In an emotion-laden video, Titilayomi Adeyemi, a young Nigerian woman has called for donations towards the medical expenses of her husband, Pastor Mobolaji Adeyemi who suffers a rare form of cancer in his mouth and eyes.
Speaking on the genesis of the ailment, Titilayomi told The Nation that a growth was discovered around Adeyemi’s mouth and neck region in 2012. The tumour was later diagnosed as mucoepidermoid carcinoma, cancer affecting the mouth and neck.
[quote font_size=”18″ color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddab5f” bcolor=”#dd3333″ arrow=”yes”]My husband’s eyes and mouth are his tools. His hobby is reading and writing; that is what his life has been about. Please help us win this battle against cancer – Titilayomi.[/quote]
He thereafter went through surgery at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), leading to a neck dissection and the removal of the entire upper jaw with its dentition.He was later referred to Eko Hospital, a private hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, for radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In June 2014, he went through another surgery in India for reconstruction of the upper jaw after which he started seeing consultants at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Rev Adeyemi during the first treatment in India
He was later referred to Eko Hospital, a private hospital in Ikeja, Lagos, for radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In June 2014, he went through another surgery in India for reconstruction of the upper jaw after which he started seeing consultants at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
During a recent medical consultation, another tumour (squamous cell carcinoma) was discovered around the eye region, requiring another round of surgery and treatments. This has been estimated to cost $150, 000 apart from other costs (airfare, visa fees, initial medical expenses and post-surgery treatments which are billed at 6 million Naira). There is a need to act swiftly to prevent further spread, The Nation gathered.
Mobolaji Adeyemi is a pastor, teacher and motivational speaker who has inspired University students and entrepreneurs. Donations can be made to the following bank account:
Account name: Adeyemi Mobolaji Adam
Account number: 0139375056
Bank: Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank)
Dollar Account number: 0139375582 Swift Code: GTB/NGLA Branch Sort Code: 058152489
They drew majesty out of travesty with a performance credited as the best finish since debuting in the Paralympic games. After winning eight gold, two silver and two bronze medals at the Rio Paralympics held in Brazil last year, the unsung heroes and heroines had yet to be feted by the government. Five months after, some of the demoralised sportsmen battle with appalling living conditions unfit for champions. HANNAH OJO reports
On display was a stirring visage of triumph deserving of a performance described as ‘terrific and incredible’. With hands popped in the air like a pop star, Kehinde Paul warmed up to the cheering crowd in Rio, donning the green-white-green attire with pride and gusto. Paul won two gold medals at the Rio Olympics, breaking the men’s 65 kg world record in powerlifting.
Paul at Rio Paralympics
The 28-year- old, who suffered polio after an injection at the hospital as a child, had recorded winning streaks since 2009, debuting with a gold medal at a national sporting festival. He has also ranked in medals in the Common Wealth Games, All African games and the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championship held in Doha, Dubai. He was an enigma at Rio, where he broke the world record and set it twice with a 2018 KG and 220KG lift respectively.
Five months later, it was a dispirited Paul who met the reporter at the premises of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Wading through busy unpaved roads, Paul makes the long trip from Ogijo in Ikorodu to the stadium where he reports for training three times in a week.
[quote font_size=”18″ font_style=”italic” color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddbc89″ bcolor=”#dd3333″]I don’t have a car. People believe that as an international athlete, I ought to have my own car and house. When they see me board a BRT bus, they tell me Nigeria is not treating me well. I am used to disregard and discrimination from people owing to my lowly status – Paul[/quote]
In the 2012 Paralympics games held in London where Nigeria placed 22nd overall among 164 participating countries whilst finishing third behind Tunisia and South Africa among African countries, former President Goodluck Jonathan hosted the winning sportsmen to a reception at the State House. Dr Jonathan also announced the conferment of the Member of the Order of Niger (MON) on six of the 2012 Paralympic gold medalists and a cash reward of N5million each.
Five silver medalists were rewarded with N3million each and two bronze medalists were rewarded with N2million; the team officials got N2.5 million each. The reception was like an elixir for the special sports athletes who, four years later, finished 17th place in the world and as number one in Africa at the Rio Paralympics. Other than their camping allowance and winning bonus, the high expectations of being received in the presidential villa has not materialised.
Seeing their fellow sportsmen from other countries post photos of cars and buildings presented by the governments of their countries has cast a bitter pill in the mouth of some of these Nigerian Paralympians, The Nation learnt. Also, the sportsmen are made to contend with the challenge of feeding and catering to their health needs since many of them do not have a steady means of income. Added to this is the fact that some of the equipment in the dimly lit training rooms for power lifters in the National Stadium complex is dilapidated.
However, patriotism still beats in the heart of some like Paul, who said: “If given an opportunity to represent another country, I won’t take it. I like my country despite the fact that they (government) treat us woefully,” he stated, revealing a funny twist of irony.
Verdant of fury
Standing at 1.25 metres height, Lauritta Onye was that special athlete who drew cheers with her acrobatic dance style when she threw an 8.40m distance to win gold in the Rio Paralympics, breaking a world record. Five months after that historic dance of victory, Onye’s spirit has been dampened as a result of an unrewarded effort.
“I am extremely angry with our government,” a bitter Onye retorts when asked to comment on her expectations from the country as a paralympic champion.
“How can I work for my country and I got no reward?” she said in askance. “I don’t have a car. I am even ashamed of myself when I walk on the street,” she lamented.
[/quote]
For the 33-year- old Onye who started sports in 2008, hers is a sporting career decorated with laurels with no substance in material wealth to attest to her status as an international champion. At the Paralympics, she did not only throw an 8.40m shotput which won a gold medal, she broke a world record. Her other medal wins include a silver at the All Africa Games in Maputo in 2011. She also won a gold and silver medal at the African Championship in Tunis, Tunisia, setting a world record distance of 7.59 metres.
Onye won a gold medal at the world championship in Doha, breaking her own record by throwing a distance of 7.72 on her first attempt.
Watch 60 Seconds sorry tale of Nigerian Paralympians
It was reportedly said that the sport lady was unlucky to have missed being rewarded for the feat she achieved in Doha at the world championship because the officials could not submit her name along with those who were forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari when he feted some winning athletes after the championship in 2015. This, no doubt, has added to her verdant of fury against the government.
When the reporter called her on phone recently, it was a sobered Onye who pleaded with the government to do the needful and stop treating special sports athletes like beggars or job seekers.
Her words: “Having to beg the government to host us to a reception is discouraging. We worked for the medals and we are asking Nigeria to show appreciation for what we have done. I have a friend from England who won bronze but the government gave her a big place which she showed on Facebook. I participated in Shot Put. I did not just win gold, I broke records but I have nothing to show for it”.
The Paralympic champion, who has also made a foray into Nollywood, disclosed that she often gets into a situation when she is not able to afford regular meals or secure a means of transportation that can convey her to the stadium for training. Expressing a ray of optimism, however, she said she looks forward to corporate bodies and telecommunications companies giving brand endorsements to special sports athletes who have brought glory to Nigeria.
In a similar fashion, Bose Omolayo, another Paralympian, who broke her own world record and set a new one of 138kg to win a gold medal in the women’s powerlifting event, is also dismayed at the endless waiting for government’s reception.
Omolayo
For the bubbly and friendly middle-aged Bose, who looked like the woman next door with her polished nails and coiffed hair, a life of immobility on a wheelchair makes her a subject of ridicule from Lagos motorists.
“Many times, I am forced to wait for long at the bus stop. Most vehicles would not want to pick someone on the wheelchair because they do not have the patience to place my wheelchair in the boot. I am left to weather the hot sun on regular occasions because I cannot boast of a car of my own even though I am a world champion,” she submitted.
‘We need festivals to survive’
Team Nigeria’s group captain to the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Lucy Ejike, in a phone conversation with the reporter, pleaded with the presidency to call for a reception for the athletes in order to encourage other physically challenged persons nursing ambition to represent Nigeria at international competitions. She also espoused corporate organisations and corporate bodies to sponsor championships and organise competitions that will give opportunities to physically challenged sportsmen.
“It is what we receive that we ingest into our system. One cannot do sports without money; it saps a lot of energy. Also, when you train from January to December without competition, it makes the sportsmen to be discouraged, especially the new ones,” she added.
Corroborating her assertion is Feyisatan Are, a prominent coach who was trained and led many Nigerian special athletes to great wins in an international competition. Coach Are disclosed that he often leaves his abode at Ikorodu by 3:30 a.m to be at the stadium by 5:30 a.m. in order to finish training by 10:30 a.m., to enable the special sports champions go search for their daily bread.
Mr Are, who disclosed that many of the Paralympians often had to start their personal training before government sponsored camps are opened, described the task as daunting.
“We manage the little resources among ourselves. If I have money, I give it to them because you cannot get the best out of a sportsman when he has not eaten. Again, the postponement of festivals is discouraging many of them because we rely on competitions to get money”.
Mr Cosmos Okoli, a former head of the Special Sports Federation of Nigeria and president of Mobility Aids and Appliances Research and Development (MAARDEC), an NGO which provides physically challenged Nigerians with mobility aids, charged the Federal Government to invest more in the result-yielding sports.
Okoli
“Special sports athletes are giving us medals and therefore, we should invest more where we are getting results. The Nigerian government should fund disabled sports better by ensuring sports facilities are accessible to them.”
In the midst of receding government revenue, he conceded that although corporate bodies can play vital roles, it behoves the government to create an enabling environment for corporate bodies to thrive.
[quote font_size=”18″ font_style=”italic” color=”#000000″ bgcolor=”#ddbc89″ bcolor=”#dd3333″]“When I was the president of the special sports body, I convinced an uncle of mine to sponsor athletes. After he spent so much money on the game, tax officials went after him and doubled his tax. Rather than encourage him for sponsoring sports, they discouraged him with higher taxes. These are some of the things working against corporate organisations investing in sports. Apart from publicity and mileage, these organisations should also be able to get preferential treatment or incentives from government”, the Ashoka fellow stated.[/quote]
Forward thinking CSR to the rescue
Can forward thinking Corporate Social Responsibility fill a gap in special sports where the government is not forthcoming? The response appears in the affirmative. Whilst it is true that Nigeria’s showing at the Olympics has not been anything less than dismal since the past two decades, special sports athletes, however, have been a redeeming factor, saving the face of the country when abled sportsmen fail to bring home medals.
More often, government and corporate bodies have supported crowd-pleasing sports like football, leaving special sportsmen with little or no encouragement. Findings by The Nation revealed that those who made it to represent Nigeria at international competitions only do some with their own determination and patriotism. Also, the condition of training appears not to favour many of them who are left at the mercy of their local coaches who are not placed on salary by the government.
Hannah Babalola, a Rio Paralympian who is an African record holder in wheelchair racing, in a chat with The Nation, testified to the validity of forward thinking CSR, having benefited from a Union Bank deal which offered support to those who went to the Olympics.
“Union Bank did what no organisation has ever done. They sponsored the whole athletes going for the Olympics with the sum of N250, 000 each. I was picked as an ambassador from the special sports athletes and my photo was displayed on their banner. If two or three corporate organisations can do what Union Bank did, I think Nigeria will be able to pick more medals in the Olympics. It is unfortunate that Nigeria is not winning more medals at the moment since we are putting all the works on government”, she opined.
As things stand, the special athletes are awaiting members of the House of Representatives who promised to donate N50,000 each as a way of appreciating the Paralympians who made Nigeria proud at the Rio games. Until then, the sad shadow casting a spell on the patriotism of these uncelebrated sports heroes and heroines may linger.
At 14, Ebele Mogo moved to Canada from Nigeria. At 19, she had completed a masters degree in Global Health and Public Policy from the University of Edinburg. And by the time she turned 25 last year, she bagged a PhD from the Colorado School of Public Health. The award-winning scholar, who wears two caps as Principal, ERIM consulting and President, Engage Africa Foundation speaks with HANNAH OJO.
Ebele Mogo’s Instagram page portrays the image of a young lady in love with fashion and adventure. With a part of her bio reading “always (over) thinking, laughing and imagining,” she comes across as being more than just a pretty face.
Her sterling performance in the West African School Certificate Examinations in 2005/2006, earned her the Chevron/Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) award for best Science student in Nigeria. With a first degree in Biomedical Science from the University of Waterloo, her resume on LinkedIn also boasts of other outstanding academic achievements.
Asked if she always had a magic wand for success or how lovely it is to have a magic wand, she responded with a smile, making way for the hallow place on each of her cheeks to come into view and said:
“For me, it has been a lot of working hard and building my resilience when I face challenges and all I want to do is give up. It is a combination of both our natural proclivities, hard work and having a supportive ecosystem that allows us to be the best we can be. In this case, I would say I am naturally very driven and curious, which has contributed to my success,” she stated.
She credits her family, friends and teachers as being part of the ecosystem that has made her who she is. She also attests to being inspired by great achievers.
Experience with global health organisations
In 2014, Mogo was honoured with the International Women Achievers’ Award (IWAA) in the academics. Her selection was not based on her academic achievement alone, but also the impact of the work she has done with global organisations such as UNIFE, WHO and the impacts of Engage Africa Foundation, a not- for-profit organisation she founded four years ago.
In 2015, she worked as a technical consultant with UNICEF on a regional research project focusing on health sector planning and budgeting in West African countries. She also worked with the Urban Health Governance Team of the World Health Organisation Centre for Health Development in Japan. Her advice to young Nigerians aiming to gain work experience with global organisations would be to take advantage of access to the internet and also build relationships with people at these organisations in order to become a part of their professional network.
Suggesting more tips, she said: “Since email is the typical form of communication, make your email polished and thoughtful and show that you have done your research. Get some valuable experience under your belt, whether it is by interning, volunteering in your community, or taking a job that may be basic, but will give you the experience you need to start off with. It also helps to surround yourself with great people and thinkers, people with integrity and big dreams.
Fighting non-communicable diseases
With the Engage Africa Foundation, Mogo works with a team of volunteers and medical experts to fight non-communicable diseases through the implementation of research, health promotion and advocacy.
Asked about the high points she has experienced with her works in the foundation, she beams as she recalled running health promotion projects with different communities in Lagos.
“We educated them about conditions like hypertension, diabetes, cancer and on how to maintain healthy lifestyles and monitor their blood pressures and BMI. We also ran a mobile health project in collaboration with Dr Damilola Alawode at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido -Ekiti to educate doctors on teaching their patients about physical activity.
“We did a training session with the Young Town Planners’ Forum of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners on healthy urban planning. We also started a web-based health education channel on Youtube as well as our blog series which educate people on chronic disease prevention.”
This year, she revealed that the focus of the organisation would be to work on health promotion materials that people can easily download to learn about how to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and chronic respiratory diseases. Added to this is a policy research project aimed at making recommendations to African countries on how to strengthen their health systems so they can better deal with the epidemic of non-communicable diseases.
“We aim to do the best with the human resources we have and always hope to find more sponsors, volunteers and partners to be able to do more,” she enthused.
With ERIM consulting, she and her team work on supporting health organisations with applied research, content development and policy analysis.
Family background and parental influence
Only the deep can call to the deep. There is no gainsaying the fact that parents are the ultimate role models to their children. Mogo does not fail to emphasise that her parents have been a great source of support. She recalled her father working through mathematics problems with her in SS1 as a student of Tendertouch College. She also described her mother, a Doctor of Ecotoxicology, as an exceptional woman who worked hard in her field of environmental science and also infected all her children with big dreams and confidence.
“My father, Sir Uchenna Mogo and my mother, Dr Chinwe Mogo, have been a great source of support for me. They raised us to never see any problem as inherently difficult and always built us up with their words. Without their sacrifices I wouldn’t have had the opportunities I had.”
Raised by a father who supported her Mum to be all she could be, it is not surprising that Ebele is not preoccupied with the thought that remarkable achievements at a young age can intimidate men in the aspect of marriage.
“If you truly love someone, rather than be intimidated by them, you would want to help them be their best and they would do the same for you. Same goes for any relationship, even friendship.
“For me to think people are intimidated by me, I must think I have done so much. However, I never think I have done so much because I am always thinking of what I still hope to do. I think marriage can be a beautiful partnership based on mutual love and a commitment to help each other grow to be all they can be. I was raised by a father who supported my mother to be all she could be including getting her PhD in ecotoxicology. He celebrates every single one of her achievements, always boasts about her, brainstorms with her, and is her close friend. She does the same for him as well.”
Fashion, Leisure and Writing
Mogo enjoys writing poetry, non-fiction and short stories. She attended the University of Manchester Creative Writing Summer course in 2009. She blogs on www.streetsideconvos.com, writing on the interviews she had with strangers in the cities she had lived with. She has also authored an e-journal titled Courage and Clarity.
“Writing is a way for me to think clearly and explore ideas, use my imagination, and express myself. I enjoy it very much. I remember when I was little; I would write songs and teach them to my siblings. I hope to have some more work published this year and to write more now that the doctorate is out of the way. So yes, people should keep an eye out on more publication from my stable,” she gleefully announced.
Having travelled several countries including Canada, the United States, England, Scotland, Japan, Brazil, and done a road trip in the company of her Mum along the West Africa coast; she credits Japan as her most fascinating travelling experience.
“Japan is fascinating because it is a very developed country that doesn’t have English as its lingua franca. It had this mix of technological advancement and yet valuing its own culture. It made me imagine an alternative future, where African countries were developed, but rather than speak English as a lingua franca, they speak our indigenous languages and perpetuated the best of our customs. I also found the Japanese very hospitable and they had sweet teeth like me, and amazing food. I didn’t have as much time to explore Japan as I would have liked. The 2011 earthquake occurred when I was there, limiting my travels and I hope that one day I may visit again.”
With a glistering ebony skin and a signature red lipstick, does she have a fashion fetish? “I am not sure what my fashion fetish is”, she swiftly responded.
Speaking further, she said: “I like looking good and when I have a big presentation to deliver, I wear my lipstick and outfit of choice and I step out of the house, knowing that I can take on the world. I also enjoy styling my afro in creative ways. “
Of leisure, she likes to travel, take pictures and go on long walks with music in her ears. She also loves cooking and likes to have friends over to eat,” she quipped.
Pathetic stories of women battling with breast cancer
For some, it is a journey of gruelling rebirth; for many, it is the drops of poison leading to a passage in death’s waiting jaw. The torments are in myriads: physical, emotional, psychological and financial. HANNAH OJO met some patients and survivors of breast cancer and writes on their ordeal.
“Would you need a nose mask?” Felix Ogoh, a prophet asked the reporter as she stepped into the wooden shank housing Emilia Akpede. Bowled over with breast cancer, the Delta State-born Akpede laid in bed with a weak frame and a frail voice.
There are no medical records available to determine the stage of her ailment but the stench and ruptured sight of the breast predisposes a stage 3 cancer. Her battle with breast cancer started three years ago.
“It started with a lump. A doctor in Delta State instructed that I do a mammogram so I could be recommended for a mastectomy. The scan did not reveal much, so the result was declared inconclusive. There was no money to carry out other scans, so the breast started getting bigger. By the time it began to bring out pus, I thought that was the end of it. I never knew my problem had just begun”.
Mrs Anozie fixing a wig on a survivor
Akpede confided in the reporter that her condition has left her with no source of income, a development which has affected her ability to access medical care. Though she has four children, she could not count on them to provide for her since they are young and dependent on relatives. Her aged father who was shouldering the financial cost of her medical care also died some months ago. There is no husband to share her burden with and no health insurance package to fall back on.
Convinced she is a victim of a spiritual attack, the school cert holder resolved to seek healing at the Glory of God Must Shine Ministry, a church located in the Pure Water area of Badagry Expressway, manned by Prophet Felix Ogoh. She has been living in the church’s premises since November, 2016.
Though she confessed to feeling better since she has been under the prophet’s care, saying the tumour on the breast is healing up, however, she appealed for help in order to enable her to visit a hospital for a comprehensive treatment. Forty five-year-old Akpede has not been through chemotherapy or blood transfusion since her ordeal with cancer started three years ago.
Survivors during COPE’s meeting
In a chat with The Nation, Prophet Felix Ogoh said he was convinced to offer assistance to Akpede since she is under spiritual captivity.
“She was rejected from the hospital and she has been suffering for three years. We call it African virus. The Computer cannot detect it”, said the 43-year-old cleric who confessed to using anointing oil and ‘holy’ water to dress Akpede’s ruptured breast.
Akpan: Life is more important than two breasts
A realtor by profession, Miss Akpan (she refused to disclose her surname), was 33 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I went through three different tests because I wanted to be sure. I did a fourth test which came out cancerous and the next thing to do was a mastectomy. I didn’t take too much time in taking that decision because I figured out my life is more important than two dangling breasts,” she stated.
Four years after having a mastectomy, Akpan described her survivor journey as a blissful one, citing her faith in God as well as support from her doctors and family as a motivation. She described her therapy experience as one of the worst she had to survive. The treatment didn’t come cheap; it claimed her savings and her car. The church also stepped in to sort out about 60 percent of the bill, while her family also rallied round her for support.
Sounding a note of caution on the need for prevention, she said: “My message to women is to check themselves on a biannual basis. It is not a sin to feel your body. In my own case, I discovered the lump early enough and I concentrated on my treatment. I now run my own company and if I didn’t open my mouth to say it, nobody can suspect that I have had a breast removed.”
George: I tried herbalists and churches
For 48- year- old Mrs Kehinde George, being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 was a sort of a rude awakening. Within the space of two years, she had a double mastectomy and is still undergoing treatment.
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I thought if I went to herbalists and churches, they would be able to restore my breast but I later faced the fate that it is only God and doctors that can help me. My experience with chemotherapy was bad; I was vomiting for almost a week but I went through it,” George reminisced.
As a civil servant, her income was not enough to take care of her treatment which ran into a million naira. She also had to depend on family members for support and she acknowledged the role played by COPE (Care Organisation Public Enlightenment), a cancer foundation based in Lagos, Nigeria for aiding her survival.
Adedoyin: The advocate who fell prey
With Nigeria’s national health insurance scheme not covering cancer treatment, it is not surprising that many have lost their lives due to inability to access quality health care owing to paucity of funds.
Late Adedoyin
One of the breast cancer casualties recorded last year was Mrs Mary Adedoyin, an advocate. In her tribute to late Adedoyin, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, founder and president of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), described her as a dependable ally in the fight against breast cancer in Nigeria.
“In this environment where most people hide their diseases, she (Mary) came out and was ready to use her experience to encourage others in similar situation. She was my kind of person and we connected the very day she sought my assistance in setting up her foundation.
“It’s a very big loss to breast cancer advocacy in Nigeria! We are so few in this fight in Nigeria as many survivors have failed to overcome imaginary stigmatisation,” the incoming first lady of Ondo State mournfully recalled.
Adeoti: Cancer breaks boundaries
Mrs Shola Adeoti, daughter of billionaire industrialist Chief Samuel Adedoyin, had to pass through unbearable pain and agony when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hers is a story which will not leave the consciousness of Nigerians in a hurry.
“As a health-conscious woman with children, I didn’t think I was the typical cancer patient. The truth was, the cancer I had was peculiar, it came as tiny dots instead of a lump and it could not be felt during self-examination. Although the mammography machine can detect it, it is still a tricky kind of cancer.
“At a point in time, my family and I found ourselves in a quandary of financial difficulty. It was sad and very painful. It was tough. I couldn’t pay my bills, but God raised people to come to my aid. I may have been born into wealth and affluence, but I paved my own path. I have always been independent. I am the only child of my late mother, and I wasn’t dependent on my father. It was difficult for me to ask for help from my family, but God raised an army to meet my needs,” she reportedly stated in an interview granted to a lifestyle magazine.
Adeoti has been using her story to encourage others through the MariaSam Foundation, an NGO she started in 2007 which has provided mammograms and raised awareness on cancer.
Anozie: Coping with Hope
It is the first meeting of the year and the atmosphere is charged with excitement. As the women trickled in, they shared warm embrace and complemented each other’s appearance. Going up to the podium, Mrs Ebun Anozie, the CEO of the COPE, set the ball rolling with a prayer and songs of praise. Few minutes later, the atmosphere took a sober mood when she ordered the gathering to observe 30 seconds silence in honour of five survivors who lost their lives to breast cancer in 2016.
Herself a breast cancer survivor, Anozie would disclose in a chat with The Nation that some of the women who died resorted to using herbs since they could no longer afford the cost of medication.
“The youngest of them, a twenty eight-year-old whom we tried to help died because it was too late and cancer had spread to other parts of her body. She was just going through palliatives,” she sorrowfully recalled.
Confirming that the humongous cost of treating cancer in Nigeria has pushed many women into the death train, she asserted that COPE has placed breast cancer survivors on a monthly stipend of N10,000 to help with their treatment. However, this little lifeline, she further stated, stands threatened with the current economic recession which has made not-for-profit organisations experience a phenomenon best described as “charity fatigue”.
“We are appealing to good-hearted Nigerians to help us out. We are a transparent organisation and we have been doing this for 22 years. We just want to help Nigerians who are indignant. Cancer is not something that you wish for an enemy”, Mrs Anozie pleaded.
During the course of the meeting which lasted few hours, the women took time to deliberate on the activities ranging from aerobics, dance, swimming, comedy and seminar sessions with a dietician, psychologist, and a chef.
The women meet once in a month at COPE’s office in Lagos and they are paired with accountability partners who deliver feedback to Anozie.
COPE also helped with giving the women wigs, prosthetic bras and beauty items free of charge. To Anozie, she asserted that beauty has a lot to with breast cancer, hence the need for breast cancer survivors to always turn out gaily dressed. At the meeting the reporter witnessed; wigs, head scarves and turbans were gifted to attendees, courtesy of the Norwegian Cancer Society. A partner from England also helped with donations of different bra sizes and make-up items.
“You can imagine having two breasts and losing one, it is demoralising. We try as much as possible to make sure these women regain their confidence. We are also telling them not to wear their problem on their faces,” Anozie explains.
With experience gained in advocacy over the course of 22 years, Anozie charged the Nigerian government to implement health policies that will mandate the 36 state governors to build a comprehensive cancer care centre in each state of the federation. She expressed dissatisfaction that women had to go as far as Ghana for treatment, since many of the machines in public health institutions in Nigeria have gone comatose.
The cost of treating cancer in Nigeria
Before the Nigerian economy began a downward spiral into recession, cancer has been regarded as a ‘rich man’s disease. The current economic recession has led to an increase in the prices of goods and commodities, including the cost of drugs and medical care.
Findings revealed that a woman is likely to spend N70, 000 on breast scan, mammogram, biopsy and other related tests. Average surgery cost in public health institution is pegged at N80, 000 to N150, 000. Also, chemotherapy ranges from N100, 000 to N500, 000.
There is no doubting the fact that the high cost of treatment has occasioned the death of many women, especially the poor from cancer.
Dr Femi Olaleye, the founder of Optimal Care Cancer Foundation, said emphasis should be laid on prevention, in order to avoid more death.
“If 60 to 70 percent of Nigerians live below the poverty line and the diagnosis of breast cancer involves millions of naira for treatment, then it is predictable that many will die from the inability to access health care. A mammogram is about N15, 000 and the minimum wage in Nigeria is N18, 000, so can you just extrapolate how many Nigerian women will never ever get the chance to do a mammogram? We don’t even have enough centres to take care of them. Some of them will have to travel abroad and this runs into thousands of dollars. How many Nigerians can afford that with the scarcity of forex?”
Dr Olaleye, who disclosed that about 100 women turn up at his clinic for free screening on Fridays, lamented that clinics, where women can get free screenings are not available throughout the country.
“Since prevention is better and cheaper than cure, somebody should be coming to ask me, why can’t you scale this up?”, the doctor asked, confirming the obvious fact that there would always be a limitation to the accessibility of health care for many Nigerian women if breast cancer is not detected early enough.
It is no longer news that breast cancer is on the increase in developing countries where the majority of the cases are diagnosed in late stages. According to the World Health Organisation(WHO); the low survival rates in less developed countries can be explained by lack of early detection programmes resulting in high proportion of women presenting with late-stage diseases, as well as by lack of adequate diagnosis and treatment facilities.
In a report published by the Population-based Cancer Registries of Nigeria, 100 000 new cases of cancer occur every year. It was also said that Nigeria contributed 15% to the estimated 681,000 new cases of cancer that occurred in Africa in 2008.
With the global deadline for breast cancer set at 2020, there are indications that Nigeria may yet again fail in meeting a target that can enhance better health for more women.
Endowed with energy and unique talents for using technology to solve problems, information technology development experts from Nigeria are filling the gaps in the US technology sector, writes HANNAH OJO.
Grit and gumption was the phrase that came to mind as Tolulope Komolafe, a Nigerian software developer, sat across Fareed Zakaria of Cable News Network (CNN). In a recently aired interview on the international medium, Tolu appeared on the show with Jeremy Johnson, co-founder of Andela, an American tech start-up filling high tech openings in the US by looking to African software developers. With campuses in Lagos and Nairobi, Andela engineers specialise in several tech stacks, including JavaScript, Pyhton, Ruby, PHP and mobile software.
Back home in Lagos Nigeria, Tolu sits across the reporter at the cafeteria of Andela’s head office in Yaba. Dressed in a pair of jeans and sleeveless top, she clutched her Apple laptop wrapped in a pink cover.
Going down memory lane as the reporter asked about her high moments, she said: “The first time I handled my real life application, I felt on top of the world. When I started working in a firm based in New York, that was a very brave moment and I was elated to be working with the best hands in the world.
“There is simply no gap. Looking back two years ago when I joined Andela, if someone had told me it would be this great, I would have doubted it.”
Fortune, they say, favours the bold. She had muscled her way through boulders by teaching herself how to code right from her time as a student at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo state. She confessed that as an undergraduate studying computer science in school, programming was portrayed as a boring concept. Her epiphany came with an opportunity to engage in a four-month industrial training with a Lagos based IT firm. That became her starting point with software development.
She said: “I met a woman who was my boss, and she was really good. I saw what she was doing and I was like ‘this thing could actually be fun’. So I started teaching myself how to programme from there.”
Returning back to school after the expiration of her industrial training programme, academic rigours made it too difficult for her to continue programming, but she seized another opportunity to continue coding when she was posted to teach in a school for her National Youth Service. Investing her spare time on learning how to code turned out a worthy investment in the process of time.
The computer wizkid didn’t tarry long in the labour market after completing the youth service programme. She was considering taking up an offer of employment when she came across a tweet announcing Andela’s call for application in 2014. The catchphrase “we will help you become a world class software developer and still pay you,” got her hooked, even though she affirmed the offer sounded too good to be true. She competed for space against 2500 other applicants and made the cut for the final 20 selected for a 4 year fellowship with Andela.
With a petite frame and a bright countenance, Tolu is one of the success stories of Andela. She has visited New York to work with firms she develops applications for. On the set of the CNN interview, Jeremy, Andela’s co-founder affectionately referred to Tolu as one of the brilliant people he had yet to see solving problems with technology.
From her Andela office in Lagos, Tolu works for a company based in New York where she is building an application which allows people to put all the information about their lives in a place. She is also involved in programmes which encourage women to come into technology, especially software development.
“The end goal is to get more women into Andela”, the 26 year old Tolu enthusiastically announced.
The deliberate effort to encourage more female developers is connected with the gender gap in Andela, since only 18 percent of developers engaged with the firm are females. A female-only recruitment cycle and boot camps in Lagos and Nairobi were recently introduced by Andela to scout for more female tech talents. There is also the “She Loves Code” initiative where female programmers mentor other young women and host events in communities.
In an industry that exerts the stamina of men, Tolu is one of the few ladies holding her own in a men’s preserve. How does she dispel the gender myth? Her reply underscores the basic requirement women need to be top notch software engineers.
She said: “It is the same thing that every guy needs to be a good software developer. Culture wise, I would say our parents have not done a very good job of telling their female children they can do anything and go into any job. I was lucky because my mum is a strong woman, so I grew up thinking there is nothing a guy can do that I cannot do”.
For women considering diving into the tough turfs, she offered a piece of advice: “I will say the future is in our hands and we have to choose the outcome of how we want it to be. For women out there, never think that you are a woman. Just do it! I’d like to think of myself as being sexless. That is the way I approach anything I want to do.”
Changing the world one code at a time
As Mohini Ugeli, a media associate for Andela conducted the reporter round the Andela campus; talents, energy and brawn were on display. Order meets finesse as the young soft ware engineers are busy with work on their personal computers (PCs). Some, with the aid of their ear piece warmed up to the music that played in the background as they work on disruptive technologies changing the world.
A recent event which shook the IT space in Nigeria was Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s visit to the country. It was not surprising that he made a stopover at Andela. The firm attracted about $24 million of funding from a scheme led by the Chan Zuckerberg initiative.
Playing down the fact that Zuckerberg’s visit gave Andela more popularity in the tech circle, Nadayar Enegesi, 25, who is head of learning and development at Andela told The Nation that the bigger value of the visit was more internal.
Nadayar said: “There are many young people aspiring to have that level of success. The moment you meet somebody who has achieved a dream similar to yours, it feels more tangible. That belief that you can succeed at that level is very important. We had a lot of people saying this guy ( Zuckerberg) who did this thing is human just as I am and he did not have Andela when he started.”
Since 2014, Andela has screened more than 40, 000 applicants across Africa and accepted the top 0.7 to work at its bases in Lagos and Nairobi. With this ration, the firm prides itself as being more selective than Harvard and Stanford.
Reacting to the selection rate, Nadayar, a graduate of computer science from the University of Waterloo, Canada, who had built tech products for companies in Toronto before moving to Lagos in 2014, affirmed that the basic requirement for being a software engineer is more of personality disposition.
He said: “You need to have some resilience and be willing to expose yourself to new experiences. You need to have a natural tendency towards self-learning. But for the more concrete skills, you need to be the type of person who enjoys solving problems.”
Dispelling the myth that being a technologist requires a solid strength in understanding numbers, Nadayar explained that some Andela fellows had background in media, publishing as well as agriculture. “Some don’t even have a degree’, he said.
“A lot of what programming is about is just breaking down problems into steps and figuring how to connect those steps to create a solution. You couple that ability to learn with the ability to solve problems and the willingness to throw yourself at different opportunities.
“Also, being open to learning new technology and solving problems with technology is a plus. That is the ground zero recipe for becoming a technologist.”
Jeremy Johnson who cofounded Andela with Christina Sass, Ian Carnevale and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, was quoted as saying that coders from Africa could fill what U.S. tech companies say is a shortage of qualified engineers. While exposing Nigerian IT developers to clients such as Microsoft, IBM Apple and other high tech companies, Andela is specific on wanting the young developers who have been exposed to the global tech scene to keep their talents at home.
With Andela’s relative success in the tech industry, the firm still battles with the challenge of internet, real estate and affordable infrastructure, The Nation learnt.
Other teething technology start – ups in the country are not exempted from the aforementioned challenges. Some also have to combat with low access to funds, among other problems.
Only recently, the Lagos State Government unveiled “Code Lagos”, a computer programming initiative geared towards meeting the demand for technical skills. The initiative according to the Lagos state governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode , is in recognition of the importance of harnessing the power of technology for a better workforce.
Is there a sideline to tech export?
Babatope
As technological advancement is rapidly transforming work place with creativity and innovation, some analysts have posited that the export of tech talents could be a threat to local firms since there is a need for more software talents and programmers to make the technology industry build capacity and scale up.
Babatope Falade-Onikoyi, a knowledge economy advocate who made this position known, however, added that there is an opportunity for local firms to train more people and sponsor policies and initiatives poised towards producing more talents.
He said: “Government needs to create policies and laws to promote the knowledge economy. We need to get government and private firms to ensure that information industries, particularly computing is made a core subject from primary levels up to senior secondary level. We can no longer pay lip or mild service to computer education. Nigeria’s desktop penetration rate is 4.5 percent. We need to equip schools with computer labs and computers”.
The knowledge economy advocate also harped on the need for Nigeria to track how many developers and core computing skills there are per capita.
With regard to creating more awareness on the importance of tech skills, he called for the training of more teachers in technology as well as a partnership between the private sector and government, which will see to providing learning equipment and sponsoring awards for STEM courses.
On the advantage of Nigerian-born tech talents filling up US tech spaces, Falade-Onikoyi asserted that Nigeria stands to benefit from remittances in foreign currency as well as the positioning of Nigeria as a country with potential in human capital.
“This sort of knowledge economy branding is what India is enjoying. In 2015, India’s services sector recorded revenues of 120billion dollars”, he said.
My Family Liberty (MLF), a new crowd-funding effort to help lift people out of poverty has been launched.
The CEO of the scheme, Pastor Francis Ben-Adesokan, who addressed a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, said the idea behind MLF is to create wealth and opportunities for businesses to excel in this time of recession.
“In the wake of the current economic recession, this idea comes as a cushion not only for Nigerians but anyone interested in finding the financial assistance required to live a comfortable life as well as get enablement to achieve his/her life’s dream. Our dream is to see members live as they wish, go where they want to go without limitation,” he stated.
Fielding questions from members of the press, Pastor Adesokan stated that the scheme is structured to produce financially enabled virtual members who sign up to the scheme and are asked to fulfil an obligation to certain members of their virtual family tree.
Continuing, he said that from a variant of two options which carry different financial rewards, subscribers to the scheme can reap up to 5 million to 10million within seven months of joining, depending on the different options selected.
Allaying fears of MLF being a Ponzi scheme like other multi-level schemes in the past, Pastor Adesokan said the initiative is a fully registered company with a physical address.
“We have consulted with reputable financial gateways. What is unique to the system is the individual bank account number. This means you will not be allowed to use the same bank account for 2 registrations. Also, there are three Family Trees opened to all. The first platform membership is N25,000. We also have: B Platform membership for N37,000 and C Platform membership forN47,000.
Adesokan, who said he had always been interested in helping people to grow their businesses explained that the scheme is set to contribute to the success story of subscribers of the scheme who will be provided with support in various line of services in fields cutting across and interior designs in order to enable members can invest the return they make from the scheme.
The Africa Kids and Fashion week 2016 is set to hold in Lagos from December 9th- 11th 2016. Created to showcase the best of African fashion for kids and teenagers; the show shall give talented designers a platform to showcase, promote and raise the visibility of their brands on a global fashion stage.
The event which is packaged by SmartCode Africa will also teach children and members of the society the beauty and value of Nigeria’s cultural heritage and also project the African fashion industry for kids and teenagers all over the world.
The three-day event which will hold in Lagos will feature a fashion summit, media parley and a fashion show. Also, the exhibition for designers and companies with products that the centres on kids and teenagers will be held on the same day of the fashion show.
The creative director of SmartCode Africa, Mr Ajibola Akande told The Nation that apart from wonderful African designs that will be on display on the runway, brands will be able to meet with customers directly to market and sell products at the exhibition stand.
In the press statement made available, Akande the Creative Director SmartCode Africa, Organizer of AKTFW said: “Celebrity guests from the entertainment circle will also be part of this year’s fashion week. Teaching our children the beauty and value of our heritage, we prepare them to be confident individuals where ever they go in the world.
“We are committed to empowering and enlightening members of the society on the physical and non-physical abilities and inherent talents embedded in these future leaders. Our mission remains to showcase and promote African fashion for kids and teenagers all over the world, ’’ he submitted.
Mr Abiodun Ladepo started as a journalist with The Guardian, before leaving for the US in 1988 for greener pastures. An alumnus of the University of Ibadan, Townson University and University of Maryland, both in the US, he works for the United States government. Ladepo is a regular contributor to many frontline online publications where he shares analyses and opinion on the state of the polity. He was in Nigeria briefly and HANNAH OJO caught up with him.
My advice to anybody is contained in that article published online titled, “thinking about checking out of Nigeria? Read this first!” Anybody who wants to leave should go and read it. The summary for me is this: if you already have a degree in any discipline and you are under 25, you should stay in Nigeria.Even if you do your masters and you don’t get a job, if you stay two or three years later, you may likely get one. Whatever job you got, 20 years later, you will not be a junior staff anymore. You can’t have a masters degree and be a junior staff. You would have gotten married, have kids and maybe have a parcel of land somewhere you are developing.
Even if you do your masters and you don’t get a job, if you stay two or three years later, you may likely get one. Whatever job you got, 20 years later, you will not be a junior staff anymore. You can’t have a masters degree and be a junior staff. You would have gotten married, have kids and maybe have a parcel of land somewhere you are developing.
Yes, you will be in this nasty traffic and the heat but by the time you are 50 when your first child is now 18 or something, you go to the same church or the same mosque, you are somebody in the society. But if you leave, especially if you left the country with a visitor visa to the United States or the United Kingdom, it will take you not less than eight years for your stay to be regularised.That may include having to marry an American. If you don’t have any plan of coming back home, then you can leave because coming back home is more difficult than when you are leaving.
That may include having to marry an American. If you don’t have any plan of coming back home, then you can leave because coming back home is more difficult than when you are leaving.
Mr Abiodun Ladepo started as a journalist with The Guardian, before leaving for the US in 1988 for greener pastures. An alumnus of the University of Ibadan, Townson University and University of Maryland, both in the US, he works for the United States government. Ladepo is a regular contributor to many frontline online publications where he shares analyses and opinion on the state of the polity. He was in Nigeria briefly and HANNAH OJO caught up with him.
What bits of fascinating experiences can you recall while growing up?
I was raised in Zaria. My grasp of Hausa is as good as my Yoruba. I started elementary school in Zaria and I finished in Bukuru, a small village in Jos. Because my father was a bank executive, we used to be transferred all over the place. I started secondary school in Ikirun, Osun state and I finished in Banbanloma, Jebba. Thereafter I did A levels at the Oyo State college of Arts and Science, which was UNIIFE before it became OAU. I went to UI where I studied linguistics. I lost my dad when I was in form four and things changed dramatically. Part of the reasons why I had to leave Nigeria eventually was because getting ahead in life became my own responsibility, so I had to do what I had to do.
Your work with the US government involves extensive travels; can you share your most remarkable travel experience?
I will actually say it was my first driving experience from Ibadan to Accra, Ghana. I had driven 21 hours from Kuwait to Iraq to Baghdad. I also drove 13 hours from Frankfurt in Germany to Naples in Italy back and forth. I have driven to London many times. I find my first travel from Ibadan to Accra most exhilarating because some of the things I saw made me feel like we suffer a lot in Africa. We don’t cherish what we have. If you have such a long expanse of road by the ocean (which is what they have in Togo) in the US, it will be filled with all kinds of five star hotels where people will want to stay just to watch the beautiful ocean. It is the kind of thing you have in California where you have long stretches of houses by the ocean and people pay to stay there.
What was the experience like as a Nigerian immigrant working in the US?
The good is that in 30 years of living and working in the US, my pay cheque was never delayed, even when I worked for private firms. You can imagine how hard it will be if I was working in Nigeria at the moment and in some states, people have not been paid for eight months. The first obvious thing about living as an immigrant overseas is that you are not with your family and friends. Whenever I come to Nigeria, I feel like I’m home. The universities I went to in the US, I can’t even remember somebody with whom I am still in touch but I am still in touch with my friends here. Then the other thing is the racial part but what I discovered in the US is if you are hardworking and honest, you will be respected regardless of where you come from. Are there discriminations? You have them here in Nigeria too.
One of your widely read articles on the internet is titled ‘five big problems I have with Nigerian pastors’, what is your take on religion?
I am a born again Christian but I am not stupid. It is one thing to go to church and it is another to take everything the pastor says hook, line and sinker. In my sojourn in the US, I have met so many people who have been taken by their pastors. I was a deacon and a choir leader in the church in the US. For me, religion is something between you and God. It is sad when you have a church leader sleeping with church members; a church leader visiting voodoo men and burying charms under buildings’ foundations, it happens in Nigeria and Ghana. You have pastors embezzling church funds. There are just too many religious men and women who don’t care about God. Some churches have built private universities, how many members can afford to send their children to those schools? A lot of them on the Lagos-Ibadan high way don’t care what happens when they are having their programmes. Why can’t the church invest on the road by expanding it in order to ease traffic? My house in California, there are four churches on my streets, I don’t hear their service. In Ibadan, I have a church right behind my house and I can’t sleep well during their revival. Will I pray for that pastor?
You seem to be a huge fan of President Muhammadu Buhari… do you still hold him in high esteem in spite of recent developments?
I still hold him in high esteem. If we have a leader who is serious about corruption, more than half of our problem is solved. I hate to criticise my friends in the media but the problem Buhari has is his media team. His media team needs to go and learn how to set agenda just like the media in the US. You write a piece of information to put out every week to control the news cycle to manage people’s expectations. What we now have is the opposition being able to go into people’s mind and turn them against the president, knowing that this man did not cause the problem that we have right now. The fact that petrol is N145 now is not Buhari’s fault; we should have been paying 145 a long time ago. Even at N145, we pay less than Ghana for fuel. The first thing is to condition our minds to being patriotic, that is one major difference I find between Nigerians and the Americans. What the ministry of information should be doing right now is leading all kinds of propaganda to help Nigerians to be patriotic.
The ministry of information came out with the ‘Change begins with me campaign’ but Nigerians are saying change should begin from Aso Rock?
I think that campaign was improperly launched. What the ministry is trying to do is to tell us to change ourselves too. Some of us bribe the custom agents at the boarder because we don’t want to pay duties on goods. We need to change but in the middle of hunger, when you tell Nigerians to change, they will look at you and say you need to change and give us food. I attended a meeting of my party ward and there are people asking me for money. When you ask your leader to give you money, he is going to steal that money back.
People have the impression that President Buhari’s anti-corruption war is one sided?
They said the same thing about Obasanjo, next time when the PDP gets power, let them go after APC thieves. Bukola Saraki is a very senior member of the APC too. I am not saying he is a thief but let him prove himself in court. Alex Badeh is not in any political party, he was supposed to be a retired air force officer. So let him prove himself in court.
Some members of the President’s cabinet are facing criticisms in terms of performance, how does this hamper on delivering the dividends of democracy to Nigerians?
In a political dispensation, you have to also factor in politics. There were politicians who worked their butts off to get the government in power. If you look at the cabinet, there are technicians who are not strong party members. I am sure Kemi Adeosun was not an APC ward member. Godwin Emefiali was not a strong party member and a few others like that. Of course people who have contributed to the emergence of the party will get something. People like Kayode Fayemi is a brilliant person that should be in anybody’s cabinet. The president has to think about the mix.
I am dissatisfied too with some of them. I don’t think the ministry of communication should be a cabinet post, I think it should be a parastatal that is filled with technocrats. But you can’t have 36 Babatunde Fashola in government. You have the A-class cabinet members as well as the B and C class members.
Your work schedule in the US involves extensive travels, yet you find time to write frequently on the state of the polity, what kindles your interest in Nigerian politics?
Nigeria gave me the opportunity to dream. My dreams were accomplished in America so I give both countries the credit. I will never say anything bad about the United States of America because that country has been good to me and my family and so is Nigeria. I have never spent my annual leave outside Nigeria since I left the country, so why would I be a Nigerian and not know what is going on in Nigeria? Eventually when I retire from service, I will probably return to Nigeria and I will like Nigeria to be better than the way it is. I hate to be a critic, Prof Wole Syoinka and the late Tai Solarin are people who spend their lives as critics without getting into government. When I was in UI, there was a symposium held at Trenchard hall where Professor Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana and Gani Fawehinmi were present. I was in the crowd and I asked if they could take their discussions outside the gate and change to vernacular so that people in Beere, Oja Oba can understand. I believe social critics should also get on ground and get into politics if their employment allows it.
Is there a possibility of you contesting public office when you eventually retire to Nigeria?
I will definitely not be idle. I will contribute to Nigeria wherever I can be useful having spent the last 20 years in security/military issues. I am definitely not going to be quiet. I will be writing but I will back up my writing with political activism. I will be in a political party and I will still be writing. That way I can put my money where my mouth is. That is if I retire to Nigeria!
You are married to an actress, how does it feel like watching her act?
I am married to Oluwatoyin Adeyoola, she is the famous Adunni Alapa dollar. She is an actress, vivacious, she studied Dramatic Arts at the Obafemi Awolowo University. She has a movie coming out soon that she shot here in Nigeria. I once saw a movie where an actor kissed her and I poked fun at her asking, ‘why does he have to pull you like that to kiss’? What attracted me to her was reading what she wrote. She is a short story writer and I fell in love with her style.
How do you make time for relaxation and family?
I drink Hennessey. That is my relaxation whenever I come home from work. I am a voracious reader of news. I am on CNN all the time and I read news about Nigeria online.
What is your advice to Nigerians coming to the US to seek greener pastures?
My advice to anybody is contained in that article published online titled, “thinking about checking out of Nigeria? Read this first!” Anybody who wants to leave should go and read it. The summary for me is this: if you already have a degree in any discipline and you are under 25, you should stay in Nigeria. Even if you do your masters and you don’t get a job, if you stay two or three years later, you may likely get one. Whatever job you got, 20 years later, you will not be a junior staff anymore. You can’t have a masters degree and be a junior staff. You would have gotten married, have kids and maybe have a parcel of land somewhere you are developing. Yes, you will be in this nasty traffic and the heat but by the time you are 50 when your first child is now 18 or something, you go to the same church or the same mosque, you are somebody in the society. But if you leave, especially if you left the country with a visitor visa to the United States or the United Kingdom, it will take you not less than eight years for your stay to be regularised. That may include having to marry an American. If you don’t have any plan of coming back home, then you can leave because coming back home is more difficult than when you are leaving.
Why is that so?
I have been extremely lucky, so you can’t use me as an example. People don’t look at the other end of the story; they look at the beginning because of the hardship here. There are many Nigerians who are in their 60s in the US and the crisis they have now is how to return to Nigeria.
An aspirant for the office of Chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mr Dayo Israel, has sought collaboration with United States politicians for development projects targeted at young people in Lagos Mainland.
Dayo who met with a rep from the state of Georgia, 29- year-old Ms Erica Thomas to discuss potential partnerships between her constituency and Lagos Mainland youths, is planning to host a two-way delegation of young professionals from Georgia to Lagos and vice-versa in the next few months.
“Rep Erica is the 5th youngest state representative (legislature) in the USA and we both have a mutual passion for youth development. I am hoping very soon we can have a 26 years old house member in Lagos state,” Israel said.
Israel also met with Texas congressman Jarvis Johnson, with whom he spoke extensively on potential sister cities programme between the city of Houston and Lagos Mainland. The programme will focus on areas of interest such as Youth Development, Health and Wellbeing.
Inspired by his participation during an Agro-Tourism programme in the US, the young aspirant who is one of the frontline voices championing the #NotTooYoung campaign affirmed that he is a firm believer in the potentials of agriculture to boost the economy.
“A vision for a new Africa must begin from the grass root. The best minds of our generation must take over the pillars of government from bottom up. We must end hunger and famine in Africa-how do we do that, by ending hunger our famine in our communities,” he submitted.
Israel was named one of Britain’s young bright leaders of 2016 by the Henley Business School in the UK. He was recently nominated for the Presidential Youth Award as one of the 56 young Nigerians doing Nigeria proud. Listed as one of Africa’s 30 most inspirational young people in 2013, he is an alumnus of the US State Department IVLP programme.
During the tour, Israel also spoke at various forum and churches in the US, including a convention featuring gospel singer Sinach in Brooklyn, New York.
