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Tag: expert

  • Expert advises on safe floors

    Expert advises on safe floors

    Safety expert Mr. Tomasz Wolski has urged facility managers and property owners to consider floor safety as paramount in their services. He said floor treatment was very critical as slip and fall accidents were common occurrences at work places, event centers, homes and other high traffic facilities. The effect of a slip and fall accident, he said, can be fatal.

    He spoke at a three-day training programme organised by No-Slips Limited, the Nigerian representative and service provider for Surestep non-slip floor treatment in Nigeria. The training programme held last weekend in Lagos. Tomasz, a Polish, is a certified global Surestep trainer and safety professional.

    “Floor safety is important because we walk on floors every day. Safety and health are the two most important aspects of human well-being, so why won’t we care about it. Very often people forget about floor safety, but I think that our floors should never be unsafe,” he added.

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of No-Slips Limited, Mr. Charles Igbinidu, said people do not take floor safety serious because much attention has not been on slip and fall accidents in Nigeria.

    “People need to start taking floor safety very seriously. All over the world, people are constantly experiencing slip and fall accidents and every one of us can testify to that because, at some point in our lives, we have experienced it. Many people sustain permanent injuries and sometimes victims may die.

    “It’s unfortunate that people don’t like to talk about it and there is no accurate record of how many times people slip and fall,  but, the statistics available to us showed that the rate of slip and fall accidents in Nigeria  is alarming. People fall and get injured daily at homes, offices and other public places,” he said.

    He also stressed the need for facility managers and property owners to take responsibility for the safety of their guests, noting that the safety of their clients should be of utmost importance to them.

    “It is very important for facility managers of commercial buildings and other property owners to be aware of the dangers of untreated floors and make their floors safer for their guests. It is their duty to provide their guests or customers with a safe and friendly environment.”

    “As a matter of fact, everyone, who walks on any kind of floor, should be conscious of slip and fall accidents and do everything possible to prevent them from happening,” he added.

  • Expert advises medics on stress management

    Medical doctors and health professionals must pay adequate attention to their health and take more than a passing interest in their health if they must stay alive and cope with the pressures of their jobs, the Medical Director of Alimosho General Hospital, Dr Ademuyiwa Benjamin Eniayewu has said.

    Stressing that a healthy workforce is the asset of the government, Eniayewu said he would always be at the forefront of ensuring that workers keep fit, adding that the regular physical activities embarked upon by the hospital’s workforce is part of the designs to build a virile and physically-fit workforce that can withstand any stress.

    He spoke at the hospital’s sporting ground, where a cross section of workers from all departments in the hospital gathered to participate in the sporting activities lined up to commemorate Lagos State’s 50th year anniversary.

    He said the advice became imperative because medical personnel, despite their know-how, have been known to take the least interest in their personal health matters, due to pressures at work.

    He said he had instituted the monthly fitness activity immediately he assumed office as the Medical Director of the hospital, pointing out that the hospital is proud to be dedicating this month’s exercise to the state’s 50th year anniversary.

    Eniayewu said Lagos at 50 has continued to be the template for good governance in the federation, a reason, he said, made the occasion worth celebrating.

    “Lagos is a success story. The state has continued to be the envy of other states across the country and a place of pride for every black race,” he said.

    Inaugurating the football competition between the Red Team and Blue Team, Eniayewu pledged N20, 000 for the winner of the competition.

    He also promised that support for the aspirations of the female football team of the hospital would continue. Workers were engaged in light aerobics and physical exercises, track race (100 metres male and female) and Tug of War, which was won by the Red Team.

    Some of the workers praised the strides of the state government in improving on infrastructural development across all sections of the state.

    Mrs Salihu Adebola-Abimbola said the workers were happy to engage in the keep-fit exercises which she said are symbolic, adding that they constitute healthy workforce that can be an asset to any government.

  • Expert advises govt to create 3m jobs yearly

    An economist, Dr Aminu Usman, has advised the Federal Government to create at least three million jobs yearly to address the high unemployment rate in the country.

    Usman, a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Kaduna State University, gave this advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    He said the Federal Government initially promised to create three million jobs every year but in the last two years it had only generated less than a million jobs.

    The don said the unemployment and underemployment reports for the last quarter of last year still showed the negative effects of the  recession on the citizens.

    The latest unemployment reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed that the country’s unemployment rate rose from 13.9 per cent in the third quarter to 14.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year.

    Usman, however, argued that a number of factors must have contributed to the reports.

    He said that one of the contributing factors was the unfriendly government policies towards managing the economy.

    “When the recession began to hit hard on the state government, it resorted to increasing taxes and imposing all kinds of charges on the citizens.

    “This is against all known principles of managing recession, which requires lowering and or eliminating taxes to boost consumption.

    “One of the first casualties of the recession is employment because  lower consumption rate, factory closure and job layoffs are the hallmarks of any economy in a recession,’’ he said.

  • Security expert warns against divisive utterances

    Security expert warns against divisive utterances

    A renowned security analyst, Ambassador Abayomi Nurain Mumuni, has expressed concerns over what he called “uncoordinated utterances” from some Nigerians.

    Mumuni, the Ajagungbade of Lagos, also called on the South East elders (Ohaneze Ndigbo), including South East Governor’s Forum to be bold enough to address the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)’s agitation of Biafra Republic and declaration of cessation from Nigeria.

    The author of books on Global Terrorism and its Effects on Humanity and Demand by Terror described the developments as very disturbing and unpatriotic, calling on government at all levels to take proactive measures before it gets out of hands.

    He faulted the actions of the Arewa Youths Forum.

    Mumuni said: “It is unpatriotic for any individual or group to make such cessation request. The Igbos are Nigerians. Agitation for Biafra died long time ago. We are all Nigerians and we’ll continue to work together in the interest of our great country.”

    The security analyst chided the eastern leaders for keeping “criminal silence for too long,” stressing that their silence provoked the outburst of the Arewa youths.

    “Where were those youths making cessation calls during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 16 wasted years? Why didn’t they come out during Jonathan’s government? They probably refused to clamour for Biafra then because they were dinning and winning with the government of the day.

    “When they surfaced during this administration, renewing their agitation for Biafra, they were not called to order by their elders. If they had been cautioned earlier enough, we wouldn’t have been in this mess,” he said.

    The former governorship candidate in Lagos state under the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) said it is high time the eastern leaders and their governors told Nigerians where their loyalty lies.

    “You can’t be a Nigerian and still be a supporter of Biafra,” he said.

    Mumuni called on government to initiate communication strategies with the agitators to avoid public disturbance.

    “If not properly addressed now, the consequences will be unbearable. By then, every household will one way or the other pay dearly for it. We do not want to witness the implications or the consequences of this inaction. We’ve seen the consequence of neglect in Rwanda, we were all alive during the Sierra Leone crisis, we are living witnesses to Sudan’s needless ethnic wars and many more. The civil war was witnessed by our parents, we must not wish that for our own generation. We should not look for trouble where there is none,” he said.

    Mumuni enjoined government to extend literacy to all rural communities, saying, lack of good education is playing a negative roles, and that such lapses actually gave room to the emergence of militia groups.

    “More so, the implication of poverty and having to feed from the trash plays another role. Our country deserves leaders with visions,” he said.

  • Expert advises medics on stress management

    Medical doctors and health professionals must pay adequate attention to their health and take more than a passing interest in their health if they must stay alive and cope with the pressures of their jobs, the Medical Director of Alimosho General Hospital, Dr Ademuyiwa Benjamin Eniayewu has said.

    Stressing that a healthy workforce is the asset of the government, Eniayewu said he would always be at the forefront of ensuring that workers keep fit, adding that the regular physical activities embarked upon by the hospital’s workforce is part of the designs to build a virile and physically-fit workforce that can withstand any stress.

    He spoke at the hospital’s sporting ground, where a cross section of workers from all departments in the hospital gathered to participate in the sporting activities lined up to commemorate Lagos State’s 50th year anniversary.

    He said the advice became imperative because medical personnel, despite their know-how, have been known to take the least interest in their personal health matters, due to pressures at work.

    He said he had instituted the monthly fitness activity immediately he assumed office as the Medical Director of the hospital, pointing out that the hospital is proud to be dedicating this month’s exercise to the state’s 50th year anniversary.

    Eniayewu said Lagos at 50 has continued to be the template for good governance in the federation, a reason, he said, made the occasion worth celebrating.

    “Lagos is a success story. The state has continued to be the envy of other states across the country and a place of pride for every black race,” he said.

    Inaugurating the football competition between the Red Team and Blue Team, Eniayewu pledged N20, 000 for the winner of the competition.

    He also promised that support for the aspirations of the female football team of the hospital would continue. Workers were engaged in light aerobics and physical exercises, track race (100 metres male and female) and Tug of War, which was won by the Red Team.

    Some of the workers praised the strides of the state government in improving on infrastructural development across all sections of the state.

    Mrs Salihu Adebola-Abimbola said the workers were happy to engage in the keep-fit exercises which she said are symbolic, adding that they constitute healthy workforce that can be an asset to any government.

     

  • Why buildings collapse, by expert

    Experts in building construction have blamed the government, contractors and professionals for the incessant building collapse in the country.

    The Chairman, Committee of Directors of Works and Physical Planning of Nigerian Universities, Mr. Mohammed Aminu Sambo, who addressed reporters yesterday, identified non-involvement of relevant professionals, and emphasis on the procurement act, which says the lowest responsive bidder wins the contract, regardless of whether the rates are reasonable or not, as some of the factors which engender building collapse.

    Sambo also identified corruption among government officers, who collude with contractors to defraud the government at the expense of standard and quality work, as a factor.

    He regretted that the government, which should be at the forefront of ensuring that quality is not always compromised, is most times indifferent.

    He also identified the unpatriotic and greedy roles of some “unprofessional contractors” who use inferior materials and employ cheap labour to maximise profit at the expense of lives.

    Sambo appealed to the government to always ensure that relevant agencies saddled monitoring and ensuring compliance standards function well, and with all sense of patriotism. He said those found wanting for defrauding the government should be punished to deter others.

  • Expert to Labour: show understanding to investors

    The Chairman of Obijackson Group, indigenous oil and gas conglomerate, Dr. Ernest Azudialu, has advised labour organisations in Nigeria to show understanding to firms’ owners in theri dealings.

    He spoke at an interaction session with reporters in Lagos when the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Lagos branch, planned to picket the company.

    The Lagos PENGASSAN wanted to picket the firm when its members in Neconde Energy Limited, the exploration and production (E&P) arm of the Obijackson Group, demanded  the transfer of their benefits and review of severance benefits to match those of multinational oil firms, such as Shell and ExxonMobil, following the relocation of the head office of Neconde to Warri from Lagos.

    Neconde is one of the 12 subsidiaries in the Group and is the operator of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42 located in Delta State. To make the office and workers to be close to their operational area, the head office of the company was moved to Warri, a development which informed the demands of Neconde workers.

    Azudialu urged the labour to consider firms and the prevailing challenges in the sector and the economy. According to him, the management of Neconde, despite the challenges it faced, ensured that salaries and benefits were paid, therefore, it would be unfair to stifle private firms that borrowed money from banks to create jobs for Nigeria and force them out of business.

    He said: ‘’We battled for the operationship OML 42 with our partner, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) – an arm of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Since we bought Shell’s stakes in the oil field in 2012, the battle for operatorship lasted till this year. We were confirmed the operator of the asset in March.

    “As we were about coming out from operatorship battle, the oil price collapsed. At a point, we sold oil at $29 per barrel. Amid fallen oil price, militants blew up the Forcados pipeline, which is the only means of transporting oil from the fields to the terminal on February 13, 2016. With this, the output from the asset estimated to produce 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) at the time of purchase dropped to 15,000bpd and at a point, production dropped to zero.

    “We were lifting our own share of the production with barges just to be able to pay our workers. Therefore, it is not fair to use a national union to bring down a private company. It is a wrong signal to any investor whether foreign or indigenous. The government is wooing investors to come to Nigeria and invest in order to create jobs, so labour should not frustrate this initiative.

    “As I speak with you, the $558million we borrowed from Nigerian banks and other international finance firms to acquire the asset have not been repaid in its entirety and we took another loan, which is almost the same amount, to repair the facilities and we are paying interests on these loans.

    Neconde Energy Managing Director, Frank Edozie, corroborated Azudialu. He said despite the challenges the firm faced from the time Shell’s stakes in the oil field were bought in 2012, it had placed the welfare of its staff a priority.

    He said at the time of purchase the potential production from the asset was 100,000 bpd but on completion of the acquisition, it fell to about 52,000 bpd. Following the long battle for operatorship, attacks on oil facility, especially the Forcados pipeline, production dropped to zero.

    “We produce only 15,000 bpd and we lift the oil with barges to the export terminal just to ensure that our staff salaries are paid. Our workforce has remained a key factor in the evolution of Neconde, and their well-being remains important to us. We are a people-centred organisation, so the value we place on employees is not just because we know that our continued existence is dependent on them, but mainly because every human being deserves a good life, and should be treated fairly.

    “For instance, a component of our strategic goal for the year is to achieve an estimate of 70,000bpd. This has led us to develop “barged production” as an alternative to crude evacuation using the Trans Forcados Pipeline which has been out of service since February 13, 2016. We have also undertaken some strategic steps, such as rehabilitation of Batan and Odidi Flow Stations, to enable the achievement of our targeted peak gross production rate, revamping of Jones Creek and Egwa Fields for workover of existing wells and development of other infrastructure which includes refurbishing a gas Central Processing Facility (CPF) in Odidi as well as commencement of re-entry of Odidi, Jones Creek fields Egwa 1 & 2,” he added

  • ‘Want to cut your nails? Get an expert’

    ‘Want to cut your nails? Get an expert’

    A Podiatrist, Dr Bodunrin Oluwa, has advised Nigerians to engage professionals in taking care of their nails.

    According to him, many people do not take “proper care of their feet, and when they do, they do not get professionals to do it for them.”

    “It is worrisome to see some people calling on some street boys to do nail-cutting and cleaning for them. This can cause infections for them. And for those that get unprofessional treatments from salons, more damage is done. A podiatrist is the best person for the job. He is the trained foot care specialist.

    “For example, non-professionals won’t know why your nail is lifting from the nail bed but a podiatrist will identify it as a case of onycholysis. People who wear their nails very long or wear fake fingernails are more likely to have onycholysis, a painless separation of the nail from the nail bed. Also known as nail lifting, it can be a sign of the skin disease psoriasis or a fungal infection,” Oluwa said.

    He said a podiatrist, also called chiropodist, is a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM).”Podiatrists diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. Podiatrists care for people of all ages, treating any foot problem. The common disorders include bunions, heel pain/spurs, hammer toes, neuromas, ingrown toe nails, warts, corns and callous. Bone and joint disorders, such as arthritis, soft-tissue and muscular pathologies, as well as neurological and circulatory diseases are other conditions that can be treated. As well as assessing the foot function and correcting abnormal function with orthotics or footwear modifications,” he explained.

    Oluwa said, those who visit the podiatrist regularly can avoid many potential problems because the doctor  can recognise the problems before they occur.

    “Diabetics in particular should visit a podiatrist. A chiropodist is a primary health care provider educated exclusively in the assessment, treatment and prevention of foot disorders. Diabetics, for instance should visit a chiropodist as regularly as once a month due to their susceptibility to develop ulcers and lessened ability to heal quickly. The majority of ulcers caused by diabetes occur on the lower leg and foot and if they are not looked at by a professional in the early stages of development, infection can occur and even lead to amputation.

    According to Oluwa, the nine common foot problems are:

     

    Diabetes

    Poorly controlled diabetes can affect the supply of blood and nerves to the feet. Nerve damage reduces the feeling in the feet and poor circulation may result in injuries and infection taking longer to heal. Regular examination of foot pulses, testing of reflexes, vibration and pressure sensitivity by your podiatrist will help detect any changes early.

     

    Fungus infection

    Tinea refers to a group of fungal infections affecting the skin or nails which thrives on warm/moist environments, such as the feet. In the skin it can have the appearance of peeling/blistered skin and the nails may become discoloured yellow or white.

     

    Bunions

    Certain foot types can make your feet prone to bunion formation. Bunions are a progressive disorder which begins with the leaning of the big toe towards the second toe, which creates the characteristic bump on the side of the foot. Orthotics and footwear advice can reduce the production of a bunion and relieve the pain.

     

    Corns and calluses

    These are the most common foot problem. As we stand/walk/run, our feet carry up to three times our body weight (during running). Pressure placed on the foot can become unbalanced which results in friction on certain areas, such as the balls of the feet and heels. The body may respond to pressure by producing thickenings in the surface layer of the skin called calluses. If the pressure gets concentrated in a small area, a ‘hard corn’ may develop. ‘Soft’corns form between toes where the skin is moist as a result of friction or inadequate drying. Ill-fitting footwear is a common cause of corns and calluses. Your podiatrist is able to gently remove the calluses and corns.

     

    Heel pain

    Heel pain has many causes but it is usually the result of faulty biomechanics (i.e. the way we walk). Two common causes of heel pain are Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. Heel spurs result from strain on the muscles of the foot resulting on a bony growth under the heel. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the long band of tissue that connects the heel and the ball of the foot. Heel pain may be aggra-vated by shoes that lack support, excessive rolling in of the feet, jumping and running on hard surfaces.

     

    Biomechanics / Orthotics

    To treat chronic foot pain your podiatrist will assess the anatomy and function of the foot and lower limb. The treatment may include specific exercises and the prescription of orthotics to correct/improve the functioning of the feet. Orthoses are inserts to reduce foot pathology. There are many types of orthoses – ranging from off the shelf generic devices through to custom devices where a plaster cast and prescription based on a biomechanical assessment are made.

     

    Pronation

    Pronation (rolling-in) is the movement of the foot when it comes in contact with the ground to absorb the shock from the ground. Excessive pronation is where the foot pronates beyond the limits. This can cause increased stress on the muscles, tendons, ligaments of the foot and lower leg. Pronations commonly affect the knees, hips and lower back. Over pronation can be corrected via the use of orthotics which helps improve the gait function.

    Ingrown Toe Nails

    Ingrown toe nails can occur due to incorrect cutting, poorly fitting socks/shoes, trauma, picking nails or nails that grow deep into the sides of the toe. Surgery is required when the ingrown nail repeatedly gets painful with or without infection. A nail wedge resection is performed under a local anaesthetic to remove the offending piece of nail and the area is treated with a chemical to inhibit nail growth in that area.

    Warts

    It is commonly known as plantar warts or verrucea pedis on the foot due to their location are a viral infection that commonly affects children’s feet. Warts are extremely contagious and easily spread in moist areas such as swimming pools, gym change rooms / showers. Warts can become painful due to their weight bearing location. It is recommended to seek treatment early as they can easily spread and become a chronic problem.

    Oluwa advised on a foot care: “Wash your feet daily and dry thoroughly. Don’t share footwear. Wear cotton socks and shoes made of leather or natural materials – not synthetics, sandals are good. Change shoes daily to allow them to dry out – it takes up to 24 hours for footwear to dry out. See your podiatrist, if symptoms don’t resolve.

  • Expert advocates tree planting, others to remedy drought

    An ecologist, Mr. Habib Omotosho, says increased awareness campaign and adoption of land protection, as well as tree planting initiatives will fast-track efforts to deal with drought and desertification.

    Omotosho, who is the national coordinator, Environmental Advancement Initiatives, an NGO, in an interview News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said:

    “Remedies to drought and desertification problems involve public awareness, protection of marginal lands, planting of indigenous tree and shrub species, sustainable agricultural practices and use of alternative energy sources.’’

    He said increased public awareness of the dangers of drought and desertification at local and national levels was vital in efforts to tackle the environmental challenges of drought and desertification.

    According to him, the organisation of awareness campaigns is probably the cheapest means of combating desertification because it serves as a preventive measure.

    ”People should be made to fully understand the causes and consequences of desertification, to stem the growing menace of desertification.

    ”The public awareness campaigns should also aim at eliciting actions that would deal with some of the consequences of the environmental phenomenon and prevent further degradation of the soil,’’ he said.

  • Expert urges govts on tourism

    A tourism expert, Mr Samuel Alabi, has advised state governments to develop their tourism products, to attract more local and international tourists.

    He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that governments should identify their tourism products and package them well for the consumptions of local and foreign tourists.

    Alabi, a former president of Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN), said for tourism to develop, it had to be done from the local to state level.

    “Nigeria is too large for the Federal Government only to develop tourism.

    “It has to do with collective efforts with state governments to harness the potential in the industry from the grassroots, “ he said.

    Alabi said Nigeria’s situation was not different from other countries’, but the problem of Nigeria was lack of priority.