Tag: Friends

  • ‘Bad’ friends lured me into robbery, says suspect

    ‘Bad’ friends lured me into robbery, says suspect

    A robbery suspect has blamed those he called “bad friends” for luring him into the underworld.

    Suraju Ismaila, 21 said the friends he mingled with when he moved from Ajangbadi to Ajegunle suburbs, led him into the world of crime.

    He belonged to a five-man gang whose members include: Small (23); Pepper (27); Akiri (25), an Ojota-based driver, and Yusuf, a bus assistant (conductor) at Ketu.

    Ismaila, who said he started off as a furniture maker whose workshop was at Afro Media in Okokomaiko on Lagos/Badagry Expressway, stated: “I lived in Ajangbadi with my uncle, a proficient carpenter, who is married with a child. I became a bus conductor to a driver called Onyeka. I later got another bus that plied Agbara-Okoko-Mile 2 route with 22 passengers. My story changed when Onyeka told me that he wanted to relocate to Ajegunle and asked if I was interested in following him and I accepted. It was there I saw people engaged in all sorts of businesses to make a living. To them, stealing was fun.

    “There was a day I had no money on me and I called Small who asked me to meet him and his friends at a place called Alafia via Orile at about 7pm. When I got there, I was asked to sit down by the roadside pending when they would join me. They later came back with phones and laptops. They gave me N2,000 and asked me to meet them the next day.”

    “When I met them the next day,” the suspect continued, “Pepper showed me a gun and asked me to follow them to go and work. I told them that I could not do such work, but they threatened to shoot me dead if I refused to follow them. They pointed the gun at me and I was forced to follow them.

    “We went, operated and came back with five phone sets and N30,000 cash. We used to operate with one motorcycle. I later travelled to Ibadan to see my mother. I left Ajangbadi Secondary School in 1999. My father died and I had nobody to sponsor my education further. While in Ibadan, my friend, Onyegbuchi called to inform me that the police had arrested Small. I spent extra three months in Ibadan to allow the storm to subside. I was arrested where I went to relax in Ajegunle and sent to Ajeromi Police Station.”

    Ismaila, who said he was later transferred to SARS, added: “I urinated in my trousers when I was asked for the whereabouts of other members of our gang who are still at large. I participated only in three operations. At the Mile 2 operation, we got N50,000 with phone sets. We were three on the motorcycle owned by Pepper with the gun. The second operation was at Orile. We got phone sets and laptops which we sold for N75,000. I was given N15,000 only.

    “I was arrested inside a public toilet at the Mile 2 garage where I went to bath. I also participated in stop-and-search armed robbery operations on major roads and streets in Lagos. Our major receiver is Poopo, who lives in Ajegunle; he is still at large. My role in every operation is to search victims and collect their money, phone sets and other valuable things.

    “Our leader is Pepper. If I am released, I will seek for scholarship to complete my education. My life ambition is to become a gallant, intelligent and most feared police officer. I will make life horrible for armed robbers and other violent criminals.”

  • A 2015: Review of Nature’s Friends (4)

    I began a heavy metals detoxification programme last Saturday, using ZEOLITE PURE and not letting up on DIATOMACEUS HEALTH which was presented in this series last Thursday. After a heavy carbonhydrate-rich breakfast which included Diatomaceous Health (food grade edible Earth) last Thursday, I checked my random blood sugar at Keysley Pharmacy at Agege, Lagos and wasn’t too surprised at the result… 91. The pharmacist, Tony Efojia, was excited because, unaided with such sugar burners as fenugreek, Cinnamon, kyolic Blood Sugar, bitter melon which I added to the diet from time to time, depending on which was readily available, my random tended to rocket to between 136 and 140. Once, I was alarmed by a reading of 160 something. These days, however, I hardly eat 120. Even Oluwayimika, as the young woman, Yeyinu (Treasure) Oluwayimika Peter who runs my tests like to be called, now ask in surprise: “Daddy, what are you taking? Well, Diatomaceous belongs to last Thursday, and Zeolite Pure may feature in the future as this series unfolds. It shouldn’t be wasted effort, in my view, if we remind ourselves that the New Year Resolution proposed by this column is the detoxification of heavy metals and micro-organisms from our bodies.! That reminder done, this series moves on today, starting with COMFREY ROOT which has featured in the natural medicines of Asia and Europe for hundreds of years.

     

    t must be about the 1980’s that I first read about Comfrey in a book titled HERBAL FIRST AID. I have forgotten the name of its author, and I couldn’t find the book in my library last week. What excited me then about Comfrey was that it was a bone healer, for which one of its popular names was Bone Knit and that it made injuries to heal so fast that, if care  was not taken, it could make a wound heal, not from inside out, but from outside to the inside. Can you guess what this implies? It suggests that bacteria and other germs may be trapped in the middle, which could cause the festering to continue downwards. But this is no big deal for the experienced herbalist who uses Comfrey for wound healing. Such a herbalist would add the powder of a herbal antibiotic and antiviral, say that of Golden Seal Root, to Comfrey root powder, and that does it!

    Comfrey has been used in mediocre by Europeans and Asians, especially the Greeks and the Romans, for centuries. From the Greeks, it derived his original Greek name, Xymphyo, which means “ to  make grow together” I remember this plant always whenever I meet some-one who has a bone challenge, especially a fracture, arthritis, sprain or rheumatism. I was knocked down in Ibadan by a taxi at the age of 16 and suffered a fractured right femur. In those days, there was no Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to support the healing process. The orthopaedic doctor may have given me Calcium lactate. But ACV was in my medicine chest about two years ago when a police motor cyclist, riding “one-way”, knocked me down somewhere in Lagos. After I left the hospital, treated for bruises and cuts and checked to rule out any case of internal bleeding, I went home for ACV and comfrey root powder, which I used for dressing. Mrs. Desola Seriki (nee Oshilaran), my personal assistant who dressed the injuries every day, was surprised at how fast they healed. Comfrey is also, an ulcer healer.

    In his book, The Complete Illustrated Herbal, David Hoffman, B. Sc (Hons), MNIMH says: “Comfrey is a powerful healing agent in gastric and duodenal ulcers, hiatus hernia, ulcerative colitis. Its astringency will help hemorrhages whenever they occur. It has been used with benefits in cases of bronchitis, and irritable cough where it will soothe and reduce irritation while helping expectoration”.

    Dr. Hoffman, who once worked in conservation and lectured in ecology for the University of Wales, studied for four years with the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, practices as a consultant medical herbalist, became Director of California’s School of herbal Studies, and President of the American Herbalist Guide, says:

    “Comfrey may be used externally to speed wound – healing and guard  against scar tissue developing incorrectly. It is excellent in chronic varicose ulcers”

    We long for Mother Nature’s help in the distress of illness when all else would appear to be failing. That’s the help we may receive from the works of Dr. David Hoffman and other healers through Nature such as Dr. Jethro Kloss, author of Back To Eden, in which he says of Comfrey:

    “Powerful remedy in coughs, catarrh, ulceration or inflammation of the lungs, consumption, hemorrhage and excessive expectoration in asthma and tuberculosis. Very valuable in ulceration or soreness of the kidneys, stomach or bowels. The best remedy for bloody urine”.

    He says “Comfrey poultice would greatly relieve the swelling and relieve the pain” in bruises, swellings, sprains and fractures. He also prescribes the poultice for “rupture, sore breast, fresh wounds, ulcers, burns, bruises, gangrenous sores, insect bites and pimples.

    As for the tea, Jethro Kloss says “it is useful for scrofula, anemia, dysentery, diarrhoea, leucorrhea and female debility”. He says it “also has excellent effects on internal sores and pain”

    The Australian herbalist, Maria Treben, now of blessed memory, tells us in her Help Through God’s Pharmacy:

    “The tincture, easily prepared, contains wonderful power. People who suffer from rheumatism and swelling of joints and have been treated with other remedies without success have found relief with Comfrey tincture. A woman could hardly use her right arm (the socket joint was almost unusable and the doctor had already diagnosed paralysis. Following my advice, she rubbed the tincture into the joint of the right arm daily. From day to day, she felt how her complaint eased. Today, she could use the arm normally and can look after her household”.

    She adds that, used as a poultice overnight, Comfrey leaves scalded and used as a poultice over limbs, “paralysed by over exertion, dislocation, sprain or shock” help these condition overnight.

    Maria Treben told the story of her husband’s aunt who was hit by a motorcycle which fractured her hip joint. A pin was inserted into the hip. She seemed to get well soon after and so, did not keep her appointment with the doctor to have the pin removed. She was later to develop excruciating pain.  When the pin was removed, an underlying infection was discovered which was subdued, not eliminated, with injections. It was in this condition she once paid the Trebens a visit. Maria Treben gave her Comfrey tincture to apply on the painful hip. “The next day, the woman was able to sit and lie without pain”, said Maria Treben.

    nobs on the joints of hands and feet are made to disappear with this poultice. I would like to add that Comfrey meal itself, applied as a poultice gives ease in paraplegia. Warm Politics are helpful in varicose ulcer, muscular rheumatism, gallstones, ulcer, neck pain, painful amputation stumps, and periostitis itself. A tea can be prepared from the root and used internally for bronchitis, disorders of digestive system, bleeding in the stomach and pleurisy. She recommends comfrey tincture for “external and internal wounds, all sorts of injuries, bruises, contusions, ecchymosis, and bone fractures”.

    Adele Dalvsa, well regarded American herbalist, calls Comfrey “one herb pharmacy and wonder plant healing for any kinds” of respiratory disease. Despite these eulogies, comfrey has become one of the most controversial herbs in terms of safety. This is surprising because this herb has been used for hundreds of years in folk medicine in many countries without reported mishaps. The major source of present day controversy is linked to a 1970 study which associated liver damage in experimental rats to their comfrey intake. But many pro-comfrey researchers have also absolved comfrey of any blame for this occurrence. The researchers claimed that the rats were glossily overfed with comfrey, at three to four times their body weight, over a long period of time, to cause the damage. They say the human equivalent of such comfrey consumption would be, for  example a woman consuming about three or four cups of comfrey tea everyday for about 140 years.

    Because of this controversy, many herbalists now prescribe comfrey tea in dosages of one cup once or twice a day taken for only one week with one week break. Better still, it may be prescribed with an hepatic (liver protecting) herb or a liver clearance herb such as Carqueja. Many of such liver herbs abound in the Nigerian market. Some are Milk thistle, Dandelion, Wormwod, Chickweed, Vervain and Golden Seal root among many others. Among popular proprietary liver formulas are Nature’s Gift Liver formula, Health Liver Essential, Liver Balance. If you wonder how to make a comfrey compress, here’s Maria Treben for you: “well dried roots are finely ground, mixed quickly with very hot water and a few drops of cooking oil and spread on a piece of linen, applied warm on the affected area and bandaged”.

    Comfrey root powder, that is the finely ground root, is available in Nigeria. One of the ways I suggest it may be used as a cream is this:

    Under low heat, gently melt some shea butter in a sauce pan. Sprinkle some comfrey powder in the melted shea butter and stir to achieve a fine consistency. When it appears to have formed a pack, turn off the heat and remove the sauce pan from the stove. Let the paste coll and soup with a spoon with a spoon into a container. This is shea butter/ comfrey root cream. It may be applied on and massaged into inflamed skin, arthritic or themantic joints, painful bones, sprained or aching joints, skin eczema, pimples, boils wounds, fracture sites.

    To make comfrey wine, Maria Treben says: “Two to five roots are finely chopped and macerated in one litre of white wine for five to six weeks. An excellent remedy for pulmonary complaints.

    Zeolite pure

    I am breaking off now from comfrey root for my second dose today of ZEOLITE PURE powder drink which, as I said earlier, is meant to help in detoxify heavy metals in fulfilment of my New Year Resolution shared in this column. Zeolite Pure is believed to bind to toxins and heavy metals and creates an alkaline pH which prevents the growth of foreign cells in the body. Zeolite contains natural volcanic minerals. They are formed when volcanoes erupt. This eruption is followed by molten lava and ash flowing from the bowels of the earth into the sea. The volcanic ash and the salt in the sea water, forming zeolite. The zeolite is stored in the hardened lava for thousands of years. Zeolite minerals offer man one of the rarest negatively charged minerals which work like magnets attracting toxins to themselves, and dragging them out of the body. One of the biggest uses of Zeolite in our time was by the government of the United Soviet and Socialist Republics (USSR), now extinct, after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor leak disaster, to extract radioactive poisons from the bodies of affected humans. Before then, zeolite has been used. There is so much to say about zeolite, which  have to defer till another day.

  • A review of some 2015 friends of Nature (2)

    NKEM BREDAN Nkem, this is your season. I can see Dotun Akintoye smiling and Yemisi John nodding in agreement. Wither Charles Akintobi! Young and flying, Nkem, you have no need for any long talk about health problems. You’d rather we talk about plants, fruits and herbs and their health benefits. Begun last Thursday, this series should fulfill your desire. It is, as was stated, a review at the beginning of every year of the health products on the Nigerian Alternative and/ or Traditional Medicine Market which have been found beneficial in health care (prevention of illnesses) and sick care (managing illness or curing disease). Some of the features of last Thursday were chickweed and Chlorella.

    This week, the African Bush Mango leads the way.

    African Bush Mango.

    My friends who are sons and daughters of Ibadan, the South-Western Nigerian city said to be African’s second largest in the 1960s and 1970s, do not know what they have on their hands. For the African Bush Mango was the staple supper of their forebears. And that’s why they are called Ibadan omo a j’oro sun”.

    Have I let a cat out of the bag? Surely, I have. Omo a j’oro sun means one who eats oro before bed at night, as a meal or night cap snack. And oro is the Yoruba name for the African Bush Mango. It is the seed of this fruit which gives us our draw soup, which the Yoruba call apon (d: d) and the Igbos Ogbono (d:d:d:). Welcome to a medicinal world of this fruit and uses of its seed fradiant health.

    Researchers say the African Bush mango, also called the African Wild Mango, helps to lower blood sugar, reduce weight, lower blood cholesterol, prevent constipation, clear micro-organisms in the intestinal tract, among other health benefits.

    The African Mango grows lustfully in West Africa. An American doctor I believe is Dr. Al Sears travelled to the Cameroun to observe, the effects of African Bush Mango on the health of a group of communities where the African Bush Mango is a culinary staple. He found that they hardly grew fat and hardly fell ill. He took the African Bush Mango back to the United States and formulated it into a health product, which he gave to some obese staff in his clinic abdominal bulges disappeared soon after. Next, he gave free samples to some of his patients and observed similar results. This encouraged him to package a product and sell it in the American market.

    According to a publication of Nature’s Gift for Life, a natural medicine marketing company, the African Bush Mango stimulates the production of leptin, a hormone which supports the burning of fat. Besides, leptin helps to suppress appetite. By not eating  much, and by having high leptin blood levels, one is saved the possibility of eating too much, thereby accumulating too much sugar and too much fat which, burning too slowly, leads to weight gains and obesity.  Besides, the African Bush Mango delays emptying time of the stomach. This prevents blood sugar spikes which may cause food cravings, elevated blood sugar and, ultimately, diabetes.

    Nature’s Gift for Life reports  some clinical studies which encourage the consumption of African Bush Mango for its stated health benefits.

    It says:

    “There was a clinical study done back in 2005 that tested the effectiveness of African Bush Mango on weight loss. There was a total of 40 participants, 28 of the participants took 300mg of African bush Mango extract for one month while the other 12 were given a placebo. The results of the study were that the people who took the extract were able to lose about five percent of their body weight. The subjects who were given a placebo only lost one percent of their body weight.

    “Recently, there was another study done. Half of the participants were given African bush Mango extracts while the other half was given a placebo. The results of the study were that the participants who took the extracts were able to lose seven pounds in just a month. The results this study can be found in the Journal for American Health and Disease.

    Further research also seems to suggest that African Bush Mango is most effective when combined with cissus quadrangularis. In a study of the anti-cholesterol properties of African Bush Mango, it was found to lower blood levels of High Density Lipoprotein (LDL), the bad cholesterol which may cause coronary heart disease, hypertension and even strokes. There is an increasing wave of these diseases in Nigeria today because of poor diet, negative lifestyles and stress of all sorts. While reducing LDL blood levels, African Bush Mango has been shown to simultaneously increase blood levels of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, which helps to clean out the arteries. African Bush Mango has a high soluble fiber content which some researchers say is what actually lowers blood cholesterol content.

    In a 2009 study, one group of volunteers was given 150mg of African Bush Mango extract. The other group was given a placebo. Bad cholesterol and blood pressure decreased in the group given African Bush mango while the placebo group recorded no significant decrease. Herbalist use the leaves, bark, fruit, kernel (ogbono) and roots of the African bush mango tree for various ailments.

    Sheila Smith, writing on African Bush mango seed extract, which in 2011 was one of the most popular over-the-counter food supplements in the United Kingdom for weight loss says: “The Bush Mango seed extract used for weight loss is rich in proteins, fiber and antioxidants. Bush Mango extract contributes to weight loss in four major areas. It raises the level of adiponectin in the blood, which improves the action of insulin in the body. Secondly, it reduces the level of glycrol-3 sulphate phosphate, which is responsible for high triglyceride level. Your body stores some glycerides as fat while other excess triglycerides thicken the blood, which can lead to clotting, blockage and possibly heart attack and stroke. Thirdly, Bush Mango extract reduces the blood Concentration of Reactive-C Protein. The result of this action s increased leptin entry into the brain which improves the signaling you when you are full and you should stop eating. And, lastly, it inhibits the amylase responsible for converting starch to sugar. By stopping this conversion, starch is extracted instead of contributing to the body’s fat sties after turning to sugar”.

    A prophet has no value in his land, it is said. So is the African Bush Mango in Nigeria. If, as researchers are telling us, it prevents hypertension, diabetes, strokes, high blood, high cholesterol levels, it reduces weight, resolves constipation, is anti-pain, kills intestinal germs and is an antioxidant, that is can prevent disease and prolong life, why do we not make it a national staple soup and spend less on medications? We are poverty – stricken in Nigeria because we live in the midst of God-endowed wealth but we cannot see this wealth. Other countries which have studied African Bush Mango and found it can resolve many health challenges have begun to cultivate this tree in plantations. Now they are making lots of money selling extracts of the seed to the rest f the world, including West Africa, particularly Nigeria and the Cameroun, where the African Bush Mango grows naturally and luxuriantly. And, now, ladies and gentlemen, you can get African Bush Mango extracts to buy in Lagos in either capsule or liquid form. Nkem bredan Nkem, over to you.

    ow would you feel eating earth? Well, I’ve been eating it every day for some time now. And, recently, my wife joined me. She has learned not to take it with water. For this increases her bowel motion and she does not like using public toilets because many of them are sub-standard. Now, she’d rather sprinkle it on food. When I wish to double my stool bulk in the morning, I take popcorn snack before the bed the previous evening or night and cap it up with half a teaspoonful of Diatomaceous in a 75cl bottle of water. The following morning, I get up from the water closet seat feeling the relief of a woman who has just had a baby! Don’t ask me how, as a man, I know how women feel after being delivered of a baby. A woman I give Diatomaceous and asked to take popcorn before taking it with water told me this was how she felt

    Also, called D.E. Diatomite, this is the edible form of earth. It occurs naturally as a “soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into fine white to off-white powder”.  It is 96 percent silica which, I believe, makes it first choice remedy beyond, say, horsetail, where a high silica remedy is required for therapy. As you may have known, silica is important for digestion, good nail, skin and hair and helps to form strong connective tissue without which the body would be formless and collapse. There are two basic types of Diatomaceous. The first is called food grade edible earth. The other is used as an insecticide. On no account should this be consumed by humans.

    Diatomaceous Earth comprises fossilized remains of diatoms. Diatoms are hard-shelled algae. It has been used until now as an abrasive in cleaning products, including toothpaste. After cleaning the teeth with your choice toothpaste, you may put a quarter teaspoonful of Diatomaceous in your mouth and, with the index finger, run it over your teeth and gums many times before rinsing it out. You should have a cleaner, fresher mouth and whiter teeth. It is also used to re-unforce in plastics and rubber, liquid absorbents, anti-black in plastic films activator in blood clotting studies, and a thermal insulator and a component of dynamite, according to some authorities.

    Diatomaceous earth has many medical or health uses just coming to light in Nigeria. Because it has a negative charge, it is said to attach to and remove from the body things like chemicals, viruses bacteria, heavy metals and even radiation. Even during pregnancy and nursing, food grade diatomaceous is considered safe. So Versalible is Diatomaceous that some people use it to 91) destroy bed bugs (2) heal toenail fungi (3) deworm pets (4) eliminate fleas (5) overcome food intolerance (6) promote hair growth (7) reduce blood pressure and high cholesterol level. Many people use food grade Diatomaceous for detoxification. Because it can cause lots of toxins to be released into the bloodstream, they say it is better to start with one quarter or a half teaspoonful in a glass of water on empty stomach once a day, and then gradually work up to one teaspoonful or one table tea spoonful a day.

    Dr. Darbara Hendel says that it was established in 1940 that life could not exist without silica and water. Silica plays an important role in many functions of the body, especially the Obsorbtion of Calcium and other minerals absorption of calcium and other minerals.

    Dr. Hendel says “silica is the most important trace element in human health”. The average human body is said to hold about seven grammes of silica, many people are thought to be silica deficient. For example, silica is said to be crucial for calcium absorption. A deficiency would, therefore, cause calcium deposition in soft tissue and joints leading, for example, to frozen shoulders, arthritis and hardened blood vessels. Thus, many people who are calcium deficient and take calcium supplements while being silica deficient run the risk of their calcium supplementation acting negatively in their bodies.

    Other reported benefits of silica and Diatomaceous include normalisation of blood pressure, cholesterol, osteoporosis weight loss, cosmetics, hair, nail, teeth and gums, energy, bacteria, mucus, anti-aging, urinary infections and headache.” Many researchers believe that a transmutation process converts silica to calcium when calcium is deficient. This should be good news for women who suffer from oesteoporosis.

    Diatomaceous benefits are so many, according to researchers. I’d only like to add detoxification, briefly, to the ones already listed. According to Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, Ph.D., CCNJ and Galen D. Knight, Ph.D., in their article, mad at a hatter:

    “There is no better product to detoxify heavy metals and radiation from your body than with food grade Diatomaceous Health.

    Generally, silica has been reported to stop coughs, upper respiratory system infections, Lung problems, inflammation, urinary and kidney infections improve urine excretion by about 30 percent, eases lower back pain in the elderly, helps female discharges, abscesses, ulcers in the genental area, Servis and mastatis, especially in breast-feeding mothers, mouth odours, regulates blood pressure and high blood pressure, decrease vertigo headache, earache, insomnia. As for diabetes, it is said to promote pancreatic secretions which help glucose combustion. I can personally confirm this. There was a time by random blood sugar hit 136. The following day, I challenged my blood sugar mechanism with the same breakfast which shot up my random and took Diatomaceous over it. To my surprise, the random that day was 100md/gl. There is a lot more Diatomaceous is reported to do which time and space do not permit. So, what else can I say than to say…. Welcome to the world of people who use Diatomaceous or food grade Edible Earth to maintain their health.

  • A review of some 2015 friends of Nature (1)

    Welcome yet again to 2015. This time of the year affords us the opportunity for a review of the nutritional supplements and other health care products which made the rounds last year and are likely to be well rooted in the market this year. The list cannot be exhaustive. Some old and well known plant products may not feature, not because they have lost steam or suffered consumer fatigue, but because preference is being given to new comers which are equally useful to our health.

    Only last week, this column empathized with the residents of Badiya, a thickly populated area of Lagos where lead has been found concentrated in drinking water at levels dangerous to health. The residents have been advised not to drink water from the municipal supply system. But even private water supply is no safer. So, as I suggested last week, we all live in a poisoned world from which, for now, there is no escape from consuming poisons in water, food and air. That is not to mention electro pollution from lighting in homes and offices and from electrical equipment. The only way out of looming health doom, therefore, is dietary or food supplement or herbal support for the organs of our bodies which remove poisons from these bodies. So, today, I consider chickweed and chlorella worthy of mention in this regard, especially for the detoxification of heavy metals. Whole foods will come into the picture, for those people who always wonder if there’s anything left to eat when they are advised avoid “foodless foods” or “food robbers” such as white flour bread, gluten loaded whole wheat bread, cow’s milk, refined sugar in all forms, coffee drinks, refined beverages and stuff like them.

     

    Chickweed

    This herb has been around for some time in the Nigerian market. A menace to gardeners but food for chicken, for which reason it is often called common chickweed, Jethro Kloss describes it in his Back to Eden as “alterative, demulcent, refrigerant, mucilaginous, pectoral, resolvent, discutient”.

    “Alterative” means blood cleansing. “Demulcent” means soothing or calming. “Refrigerant” means cooling, especially where temperature is high. “miscilageneous” plants have mucilage. They are helpful in ulcers, as the mucilage helps to provide a protective cover for the injury, to prevent abrasion by food or damage by acid. My first experience with chickweed was in the 1970s. A baby was troubled by eczema which caused terrible skin itch. She cried day and night. The problem abated a little when the mother took her off infant formula. Apparently, the liver was weak and couldn’t detoxify poisons well. So, some of the poisons were passed on to the skin which became irritated by an overload of toxins and broke out in eczema. Chickweed tea cleared the toxins and the baby became well. Mrs. Eno Akintoye (Minty) should remember this story of her infant niece. In those days, it took us several weeks to find chickweed for this baby. Today, for an adult, I would add to chickweed the herbs Amazon skin P and Bell’s Help for skin Disorders.

    Dr. Kloss says chickweed can be used for bronchitis, pleurisy, cough, cold, hoarseness, rheumatism, inflammation, weakness of the bowels and stomach, lungs, bronchial tubes and in any form of internal inflammation. It heals and soothe anything it comes in contact with, a best remedy for external application to inflamed surface, skin disease, boils, scalds, burns, inflamed or sore eyes, tumours, piles, cancer, swollen testes, ulcerated throat and mouth, ery sipelas and all kinds of wounds”.

    Other therapists use chickweed for varicose veins, varicose ulcer, inflamed joints, contact dermatitis, nappy rash and obesity. It is important when using common chickweed to take anti-oxidants along with it. In some people with toxin-congested livers, the release of toxins is so rapid and overwhelming to the blood system that toxins dispatched to the skin for elimination cause a skin outbreak. In fact, skin outbreaks are treated in Alternative Medicine with cleansing of the liver.

    n the United States, this herb is consumed as a health supplement but as a food supplement in Japan.

    More than two million years old, this single cell green algae is believed to have the highest amount of chlorophyll in the plant kingdom. An immune booster and infection fighter, it has been proven to boost the population of good bacteria in the intestine. For this reason, it has been employed to fight ulcer, colitis, diverticulosis, and Crohn’s disease. People who suffer from constipation, fibromyalgia (nerve bone and muscle pain) and high blood pressure are likely to have a friend in Chlorella. The same goes for high blood cholesterol. Used in the fight against cancer, it supports amelioration of the side effects of cancer radiation treatment.

    In Asia, where it is used as a food supplement for centuries, chlorella is seen as an energy-providing food. In fact, one proprietary brand sold in Nigeria is named CHLORO ENERGY, some people say it prevents cancer and can stop it from spreading. Some others say it promotes immunity and supports a healthy balance of friendly bacteria in the intestine apart from lowering cholesterol. Many Japanese use chlorella for duodenal ulcer, gastritis, elevated blood pressure, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and diabetes, constipation and asthma.

    In radiation treatment of cancer, the chlorophyll of chlorella is believed to protect the body against ultraviolet radiation.

    Super dense, food, chlorella comprises 60 percent protein (18 amino acids), the essential amino acids inclusive. I will not hesitate to suggest it to colon cancer – challenged people who, because this condition may be caused by red meat consumption, have to go off beef  and, so, may lack proteins not only for body repairs but also to fight the cancer. This plant is also a large storage of essential fatty acids, more than 20 vitamins, minerals, beta carotene, nucleic acids.

    Ongoing Japanese research on chlorella suggests that chlorella may act against breast cancer. But, for now, it finds major use in the removal of radiation particles from the system after radiation therapy. In the study on mice, it has been suggested that  chlorella stops the spread of cancer. Of importance to detoxification is the finding that chlorella helps eliminate toxins such as dioxins.

     

    Guifei Bao

    This has been good news for women with infected vagina since about the middle of last year when it made its debut in Nigeria. It comes in the form of a tampax, and is inserted in the vagina on the second day after the menstrual cycle for the next four or five days. A string attached to it is left out hanging from the vagina. With it, the Guifei Bao is pulled out on the fourth or fifth day. Women who use it are amazed at the quantum of dross it extracts from an otherwise healthy looking vagina and uterus. The aftermath is a cleaner, fresher and healthier vagina. I know of a young woman whose husband had genital herpes, and who was unable to become pregnant. She became pregnant after a Guifei Bao therapy which also involved the use of VITEX, a female hormone-balancing herb which may have helped her correct a high prolactin blood level. Sadly, though, she lost the pregnancy in the third month after some uterine cramps which suggested she may have Low maquesium blood level. She is trying to get pregnant again. I have heard suggestions that this product has helped one or two women with ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. But these suggestion are yet to be confirmed.

     

    Female Aloe Hygiene

    This product comes from Nature’s Gift for Life. It is Aloe vera gel in a tube with a pump which is  pumped into the vagina to sanitise it and clear it of germs. Aloe vera is antibiotic and antiviral. It is also a cell Re-qeuerator. It is good for “wound, healing, sun burn, minor skin irritation, constipation, immune system enhancement diabetes and asthma”, according to THE HEALING POWER OF HERBS. Many women complain of vaginal dryness. This product, alternated with the insertion of Vitamin E, can help this condition. But care must be taken and a doctor should be consulted to ensure that vagina dryness is not caused by colon cancer. In some cases, both conditions have been interlinked. If vaginal dryness is due to menopause, phytoestrogens may help. Pain and bleeding caused by cervical cancer surely requires the attention of an oncologist.

    hat do we eat in this world of “foodless foods” and “food robbers” when the physician asks us to abandon white flour foods, including bread, parboiled rice and red meat among other foods. As I always venture, there’s are lots of whole foods to replace these junk foods. Bob’s red mill wide range of whole foods streaked in about two years ago and are due to come in a flood this year. Some of the products to expect are Almond mill/flour blanched. Chia seeds Gluten-free roll oats; organic white qui noa; organic coconut flour; flax seed meal; xanthan gum; gluten-free all purpose baking flour; muesli; gluten free quick cooking roll oats; organic golden flax seed meal; steel cut oat; natural almond milk; organic flax seed meal; gluten-free pancake mix;  thick rolled oats; flax seed gluten-steel cut oats; brown rice flour; gluten-free corn bread mix; organic quinoa flour; white rice flour; unbleached white flour; organic regular roll oats; oat brown cereal; gluten-free brownie mix; gluten-free homemade wonderful bread mix; unsweetened coconut flakes; gluten flour; potato starch; 13 bean soup mix; gluten-free muesli; unsweetened coconut shredded; whole wheat  flour; Bulgur (red); semolina pasta flour; gluten-free sweet white sorghum flour; butter milk pancake mix.

    There are many more products on a long list. You may wonder why these products are gluten free. Gluten is found in many foods. But it damages the intestine of some people more about it on another day. Last Monday I tried Havel nut flour in my cold breakfast mix of three weetabix juice of three oranges, a sprinkling of roasted groundnuts, wheatgrass powder and spirulina powder. It was a beautiful meal which took me till early evening. Some of these products year 2015 promises to be a great year in respect of an expanding market and choices for consumers of health food products.

  • Friends laud Rector’s reappointment

    Friends laud Rector’s reappointment

    The reappointment of Dr. Cele Njoku, as the Rector of Nekede Polytechnic by President Goodluck Jonathan, has been commended by a group called the Friends of Dr. Cele Njoku.

    They said the tremendous transformation witnessed in the institution during her first tenure justified her reappointment for a second tenure.

    The group claimed that peace and tranquility has returned to the polytechnic since Dr Njoku took over as Rector, adding that the feat was achieved as a result of her determination to improve the state of things in the institution.

    At a press briefing in Owerri, spokesperson of the group, Comrade Loveth Ekwemalor, who is also the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), said Dr Njoku made Nekede Polytechnic the best in the Southeast zone.

    She disclosed that the in 2014, the Polytechnic was the most sought after institution among Federal and State Polytechnics in the country according to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    She said: “The infrastructural transformation and the conducive learning environment the institution enjoys today speak volumes of the judicious use of available resources, effective coordination of human resources and leadership vision, dexterity and the commitment of the Rector which led to the completion of some of the projects started by her predecessors and the ones she initiated within a short period of assumption of office.”

    She listed some of the achievements of the Rector to include the completion of the Evening and Weekend Programme buildings, tarring of intra-campus roads, construction of ultra-modern building complex for the Staff Nursery/Primary School, renovation and equipping of the institution’s medical centre, establishment of a functional work centre among other gigantic projects.

    The SSANU boss also noted that within two years of Njoku’s administration, programme such as Arts and Design, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, HND Mass Communication, HND Electrical Electronics, were accredited at the institution.

    Other members of the group include Mrs. Christina Ezem, Lady Nneoma Ugbolue, Chinyere Sani, Mrs. Odisa Okeke, Princess Prisca Iroegbu, Mrs. Chinatu Iloeje, Mrs. Pamela Nnenna Ogamba and Dr Blessing Ekemezie.

    Others are: Mrs. Regina Eke-Opara, Mrs. Chidi Oparah, Mrs. Nwaozuzu Norah, and Mr. Paul C. Nwachukwu.

  • ‘POWERFUL FRIENDS’ MOVE TO STOP KESHI’S SACK

    ‘POWERFUL FRIENDS’ MOVE TO STOP KESHI’S SACK

    AFRICANFOOTBALL.COM can exclusively reveal today that “some powerful friends” of coach Stephen Keshi have moved to stop the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) from sacking him.

    We first broke the move by the newly elected NFF executive committee led by Amaju Pinnick to fire Keshi after the team sunk into a more dangerous situation of not qualifying for next year’s AFCON following a shock 1-0 loss in Sudan at the weekend.

    Pinnick has since consulted with some top government officials the plan to dismiss the Eagles coach and has even sounded out some likely replacements. The NFF bosses will have an emergency meeting Wednesday night, just hours after the Eagles reverse fixture against Sudan in Abuja, with Keshi’s future top on the agenda.

    However, a top source has now informed AfricanFootball.com it is not likely Keshi will be asked to go because “some of his powerful friends” have stepped in to help him save his job.

    “The general thinking is that Keshi will be sacked and some of the top officials consulted on this have even given their approval, but there are some of the “powerful friends” of the coach who have warned against any such move,” the source informed.

    “So, as it stands it is now a matter of who has the more powerful friends between the coach and his employers.”

    The source further hinted: “You could see how apologetic and nervous Keshi was after the loss against Sudan and how boastful and daring he has grown thereafter.

    “This is a direct result of the assurances he has received from his powerful friends that his job is safe. The powerful friends” were among those who facilitated the return of Keshi from the United States of America for the opening AFCON qualifiers last month and were the ones who put so much pressure on the NFF secretariat to give the coach a contract during the recent leadership crisis that engulfed the federation.

    A top NFF executive committee member also told AfricanFootball.com: “We have to look at the bigger picture. Will a new coach really change things immediately or do we leave Keshi to complete what he has started?

  • A tale of two friends

    I do not know when their friendship started, all I know is that a strong bond existed between them then. The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) and Dr Olu Onagoruwa (SAN) were like Siamese twins at a time. They did everything together. Where you saw one, the other would not be far behind. Theirs was more than friendship . It was more of kinship.. They were there for each other.

    Their friendship was the envy of many of their colleagues who wondered what brought both men together. They wanted to know what the late Fawehinmi and Onagoruwa shared in common that made them to be so close. Whenever the late Fawehinmi was in trouble as he often was, Onagoruwa was always there for him and vice versa. But, most times, it was the late Fawehinmi who was always in the news because of his legendary fame of bucking the system.

    Onagoruwa is no push over too in challenging the establishment, but he was no match for the late Fawehinmi, who seemed to have capacity for trouble. In the late 1980s and 1990s, it was fun watching these men going in  and out of court, challenging the military government on one infraction or the other. It was a time that challenging the military, in whatever form,  was a taboo. As far as the late Fawehinmi, whom many simply referred to as Gani, and Onagoruwa  were concerned the only taboo was for them not to speak out or act against injustice.

    These brothers, these friends were a two-man army, who fought side by side. They paid the price for their decision to be on the side of the people and by implication on the side of truth. They were denied certain privileges by their professional association and the government of the day also made life difficult for them. Friends also kept a distance from them for fear of being blacklisted by the government of the day. To be a friend of the late Fawehinmi or Onagoruwa was unheard of then simply because they were seen as rebels.

    But they were rebels with a cause, who fought for the betterment of  society. Both men walked where angels feared to tread. They understood each other perfectly well. One knew what the other should do in case of any trouble. This was why for years the military could not decipher what made both men  tick. The duo may be on short fuse and I should know, having been at the receiving end of their anger, this does not detract from their humanity. Let me cite two instances to buttress my point.

    Shortly after his release from one of  his many  incarcerations by the Babangida regime sometime in 1989, The Punch, which I worked for then, ran a story which the late Fawehinmi considered offensive and pronto, he fired a letter to the editor, asking that the paper should retract the report or he would go to court. Barely 24 hours after, a lawyer from his chamber was in the editor’s office, with another letter from him, asking that the paper should ignore his threat, adding that he could not afford to fight a paper which did so much for him while in detention.

    I was to run foul of Onagoruwa sometime in  1990 while handling the Inside the Courts page at The Punch. In an article on the page, I used a word which Onagoruwa did not find funny. Despite being a lawyer to The Punch then, he still complained to Justice Augustine Ade-Alabi about the article, which he said described him in words he did not find funny, and urged the court to order the reporter to mind his language, henceforth. Justice Ade-Alabi noted the complaint of Onagoruwa, who said he would not push the matter further because he is the paper’s lawyer, and directed the reporter to choose his words whenever he is writing. I learnt one or two things about the tort of libel from that episode.

    I have gone this length to establish the relationship between the late Fawehinmi and Onagoruwa for the benefit of  those unaware of their cordial relationship  to know how close they were before the break-up. What led to their parting of ways  was Onagoruwa’s decision to serve as attorney-general and minister of justice in the late Gen Sani Abacha regime. The late Fawehinmi did not want his bosom friend to take up the job. But Onagoruwa was prepared to serve the nation to prove a point that you could be in government and still  do what is right.

    The late Fawehinmi did not see it that  way. He believed that his friend would compromise on becoming part of the government and asked him not to take the job. It was a painful parting of ways. For those who know, the late Fawehinmi did not do things in half measures. Whenever he drew the battle line, there was no going back. It was so in this instance. Right from the time his bosom friend took up the nation’s chief law officer’s job, he saw nothing good in him again, even after Onagoruwa had left office. The late Fawehinmi was highly critical of Onagoruwa that many did not know that they were so close before Onagoruwa came into the late Abacha regime.

    Onagoruwa lived up to his promise to be his own man in government. He resigned in 1994, barely a year after coming into office following the promulgation of decrees, which he said he knew nothing about. His action cost him a lot. His lawyer-son, Toyin, who was managing his chambers, was killed some months later. Onagoruwa himself was a target of many attacks from which he miraculously escaped. But, his family suffered. Onagoruwa lost his wife and his health took a nosedive. In the past 20 years, the man has been pining away.

    But no matter, God will always honour His own. Though it may tarry, it shall come to pass. For years, both men were denied the highest honour of their profession which they deserve. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is an honour which many lawyers covet, but it is given to the chosen. Many believe that they deserve it, so year in, year out, they apply for the title. In bringing their applications, they count on others to get them approved. No matter how brilliant a lawyer is, if there are no good words from members of the Legal Practitoners Privileges Committee (LPPC), which sits on these applications, on his behalf, he would not be made a senior advocate. It is as simple as that.

    To become a senior advocate, a lawyer must be in good standing with  those who will determine his fate. For long, the late Fawehinmi and Onagoruwa were not and the title passed them by and the legal profession  was the poorer for it. In 2001, the late Fawehinmi, who for years was referred to as Senior Advocate of the Masses (SAM), was given the title. The late Fawehinmi became SAN without an Onagoruwa beside him to celebrate the well deserved honour.

    Thirteen years later, Onagoruwa’s turn came. As fate would have it, Onagoruwa became SAN five years after Fawehinmi’s death in 2009. I watched brokenhearted as Onagoruwa was being conferred with the honour by Chief Justice Aloma Mukhtar in her chambers and not in full public glare on Tuesday. Onagoruwa was on a wheelchair as he received his well deserved honour. At a stage, he broke down in tears, wiping his face with a white handkerchief. It was not an occasion for tears; it was one of joy,  but something would have made him weep. What is it?

    Was he shedding tears of joy? Was he remembering his late wife and what would have been if she had been alive? Was he remembering his friend who became his harsh critic when he took up the job of attorney-general and minister of justice? Was he remembering how unfair the system has been to him – and of course many other Nigerians in the same shoe with him – over the years? Sir, your days of weeping are over. Rejoice because you lived to see this day. Though it was delayed, it finally came, to show that whatever will be, will be (Que Sera, Sera). Congratulations.

  • Play soccer, make friends

    Play soccer, make friends

    Occupants of the Alvan Ikoku Hall of Residence at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) have held their annual soccer fiesta for promotion of friendship. KINGSLEY AMATANWEZE (500-Level Metallurgical and Materials Engineering) reports.

    The quadrangle of the Alvan Ikoku Hall of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), came alive last week. It was turned to a pitch for a soccer fiesta organised by the hall’s occupants. The event was full of intrigue, suspense, drama, and disappointment as the students challenged themselves in the contest tagged: “2014 Alvan Inter-Series”.

    The 14-day tournament is usually held before the end of the second semester to foster friendship among students in the hostel. Eight teams participated in the event. They were grouped as Series A and B. The hall has eight sections, with each forming a team.

    The final match was between the 200 Series A and 200 Series B teams. Students trooped out of their rooms to watch their colleagues slug it out on the field. Some stayed on the corridors of their rooms.

    The event kicked off on a dramatic note, with the hall warden, Prof Tagboo Ugwu, chosen as the referee; two students acted as commentators. Music blared from both ends of the field as a disc jockey kept the spectators dancing with hip-hop tunes.

    After 25 minutes of the first half, Chima Ohanyerem, a 500-Level Metallurgical and Materials Engineering student and Team B player, scored the opening goal. The opponents equalised when Nickson Oscar, 400-Level Political Science student and Team A striker, netted the ball in the second half.

    A few minutes later, the Team B took the lead again after Chigbo Onu, a 500-Level Geology student, shot the ball beyond the goal line. Almost immediately, Team B scored another goal, ending the match at 3-1.

    During the trophy presentation, Chigbo was named the highest goal scorer of the tournament, having scored five goals in the tournament. Chima got the Most Valuable Player award, making it the second time he won the prize. Another Student, Jude Agbedo, 500-Level Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, was awarded the Best Coach, while Ifeanyi Eze, 300-Level Computer Science got the Best Defender.

    The highpoint was the presentation of the trophy to Team B.

    In a chat with CAMPUISLIFE, Chigbo described the match as difficult, admitting that the opposing team was the toughest side. He said: “I believed in my team and we all worked like a team.”

    When asked how he managed to score five goals given the small post on the pitch, Chigbo said: “It is a matter of knowing when to strike and then knowing the time the keeper is not watching.”

    Chima said he was elated over lifting the trophy for the first time and for being adjudged the Best Player the second time. “I am very happy because this is my last appearance at the tournament as I am graduating from the university. Thank God the trophy came our way. I think I have written my name in the history book of the hall. I am so happy to have being a part of this team, we really worked hard and I think we deserved it,” he said.

    The hall governor, Chibueze Uzoma, 400-Level Pure and Industrial Chemistry student, said the soccer fiesta was the best. He said: “I can say with all sincerity that this year’s Inter Series is the best that has ever happened in the hall.” He, however, hailed occupants of the hall for behaving decorously and making the event a success.

    The event was graced by dignitaries, including the Secretary of the University of Nigeria Electoral Committee (UNECO), Mr I. A. Amuzie, and Students’ Union leaders, who were led by the president, Christain Agu, and the Speaker of the parliament, Precious Nwacha. There were also hall governors of male and female hostels.

  • Pitan, friends commence free medical mission for Lagosians

    Pitan, friends commence free medical mission for Lagosians

    Former Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr.  Leke  Pitan,  and his friends, under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) and Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) Lagos State Chapters, will from Monday, August 4, commence a free medical outreach to all 20 local government Areas and 37 local council development areas of the state.

    The programme will be run by qualified, experienced and specialist doctors from the three medical professional bodies. They will attend to  various health challenges of the general public and dispense drugs to them free of charge at each location.

    The team will also include experienced eye specialists who will conduct on-the-spot eye screening, dispense drugs and give glasses free of charge to residents in the various communities.

    In addition, there shall be free cancer screening, hypertension and diabetes screening, urine tests, general check-up and body mass index verifications.

    Shedding light on the initiative at his Ikeja office at the weekend, Dr. Pitan described the exercise as his own way of giving back to the society from his God-given area of knowledge and specialisation.

    “This is not the first time my friends and I are undertaking this sort of community assistance. So when my friends came up with this idea again, I naturally said yes since it’s obvious it will benefit a large number of our people, especially at the grassroots, and on a long time basis. This is clearly beyond politics. It’s a practical way of adding value to people’s lives beyond the immediate. I am very proud of my friends for offering themselves freely to improve the health status of all Lagosians,” he said.

    It will be recalled that the  NMA and AGPMPN have just endorsed the political aspiration of Dr. Pitan at separate ceremonies.

    Dr. Pitan is one of the leading aspirants under the banner of the All Progressives Congress(APC), jostling for the governorship ticket to contest the 2015 elections in Lagos State.

    The NMA, at its just concluded 54th Annual Congress, unanimously passed a motion moved by Dr. Adedamola Dada to endorse the gubernatorial ambition of Dr. Pitan.

    Also, the AGPMPN, at its special congress held recently, has also endorsed the political aspiration of Dr. Pitan.

    The Annual General Meeting of the NMA is the highest decision-making body of the association. It comprises all the executive members and elders of the association.

    Dr. Pitan is a National Honours Rolls Awardee of the NMA.

    The free medical mission will kick off in the Alimosho Federal Constituency on August 4. The exercise will have  Dr. Pitan  personally leading  the team.

  • A tale of two friends

    As part of activities marking its Founder’s Day, the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has honoured CFAO chairman Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas and Premier Lotto (A.k.a Baba Ijebu) founder Chief Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos. JOSEPH ESHANOKPE reports

    THEY share some things in common. They were born in the same year – 1935; attended

    the same secondary school – Baptist Academy, Lagos; are philanthropists and are involved in the same business in one way or the other. Indeed, they are giants in the turbulent world of business, where they have made their marks.

    The duo are giants in business world.

    In appreciation of their contributions to society, the friends, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas and Chief Kessington Adebukunola, were honoured penultimate Friday by the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Chief Okoya-Thomas, a six-footer, stood tall in his white brocade and cap to match when he was called out for the reading of his citation and award presentation.

    As the master of ceremony (Mc), Dele Aina, read the citation, member of the audience were amazed Okoya-Thomas’ achievements. At a point, the MC sought permission to abridge it to save time. The audience roared in laughter.

    “Who would not clap for a man who is chairman of over 10 successful corporate and non-corporate organisations, including CFAO Nigeria Plc, where he has surpassed his father’s 52 years service to the multinational corporation by three years,” The MC wondered.

    According to him, Okoya-Thomas joined CFAO Nigeria in December 1959 as an accountant and became a director 16 years after at 45.

    In 1981, he was promoted deputy managing director, and he took over the company’s chair six years later. He retained the position till today.

    The MC also regaled the audience with Okoya-Thomas’ other laudable achievements, such as when as chairman of the National Sports Development Lottery, recalling that during the Third All African Games, the honouree returned to the national coffer N97, 511, 946. 99.

    The immediate past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Doyin Owolabi, who chaired the ceremony, conferred the award on Okoya-Thomas. He described the recipient as ”a daddy” in their profession and beacon of hope and light to the younger generation.

    He described the Asoju Oba of Lagos and sponsor Asoju Oba Table Tennis Championship for the past 45 years as a “mentor”. He recalled that he has known him since his undergraduate days.

    Those who expected fireworks between the former ICAN chief and Okoya-Thomas, a fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) were disappointed as Owolabi kept on praising the honouree who will be 80 next year.

    “Two fellows of ANAN and ICAN in the same boat? In those days, it would have been a different scenario,” a man mused.

    Adebutu, the MC said, is a man of ”uncommon integrity, hard work and sincerity of purpose,” who rose from grass to grace. A former clerk with the defunct Nigeria Telecommunication Ltd (NITEL), he subsequently joined Claffin Chemicals where he became the Regional Sales Manager for Lagos and Midwest states.

    Baba Ijebu as Adebutu is fondly known, because of his lotto business has touched many lives. He donated N50million to the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye Development Fund, built the Law Faculty for Houdegbe North America University, Benin Republic and a secretariat for the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Ajegunle, Apapa branch.

    The MC described Adebutu as a rare breed who has special love for mankind.

    Okoya-Thomas recalled their days in school, noting that Adebutu, who was small then had become an iroko in business. Describing Adebutu as a friend indeed, he said Adebutu had told him shortly before he (Okoya-Thomas) travelled abroad for further studies, that by the time he came back, he would have become a millionaire.

    ”When I returned, he had not only become a millionaire, but also a multimillionaire,” Okoya-Thomas enthused.

    The audience applauded, but more was to come, which made many to wonder that if Okoya-Thomas had not become an accountant, he would beaten Ali Baba to his joke-cracking game.

    Earlier, after the MC was done with reading his two-page citation, Okoya-Thomas enthused that he could have held his breath and saved his time and energy by just saying the awardee was his friend. Again, the audience responded with laughter. Not one to be beaten in a situation like this, the MC, who loved the jibe, was to remind the audience intermittently that he was happy for the encomium, adding that he hoped to maintain the relationship.

    Both awardees thanked BSN for the gesture. “We appreciate this. Of all the awards I have got so far, this is very meaningful,” Okoya-Thomas said.

    Adebutu said the award was a clarion call to duty. “This award means I should keep the good work going. It means I should get nearer to God,” he added.

    But both men refused to comment on partisan politics, saying the terrain should be left for the practitioners. They urged Nigerians to pray for them.

    Earlier, the guest speaker, Prof Vincent Anigbogu urged Nigerians to show Christ-like attitude towards their work. Using Genesis chapter 1 as an illustration, he said, workers in the public and private sectors should be competent, committed, and dedicated to national development. ”Let the light of Christ be a standard in the world,” he added.

    The Director-General, Institute of National Transformation, who spoke on the theme Transparency in service, the hallmark of true leadership, also urged political leaders to lead by example and be tolerant, noting: “A leader is a bench-maker, he sets a standard.”

    BSN’s Secretary-General Rev Dare Ajiboye, who was celebrating the Founders’ Day for the first time since he took over last year, canvassed financial assistance for the body’s programmes and projects.

    Pupils of Bethesda Home for the Blind, Lagos and Great City Montessori Academy, Lekki added colour to the celebration with their scintillating bible reading and drama presentation.

    At the event were Nigeria’s first female Vice Chancellor Prof Grace Alele-Williams, who was guest of honour; Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria Dr Samuel Uche; Lagos State Governor’s representative Rev Sam Ogedengbe; former Four Square General Overseer Rev Wilson Badejo, Pastor S. Okon, among others.