dockworker who allegedly killed his wife, Ronke during a scuffle at their Egbeda residence in Lagos. 31-year-old Akolade Arowolo, who went on trial for allegedly killing his banker wife, Titilayo, about five years ago, was sentenced to death by hanging by an Ikeja High Court.
    Celebrities have had their fair share of crisis on a regular basis; and on such occasions, you are inundated with tales of how things fell apart. However, there are some celebrities who have been lucky with their marriages; instead of experiencing diminishing returns in the union, they wax stronger. Ashionye Michelle Raccah has been lucky to find a man who understands her personality and career. “Marriage has been fantastic, my husband and I are like friends; we are like brother and sister, more than husband and wife. We don’t have secrets, we share everything together.”
    The singer, actress and producer added: “I believe that is what has been keeping the marriage going. I am lucky to be married to someone who is also in the business and enjoys it. There are no restrictions, he believes in professionalism. We thank God for the journey so far, and we are praying to be together till we are grey and old.”
    Infidelity is one of the greatest reasons for the crisis and subsequently disentanglement. For Ene Aliu, this certainly is not the season for love at all. She recently discovered that her man betrayed the marriage vows barely ten months after they got married. “I did not know that anything was going on. He kept on travelling for business trips. Each time he came back, my husband came with so many gifts and I was so impressed with him. I told everyone around me that he was the best husband in the whole world.”
    Sadly, the dream ended abruptly. “Someone sent me some pictures of my husband with another woman and a love child. I was so sure it was a lie and I didn’t believe it. Perhaps it was a ploy to bring confusion within.” So she decided to find out from her husband to allay her fears. “When I asked him about it, he said it was true and he was not sober at all.”
    She was devastated.
    Interestingly, deception in marriage is not just about infidelity. It actually comes in different guises. Florence Adigun is another woman whose marriage hit the rocks from the onset. “I got married on the 8th of October 2003 to a man I met through his mum. Even though, he was older, he was very good looking, simple and easy going.”The wedding process went well but the crisis came when she discovered that the man she just got married to was impotent.
    “On the night of the wedding, we were together in a hotel for our honeymoon and I looked forward to our first night together. All night, we were together but he did not make any move towards me and I was so confused. I also noticed that he became restless and when it was 5am I asked him what was wrong. Suddenly, he went on his knees begging me and telling me he was impotent. He also pleaded that I should not tell his mother anything because if she finds out, she will kill me.”
    Like Adigun, twenty-nine year old Rebecca wished her marriage would last a lifetime. To make this happen, she took her time and refused to date just anybody. Finally, she found someone she loved. “We met at a friend’s wedding and it was love at first sight. We got married shortly afterwards and everyone in his family was so good to me”.
    Lucky? Not really! Barely two weeks after tying the knot with her Romeo, she discovered that he was mentally unstable. “I felt so bad because it was something everybody knew about but they cleverly kept it away from me”.
    Sadly, she continued her story: “He got angry with everything I did and I became a punching bag. One day, I ran away from his house; I didn’t wait to pick anything. I was so traumatised and just didn’t know what to do with my life after that experience.”
    Once bitten, twice shy. This aptly captures Thelma Adikwu’s views on marriage. Born with the silver spoon, she was unfortunate to have fallen in love with a gold digger. The marriage lasted for about eighteen months and she just had to move on with the pieces. “While I was growing up as a little girl, at some point in my life, I said I did not want to get married. It was because of what we had seen. Also while I was growing up, my father left my mother and the experience was not a nice one.”
    Divorce and marital crisis is not synonymous with celebrities and the rich alone. It actually cuts across every strata of the society. Visits to a few customary courts reveal a number of dramatic cases, where parties concerned seek dissolution to the unions they promised to keep ,’till death do us apart”, depicting the sad state of the marriage institution.
    At Oriade Local Council Development Area in Lagos, a petitioner, Jemila Zubair sought the approval of the court to dissolve the less than two years marriage with her husband, Jamiu Zubair.
    Jemila Zubair wants the marriage dissolved on the ground of infidelity, lack of trust, disrespect and incompatibility. Jemila, who wants the marriage dissolved because Jamiu has married another woman, told the court that she couldn’t continue living with him because of his infidelity.
    Jamiu however revealed his frustration to the court. He said he was left with no other choice than to remarry because his wife wets the bed, and having done everything possible to help her stop the bad habit without success, he decided to take another wife.
    Jemila said she wants the divorce because according to her, she has found someone else who is interested in marrying her, but wants to end her marriage with Jamiu in order to forestall any future problems.
    The case which has been adjourned on three occasions was again adjourned to the 31st of May 2016.
    In another sitting at the customary court, a petitioner, Mr. Nkemakolam Charles has sued for the dissolution of his 7-year-old marriage with the respondent, Mrs. Amaka Charles.
    Nkemakolam wants the marriage contracted in Anambra State, Nigeria, in accordance with the Christian customary vow, and blessed with two children, Bishop Chibuize Charles, aged 6 and Adaeze Success Charles, aged 4; dissolved on the ground of a broken marriage, incompatibility, and repeated threats from Mrs. Amaka.
    The petitioner, therefore, seeks for order to dissolve the existing marriage with the respondent, order to grant the custody of the children to the petitioner and respondent; feeding and school fees maintenance allowance by the petitioner, and order for the protection of life from the continuous threat of the respondent.
    This case was examined on the 17th of May 2016, and judgment for the dissolution of the marriage was passed by the court president.
    At another customary court in Igando, Lagos, you are faced with another addition to the list of failed marriages and it breaks the heart. Here the court dissolved the marriage of one Ganiyat Falana, 37, on the grounds of infidelity.
    Ganiyat and Dare Falana were until the dissolution of the union, married for 15 years.
    Dare, a 40-year-old business man, had approached the court, seeking the dissolution of the marriage because of infidelity and threats to his life. The estranged husband, who described his wife as adulterous, claimed to have caught her with a man friend in his room eating and chatting.
    “My wife is always threatening my life with dangerous weapons, and she once chased me with a knife in our street threatening to stab me. She is a good fighter, her hobby is fighting. I have at least on five occasions bailed her from the police station.
    Ganiyat however described Dare as fetish, claiming that he killed the foetus in her womb.
    “I saw my bra inside my husband’s brief case; I queried him but he said he wanted to take it to the church for prayers. He also brought a handkerchief home for me to clean my private part with and return to him; but I refused. Apart from his fetish nature, he also turned me into a punching bag.” She said bitterly.
    Delivering judgment, the president of the court, Mr. Adegboyega Omilola said, “the court has no choice but to dissolve the union; in spite of the fact that the wife still claims she loves her husband.”
    “The court pronounces the marriage between Dare Falana and Ganiyat Falana dissolved today. Both parties henceforth cease to be husband and wife.” Omilola ruled.
    The vows taken during the wedding ceremony, according to Naomi Adams, a social worker and counselor, hint that marriage is not a bed of roses. “Unfortunately, a lot of people go into wrong relationships that are prone to trouble from the onset. The focus usually is on beauty and other material things, which usually turn out to be temporary. As soon as these things disappear, they change their attitude towards the person they claim they love. The problem is that so many people are desperate to get married at all cost. Yet, they do not want to do the things required to get loyalty and win a heart without tears.”
    Immaturity, according to some experts, is usually responsible for a number of the marital woes that are rampant now. “I was a victim of teenage marriage. At eleven, my father married me off to a village teacher and I never liked the idea. I could not refuse and that action destablised me then and later in life. I didn’t know or understand the implication of marriage as an institution then because I was in primary three,” informs Benedicta Ibrahim who hails from Kogi State.
    That marriage lasted for four years and her brother, a banker helped to refund the dowry. “Luckily, I was too tender to get pregnant and I went back to school. Somehow, I was lured into another marriage which lasted for three years and I went back to school again”, she recounts.
    However, it is not all negative. There are a number of people who are having wonderful times in their marriage. Aramide Oladele, who has been married for about 28 years, is one of such people. “Whenever my husband is happy, I try to make him happier. I cook his favourite dish for him. And it is during this period that I put before him issues that, have been waiting for him to handle. This is the time I can get money and all the basic things I want from him. If he is angry, I try to pacify him. But when he makes me angry, I just keep quiet. Over the years, I learnt to keep quiet when he is angry. I withdraw, I will not talk again and when he observes this, he would come to me and ask me what he had done wrong.”
    Pastor Bisi Adewale, an expert of marital issues believes that there are certain ingredients needed to sustain a blissful home. “The first is commitment, a state of being willing to give a lot of time, energy and resources to one’s spouse. Secondly, the spiritual wellbeing of the couple is also very important. They must allow God in their home and give Him the leadership role. Once, the presence of God is missing in a marriage; the devil will be in the driver’s seat driving such homes into stormy waters.”
    He adds that: “Togetherness is compulsory where marriage must be the best. Research shows that couples that do things together tend to be closer, understand each other and have a successful marriage, than those who don’t spend time together. If your marriage must be strong, you must live together, talk, sleep, play, pray and eat together. Mind you, many things like hours spent at work, watching TV, talking to your friends, salon and the internet are competing seriously with your time to the detriment of your marriage. To make your marriage a success, you must make your spouse part of your daily schedules, regardless of how busy you are.”