The Nation Newspaper

Tag: harmful

  • ‘Force-feeding children is harmful’

    Force-feeding is dangerous to children, United Nations Children Education Fund’s (UNICEF’s) Nutritionist, Dr Ada Ezeogu, has said.

    Ezeogu, who disclosed this at UNCEF’s Akure Office in Ondo State, said force-feeding, which means putting food in the throat of a child forcefully  ‘’is dangerous and can either make the child be under-fed or choked with food or can lead to the child’s death”.

    Ezeogu said though some mothers, who practise force-feeding have good intentions, the act does more harm than good.

    “While most parents, especially mothers, who force-feed their children do so to ensure that their children get enough nourishment, it does more harm than good. Rather than force or threaten a child to eat, it is up to you to get creative and find ways to make the child look forward to meal times. Not every child has a large appetite and as long as your child is healthy and growing well, there’s no need to force-feed,” she explained.

    Highlighting some of the disadvantages  of force-feeding, Ezeogu said when a child is forced to eat, it could be very traumatic mentally. The child would link food with anxiety and that could be counter productive. Such a child might end up intensely disliking food and meal times. This, in turn, might create a long-term unhealthy relationship with food and might even develop into eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia,”she said.

    While Bulimia nervosa, also known as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterised by binge eating, followed by purging. Binge eating refers to eating a large amount of food in a short time. Purging refers to attempts to get rid of the food consumed. This may be done by vomiting while anorexia is an eating disorder characterised by low weight, fear of gaining weight and a strong desire to be thin, resulting in food restriction. Force-feeding affects a child’s psychology.

    “The child may experience injury as the tongue or upper lip may be injured accidentally by the plate or object being used during the force-feeding. Also, a semi-circle of finger tip bruises round the mouth of the baby can occur when the feeder forces the baby’s mouth open by depressing both cheeks.

    “In the same way, when force-feeding an infant, it’s easy for fragments of food to get into the child’s lungs, not to forget suffocation. Food going the wrong way in a child, especially when force-feeding breastfeeding, can be underlying cause of cold, cough, catarrh or diarrhea,’’ she added.

    Explaining why a child may refuse food, Ezeogu said “it could be that the child was not hungry, did not like the food or was sick, thereby having low appetite, do not like the way he is being fed.

    ‘’So, the best way out is to make a delicious diet and feed slowly; never in a hurry, but playfully, consistently, with a clean teaspoon and a small cup, if a baby or in an attractive colourful plate for a toddler,” she said.

  • Weight loss could be harmful

    With the increasing craze by young people and some elderly to lose weight, Medinat Kanabe speaks to experts on how this can affect health of people.

    JOKE Robinson is the last child and only daughter of her parents. She was pampered as a child and allowed to eat all kinds of snacks and junk. Her parents fancied her beauty and her chubby body so they kept feeding her with more junk foods. Soon Joke left for the university and graduated in flying colours and of course she kept eating her kind of food and began to weigh 90kg.

    At 26 she felt she was ripe for marriage but no man had approached her once, not even for a date so she became worried and decided to do something about it.

    Joke was unemployed at the time and was always in her mother’s shop assisting with sales. This gave her the opportunity to meet with many men, “but they all wanted to sleep with me; they didn’t want to marry me,” she told The Nation.

    All this while there had been hints and hearsays about her weight and ‘plus-size’, but all this were usually out of her ear shots. She began to get worried about her size especially when most of her friends who are considered as being of average weight or size have got hooked. She later heard of a company called Guarapad and its slimming products so she joined and bought all their products.

    “I bought the Guarapad slim after I was told that it is 100 per cent natural and how it absorbs fat from my body without me knowing that it is there. It is like a tape that you stick on your shoulder or belly button.

    “I did it for two years without any change. I even used the one for tummy reduction but it didn’t work. Before I knew it I had spent more than N500, 000 in search of weight loss but didn’t get any result so I stopped “

    Joke is still fat and not in a serious relationship.

    Adesola Ashade’s story is different. She realised she was overweight while in her final year in secondary school and decided to lose some weight.

    She asked friends in her class what she could do and was told that drinking lime mixed with raw eggs every morning would do the magic, especially if she skips dinner.

    So Adesola started her journey to weight loss and for eight months she kept taking lime and raw eggs every morning and never ate dinner. “But I ate anything I wanted to eat at breakfast and lunch.”

    She attained her desired size but right now she is married without children and blaming the lime she consumed for her ordeal.

    Another weight loss adventurer, Anthonia said there is nothing she has not tried. “I am registered with FLP, Swiss health, Kedi, and even Guarapad and I have used their entire slim product but nothing worked for me so I stopped searching for weight loss.”

    After trying the above, many young ladies have started to embrace a form of diet called Ketogenic Diet. Those who practise the diet believe that carbohydrate should be reduced drastically if not totally eliminated from their diet.

    They also believe that to fight fat, fat is needed hence they embrace olive oil, coconut oil, macadamia nuts, butter and some other fatty foods they call good fat.

    To be progressive on the plan, people are advised never to cheat as it will hamper their progress.

    Some of the ketosis – as they are called who spoke with The Nation gave their experience.

    Rita Ohai said some of the things they use include almond flour, milled flaxseed meal, coconut flour erythritol, liquid Stevia, cauliflower rice, bulletproof coffee and instead of water they are advised to drink ginger, lemon and mint leave drink.

    “These things are not what we see in shops around us so when we are able to get them we have to buy them in bulk so that we don’t cheat. For example I have not been able to make the Tuna Fish Salad, or Hamburger Patties, instead I make moi moi with blended chicken, make my swallow with pumpkin leave hardened with Psyllium husk, I also eat a lot of cabbage and eggs instead of the other foods we have around.”

    Nutritionist’s view

    A nutritionist, Amina Umaru who spoke with The Nation said there are a lot of diets out there that people are adhering to these days that is not beneficial to the healthy development of the body “and for young people it is dangerous to just get on diet because your body needs enough protein for growth and for wear and tear. Unlike elderly people that only daily need to maintain body weight and also repair of body tissue.”

    Saying there are some diets in recent times that have focused on just fat (keto), she said, the way the body is made is such that the best source of sugar for the body is still carbohydrates “and so if you put yourself on just a fat diet you have the tendency of building up certain compounds that are toxins to the body.”

    She said if you put yourself on a keto diet you are going to have issues, because carbohydrates have a protective effect on the liver to make it function very well.

    “So what I tell people when they come to me is that if you want to lose weight it is actually 70% diet and 30% exercise. What exercise does is to make sure that whatever fat you have already in your body can easily be moved out and you now cut down on your diet.

    “The correct diet to eat to lose weight is still a balanced diet. You have enough protein, carbohydrate, a little bit of fat and you have your vitamins and minerals; portion reduction is what works. If you are an office worker and you do a sedentary work, you don’t need a lot of carbohydrates but if you are a physical worker, like an architect, engineer or a farmer who is very physically active, then you need a lot of carbohydrates. The amount of carbohydrates that these two set need differs because of the high energy demand that the person who is mobile needs more than the person that is sedentary.”

    According to her, the saying that one is fighting fat with fat does not exist. “There is nothing like fighting fat with fat. In fact, there is a recent article by the America Institute of Health which shows that cholesterol is not as harmful to the body as we believe.

    “People who have been diagnosed as having too much cholesterol are usually told to cut down on their cholesterol intake but what they have found out is that if you cut down on your cholesterol intake, your body makes cholesterol naturally so the body will begin to make more cholesterol which is harmful to the body.

    “So cutting cholesterol in diet is now being questioned; so before you go on any diet, you should read about it. We only have one body, when something happens to the body; you cannot go into the market and buy another body so you need to take proper care of your body and the only way to sustain some of these things is to have proper diet.”

    She noted that the diet doesn’t have to be expensive but within what we are earning. “For adolescent who have weight problem, their approach to dieting will be different from elderly people who are obese. So when you talk about weight problem, you have to look at what are the physiological needs at that age before you can prescribe a diet.

    “One thing I will recommend is that they should visit specialist hospitals out there, even our general hospitals have nutritionist who can guide you on how best you can lose weight and they are not going to put you on fat diet.

    “They are not going to give you fake diet, they are not going to give you diet that you cannot afford but diet that you can work with because ideally when you want to give someone diet you sit with the person and find out the person’s history, what the person likes consuming, and then develop the diet that is not too restricted because if you develop a diet that is restrictive for a person, the person might adhere for a while and go back to his former lifestyle.”

    On how lime and lemon helps the body in losing weight, she said it is just one of those fads out there that lime burns fat. “First and foremost, lime is acidic, so taking lime on an empty stomach is not for your benefit, for people who have existing ulcers; it can have a devastating effect on their body system.

    “There is not too much difference between lime and lemon because both of them are citrus and both of them are acidic. It is completely different from putting like a drop or two of lemon inside water and drink.”

    According to her, “In the morning because of the way people are structured you should take a heavier food than what you take in the afternoon and in the night, take a heavier food than what you take in the evening because the bulk of the work we do for most people in Nigeria is in the morning and afternoon so you need to supply energy in your system in the morning.”

    On skipping meals, she said it is not okay. “The most important meal you are supposed to take in a day is your breakfast and it should be carbohydrates. I will advise adults not to eat after 6 pm every day because you need like four hours for your body to break down the food and for it to digest.”

    A doctor’s view

    Speaking on how people go under the knife to lose weight, Dr Akinkunmi Olukayode, Medical Director, Life Font Hospital, Igando said “if you talk about surgery in terms of losing weight, the only thing we talk about is liposuction and I am not sure it is done anywhere in Nigeria. Usually we achieve weight loss by adjusting the patient’s nutrition and increasing exercise.

    “If you look at weight gain as a form of equation, in put should be equal to output. The amount of calories you acquire when you eat should be equal to the amount of calorie you exchange either by form of exercise so the moment your input is greater than your output then the person begins to accumulate weight.

    “Fat is like a store of energy and the main fuel that the body uses is carbohydrate or glucose so once there is a rapid utilization of glucose and the amount of glucose in the body is running low, what happens is that the body begins to convert fat in the body to glucose. That is why for people who go on a long term fasting, they lose weight after a while because the body keeps converting fat into glucose for the body to be able to maintain its normal activities.

    “The idea is to increase output and reduce input by increasing your level of exercise and I advise people to do something that are sustainable and they can do for a long period of time and my example is walking round a big building 100 times a day. On the input; cut down on fat, so you will eat less carbohydrates and more proteins to reduce fat.”

    A word of caution

    On diet pills supplements, a recent research shows that they contain toxic chemicals that can wreak havoc on teenager’s hormones growth and mental health, while their body is still developing.

    The study shows that diet pills are unsafe for people of all ages especially teenagers because the pills interfere with their systems and result in nutritional deficiencies particularly of iron and calcium. The study revealed that diet pills often contain ingredients such as phentermine, orlistat and sibutramine substances that may keep the pounds away by messing with the body’s natural regulations but they come with a host of side effects including increased heart rate, fainting, unusual bleeding and heart attack. Another research shows that some of the pills contain substance that could cause seizures and strokes.

  • ‘Govt needs to address harmful regulations to enhance growth’

    ‘Govt needs to address harmful regulations to enhance growth’

    Mr. Antti Ritvonen is the Country Manager, Dizengoff Nigeria, a member of the United Kingdom (UK)-owned Balton CP Group. Dizengoff is one of the leading communication and agriculture companies in Nigeria, providing customers with the best innovative solutions in irrigation, greenhouses, tractor & implements, Agro-consumables, cyber-security, radio–communication, home land security, IT infrastructure and turnkey projects. Ritvonen, in this interview with DANIEL ESSIET, shares his opinion on several issues.

    With the economy technically out of recession, do you still see prospects for growth?

    I will speak from two perspectives. First, the environment is still tough for businesses to operate. I also think we are undergoing some massive growing pains at the moment, too.

    Operators have to work hard to achieve their goals. On the other hand, I see positive signs, especially with greater attention given to agriculture. That means a big opportunity for our agric business division. I think the government will likely get past these growing pains by focusing more on agriculture.

    Last year, regulation, skills, national debt, and taxes topped CEOs’ list of threats to business growth. None of these have been addressed this year. Do you still see over-regulation as a concern?

    At a sector level, there are a lot of regulations that are meant to guarantee food and human safety. This, not withstanding, I think it is wise to examine the possible effects of actions and the negative impact of over regulation on the market and the economy. The government needs to address harmful regulation in order to unleash economic growth.

    I am not saying there should be no regulation; I will appreciate a clearly definable reduction in the regulatory burden for the industry. For instance, agro chemicals are critical to improving food production.  As you know, agrochemicals and other crop protection products play a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity. To meet the food requirements of the nation, agricultural productivity and its growth need to be further improved. This can be achieved, using agrochemicals to provide pre and post-harvest protection to crops and agricultural output.

    Activists are campaigning against increasing use of agro chemicals and pesticides by farmers because of long-term health and environmental effects. What is your view on this?

    I support regulations on pesticide with an aim to better protect human health and the environment, and to make agriculture more sustainable. There are a lot of fake agro chemicals. I support regulations to stop such manufacturers from operating in other to save human lives and protect the business of farmers.

    I support the government efforts to control the spread of hazardous chemicals, but there are reputable organisations such as ours that are determined to produce and supply quality agrochemicals to farmers, especially safe and effective pesticides. We are capable of advising governments on technical issues relating to manufacture, use and safety issues relating to pesticides.

    How favourable is the tax regime to your industry?

    I  think the government needs to exempt  thee industries from  a lot of taxes  that will affect inputs used in the farm such as seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, tractors etc. as it will contribute to increase in prices of farm output. Farm output prices are controlled by market forces and the farmer has little control. As the input price rises and output price remains stagnant, the farmer will have no option, but to absorb the cost, thus increasing his burden.

    With the economy under stress, farmers and agro businesses will be reeling under tremendous pressure from many ends and the increased burden of taxes will create a crater in their incomes. If somehow, the output prices increase, the nation will suffer as the food prices will go up, thus creating trouble for the common man. The way out will be for the government to exempt the industry from heavy taxation. This will have a positive impact across all agricultural inputs and reduce the encumbrance on farmers.

    What can the government do to enable agriculture play its role in the overall economic development of the country?

    The sector needs an enabling environment where farmers can  access affordable  credit. The absence of production loans is the biggest hurdle.  I believe agriculture is an important part of the economic future of Nigeria. There is enough evidence to show that agriculture can play a role in modernising economy. Much of economic development in Nigeria is going to be based on industrialising agriculture, introducing land reform and developing the manufacturing industry.

    Looking at the growth of Nigeria ’s real GDP per capita over the last 10 years, agriculture contribution to  GDP has been  low. Generally, the process of economic transformation is characterised by a decline in the agricultural GDP share in employment over time, as labour moves to higher productivity sectors.   While agriculture’s share in GDP has been declining in the last 10years, unfortunately also, labour and other resources that can boost industrialisation were absorbed into other more productive sectors. Some of the challenges that the agricultural sector has faced has been land, policy inconsistency. The level of domestic investment is an issue. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) follows domestic investment; it does not lead domestic investment. The problem with Nigeria’s agriculture is that domestic investment has been too low, it is beginning  to pick and some silver lining coming from the current Foreign Direct Investment.

    I believe that the process of economic transformation is going to be driven by income growth, changes in demand and consumption patterns, technical change and increased productivity.

    What we are doing to support the government is to pursue a strategy focused on increased land productivity, accelerating agricultural growth for job creation with high value activities  across the value chain that  can raise incomes, employment and export opportunities. With the devaluation of the Naira seen by many as an opportunity for exports, cash crops and vegetables now comprise the largest exports in the sector.

    I believe the agric sector, is going to enjoy a period of strong success, but this will depend to a large extent on the implementation of  green alternative policy.

    How concerned are you with the policy, social and business threats to your organisation’s growth prospects?

    Government policies have big role to play in creating an enabling environment for foreign direct investment. Foreign companies are interested in investing under a favourable policy regime and robust business environment has ensured that foreign capital keeps flowing into the country.  I will suggest that the government does more to improve the ease of doing business in the country. Nigeria should be seen and felt as the most attractive emerging market for global businesses.

    FDI is often constrained by unfriendly regulations coupled with a generally unfriendly investment climate.  FDI is critical to enable Nigeria achieve food self-sufficiency.

    We are ready to work with the government to boost productivity by improving farm management practices.  To achieve this goal, we need to work within an environment where policies and regulations foster growth in the agriculture and food sectors, well-functioning markets, and where thriving agribusinesses will be supported to make more food available in rural and urban spaces.  I support regulations that ensure the safety and quality of agricultural goods and services without being costly or burdensome to the extent of discouraging individuals and organisations from investing in the sector.

     What types of technologies are you promoting to attain higher levels of productivity?

    We are doing a lot of things aimed at imparting new technologies or farmers to improve productivity.

    From drip irrigation to agro chemicals, quality inputs, we are promoting technologies and smart solutions for better agriculture. Our drip irrigation solutions are rapidly spreading nationwide.  Farmers  who  have  adopted our  technologies with improved  farming skills saw their production increased in many folds.

    Our experts regularly visit farmers and organise training sessions for them to increase their crop yields while using the appropriate  fertilizers and water optimally. We teach them ways to produce quality vegetables. We have demonstrated diverse technologies to the farmers. They can choose the technology that suits them best and maximise their yield and profits.

    We are providing tailor-made farm solutions to help producers grow vegetables.

    We educate farmers on when to plant, irrigate and harvest; and how to cope with drought; how to choose the crops best for their areas. The major production challenges faced by farmers include low yields, inadequate knowledge of improved varieties, limited skills and knowledge of recommended production technologies.

    When we sell our irrigation tools, we offer training to help benefitting farmers increase farm yields through the use of both improved varieties and accompanying crop management practices.

    Our greenhouse training, for instance, is a practical one.  In combination with discipline and determination, farmers exposed to new agricultural practices from our training can increase output from even one hectare. Our extension agents are trained on technologies to help farmers improve their yields.

    We are determined to empower smallholder farmers with the tools to meet the challenges ahead.

    They are also adopting more efficient water-management technologies, such as advanced drip irrigation.

    What is your approach to youth entrepreneurship?

    The future of Nigeria’s food security must rest with next generation of new young farmers.

    Our mission is to liberate the small scale subsistence farmer by providing a proven approach to become an agroprenuer, with a middle class income on a permanent sustainable basis, as well as bring fresh fruit and vegetables to the surrounding communities at affordable prices.

    We are determined to work with the government to support youths to increase crop yields, on a per hectare basis, by up to 75 times in gross weight harvested.  We want  to eliminate the current scandalous 60 per cent waste of the meagre quantities historically grown in the old fashioned ways, turned rotten by poor packing and long arduous transportation from the rural fields to the urban cities across the country.  We want to help youths produce quality produce at stable affordable prices across Nigeria. With the technologies we have acquired and working  through groups, we see big opportunities opening for young people and  the SMEs  to use technologies to produce food within limited  space to ordinary Nigerians.

    What is your partnership with Best  Foods Fresh  Farms Limited.

    We have  gone into partnership with Apel Capital and Best Foods Fresh Farms Ltd has gone for the establishment of an investment fund for modern greenhouse farming for investors in Lagos. As part of the project, Dizengoff delivers to Best Foods Farms Ltd 10 units of greenhouses to setup a demo/model farm at Igbodu in Epe, where it  already has a farm. Apel Capital will act as trustee for this investment fund. The Fund aims to achieve 35 per cent  return for investors, who are investing into this fund. The minimum investment required is N500,000.

    We are the  technical partner for the project and we will provide technical support on the project from installation, to training, to cultivation etc. We  will also provide trained agronomists to the farm and to greenhouses bought by the investment fund.

    We believe it is not enough to provide products alone, through our combined technical know-how, with do-how and quality inputs, we will perform consistently, day in and day out”. The partnership has different parties Best Foods Fresh Farm Limited – will play the role of the Fund Manager, while Apel Capital & Trust Limited will serve as the Trustee and Dizengoff Nigeria will operate as the Technical Partner in terms of production.

    What would you like people to understand about Dizengoff?

    We want to be reckoned with  as a private organisation that is providing  farmers with improved seeds that will yield more than 200 per cent  in comparison to the farmers’ varieties.

    For instance, we provide a  gravity-fed Family Drip System (FDS)  that can irrigate a crop throughout its entire cycle over a land area of up to 10,000m2. The vegetables cultivated under it with good crop management practices produce over 300 per cent more yields, than the rain-fed vegetables.

    Let me restate that mechanisation of crop production is the only sustainable means of reducing poverty among farmers. We are encouraging both corporate and individual farmers to use tractors; drip irrigation systems and greenhouses for fruits and vegetable production. Sustainable vegetable and crop production had been made easier with the use of modern and affordable farm equipment, kits and improved varieties of seeds. With greenhouse kits, a famer can  produce exotic tomatoes all-year-round even in the bacteria and wilt-infested areas. You can use green house  and plant tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, potatoes, groundnuts, different vegetables profitably.

    Greenhouse limits the devastating effects of insects pests and diseases that ravage vegetables including tomatoes. With little amount of land space and water, you can  get a yield far higher than your traditional open field product

  • Imported 10kg gas cylinders harmful, says SON

    Imported 10kg gas cylinders harmful, says SON

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has described as dangerous the imported 10 kilogrammes (kg) gas cylinders. It said the cylinders were carrying values meant for 3kg and 6kg cylinders.

    The agency made this known during the inspection of two 40-foot container loads of substandard gas cylinders worth about N50 million.

    SON Director-General, Osita Aboloma, who was represented by the Director of Compliance, Mr. Bede Obayi, said using a 6kg approval to bring in 10kg cylinders  subverted the regulatory standards and constituted economic sabotage.

    “The importer got approval to bring in 6kg, but went and imported 10kg camping gas, a different size, which is not in line with the standard. It is a typical negligence of the laws of the land,” Aboloma said.

    He urged the public not to patronise the 10kg cylinders because they are dangerous. SON, he said, has alerted its state offices to rid the market of the consignment.

    Aboloma said the only the 3kg and 6kg cylinders were approved for importation as camping gas, explaining that some unscrupulous importers were hiding under that to bring in 10 kg cylinders as camping gas.

    “The importation of 10kg cylinders as camping  gas is automatically out of the specification” Aboloma said.

    SON, he said, would prosecute importers of  the substandard gas cylinders and associated products.

    Importers would be made to follow regulatory guidelines as a way to avert danger, he said.

  • INTELS to LADOL: Stop harmful propaganda

    INTELS to LADOL: Stop harmful propaganda

    The management of the Integrated Logistics Limited (INTELS) has advised the management of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics base (LADOL) to stop tarnishing its hard-earned reputation by engaging in propaganda.

    LADOL allegedly accused INTELS of being behind the recent presidential directive to relocate its fabrication project for the Total’s Egina floating production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) to Bayelsa State from its Free Trade Zone in Lagos.

    The Managing Director, LADOL Integrated Logistics Enterprise, Dr Amy Jadesmii, told reporters in Lagos a letter from the Presidency directed that the project be relocated to Agge in Bayelsa State or any designated oil and gas terminal located in ports in Onne (Rivers State) , Warri (Delta State) and Calabar (Cross River State).

    But the management of INTELS (Onne port) during a tour of the facility by maritime correspondents urged LADOL to focus on its core area of business of managing its private jetty in line with extant laws and regulations instead of preoccupying itself with propaganda aimed at “undermining INTELS’ multi-billion dollar investments over the years built to serve Nigeria and the West African sub-region”.

    INTELS management said: “While acknowledging the legitimate aspiration of LADOL to expand its business beyond private jetty, it will be counter-productive for it to predicate its business expansion on damaging the corporate reputation of INTELS built over decades of hard work and investments.

    “Onne Free Trade Zone is one of the several concessions under our control and our core business is markedly different from that of LADOL and other concessionaires as approved by the Federal Government through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    “As a concessionaire for Onne, Calabar and Warri ports, we handle exclusively ocean going vessels dedicated to oil and gas cargoes in line with the terms of our concession and the regulations of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). We do not handle rice, cement or sundry cargoes,” the General Manager, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Mike Epelle said.

    Sources in the maritime sector also said that LADOL had in its quest to expand its scope of business, applied for permission through the NPA for integration of Egina deepwater FPSO at their private jetty but that the NPA Executive Committee after thoroughly examining the application technically and operationally said it is not possible for it to handle such operations at the jetty, which was duly communicated to LADOL. The NPA investigations showed that the width and draft of the Lagos channel cannot accommodate the facility (FPSO) because of limited room for safe maneuvering as the average depth and channels are 9.5 and 210 metres respectively, while the turning basin radius is less than the 600 metres required by global practice, which is the minimum radius for turning basin for FPSO.

    LADOL was informed that in view of the high traffic of vessels in the channel, the integration and movement of FPSO being towed by more than five tugs could lead to a blockade of the channel for weeks or months in the event of any accident during navigation in the channel.

    The sources stated that LADOL had approached directly the Ministry of Transport with a similar application which was also turned down. “But with no intent of giving up on the bid to expand the scope of its operations, LADOL resorted to engage directly with the Presidency. In a letter to the President, LADOL requested the approval for the handling of the FPSO at its facilities or in the alternative to be allowed to handle it or part of its operations at Agge Bayelsa State. The proposal requesting the President to approve the handling of the FPSO at its facilities at Agge is a clear indication that the company was interested in building such facility in Bayelsa,” the sources added.

    After due consultation with the relevant authorities, the Presidency responded and directed that the operation based on technical/operational reasons as adduced by NPA, Federal Ministry of Transport, and Office of the Security Adviser to the President, the FPSO can be handled by LADOL at Agge Bayelsa if such facility area is available or in the alternative be appropriately handled at the designated oil and gas cargo terminals fully equipped with facilities to handle such operations. The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) in 2013 protested to the Presidency against approval that seeks to grant permission to LADOL to handle the integration of the FPSO at its facilities located in Lagos, even as further correspondence from LADOL to the Presidency on the same subject and referred to the Minister of Transport, did not receive approval, the sources said.

    The Minister of Transport had recommended the FPSO integration be handled at Onne having the capacity to accommodate such a project and as spelt out in the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) in a letter of 2008, to concessionaires.

    To realise the full benefits and potential of the concessions, the House of Representatives in 2012 recommended that there is urgent need to enforce the ban on mid-stream discharge of cargoes as well as use of private jetties to discharge and load import and export cargo; that all oil & gas related cargoes are to be discharged only at appropriate designated terminals; that government should introduce incentives to the Eastern ports to make them more attractive to shipping companies, cargo owners thereby decongesting and reducing pressure to Western Ports; and that operators should be free to choose ports of discharging their cargoes within the designated ports of Onne, Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri, among others, the sources added.

    INTELS management appealed to the operators of the LADOL jetty to focus on finding solutions to their own problem because the issues are clearly matters that impinge on technical and security matters which are not under the control of the company.

  • Old Eastern Region widows protest harmful practices

    Old Eastern Region widows protest harmful practices

    Stella Edmund in this report captures the painful agonies of widows deprived of love and affection by the society on account of their poor stations in life

    Despite assurances by feminist groups of an equal opportunity like their male counterparts, many womenfolk around here still suffer a lot of privations more than they are willing to admit. And the reason for this is not far to seek: Nigeria remains a largely paternalistic society where the women still don’t occupy a pride of place in the scheme of things.

    In the eastern region of the country, women, it does appears, are victims of harmful cultural practices among other things largely bizarre.

    In its bid to suggest ways forward to streamline certain harmful practices in Igbo land, The Nation had in chat with the Eze Ndigbo Lagos, His Royal Highness H.N.Ohazulike while noting that very ancient tradition has been handed down by their ancestors since the origin of the Igbo race on earth, as such, cannot be easily abolished from the culture and mores of the land, however, said modernity has rubbed off on the way people observe these culture.

    Igbo land occupies a large mass of land which includes five states with many dialects and homogenous culture.

    Of the many vices in Igbo land, the issue of widowhood rights appears profound. A culture analyst, Titus Nwachukwu, while commenting on the problem of widowhood neglect, said it is a sore point.

    “The issue of widowhood right depends on the family or town where the woman is married. Although in Igbo culture, a woman is not entitled to her father’s property or have legitimate right, unless in her husband’s family whereas in some part of the area, when husband dies the woman is subjected to torture from their late husband siblings over right of ownership and if the deceased was sick before his death, some families may accuse the widow of killing her husband.  Therefore she will be subjected to drink the dirty water which was used to bath the dead and will be kept in isolation. She will not have bath for one week and after the burial, she will be asked to shave her hair, and wear black clothes for a period of one year.”

    Confirming this development, in a chat with Chioma Ogbonna, who said she has been a widow for the past 15years since her husband died and left her with three primary school three children, life has been hellish.

    First, she was thrown out by her in-laws, who, in the course of fighting over possessions with her, grabbed her late husband’s little savings and left them wretched. However, as her son came of age, many years later, he went to his uncle and demanded for his father’s properties, which expectedly resulted into a court case. Much to the grace of God, her son took possession of the properties, which include landed properties, cars and houses in Enugu.

    Her story however underlines the fact that a woman in the Igbo culture does not have legitimate right on issues like these. Women from that part of the country therefore face such problems and when there is problem in the families before the man dies, some members of the family will always come against you and capitalise on it because of what they want to benefit. Some will even label the woman an osu, meaning an outcast, a negative tag that emanated from pre-colonial slavery era and degenerated to what it is today. An example of people who are referred to as osu are Igbo people, who at very young ages, were taken or who travelled to distant places for a long time, and may not be able to trace their ways back to their original home or place of origin.

  • Improper management of e-waste harmful, say MTN, Ericsson

    Improper management of e-waste harmful, say MTN, Ericsson

    MTN and Ericsson have said electronic waste or e-waste not recycled properly is an under acknowledged environmental hazard around the world, lamenting that Africa, particularly West Africa, is one of the more highly affected continents.This is because large quantities of end-of-life materials from around the world end up at dumps in the sub-region.

    The two firms said they have partnered to jointly step up awareness campaign about the health hazards improperly managed e-waste potentially has on man and the environment.

    Ericsson said it has partnered the telco under the Ecology Management Programme, to launch the first electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) collection and awareness drive in Benin. This campaign is geared towards creating awareness and minimising the potential environmental impact associated with the disposal of decommissioned electrical and electronic equipment in the country.

    This project provides a sound platform for raising awareness and discussing these issues and proffering solutions to how best they could addressed.

    MTN Benin CEO, Malik Melamu, said global e-waste level is expected to increase 33 per cent by 2017.

    He said:  “Research shows that the world’s e-waste level reached 48.9 million tons during 2012 and is expected to increase 33 per cent by 2017. With our company’s commitment to being socially responsible, this challenge has caught our attention. We are leveraging on Ericsson’s wealth of experience in electronic waste management to not only evacuate the waste but also educate the general public and all key stakeholders about the importance of proper disposal of the growing electronic waste in the country and the world.”

    According to the firms, a collection depot with a 20-foot container has been opened at Stade de l’Amitié de Kouhounou, Cotonou, Benin Republic. It will be operational for one month with the invitation to the general public to use the opportunity to properly dispose off  all forms of electronic waste.

    MTN will dispose off all e-waste including old equipment purchased from Ericsson and at the close of the campaign, collected e-waste will be transported to an Ericsson-approved recycling partner in Durban, South Africa.

  • Musicians warned against harmful messages

    An Abuja-based artiste, Ojonogecha Obande-Haruna has urged Nigerian artistes to filter the content of their music, even as she regretted that artistes are ignorant of the power of music.

    Ogecha who prefers to be called an inspirational artiste said people have refused to associate themselves with gospel music because of the title “gospel.”

    According to her, the tag gospel restricts people from the song thereby hindering the growth of gospel music in Nigeria.

    Speaking with reporters in Abuja, Ogecha as she is fondly called said: “I feel there is need for artistes to filter their music regardless of how much money we want to make or how much fame we desire. We should be very careful of what we are telling people.

    “In terms of passing message through music, all musicians have a message they want to pass across, which depends on who you feel you want to pass the message to.

    “Music is a very powerful agent and some people don’t realise that. Some sing what they don’t even believe in, some sing what they would not teach their children to do or what they would not permit their children to do.

    Continuing, she said: “It is very dangerous because children are inspired by watching or listening to you and they quickly align their lives to yours maybe because what you sing about is similar to theirs. They follow what you sing without thinking. They may end up in places they don’t expect because of the kind of music that the industry churns out to the public.

    She noted that when Fela Anikulapo Kuti was alive, he influenced Nigerians and even beyond with his music because he had a message.

    “For me, whatever I will not do that will affect me negatively, I will not sing and whatever I feel would have adverse effect in the lives of the people, especially the young ones, I will not sing,” she said.

    On how gospel music is faring in Nigeria, she said: “I started with the tag: ‘gospel artiste’ but later on, I yanked it off. I have discovered that those who sing gospel music don’t live the kind of life expected of them. When you use the tag gospel, you put restriction to yourself and I feel that the message of the gospel is supposed to be delivered to everyone.

    She added: “How do I deliver the message to everyone if I wear the tag everywhere I go? Some people close their doors because of the tag, gospel. My message is for everybody. God does not discriminate and why should mankind discriminate?

    “I am an inspirational artiste because I sing inspirational music. I want my music to touch and give life, I’m not out to destroy people’s lives with my music. I want people to understand that they can enjoy life within certain limits, in such a way that you will not harm and have regrets later in life,” she said.

  • Lagoon fish can be harmful, expert warns

    Are you a lover of the popular point and kill fish delicacy, particularly those of you who live in Onitsha, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar? This news may not be palatable to you. An expert, Dr. John-Paul Unyimadu, has warned on the dangers of consuming fish from the rivers. He rather recommended only those from fish ponds. He posited that our rivers have been polluted by unhealthy chemical known as Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB). PCBs are organic pollutants found mostly in transformer and capacitor oils and are harmful to humans, plants and animals.

    At a one-day workshop held for journalists in Enugu on the dangers of PCBs, an environmental expert and National Technical Consultant to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Dr.  John-Paul Unyimadu said no part of the Lagos Lagoon, particularly the Ijora axis, is safe for the fish and other living organisms in the water.

    Unyimadu raised similar alarm about the Onitsha part of the River Niger where findings, he said, have shown a huge concentration of a harmful chemical that could cause cancer, reproductive and development toxicity, impaired immune function, negative effects on the central nervous system as well as other deadly health problems to both humans and other living organisms that come in contact with it.

    The expert revealed this while delivering a lecture entitled “PCBs: Concentrations in Sediments, Fish and Surface Water in Selected Locations in Nigeria.”

    Dr. Unyimadu said due to the high level of chemical Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) in the Ijora area of the Lagoon and Onitsha axis of the River Niger, fish and other living organisms in those bodies of water have become endangered species.

    “No part of Lagos Lagoon is safe now when you talk of the levels of the PCBs in the water,” Dr. Unyimadu said.

    He added: “In the Ijora Power Station area of the Lagoon, any living organism in that water is in danger depending on the level of PCBs and if organism is endangered, it means that man is also endangered.

    “Of the two locations, Ijora is much polluted. Then River Niger, the Onitsha axis of the river is also much polluted because manufacturers of plastic products and paints dump certain things that contain PCBs inside the river.”

    The workshop entitled, “Polychlorinated Biphenyls(PCBs): Understanding Their Health and Environmental Impact,”  was organised by the Nigeria Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Management Project, Federal Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the World Bank, Global Environment Fund and Moriah-Marketstrides Consortium Communications Consultants.

    Unyimadu recalled that way back in 1921, some chemists discovered and began manufacturing a certain chemical element known as Polychlorinated Biphenyls, also known as PCBs which are in the class of “organic compound found to be fire-resistant, stable and non-conductive to electricity and of very low volatility under normal conditions.”

    He explained that due to its characteristics, the chemical was used in the manufacture of certain oils that became vital in the operation of power conductors and electric equipment. “Electricity transformers became most efficient, running on the oil laced with PCBs.

    “Also, other lesser grade conductors such as electricity generating sets, capacitors used in lighting fixtures were designed to run on PCBs-laden oil, otherwise known as dielectric fluid.

    “Besides, industries adopted PCB-based oil as heat transfer fluids and a coolant for high temperature processes just as PCB-laden oil was very essential in the manufacture of plasticisers in sealants, caulking, synthetic resins rubbers, paints, waxes and asphalts.

    “With the discovery and manufacture of PCB containing oils, electricity processing and distribution processes became more efficient and manufacturing industries also started running more efficient machinery. PCBs and PCB-based oils were therefore of immense value and benefits to mankind, since 1921, through the years to recent time.

    “In fact, by early 1929, the characteristics associated with PCBs made it ideal for many industrial applications and for the manufacture of many consumer products. The use became more predominant between 1950 and 1970,” he said.

    However, in the early 1980s, it was discovered that the all-important PCBs contains toxic properties that are harmful to every living thing – man, animal and even the environment.

    “Due to the dangerous effects of PCBs, it was banned worldwide. In early 1980s, PCBs were classified among the 21 most dangerous chemicals marked for complete elimination at a Stockholm Convention of 2001,” Unyimadu said.

    “The transformer oil we were using in those days has become harmful today. People should be very careful about what they eat and how they live,” he warned.

    The objective of the workshop which is billed to hold in three major cities of Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu is to sensitise the public on the dangers of living with PCBs.

  • Women warned against harmful practices against children

    Women warned against harmful practices against children

    •Group decries low education on infant mortality

    THE Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, has urged policy makers to adopt and implement policies that would prevent women from inflicting harmful practices on their children.

    The minister spoke in Abuja, the nation’s capital, as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s Day of the African Child.

    She also urged development partners to compile, adopt and implement national plans which protect, respect, promote and fulfil the rights of children to be protected from harmful traditional practices.

    The policies, she said, include introducing public awareness and education involving policy makers, respected elders, traditional leaders and community workers.

    Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration: Eliminating Harmful Social and Cultural Practices Affecting Children: Our Collective Responsibility, Hajia Maina, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Hajia Habiba Muda Lawal, said everyone must ensure the protection of children.

    She regretted that many children in the country are subjected to harmful practices that have negative impact on their psyche and personality development.

    The minister listed these as female genital mutilation, child marriage, honour killings, son preference, witchcraft labelling, among others.

    Also, Mothers’ Pride, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has criticised governments at all levels for not doing enough to educate about the negative impact of maternal and infant mortality, especially among rural dwellers.

    The group noted that federal, states and local governments need to educate the populace to boost literacy level and reduce diseases, such as hypertension, cancer, malaria and typhoid.

    It regretted that such diseases have reduced the nation’s population.

    The Director, Mother’s Pride, Mrs Oladunni Korede-Shokunde, spoke in Lagos at a sensisation programme she organised in partnership with the First Baptist Church, Agbado, Lagos.

    She said: “We need proper public education and the support of institutions, like religious organisations, to reduce these scourges.”