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  • Expert: many Nigerians don’t know they are hypertensive

    Expert: many Nigerians don’t know they are hypertensive

    Many Nigerians are living with high blood pressure (HBP) also known as hypertension without knowing, says Medical Advisor, Novartis Pharmaceutical Services, Dr Chinwe Adebiyi.

    According to her, the best way to know one’s state is by having a test.

    Adebiyi, who spoke at Roche Novartis breakfast meeting with reporters in Lagos, said blood pressure is the force of blood pressing against people’s arteries.

    “So, hypertension means high pressure or tension in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood to the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs in the body,” she said.

    Hypertension, she said, does not mean excessive emotional tension or stress, although it could temporarily increase blood pressure.

    “Normal blood pressure is below 120/80. Blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called pre-hypertension while that of 140/90 or above is considered high. So,  a normal blood pressure readings will fllbelow 120/80mmHg,” she said.

    The company’s Medical Advisor said the top number, which is systolic, shows the pressure when the heart beats.

    “The bottom number – distolic, shows the pressure t rest between the heart beats, when it is being filled with blood,” she said.

    Mrs Adebiyi said half of the world population has pre-hypertension, urging people to make lifestyle changes.

    According to the physician, a high blood pressurecan lead to hypertensive crises, such as stroke, cardiac arrest, fainting attacks and multi-organ damage, among others.

    African-Americans, she said are more likely to develop hypertension because of genetic make-up as black race and salt sensitivity.

    “Sodium, a major component of salt, can raise the BP by causing the body to retain fluid, which leads to a great burden on the heart,” she said.

    Other risk factors are stress and obesity, pregnancy and unhealthy eating.

    There are also smoking, excessive alcohol intake, lack of exercise, familyhistory, diabetes milletus, excessive steroids intake and high caffeine intake as risk factors.

    Symptoms, she said, are headache, nausea, vomiting and dizziness.

    Others are blurred or double vision, epistaxis (nose bleeding), palpitations and dyspnea.

  • Expert seeks bank for power sector

    The Group Managing Director of CFL Group of Companies, Mr. Lai Omotola, has canvassed the establishment of a finance development bank for the power sector to address the frequent changes in electricity tariff.

    He said the recently approved 45 percent increase in tariff by the Federal Government was not the answer to the crisis in the power sector.

    Omotola attributed the increase to the failure of indigenous companies that bought the nation’s power assets to source for the technical partners that could bring in some equities.

    During an interaction with reporters in Lagos, he said Nigerian banks provided over 80 per cent of the $2.6 billion that was used to purchase the power assets in 2013 on short tenor loans.

    He said: “It would have been the other way round and the sector would have been virile, had the investors been mandated to bring in foreign investors who would bring in their equities in terms of the capital mix, about 60 percent equity.”

    He explained that most of the funds were sourced from the banks. It is debt, which is now creating a little bit of pressure on our financial system.We find a situation whereby the Nigerian banks are the major, if not the sole financiers of the acquisition of the power assets.

    “There are two factors with the Nigerian banks. One is high interest rate. Two is the tenure of their funds. These factors mean that commercial banks by their very nature cannot finance the electricity industry. They can only serve to raise working capital incentive. What we find is that the Nigerian banks are financed in dollar-dominated terms.

    “Already, the interest rate has gone on the high side. Even, the value of dollar to naira had doubled over the space of two years. The resultant effect is that the accounts of our indigenous companies are not doing well with our banks.

    “If their accounts are not doing well with the banks, the ability of the companies will be stalled. Also, the ability of the indigenous companies to pay loans will be stalled. Finally, the ability of the indigenous companies to generate additional funding will be stalled,” Omotola said.

    He said the Nigerian banks could only finance projects for about two or three years after which the banks would want to see their funds coming back, so our banks are not suited to fund the power sector. He faulted a statement credited to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola that no bank would want to fund the power industry because of the low tariff, which makes it not bankable before the current controversial increase.

    Omotola challenged Fashola to name the bank he was referring to, noting that if Fashola was referring “to Nigerian banks, the business model of the indigenous companies will not work. The interest rate and fund tenure will not make it work.”

    He urged the Federal Government to set up a finance development bank that is strictly meant for development projects such as power projects. If our indigenous banks will play any role, it will be in the area of providing working capital. For these indigenous companies in power sector to survive, they need very low interest rate with very long-term loan, he said.

  • Expert seeks bank for power sector

    Expert seeks bank for power sector

    The Group Managing Director of CFL Group of Companies, Mr. Lai Omotola, has canvassed the establishment of a finance development bank for the power sector to address the frequent changes in electricity tariff.

    He said the recently approved 45 percent increase in electricity tariff by the Federal Government not  not the answer to the crisis in the power sector.

    Omotola attributed the increase to the failure of indigenous companies that bought the nation’s power assets to source for the technical partners that could bring in some equities.

    In an interaction with reporters in Lagos, he said Nigerian banks provided over 80 per cent of the $2.6 billion that was used to purchase the power assets in 2013 on short tenor loans.

    He said: “It would have been the other way round and the sector would have been virile, had the investors been mandated to bring in foreign investors who would bring in their equities in terms of the capital mix, about 60 percent equity.”

    He explained that most of the funds were sourced from the banks. It is debt, which is now creating a little bit of pressure on our financial system.We find a situation whereby the Nigerian banks are the major, if not the sole financiers of the acquisition of the power assets.

    “There are two factors with the Nigerian banks. One is high interest rate. Two is the tenure of their funds. These factors mean that commercial banks by their very nature cannot finance the electricity industry. They can only serve to raise working capital incentive. What we find today is that the Nigerian banks are financed in dollar-dominated terms.

    “Already, the interest rate has gone on the high side. Even, the value of dollar to naira had doubled over the space of two years. The resultant effect is that the accounts of our indigenous companies are not doing well with our banks.

    “If their accounts are not doing well with the banks, the ability of the companies will be stalled. Also, the ability of the indigenous companies to pay loans will be stalled. Finally, the ability of the indigenous companies to generate additional funding will be stalled,” Omotola said.

    He said the Nigerian banks could only finance projects for about two or three years after which the banks would want to see their funds coming back, so our banks are not suited to fund the power sector. He faulted a statement credited to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola that no bank would want to fund the power industry because of the low tariff, which makes it not bankable before the current controversial increase.

    Omotola challenged Fashola to name the bank he was referring to, noting that if Fashola was referring “to Nigerian banks, the business model of the indigenous companies will not work. The interest rate and fund tenure will not make it work.”

    He urged the Federal Government to set up a finance development bank that is strictly meant for development projects such as power projects. If our indigenous banks will play any role, it will be in the area of providing working capital. For these indigenous companies in power sector to survive, they need very low interest rate with very long-term loan, he said.

  • Expert seeks finance devt bank for power sector

    The Group Managing Director of CFL Group of Companies, Mr. Lai Omotola, has canvassed the establishment of a finance development bank for the power sector to address the frequent changes in electricity tariffs.

    He said the recently approved 45 percent increase in electricity tariff by the Federal Government not  not the  answer to the crisis in the power sector. Omotola attributed the increase to the failure of indigenous companies that bought the nation’s power assets to source for the technical partners that could bring in some equities.

    Omotola in an interaction with reporters in Lagos, stated that Nigerian banks provided more than 80 per cent of $2.6 billion that was used to purchase the power assets in 2013 on short tenor loans.

    He said: “It would have been the other way round and the sector would have been virile, had the investors been mandated to bring in foreign investors who would bring in their equities in terms of the capital mix, about 60 percent equity.”

    He explained that most of the funds were sourced from the banks. It is debt, which is now creating a little bit of pressure on our financial system. We find a situation whereby the Nigerian banks are the major, if not the sole financiers of the acquisition of the power assets.

    “There are two factors with the Nigerian banks. One is high interest rate. Two is the tenure of their funds. These factors mean that commercial banks by their very nature cannot finance the electricity industry. They can only serve to raise working capital incentive. What we find today is that the Nigerian banks are financed in dollar-dominated terms.

    “Already, the interest rate has gone on the high side. Even, the value of dollar to naira had doubled over the space of two years. The resultant effect is that the accounts of our indigenous companies are not doing well with our banks.

    “If their accounts are not doing well with the banks, the ability of the companies will be stalled. Also, the ability of the indigenous companies to pay loans will be stalled. Finally, the ability of the indigenous companies to generate additional funding will be stalled,” Omotola said.

    He said the Nigerian banks could only finance projects for about two or three years after which the banks would want to see their funds coming back, so our banks are not suited to fund the power sector. He faulted a statement credited to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola that no bank would want to fund the power industry because of the low tariff, which makes it not bankable before the current controversial increase.

    Omotola challenged Fashola to name the bank he was referring to, noting that if Fashola was referring “to Nigerian banks, the business model of the indigenous companies will not work. The interest rate and fund tenure will not make it work.”

    He urged the Federal Government to set up a finance development bank that is strictly meant for development projects such as power projects. If our indigenous banks will play any role, it will be in the area of providing working capital. For these indigenous companies in power sector to survive, they need very low interest rate with very long-term loan, he said.

  • Why oil prices may not rise soon, by expert

    Why oil prices may not rise soon, by expert

    The oil prices dip is different from previous cyclical scenarios in which  prices don’t take so long to rebound, the Chairman of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, George Kalu, has said.

    Kalu, who spoke at the Oloibiri Lecture Series and Energy Forum (OLEF) in Abuja, said besides oil supply glut, most of the oil consuming countries have huge stocks, which may considerably delay a quick rebound of the prices.

    He said: “With an all-time high crude oil inventory by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, the oil prices dip this time around is different from previous cyclical scenarios. This was partly occasioned by the demand-supply landscape in the global oil market and need to hedge against supply shortfall to the OECD.

    “The emergence of oil supplies from the United States shale areas plus the decline in oil demand from Europe and North America has contributed to a large extent. Simple innovative technology deployed such as water shut-off, short radius horizontal sidetrack in existing assets will ensure low cost oil production.”

    According to him, this year’s theme Technological advances in hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation: Solutions to global oil price stability,”is pertinent coming in a low oil price scenario. It thus provides Nigeria with the unique opportunity of maximsing benefits from adoption of low cost technology in asset management as well as industry collaboration between buyers, suppliers and vendor with operators in the oil and gas industry.

    “It is our hope and expectation that through OLEF 2016’s theme and the subtopics, we will stimulate discussions aimed at mitigating the effect of low oil prices and helps chart the right course towards a sustainable future for the Nigeria oil and gas industry.

    “Permit me to mention that OLEF 2016 also coincides somewhat with 60 years of oil exploration and exploitation in Nigeria since the first discovery in Oloibiri in commercial quantity. During this period, Nigeria has operated within the league of oil producing and exporting nations. The industry has experienced much transformation along the way,” he said

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, said: “This year’s partnership demonstrates the hallmark of the cooperation between the Executive and Legislature on non-partisan professional body the opportunity to address and proffer common solution geared towards growing in-country capacity to meet the challenge posed by the ongoing reforms and divestments in the upstream sector and petroleum industry at large.

    “As Nigeria aspires to maintain its current growth forecast and sustain the year 2012 GDP growth rate of 6.48 per cent, Morgan Stanley has predicted that Nigeria is expected to become an economic power overtaking South Africa by 2025 in its terms of GDP.

    “The theme is timely given that the role of a strong local refining in maximising benefits for economic growth in a declining oil prices environment and linkages to the manufacturing industry as well as the agricultural sector; which creates growth in the real sector of the economy. This shall enable Nigeria achieve its desired growth aspiration.”

    He said the National Assembly shall consider and expedite the passage of legislation of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to enable the restructuring and deregulation of the downstream sector; thus, allow for competition in all segments including open access to the pipeline as well as providing a robust tariff mechanism for all players.

  • Expert advises government to grow economy

    A lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State Dr. Olayide Adetunji, has called on the government to support ideas and knowledge that would grow the economy.

    Adetunji made the call while speaking on a maize-shelling machine, fabricated by him, through the postgraduate diploma project supervision, which involved the design, construction and performance evaluation in the university during the 2012/2013 academic session.

    He said  the machine was designed to bridge the gap between the highly expensive threshing machine and manual method of hand-shelling, to aid food production and improve farmers’ productivity and profitability, emphasising that the machine was meant for local farmers for personal use on farm settlements and for group of farmers in the form of cooperatives, market-women and house-wives as a means of generating income.

    Adetunji noted that the production cost of the machine was over N100,000 because the materials used in its production were sourced locally, but when commercialised, the cost price could go for about N200,000. Describing the mode of operation of the machine, he said, if well maintained, it could be guaranteed for about two to three years by working efficiently without any fault and could last for about 50 years. He stated that the dual-powered machine uses both fuel and electricity, because most of the people that use it are rural dwellers, so they do not have to worry about electricity.

    When asked about the number of the machines produced so far, he said it is “just the prototype that is available,” stressing that finance had been a major problem in exhibiting the machine and that the machine had been nominated for the African Prize for Young Engineers Research.

    He added that COLENG was planning a conference, where the machine would be showcased, saying “we are also looking forward to the Exibition Day. On his future plans, Adetunji said he plans to construct different types of machines like palm-oil extracting machine, rice milling machine, palm-kernel and fruit juice extracting machine, and block-making machines, as he looks forward to partnering with professional bodies like the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Bank of Industry (BoI).

  • Way out of Osun economic crisis, by finance expert

    Way out of Osun economic crisis, by finance expert

    Deji Akinsola, a finance expert, reviews the economic situation in Osun State and suggests how it can get out of the economic crisis. He spoke with Basirat Buraimah. 

    How did Osun State find itself in this financial mess?

    I don’t think it is fair and it is not right to single Osun State out in the financial predicament enveloping the whole world.

    It is a worldwide crisis. The financial meltdown is global. It cannot be felt equally though. In Nigeria, it will be unfair to single out Osun state to be in crisis and I know it is nationwide.

    I know many states to be 23 months behind in salary payment. Almost every state is owing but then, when it comes to Osun, I think it is a peculiar case because of the giant strides that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola came with in the first two years of his administration and it is that standard that people are using to measure him and that is why it appears that the impact is felt more in Osun.

    But the state benefitted from the bail out and financial packages backed by the federal government.

    When it comes to public finances, one needs to be very careful; form me what the states got is not a bail out but a loan. I want to crudely define a bail out. A bail out is meant to be a dash but when you are talking about a package the federal government made to the distressed states, it was more of a loan. People have said at different fora that the bail out from our financial crisis is death accumulation. The figures that are being bandit by the opposition are so ridiculous. They are larger than life figures.

    The payment terms were such that they will be deducted from the federal allocations. One of the criticisms against the Osun administration is in terms of the quantum of the debt that the administration is alleged to have taken. At different quarters they are saying it is too large. Speaking as a chartered accountant, the definition of too much is determined by the returns you are getting from such a loan.

    If you take a loan and you invest it in as much as you can make N1 as return after meeting all obligations, it won’t be too much. If you take a loan for financing and at the end you have negative returns; that is the definition of too much. People have been saying that Osun state is grossly indebted and then the bail out of almost N35billion is going to further compound that alleged indebtedness.

    When you talk about public or private financing, it is made up of two critical aspects. We have equity and debt. Equity means the contributions of stakeholders while debt is borrowing. Those are the two principal sources of funding. There are certain things you cannot do with the loan. The loan shouldn’t be used to pay salaries. If you must borrow, it must go into investments that will yield returns to repay the cost of the capital and leave you with something. If you use loan to pay salaries then you are going into a deep hole. I want to agree with the last administration in terms of bail out. It is better to look for equity to meet the expenditure. That is a way forward.

    Well, if you are talking of way forward we should look at where we are coming from. The administration started on a brilliant footing. No matter how brilliant your ideas are, you need funds to execute such ideas. This administration started with a beautiful vision where Osun will surpass Lagos.

    Aregbesola’s vision is to remove poverty. He invested them into the future and education. Any investment in security can never be wrong because it promotes the code of the economy. When you invest in security, it will attract both internal and external investors. It will generate income to create a better income.

    What can be done to revive the state’s economy and take it back to those glorious days?

    We need to look into good governance and education. We need to move away from oil. The 2016 budget was based on $38 price of oil per barrel with N2.2trillion deficit. The fall in the price of oil has widened the gap. We need to shift focus and obviously agriculture is it.

    We need to go back to the basics. Government should invest in agriculture. Government should support initiatives that will make Agriculture strive. Government should not involve itself in granting Agric loans. Government should not bother itself with the provision of fertilizer. If agriculture is lucrative, people should source the fund to meet the investment. When they now grow cash and food crops, then they can sell them. Government should negotiate with banks. In terms of sourcing agriculture and fertilizers, they should go to the banks. The government should make it a national policy. It should give guarantee to existing farmers and new ones. No matter how many tones of grains produced. The beauty of this is that it will spur people to go into Agriculture on a commercial basis not on a sentimental basis.

    In the United States, the government will mop up all the excess products. Even at a loss to it. In most cases, the government sells agricultural products abroad so that they will not discourage farmers and potential ones.

    Apart from encouraging agriculture, which other ways can government go in raising fund?

    If you want to make any progress, there is no other way than go into taxation.

    We have to educate the people about the beauty of taxation. We have to create the awareness. As far as I am concerned, taxation and the application of taxation should be introduced into primary school curriculum, secondary and tertiary so that people will have a very sound understanding and its beauty both to themselves and the government. The government should follow it up with an aggressive collection plan.

    One beauty of taxation is this; when people are taxed normally, it makes lion out of them. They want to be involved, they want to know. It is something that is affecting them directly. There is no direct impact on the people. If you want to embezzle N 2.5b you will need to increase the income tax of people with certain per cent. We have to invigorate our tax drive and initiate aggressive collection.

    As a last resort, we need to look at borrowing and we must know how much we want to borrow and what we want to do with it. We must never borrow for consumption. Salary must be based squarely on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    Any government that wants o succeed should use 25 per cent of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for salaries.

    Other things will be internal and one of it is what we have already embarked upon and that is how to empower the people. Governance shouldn’t be about business. It should be about the provision of environment where people can do business to generate income and pay a portion of that to the government.

    The governor has introduced an O Cof O (Osun Certificate of Occupancy) that gives you a security backing. Government will do due diligence. A all over the world, any bank you go to will want to know if you want to go into secured borrowing. The best form of collateral is the certificate of occupancy. It will give them a peace of mind and fast track the loan application.

    It will reduce the cost of borrowing. You can use the certificate to borrow money from bank to generate wealth and then the state can come to take a portion. We have our younger ones middle age that are willing to leave the country for several reasons because the world is now a global village. One of the key requirements of an embassy is that you won’t be relying on them. If you attach your C of O to the application, it will make processing faster. These are the things Aregbesola has put together so that people can borrow money go into trade, make money and pay back loan and pay their taxes.

    We are looking inward and the nation in general. The government should not be directly involved in agriculture. Regardless of the quantity of their produce. Any government that wants to make progress must have short term, medium term and longer term plan. Included in the longer term plan should be education. It is kind of empowering the people to make them become responsible citizens. The level of government expenditure will come down in health. If you have a good job you will be able to get qualitative health insurance. We must invest in security. A secured environment is an attraction. We must invest in health. The people are recognising the quality in this administration. Anything that this government wishes to do must have the input of the people and going for aggressive collection of taxes. We collectively got into this mess and we must collectively get out of the mess. The government must lead people into the Promised Land.

    How do you see the streamlining of the ministries by the governor?

    Streamlining the ministry to a manageable 12 is a step in the right direction. We must cut our material according to the cloth that is available. It is a right step. It has now come to a manageable, realistic and focus-oriented team.

    I trust the judgment of the governor to be able to bring in people who have robust understanding. There must be a rigorous understanding. Finance is as sensitive as it can be. The role of the governor in a state is to spend money.

    I want to secure the state; I want to provide social amenities etc will lead to are spending. The role of a good finance commissioner is to look for money, to source funds particularly internally through the IGR to be able to meet the government’s expenditure.

    He is also to be able to report to the governor and the people the amount generated and expended in terms of recurrent expenditure and in terms of capital investments. I’ve spoken specifically about the finance ministry because that is my forte.

    The government must look for able-minded men that will be able to drive its vision and to be able o take our people out of where we are; from the sorry state that we are in to the Promised Land. This is the kind of men that we need in this coming administration.

    The Aregbesola government is the government of Osun people.  We voted this administration in the first time and we did a second time and it is our government and administration. Yes, things are tough now. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. With the support of the people, we will get to where we deserve to be. People should give their support so that we will reap the glorious benefit at the end of the day.

  • Expert cautions against naira devaluation

    Expert cautions against naira devaluation

    Dr. Biodun Adedipe, a management expert, has advised the Federal Government against devaluing the naira to forestall worsening the gap in resource distribution in the country.

    Adedipe, a chief consultant at B. Adedipe Associates Ltd., gave the advice at a Breakfast Meeting organised by the Nigerian-South Africa Chamber of Commerce on Thursday in Lagos.

    He spoke on: “The Nigerian Business Environment: Navigating the Rocky Road Ahead”.

    According to him, the call for devaluation is misplaced with focus on the U.S dollar as a tradable commodity rather than as a means of exchange.

    He said that the underlying problem lied with the goods and services being exchanged for the currency.

    According to him, devaluation of the naira will increase the cost of doing business and living in the country.

    Adedipe said that this was because the economy was still largely dependent on imported goods and equipment for its manufacturing sector.

    He said that the ripple effects of the devaluation would be transmitted to the consumers who would bear the cost of price differentials.

    He urged the government to stimulate economic growth through investment in infrastructures, alignment of fiscal and monetary policies as well as accountability.

    The expert said that more efficient infrastructure would stimulate lending from commercial banks to the real sector, thereby boosting industrialisation and economic growth.

    He urged all stakeholders to shun selfish attitudes and pay the price that would steer the country out of its current economic challenges.

  • Expert plans confab to motivate technical students

    Expert plans confab to motivate technical students

    Collins Uwadia, training coordinator at Slot Skills Development Centre and founder, Tran Touch International Ltd is an example of what training in technical and vocational education (TVE) can do for young people.

    The engineer, who has many graduates (universities and polytechnics) among those training in mobile phone technology and hardware at Slot Technologies, believes that the practical skills he gained from attending a technical college provided a veritable foundation for self-reliance and entrepreneurship, which he said are vital to boost education as well as the economy.

    “ I am an advocate for technical education.   It will stop Nigeria’s economic challenges. The government needs to realise that what used to be solutions in the past are no longer solutions. Every year they graduate students but there are no jobs. For example almost all my students here are graduates but there is no job that is why they are coming to learn skills.

    To this end, Uwadia is organising a Technical Students’ Entrepreneurial and Empowerment Conference to help students understand that technical education is not an inferior path and that through it they could reach whatever heights they desire.

    Uwadia said the conference, expected to hold at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island in collaboration with the Lagos State government, would have as theme: Inspiring Total Leaders of Tomorrow.

    The programme to be attended by students of the six Government Technical Colleges (GTC Agidingbi, Ikotun, Odomola, Ikorodu, and Ado-Soba) in Lagos State would feature talks by TVE experts, including Hasseb Hasan, CEO, Intek Solutions, UAE; and Nnamdi Ezeigbo, CEO, Slot Systems Limited among others.

    There would also be exhibition of inventions designed by the students for which prizes would be awarded, while seasoned experts and entrepreneurs leading various organisations that use technology would be on hand to mentor the students.

    Uwadia told The Nation that through the conference he hopes to attract recognition for technical students.

    “We want to shift from to the past of where nobody gets to recognise technical college students, what they have presented or done. We want to use this as a medium to present a form of competition where every technical school can bring something and show to the world and the most creative will be rewarded. The school gets rewarded; student will be rewarded and everybody will be encouraged and when such avenue comes up again, you will see everybody will seat up,” he said.

    Lamenting the neglect of technical colleges, Uwadia urged the government to equip the schools.

    “I will honestly tell you that the attention on technical education is very poor. The students just want to have a sense of belonging in the society, having in mind that the government is also concerned about them. Equip the schools with laboratories and tools to work with and it becomes very easy for them to learn,” he said.

    Lauding the proposed conference, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), Mr Olawumi Gasper, said it would address the mindset of technical students, which would go a long way to prepare them to be responsible.

    “The initiative is fantastic.  Let us work on their minds, then by the time we send them for training, they would be ready,” he said.

     

  • Expert seeks free eye screening for pupils

    The founder of Mission to Save Sight Africa Foundation (MTSSAF), Dr. Oluwafunke Ani has called for the provision of free eye screening services for pupils in public schools in Nigeria.

    Ani made the at the Gala Evening and Dinner in the Dark organised by Mission to Save Sight Africa Foundation held recently at Planet One Lagos.

    The programme brought together medical practitioners, the visually-impaired persons, film producers, talks, awards, eating in the dark and launch of a communication behavioural change film called “Avoidable Blunders.”

    According to her, there is an estimated 1.4 bilion blind children worldwide, one million of which live in Asia and 300, 000 in Africa. This number will reduce considerably if there is early detection and management of visual impairment.

    She said children aged between 0 and 16 years constitute 45 per cent of the total population of 160 million and if truly they are the future hope of Nigeria, their health status should be of utmost importance to all.

    She also noted that 325 million people are visually impaired, and 39.8 million people are blind worldwide, a child goes blind every minute in our world, 80 per cent of blind cases is avoidable and 90 per cent of all visually-impaired worldwide live in developing countries, one of which is Nigeria.

    She stated that vision screening is an efficient and cost-effective method of identifying children with visual impairment or eye conditions that can lead to visual impairment. It enables referrals to be made to appropriate eye care professionals for further evaluation and treatment of serious eye problems, saying such facility would be beneficial to all.

    She noted that unlike adults, children with visual problems often do not know that the way they see the world is not the way everyone else sees it; as such they are unlikely to complain about it.

    Continuing, she said: “Their complaints may not be taken seriously by their parents who may feel that the child is pretending, as they may not want to spend much money on an eye test ‘in vain.’”

    Ani, who is an ophthalmologist, added that most parents that send their wards to public schools are economically disadvantaged and so may not be able to pay for eye tests, which to them may seem a luxury.

    “The benefits of early identification of visual problem are far-reaching, as childhood visual impairment can have a significant developmental, social and emotional impact,” she said.