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Tag: Experts

  • Lagos, experts, parents unite for children with disabilities

    The Lagos State Government, parents and medical experts yesterday joined forces to protect children living with disabilities.

    They reached the consensus at the first ‘Stakeholders Summit on Disability’ organised by the office of the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Social Development.

    The Summit, whose theme was ‘Ability in disability: a stitch in time saves nine’, was held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Adebule, said his administration had decided that all stakeholders must henceforth join hands to make life more meaningful for children living in disabilities.

    The governor said early intervention of disability in the affected children would help in giving hope of a meaningful life to those children.

    Thus, according to him, the concept of early intervention was targeted at parents and guardians of the children.

    “Early detection and intervention of disabilities in children will afford you the opportunity to do what is needful medically. Since nothing can be done to change the circumstances of those children, you must show them the ability to support them in harnessing their potential,” he said.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Social Development, Mrs. Joyce Onafowokan, said the summit was inspired by Governor Ambode’s inaugural speech in which he promise that issues of disability will receive greater attention this year.

  • Industralisation: Experts chart way forward for states

    Industralisation: Experts chart way forward for states

    Experts at a dialogue session on international investment organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) with the theme: “Promoting Industrialisation for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth”, have advised states to exploit their comparative advantage to industrialise their states.

    They noted that every state is blessed with one mineral resource or the other or even agricultural produce that can be exploited with value addition to turn the particular state into a cash cow for its indigenes.

    At the session, Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelama said no nation can be industrialised by exporting raw materials. He said the Federal Government has embarked on intensive diversification with specific focus on value addition. He said to achieve the desired result, government has banned many products imported into the country in order to boost local production.

    He observed that most industrialised nations emerged today by taking actions. He said in line with this, government has gone ahead to provide an enabling environment.  This, he said, has been demonstrated by the latest World Bank rating of the country on the ease of doing business in which it moved 24 places.

    The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, in his submission, said the positive economic outlook of the nation was a demonstration of the robust policies of the current administration.

    He said investors were showing strong interest in the economy as demonstrated by the growth in the interest in the stock market.

    Prof Osinbajo added that the government has invested over $22 billion in 41 projects across 22 the states, which is an indication that the economy is growing; and that, indeed, the ease of doing business has improved.

    Osinbajo, who was represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Jumoke Oduwole, listed other achievements of the government as the improvement in electronic stamping of registration document by the Corporate affairs Commission (CAC), registration of companies within 48 hours, improved access to credit, property registration and the security of movable assets.

    United Capital Plc Group Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, called on the states to understand that they are independent entities and the need for them to determine, in a structured and deliberate manner and recognise their comparative advantage.

    She regretted that financial institutions are not enthusiastic about lending to the manufacturing sector and asked that they widen their net and learn from the developed economies where small and medium enterprises grow the economy.

    Mrs. Sanni recalled her visit to Abidjan, the Code de Voire capital and noted that $300 million capital was invested into the city alone to build infrastructure to encourage trade.

    She wondered when Nigeria can get to the point of receiving huge capital inflow to encourage small businesses and build competitive infrastructure.

    The United Capital boss said: “Financial institutions must be willing to accept registered titles as collateral while government policies must be well articulated and understood.”

    Earlier, Chairman, LCCI Trade Promotion Board, Mr. Sola Oyetayo, said the Chamber came up with the session to underscore the imperative of industrialisation for sustainable economic recovery.

    According to him, it is not just a coincidence that most advanced economies are industrialised, but there is a relationship between industrialisation and the economic development of nations.

    He stressed that industrailisation supports economic sustainability, progress and inclusiveness and is also critical for economic diversification.

    LCCI President Mrs Nike Akande said the nation’s recovery from recession in the second quarter of 2017 has elicited calls for policies that would support economic growth and development if sustained.

    She also commended the drive for the attraction of more private sector investments, enhancement of non-oil exports and the improvement of the nation’s position on the Ease of Doing Business ranking.

    She said:“The latest report indicates a remarkable improvement in ranking from 169 to 145. This reflects the impact of the efforts of government to improve the business environment. I would like to reiterate the need for the government at all levels to sustain current efforts and reforms towards the creation of a more conducive business and investment environment.”

    The LCCI boss reiterated the need for private sector capital to bridge the huge financing gap, which currently exists in many aspects of the national economy.

    According to her, to address this deficit Nigeria needs to attract investments from within the domestic economy besides providing an enabling environment to attract the needed investments from within Nigeria and abroad.

  • Experts canvass investment in infrastructure

    Equipment manufacturers and experts in the built environment have called for massive government investment in infrastructural development, saying it is the only way the nation can develop economically.

    They spoke on the sideline at an international construction and building exhibition, organised by ELAN, which was held in Lagos. The exhibition, which is believed will open up investment opportunities as well as other value chain in the built industry, had  several exhibitors from over 17  countries such as Turkey, Italy, Ukraine, India, Egypt, China and the United Arab Emirate (UAE), among others.

    ELAN EXPO Project Coordinator, Mr. Jude Chime, explained that the event brought together building professionals in the country, including international manufacturers and service providers in the sector. He said the EXPO has attracted billions of dollars into the Nigerian economy and will grow the sector.

    Chime said the EXPO brought to the fore the rapid growth in the last 20 years in the building and infrastructure construction, adding that the expo was considered in order to meet the growing demands in the sector. He said the large Nigerian market attracted a lot of investors, who want to be part of the lucrative infrastructure market.

    “On his part, General Manager, ElanExpo International Trade Fairs, Mr. Nihat Suer, explained that this year’s expo was hinged on stronger international partnership with delegations from Egypt, Turkey, Poland, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and China, among others.

    He said the fair brought together important professionals around the world and offered opportunities to network with foreign investors and explore other areas of investments apart from oil. “Sharing knowledge is the key for development and the need for adaptive technology cannot be over emphasised,”he said.

    Sharing her experience on the ongoing infrastructure reconstruction work in Maiduguri and the need to embrace competitive infrastructure upgrade, an engineer with the Bornu State Ministry of Works & Transport, Mrs Kori Shettima, gave a detailed and graphic information on the post war reconstruction of the war torn Northeast state of Maiduguri.

    She said her ministry had the mandate to repair the war damaged infrastructure in order to reactivate the local economy. Drawing example from Kosovo, a breakaway Republic from Yugoslavia, she pointed out that it has remained a good example for the government of her state where mixed research approach was used with quantitative and qualitative data collection to explore planning and implementation of post conflict reconstruction of infrastructure projects.

    On the challenges encountered in post conflict reconstruction, Shetima listed some of them as endemic corruption, lack of communication, lack of transparency in decision making, donor conditionality, lack of resources and poor procurement process.

    The incoming President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Mrs Felicia Agubata and the vice-chairman, Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Lagos Chapter, Mrs Funmi Akingbagbohun, assured that stakeholders will continue to explore solutions to infrastructural gaps in the country.

     

  • Experts push for first Fishery University

    There is need for the establishment of a Fishery University in the country as part of efforts to support the bourgeoning industry.

    This was the submission of stakeholders at a public forum organised by the Fisheries Society of Nigeria (FISON) in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

    Firing the first salvo, Professor Oyedapo Adewale Fagbenro of the Department of Fisheries Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, who was the keynote speaker, justified the need for a fishery varsity, stressing that Nigeria’s population of about 170million has led to high demand for fish, which has positioned it on a much stronger market-driven path, resulting in increased commercial production.

    According to him, aquaculture production has shown a remarkable 20% increase in growth per annum for the past eight years (2005-2013) mainly in small to medium enterprise and a few large- scale intensively managed catfish farms.

    Consequently, the country today has one of the most significant and strongly growing aquaculture (mainly catfish and Tilapia) sectors in Sub-Saharan Africa and the market has been a key factor in driving growth, he maintained.

    While decrying the low level of support for the sector, Fagbenro said the role of the public sector remains minimal although some government in sub-Saharan Africa are willing to make an effort to encourage commercial aquaculture for fish production in rural communities.

    “But, this is rarely a priority, while citing poor record keeping, absence of institutional credit facilities, nongovernmental research support, poor pond management, farm integration, and lack of quality fish seeds as some of the limiting factors against aquaculture in Nigeria. Others include absence or  no-market, poor farm  settings and poor farm and facility design, poor business plan lack of technical expertise, employment of unqualified staff, absentee owners, lack of managerial skill, all of which cause of failures in the agriculture sector in Nigeria.”

    Lamentably, he said Nigeria imports over half a million metric tons of frozen fish valued at $1billion dollars annually, (making the country the largest importer of frozen fish in Africa). “Nigeria can substitute with domestic production to create jobs, and reduce poverty levels in rural areas where 70% of the population live, and ease the balance of payments on forex.”

    Earlier, in her welcome address, the chairperson of the local organising committee of FISON-Anambra 2017, Prof  Lucy A. Nwuba said that this year’s, conference keynote address, ‘Aqua partnership in Nigeria: Lessons for Africa Aquaculture’ is a topic that requires an aquaculturist with knowledge of New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) whose current moves is on policy framework and reform strategy  for fisheries and aquaculture in Africa, giving that Nigeria is enormously blessed with the potentials to produce fishes of diverse species.

    Professor Nwuba noted that this would yield a variety of benefits which include livelihood, nutritional and food security, employment, export and increased foreign currency as well as conservation of biodiversity value of global significance.

    Echoing similar sentiments, President of FISON, Dr Olajide Ayinla, who spoke on ‘Harnessing the fisheries and Aquaculture value chain for economic transformation in Nigeria,’ observed that defective and unreliable national data on fisheries and aquaculture production, absence of reliable developmental plan for short term, medium and long term with input of stakeholders in fisheries and aquaculture industry, absence of an in-country research agenda that is responsive to the needs of fisheries and aquaculture sub sector are some of the issues to be considered by stakeholders.

    He recommended strategies for improving fisheries and aquaculture value chain in Nigeria to include increasing the number of appropriate skilled workers to be trained for employment at all levels of fisheries and aquaculture business value chain, direct training for existing  fisheries and aquaculture operators, dissemination of appropriate guidelines and regulations among stakeholders, formulation, training and operation of fisheries and aquaculture resource committees, participation of private sector in fish meal production with identified public sector i.e. NIOMR , among others.

    The two lead discussants of Professor Fagbenro’s paper, Dr G.R. Akande of the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, Lagos and Professor Suleiman Sadiku of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, both agreed that training in fisheries and aquaculture subsector is key, and that a programme to catch them young is already in place with the successful introduction of fisheries and aquaculture into secondary school’s curriculum, and that it is very important for the government to setup the Fisheries University in Nigeria .

    In a communiqué issued after the conference, FISON resolved that harnessing the fisheries and aquaculture value chain is the panacea for Nigeria’s developing economy and as such called on both the Federal and State Governments to provide the enabling environment, infrastructure (power, good roads, access to single digit interest rate credit facilities, etc) in order to enhance the growth and development of the fisheries and aquaculture operations.

    Highpoint of the five day conference was the conferment of awards to deserving members of FISON. Those honoured include: Professor Adebisi Balogun (Distinguished Fellow 2015/2016) and Dr. Adegoke Agbabiaka (Most Outstanding Council Member 2015/2016).

    Mrs. Adedapo Okeowo, bagged long service award for 23years of dedicated service to FISON while Dr Charity Oche was honoured with long service award for 15yrs of meritorious service to the society.

     

  • Experts warn against poor mental health  

    A former Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Femi Olugbile, has urged residents of Lagos to be cautious of their mental health.

    He spoke at the 2017 World Mental Health day celebration organised by the Nightingale Mental Health Foundation in Lagos.

    The Consultant Psychiatrist explained that Nigerians must be concerned about the state of their mental health to avoid sudden collapse.

    He said, “The importance of mental health stability especially in the work place cannot be overemphasized. If a person is not happy in their work place, they cannot be happy in their lives. Also, if a person is not happy in their lives he cannot be happy in the work place.

    ”Lagos is a busy city with difficult living conditions. The livability ratio in Lagos as a mega city is very low in the international ranking but that is both a plus and negative.

    ”It can be improved upon by the government. Other cities have improved their livability by working on some of the parameters like health facilities, transportation, housing and others. It is a continuous exercise.’’

    Olugbile also urged organisations to be interested in ensuring a sound mental health for their staff.

    Also speaking during the programme, the Executive Director of the foundation, Olubukola Hassan, urged Nigerians to manage their work load in a way that it won’t affect their mental health.

    She said: “This year’s theme is unique because it focuses on workplace and that is where you experience bullying, psychological abuse, violence and even cases of rape. What we are trying to do is to let the employers and employees know is that mental health challenges reduce productivity.

    “It is also wrong fo  people to work from morning till midnight. The human resource departments of organisations should put packages in place that will assist those suffering from mental health challenges.’’

  • Experts call for enhanced food security

    Nutrition experts have urged Nigerians to invest in food security to enhance healthy lifestyle and human development.

    They spoke at a workshop held in Lagos by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Postharvest Alliance for Nutrition (PLAN) said women and children in Africa were under fed due to poor investment.

    The CEO/Director General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) Mrs. Gloria Elemo said Nigeria would feed its citizenry adequately, if the private and public sector ensure food security.

    She said food and nutrition security would ensure that vital ingredients for healthy living were sustained, noting that efforts should not be spared to preserved perishable foods for growth.

    She added that Nigeria’s fresh fruits and vegetables production in the North hardly got to the South due to transportation challenges, stressing that public and private sector must redress the situation.

    “In the process moving these items to its consumers about 50 per cent of these fruits and vegetables are lost due to bad packaging and poor postharvest handling.

    “The country depends so much on importation whereas we have the capability to provide food for the citizenry, so if the necessary infrastructure is put in place to totally reduce postharvest losses we would not have the problem of hunger or malnutrition in the country.”

    Elemo said the recent Nigeria Cold Chain Summit (NCCS) in Lagos, was to review strategies to eliminate losses in food storage, calling on the private sector to join hands with government to accomplish the task.

    “We need to work together as a multi-sectorial unit or we will not be able to achieve most of these objectives.

    “With this awareness and advocacy we are hoping people would see the business opportunity and the money that can be made in this area. Many entrepreneurs would see the import from this advocacy we are making of the cold storage system.”

    Echoing similar sentiments, Senior Technical Specialist, GAIN, USA, Roberta Lauretti-Bernhard said efforts were ongoing to respond to countries that have malnutrition as well as post harvest challenges.

    “Postharvest loss is also nutrition loss. So a platform was drawn that is a combination of the private sector, government and institutions that have a strong objective of ending not just postharvest loss but malnutrition.”

    “About two billion people worldwide do not consume enough micron nutrient food that is critical for proper growth and development. Women and children in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are the most vulnerable with over 40 per cent of women suffering from anaemia and 84 per cent of children with Vitamin A deficiency,” she said.

  • Experts advise builders on technology, innovation

    Experts advise builders on technology, innovation

    Experts from French multinational corporation, Saint-Gobain, have advised quantity survivors, site engineers building architects and other practitioners in the building industry to be opened to innovation, solutions and foreign expertise in order to build a resilient industry.

    The experts gave the advice at a one-day workshop with: Creating great living spaces: Innovative solutions for greater well-being as theme.

    It was organised for professionals in the manufacturing and construction industry.

    They argued that Nigeria was still lagging behind on designs, constructions and materials that stand the test of time, adding that it is high time that professional bodies and practitioners opened to alternative solutions.

    Executive Director, Avalon Intercontinental, owners of Renaissance Hotel, Ahmed Tajudeen, who was a guest at the workshop said Nigerians in every sphere of human endeavour could be more proficient if given right exposure and training. He said experts from Saint-Gobain built the hotel at the Ikeja GRA.

    He said: “It was indeed a great having Saint-Gobain as part of the finishing team of the hotel, which today stands tall as one of the best in Lagos. As a matter of fact, the company designed and provided an installation team for all materials required including gypsum boards, walls, ceilings, insulation, finishing solutions, flooring solutions and others.

    “Saint-Gobain brought specific solutions matching our needs: standard regular boards (ceilings), firestop boards (corridor walls and bedrooms), moisture resistant boards for wet areas (bathroom and kitchen walls), glass wool insulation for acoustic performance in walls and ceilings. In the course of the project they actually flew some of their personnel all the way from South Africa to train our men in Nigeria, which for me is quite remarkable.”

    Earlier, Saint-Gobain Gyproc Senior Product Manager, Heidi Olivier, described Nigeria as the biggest market for building materials in sub-Saharan-Africa. He said there is need to expand its business scope in partnership with major distributor.

    “The whole idea of this workshop is to bring together various professionals who use our products and service in the course of doing their jobs and to also bring them up to speed with our latest offering in the market. She further stated that Saint-Gobain has made a name for itself in the industry with the production of high quality plasterboards which are second to none in the industry and has earned it a lot of recognition globally,” she said.

    Business Executive, Westtar Kapito, said the company was ready to expand its market share in Nigeria. “The company has come a long way in mastering the art of designing high quality plasterboards to suit all categories in the building industry that would be impactful for Nigeria. We are here in Nigeria to replicate what we have achieved in other markets,” he said.

    Saint-Gobain is in partnership with Tormek Global Services limited, a major dealer in gyproc plasterboard with a showroom in Yaba area of Lagos. Before the end of the year the company will be holding yet another event basically for installers to bring them on board. Plans are already underway to open a customer experience centre very soon in Lagos.”

    During the training Nigerian Architects, Civil Engineers, Installers major distributors and other professional bodies were exposed to new building methods, alternative techniques of making, mounting and finishing of plasterboards and the use of other construction materials, which were described as great economic value not just to stakeholders but to the entire construction sector which is currently in dire need of innovative technologies for growth.

  • Experts seek more local content participation

    Experts seek more local content participation

    Experts have called on indigeneous companies and industrialists to embrace local content participation as a means of developing the economy.

    They spoke at the Biennial induction of 31 engineers into the Nigeria Construction Industry Hall of Fame at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, last weekend.

    The theme was: “Local content and the economy … building capacity for growth.”

    Former Akwa Ibom State Governor Victor Attah said local content was not peculiar to Nigeria, noting that every country has its   local content policy. He explained that unless the country developed her local content, capacity building for sustainable growth would not be attained.

    The Nigeria Construction Industry Hall of Fame National Coordinator, Kenneth Stevenson, said:  “Nigeria has what it takes to make sustainable development happen considering her capacity in both human and natural resources.‘’

    Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) President Otis Anyaeji, who  chaired the event, lamented the government’s preference for foreign companies in contract awards because of the belief that indigenous contractors were inexperienced.

    He challenged the government to take a cue from China, which does not allow any foreign company to take a job from its firms.

    “Every country that have developed do so by improving its local content. The problem of Nigeria is Nigerians itself by neglecting her local content and embracing crude oil and importation. This year’s budget analysis centered on the production and promotion of local tent, meaning the President wants us to produce what we eat and what we consume. But up, today, the ministers have not taken it up to make it reality.  And I will tell you that If you allow the  180 million Nigerians to be busy positively, to contribute to the development of the nation, that is the only way to keep a peaceful and orderly society and not the other way round,” Anyaeji said.

    Also, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Executive Secretary Simibi Wabote, represented by Mr. Tunde Adelana, regretted the rate of importation.

    He said: “All fabrication engineering and procurement are done abroad which results in unemployment, making local content to drop.”

    Also, Prof. Oladele Osibanjo of Jawura Environmental Service Limited urged the government to invest more on waste recycling to create more jobs.

    On the benefits of waste, he said: “The solids waste in the country is a mine waiting to be tapped for social development, wealth creation and poverty alleviation.the waste management industry need to be strengthened for betterment of all”.

    He urged individuals to invest in waste management industries to improve local content and build capacity for growth.

    Osibanjo said the problem with the economy was its inability to give priority to indigenous products. He revealed that most foreign firms were not controlled by Nigerians, with 85 per cent of their top management and staff not Nigerians.

  • Experts challenged on role of food in medicare

    Experts challenged on role of food in medicare

    Medics have been urged to teach their patients the role of food as medicine for combating daily health challenges, especially oxidative stress.

    They were also urged to recommend Jobelyn, the herbal/medicine food, into mainstream healthcare.

    Medical Director, Lindabel Medical Centre, Surulere, Lagos, Dr David Abia-Okon stated this at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the Lagos Chapter of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) held in Ikeja,

    Speaking on: ‘Introducing Jobelyn- the botanical/medicine food that resolves major ailments’, Abia-Okon, also the Medical Consultant to Health Forever Product Limited, Ikeja, defined oxidative stress as an imbalance between and overproduction of Free radicals, that is Oxidants, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) and underproduction of antioxidants which eliminates, suppresses and neutralises Free Radicals (FRs.)

    “This imbalance leads to excess of free radicals which damage important bio-molecules and cells, with potential impact on the whole organism especially the immune system and ageing process,” said  Abia-Okon.

    Citing Jobelyn, a Sorghum Bicolour-based nutritional medicine-food, as a good suppressant of oxidative stress,  Abia-Okon said most people don’t know about antioxidants and the benefits they offer hence, “general practitioners who are the closest to the people among the ranks of medics should encourage them on holistic preventive and healing by using Jobelyn for its antioxidants.  Jobelyn is produced from the polyphenol-rich leaf sheaths of a West African variety of Sorghum bicolor. These free radicals can lead to severe damage to cells; can cause fatal diseases like cancer because they are highly reactive’’.

    “Antioxidants can be natural substances or man-made that helps to delay or prevent cell damage altogether. They can be found in many food categories, including vegetables as well as fruits. But, sometimes it isn’t just enough so Jobelyn brings out to you the goodness of powerful antioxidants in the form of dietary natural supplements –Jobelyn antioxidants. Our body naturally makes some of the antioxidants. And, there are some others that can only be gained from exogenous sources like the dietary supplements.”

    Rooting for Jobelyn as a supplement, Abia-Okon said: “Clinical research has shown that antioxidants from exogenous sources help you to fight and prevent the free radical damage which can lead to cancer if not stopped.

    ‘’Jobelyn Anti-Oxidant is the most powerful, 100 percent natural antioxidant in the world. It has the highest ORAC value 3123µmoleTE/g. Jobelyn is an all-natural powerful antioxidant containing anthocyanins, bioflavonoids, phenolics and other biologically active compounds that help rid the body of harmful free radicals while supporting and improving the immune system’s natural ability to fight diseases and infections.”

    The participants were told that laboratory an analysis from the reputable GMP Laboratory of United States confirmed that Jobelyn contains carbohydrates, protein, fats and oils, vitamins, dietary fibre, and iron which are classified as food.

    In addition, Jobelyn contains other nutrients which could be medicine/food/amino acids and these include selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, calcium, many vitamins, like A, B12, C, Omegas 3, 6 and 9 (in the correct ratio),  and more.

    “It is a well-known fact that medical doctors now prescribe multivitamins in addition to drugs. The US’s GMP showed that Jobelyn is rich in natural vitamins and other essential fatty acids and amino acids. The natural Vitamins and compounds in Jobelyn are by far superior to the synthetic ones in the market. This is a compelling reason doctors should prescribe Jobelyn, as it now a recommended adjunct in the treatment of many diseases including- anaemias,  cancer,   post Chemo/Radio-therapy, post dialysis, pre and post surgery, during severe malaria, some liver and kidney diseases, HIV/AIDS,  diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular and some neurological problems.

    He implored his counterparts to start treat the simple anaemias in the two million Lagosians, using the simplest but most effective botanical medicine-food, Jobelyn, which increases the quality and life span of the RBCs, by suppressing oxidative stress.

    This is because in the last 20 years Health Forever Product (manufacturers of Jobelyn) has carried out research, clinical and laboratory studies in many institutions, such as Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH),  Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife (OAU),  Vivacell Laboratory, (Germany), Brunswick Laboratory (US), and  MD Biosciences (USA) and other research have been conducted at Texas AM University (US), Natural Immune System (NIS) Laboratory (US), Alcorn State University (US).

    So also at University College Ibadan (UI), University of Benin (UNIBEN), GMP Laboratories (USA), PhytoLabs (Germany), Military Hospital Ikoyi, Police Hospital, Falomo, Lagos and at Lindabel Medical Centre, Surulere Lagos.

    The producer and CEO, Health Forever, Otunba Olajuwon Okubena said his company was doing a promo online and giving 10 percent discount.

    “Jobelyn is online at www.jobelyn.com.ng/promotions, for a 10 percent discount and free shipping. Promotional discount available online only,” he said.

    On Jobelyn as an anti-cancer,  Abia-Okon said Jobelyn activates NK cells and NK-T-lymphocytes that destroy cancer cells and cells infected by HIV.

    “It does this by stimulating the activation marker (CD69 found on Human Immune cells according to NIS Lab. US. It activates Monocytes, which later differentiate into Macrophages and Dendritic cells. These cells play major roles in phagocytosis and cancer immunotherapy. Both activities indicate Jobelyn’s strong anti-cancer and anti-HIV properties.

  • How to tackle youth unemployment, by experts

    How to tackle youth unemployment, by experts

    More than 25 per cent of Nigerian youths are unemployed, and a huge skill gap exists in the labour market. Therefore, there is the urgent need to re-jig tertiary institutions’ curricula to reflect current needs of the private sector.

    Also, there is the need to shift emphasis on theoretical teachings to practical transfer of skills to prepare youths for the workplace environment. Youths, on their part, should embrace self-employment through entrepreneurship opportunities available in agriculture and services sectors.

    These are part of the recommendations in a communiqué issued at the end of one-day Chief Executive Officers’ Summit on Youth Employment in Nigeria with the theme: “The Challenge of Skills-Mismatch & the Roles of CEOS in Tackling Youth Unemployment”.

    The Summit, which held last week in Lagos, was organised by Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL). Its aim was to address the problem of skills mismatch on youth employment by bringing together high-profile CEOs and youth representatives to discuss the challenge and proffer practical solutions.

    It was also aimed at assisting participants from diverse sectors in the private sector to deliberate, understand and appreciate the dynamics, implications and future impact of youth unemployment on their businesses and growth, and development of the economy.

    Recommending a re-jig of the curricula of tertiary institutions, the Summit observed that tertiary education curricula are antiquated in most cases, behind technological developments and therefore, not properly aligned to the needs of the modern labour market, particularly the private sectors.

    It also observed that the absence of entrepreneurship studies at secondary and tertiary levels of education system has blinded youths to potential opportunities available in self-employment in the economy. It, therefore, recommended that all secondary and tertiary institutions be compelled to establish Career Development Units to provide guidance and counseling to youths.

    The Summit also recommended that government should institute a ‘Ranking System’ to rate tertiary institutions in terms of quality of teaching staff and associated resources in order to engender competition and self-improvement similar to the practice in the United States (US).

    While describing the industrial training scheme of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) as novel and should be sustained and improved, the communiqué, however, advised the government to improve its financial administration in order to ensure release of funds as at when due to ITF. This, according to them, will enable it meet its obligations to students on industrial attachment.

    The CEOs were also advised to form closer alliance and establish advocacy group to contribute to policy articulation, with the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) providing immediate platform to implement the recommendation.

    They were also urged to design human capital development programmes for current and future employees as part of strategic growth plan and drop the mindset that trained staff have the tendency to quit employment after training.

    The Summit mandated CVL to organise a fresh summit to provide a platform for interface between businesses and the academia, adding that a partnership with the National University Commission (NUC) should be explored in this regard.

    Attendance at the Summit included chief executives representing multinational firms and Small and Medium Enterprises; personnel and recruitment consultants; civil society organisations in the employment space, donor and development partners.