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Tag: health

  • Health benefits of tiger nuts

    Health benefits of tiger nuts

    Tiger nuts also called aya (Hausa), ofio (Yoruba) or chufas (Spanish) are a highly nutritious plant food with a high energy content (starch, fats, sugars and proteins). These small, round tubers (either fresh or dried) are rich in minerals such as phosphorous, potassium and vitamins E and C.

    Tiger nuts are very healthy as they help to prevent heart attacks, thrombosis and activate blood circulation. Due to the high contents of soluble glucose, they prevent cancer and lately some investigators have discovered that they reduce the risk of suffering colon cancer. The very high fibre content combined with a delicious taste, make them ideal for healthy eating.

    High fiber content

    The tiger nut has a higher fiber content than the oat bran, the cabbage, the carrot, plums and the Chia seeds. The fiber helps the organism to prevent constipation and acts as an appetite suppressant, which helps us to control our body weight.

    Has the same benefits for the heart as the olive oil

    Cardiologists recommend eating non saturated fats or vegetable fats and the tiger nut has a lipid profile which is very similar to the olive oil, which is considered one of the healthiest oils.

    One of the best natural magnesium sources available

    With only 100 gr. of tiger nuts, your body gets 13% to 17% of the daily recommended dose of magnesium. This mineral stays active in the body and participates in more than 300 biochemical reactions of our organism.

    Helps to control blood pressure

    It’s high content of amino acid arginine helps the body make nitric oxide which keeps our blood vessels dilated and have a normal blood flow.

    Can help to prevent cancer and heart diseases

    The tiger nuts is a source of Vitamin E that protects us from the creation of harmful free radicals which are responsible for the death of the body cells. This fact, combined with a high content of oleic acid, has demonstrated that it reduces the risk of heart diseases.

    Gives your body more potassium than a banana

    Eating 25 tiger nuts gives the body 139 mg. of potassium, being this the same level as a potato or an avocado and exceeding the potassium levels of a banana. This mineral helps the cells and organs to work correctly. It also regulates the muscle contractions, which helps your digestion.

    Source of non-animal protein

    The proteins are fundamental for the human body. Different studies have demonstrated that the Chufas have a content of proteins which is 8% higher than wholemeal wheat. Also the Tigernuts have more amino acids than standards of the World Health Organisation for proteins.

    Helps to control diabetes

    The high non soluble fiber contents of the tiger nuts help the diabetics to regulate their sugar levels in the bood. Recent studies have demonstrated that the fiber doesn’t elevate the sugar levels in the blood as the carbohydrates.

    The tiger nuts milk is a perfect substitute of animal milk

    It’s very easy to make your own tiger nuts milk with cooking equipment that can be found in every kitchen. Together with a few chufas we can prepare a vegetable milk, that is healthy, without lactose and rich in calcium, vitamin C and E.

    Tiger nut oil is used in the cosmetic industry. As an anti-oxidant (because of its high content in vitamin E) it helps slow down the ageing of the body cells. It favours the elasticity of the skin and reduces skin wrinkles.

    It supplies the body with enough quantity of Vitamin E, very essential for fertility in both men and women.

  • Health Week targets 60,000 expectant mothers

    The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Development Board (PHCDB) has said that this year’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, is targeting over 60,000 expectant mothers in the FCT.

    The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr. Rilwan Mohammed who made this known at the flag-off of the FCT Health Week, said that they will integrate HIV, by making sure that “we carry out HIV screening during the programme”.

    According to him, the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week was conceived to deliver a package of key maternal, neonatal and child survival interventions that have been proven to reduce maternal, neonatal and child mortality as contained in MDGs 4 and 5.

    He said that Nigeria’s estimated maternal mortality rate of 545/1000 in 2008 has increased to 576/1000 in 2013 (NDHS, 2008; NDHS, 2013), that the under five mortality rate in Northcentral zone where the FCT is located is 100 deaths per 1000 live birth (DHS, 2013).

    “Approximately one million under five children die annually. Malnutrition prevalence amongst fewer than five children in the FCT like most Nigerian states is alarming. Stunting 29.6 per cent, wasting 18.8 per cent and underweight 16.0per cent. micronutrent malnutrition is also prevalent.

    “These rates are still unacceptably high. Although, considerable achievements have been recorded in certain areas, Vatimin A above 80 per cent in 2014, we still need to do more. The Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week is a special week set aside by the federal government two times every year to deliver key interventions at the grassroots with focused awareness and service delivery on maternal, newborn and child health care.

    “This MNCH week will provide health facilities based activities like Routine Immunisation against vaccine preventable diseases for children 0-11months, growth monitoring, promotion and food demonstration, Vitamin A supplementation for children 6-59months, birth registration, family planning services, hand washing demonstration, oral rehydration salts, long lasting insecticide nets to eligible mothers, focus ante natal care for pregnant women with iron folate and anitimalarial administration,” he said.

    Mohammed, while urging eligible woman, new born or child not to miss any of the package of care, reiterated the urgency and need for everyone to embrace the programme, saying that he relies on everyone to take the role of MNCHW ambassador to encourage and mobilise women, caregivers and children to health facilities.

  • Riders for Health: Taking healthcare beyond boundaries

    Riders for Health: Taking healthcare beyond boundaries


    There is no doubt, that the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and many other non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as various parastatals have over the years, embarked on numerous programmes to provide health care for mothers and children across less privileged communities in Africa. Interestingly, the more these health organisations make efforts, the less their efforts go in reducing maternal and child mortality, thus, the need for ‘Riders for Health’. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports in 2014, Nigeria loses about 2, 300 of her under five year old children per day, which is approximately 839,500 children in a year. The same report has it that 145 pregnant women reportedly die either at child birth or after child birth per day. And this amounts to 52, 925 women per year. Given this statistics, Nigeria, like many other African countries, ranks high as one of the countries with large contribution to the under five and maternal mortality rates in the world. Worthy of mention here is the fact that many of these deaths could be prevented if aid gets to those who need them, regardless of their locations – rural or urban settlement. It is largely true that the coverage and quality of health care service delivered to communities that are at the outskirts or in far rural areas has continued to fail both women and children in Nigeria. Thus, the need to introduce a project called: ‘Riders for Health’. ‘Riders for Health’ is an international social enterprise that strives to manage and maintain vehicles for health focused partners in sub Saharan Africa with the view of delivering health care services to communities far from cities. The expertise to be put in place by this project in transport management will enable health workers deliver vital health care to rural communities on a reliable and cost effective basis. The need for 'Riders for health' became pertinent considering the challenges faced by health care givers in reaching communities that are far removed from urban settlements. What this means is that, not only that those members of communities that are far from cities often struggle in vain to get health care, even health care workers likewise struggle in a bid to save affected Riders for Health employees the use of every form of motor vehicles to deliver health care facilities as well as move health care givers to concerned communities. Among the motor vehicles employed by this project include motorcycles, ambulances and other four wheel vehicles used in the delivery of health care in seven countries across Africa. These countries include Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and The Gambia. The project is in collaboration with ministries of health, international and African NGOs, private sector organisations, local community based organisations and religious groups, to improve access to health care, Furthermore, the project has the capacity to take care of an estimated 14 million people across the seven African countries mentioned above. For example, one single motor vehicle plus one rider has the capacity to cover 56.7 kilometers and beyond within a month covering a total of 5.1 million people. At the core of this community focused project is both training and preventive vehicle maintenance. The essence for running reliable vehicle fleets cannot be separated from the need to ensure that the chain in health care delivery is never broken by failing vehicles thereby increasing health workers’ The same way, prevention is better than cure in human health, so is maintenance better than repair for automobiles, hence the need for constant maintenance, which is also cheaper to keep a vehicle running efficiently over time than to repair it when it breaks down completely. The programmes have been designed to provide training and employment opportunities to build local  a project focusing on human health, the service of highly skilled technicians becomes vital to regularly travel to service vehicles in the communities in which health workers serve. In addition to training health workers to drive safely in the difficult terrain, there would also be training for them on how to carry out daily checks on their vehicles. This is because, majority of the population of sub Saharan Africans live in rural areas where the best roads are little more than dirt tracks. Public transport is infrequent and delivering health care on foot or by bicycle between sparse villages is an exhausting and ineffective task. Simply put, without reliable transportation system, the millions of pounds invested in vaccines, drugs, bed nets, condoms and to train health professionals every year will be wasted because they will fail to get to where they are needed on time. There is therefore every reason for this project to achieve the set goal in order to have a safe and healthy world.

  • Health and spiritual benefits of ramadan

    Another Ramadan wave swept across the Islamic world last Thursday, inviting adherents to new life in body and spirit.

    I say New Life because, as given to mankind, the Ramadan should be a lifeline for the salvation of a humanity rapidly sinking into spiritual perdition. That is, it is well recognize, well understood and the help it brings well applied in daily relationships. But just in this, many adherents appear ignorant and fail. For the fast on its own does not confer any spiritual value or benefit or bring any blessing from On High upon the dutiful adherent who observes it as a matter of routine.

    What brings blessings is the value of the change which the change Ramadan experience wrought in the adherent who observes it.

    To understand this, it is important to appreciate life in Arabia before the advent of Prophet Mohammed, who was called and sent on a Spiritual mission to that region, from which the message he brought was to spread to people in other regions who may need it.

    In Arabia before the prophet, earthly existence was brutish, hellish and short. A father could have his daughter murdered in sacrifice to a guest just to prove to the visitor that he was well valued. Distrust, like mischief and treachery, was rife. Robberies were well organized and on large scale. From the book TALES FROM ARABIAN NIGHTS, those days of yore can still be gleaned in stories of Abdul and the Angel, and Alli Baba and the forty thieves. The trade routes were menaced by gangs of thieves Evil filled the land which the Darkness had embraced suffocatingly. Yet it was in this land that hope for the spiritual salvation of mankind was anchored long, long before the prophet.

    A pure tribe, like an oasis in the desert, separated itself well enough from this morass to become what we may call a “chosen race”. I am not speaking about the children of Israel. What we know of them and the anchorage of Jesus the Lord in their midst, happened long after the anchorage of an equally high one among them in the beginning of a monumental spiritual world event. Definitions are important keys for unlocking a code or laying bare of concepts. The world is a concept which, spiritually speaking refers not to this earth. Man, in his obtuseness, dragged down the concept to mean the earth. The World refers not just to our gigantic universe but to all the seven which comprise the material areas of Creation. Of them, the Bible speaks of “the seven churches of Asia”. Asia is the spiritual name of this World. And each “church” is each of the sevens in our universes. In our own universe; Ephesus is the spiritual name of earth our host.

    The Lord Jesus would speak of “my Father’s House” in which there are many “many mansions” How else may one fathom, many mansions in one house except through spiritual understanding of the concept which encapsulates the information?

    As I said, a world event was unfolding long ago in Arabian land in which, later, prophet Mohammed would be privileged to participate, having made himself worthy of the call of his Maker, Allah, to serve Him in Arabia. Unknown to many people, including some adherents of Islam, it was not only in the bringing of Islam to Arabia that prophet Mohammed had been involved in Allah’s service.

    Not to digress, that pure tribe, an oasis in the hellish Arabian before the prophet, was no more by the time of Prophet Mohammed. It had fulfilled its mission, its ruins buried deep in the Arabian desert, to preserved and to be unveiled in the fullness of time, like all things else, as the  cycles of events spurn a long time ago close, alongside the closing of all great cycles of World Events in the Final Judgment.

    s the World inches its way towards this end –time, help was sent to man in different parts of the earth to prepare them for this inevitability.

    Thus, Prophet Mohammed received instruction which he passed on, and in what it today, we know as Islam. We must appreciate nevertheless to the capacity of some of the followers to distort these pure teachings for their selfish pursuit in the search for power and influence over men. Accordingly, we must approach these teachings spiritually and meticulously fish out grains of truth from the hay stack of their distortions.

    Islam, as the great prophet Mohammed taught, comprises Seven Pillars. Ramadan is one of these pillars. Ramadan is a month in the Islamic Calendar set aside for dawn to dusk fast. Some Islamic teachers have tried to locate social deficiencies which the Ramadan is meant to correct. Some scholars believe some Arabians of those days lived in Opulence while a majority lived in abject poverty with little or nothing to eat. The Ramadan, say these scholars, was to teach self deprivation and sharing. I believe, like some other Islamic Scholars that the Ramadan has far deeper origins in the spiritual destiny of those people it was addressed to. And this falls in two dimensions, namely: (1) support for the radiant health of man’s physical body. Without this body, he cannot exist on earth; without this body being in perfect, radiant health, he cannot use it as a tool for achieving the purpose of his existence, especially on earth.  As stated, this purpose is self-development, from unconscious to self conscious life, recognition of God, recognition of creation, other species of creation and various worlds they inhabit. Understanding and unconditional fulfillment of His adamantine or unchanging Will in His Creation. But just this Lucifer opposes and ever seeks to prevent. When a man is calm and his body is healthy, he is able to ask such helpful questions as (1) who am I? (2) Where am I From? (3) Why am I here? (4) Where do I go from here? What become of me after earthly sojourn? Only a healthy and calm man asks these questions. But suffering and the imminence of death may also help. To make the body unhealthy and unable to support the spirit in this quest, Lucifer’s minions gave to man ideas for the nurture of his physical body which oppose the plan of Mother Nature, through whose activities God speaks to His creations, including man. Thus, cigarette smoking damages the lungs and the respiratory system, apart from inhibiting the immune system, and above all pollutes the gift of fresh air not only for the smoker,, but also of other inhabitants of the earth.

    Alcohol suppresses the brain, damages the liver and supports prostate enlargement. Refined sugar, hydrogenated fats and fried foods cause digestive disorders, obesity and degenerative diseases such as Diabetes, hypertension, strokes and even cancer.

    Drinking water is polluted. So is the air. Pesticides poison food crops, while fertilizer devitalize and denature foods. So do carbonated drinks and sodium.

    A fast such as the Ramadan fast helps to free the body from the burden of food and digestion and releases energy for the detoxification of poisons it has accumulated from food, air and water over many months or years.

    The effects can be noticed on the tongue and the skin, when the fast begins, some tongues exhibit coatings of all sort of colours, indicating the biochemistry going on within. Some people may develop a rash on the skin if the toxin discharge from the cells is so much that the liver and the kidneys cannot cope with it and the skin, ask for a helping hand, is irritated and reacting accordingly. It is unhelpful to suppress such a rash with creams. Like water disturbed in it course, the toxins will find another exit. Or, rather, the body will find another exit route for them. If this is through the respiratory system, another eliminating outlet, the bombardment may cause, say, asthma in the future.

    Spiritually, the aim of the Ramadan is to prevent full-scale plunge into materialism, which gives man little or no time for matters of the spirit, his being, and so life beyond this earth, in the vast world beyond senses of the earth body. When the body rests from food and the stress of work pursuits every day, its currents becomes finer and it is able to loosen its almost suffocating embrace on the Spirit, the tenant within, without dis-engaging from their union. Thus freed, the spirit for a while, is able to soar homewards. Already, the five daily prayers and the ablution have prepared some grounds for this. When one has to think of Allah five times in one day in prayer sessions during which the forehead is made to touch the earth in “submission” to Him, one should have little or no time for evil thoughts or actions. The ablution reinforces this. Before each of these five prayers, the adherent of Islam must wash hands, feet and mouth. Externally, this symbolizes cleanliness before Allah is approached. It also signifies that, while the “outside” Is clean, the “inside”, too, should be.

    One of the reinforcements of the injunction is the admonition that no annoyance or guile survive beyond sunset in the heart (soul). Contravention is rewarded with denial of Divine blessing. These, and more, are great life lines for spiritual development and ascent which, through the Prophet Mohammed has been afforded a true adherent of Islam, as indeed any human being who follows the injunctions. For the Koran makes no distinction among men in this regard. It says in two references to this fact that only three conditions are necessary for salvation. (1) Belief in one God (2) Belief in the hereafter and (3) A righteous life.

    he Koran says any Christian, convert (moslem) or Jew (unbeliever) who fulfils these conditions would be admitted to Paradise. But, alas, today many Islamic scholars lead the adherents on the easy broadway where they teach that, by merely fasting, they please God. This has the tendency to make the Ramadan become a routine, a habit, and not a festival which it should be, when all the rags of the soul are shred and, burned, and the ash buried, and new enabling nature takes root in the soul. It is this inward change which characterizes being born again, not empty, verbal proclamations even among Christians who are quick to utter these words.

    During the Ramadan and any organized fast such as the Christian Lent, I strive to observe the season inwardly, that is, in spirit. And I know joy when, at the end of it all, I discover I have taken something good away for the improvement of my earth life. Currently, I have been sharing ideas with one of my sons on the human world. There are no accidents in Creation. There cannot be any in God’s work. And it isn’t accidental that only the human specie form words and speak them the way we do. When I remember the opening words of the Bible, the significance of the human word for the fate or wellbeing of the speaker strikes me powerfully. It says “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and God is the Word. “of course, we know the Word is the Law, and it was the Divine words LET THERE BE LIGHT which brought creation into being under the pressure of the Law. In other words, those words had a creative effect. In other words, the Human word as a gift has a forming effect. When we alter a word, that word exerts pressure on the environment. We are, with the spoken word, like posters forming objects with clay.

    Nature beings impress our words on enteric substance, thereby forming them into forms which correspond to the nature of our thoughts or the words we express from them, good or ill, noble or ignoble. These then forms attach themselves to us as their authors, drawing into themselves similar forms. One day, this huge army will cause the nature of their being to manifest in our environment and around our persons. The human word, spoken, derives its origin from thought. And as the forms of those words spoken must bring to us the fate which corresponds to their nature, no- one will ever rise beyond his thoughts and the words he utters asked my son and henceforth watch people around him carefully, and see if their lives and well being are different from the nature of words they utter. He is reminded that this is why, while he was growing up, he was forbidden to say certain words. Today, these words fill the music of young people and the vocabulary of many people. Any wonder, then, that everything is more upside down today than the parents of the people of my generation said our days as young people were dis-arranged? 2015

  • Lagos, agency partner on grassroots health

    The hall of the Eti-Osa Local Government Secretariat, Igbo-Efon, Lekki, Lagos was packed full. The participants comprised mostly women- expectant and nursing mothers, babies and toddlers and men, especially community leaders. They had one mission: to witness the launch and take off of the Pro-poor Community Health project in Lagos State. Their local government is the first beneficiary.

    It consists of Ikota Bamboo; Ebute-Ajiran; Jakande (Ilasan community) and Ebute-Ikate-Gbame community. The Marwa Association/Keke NAPEP members were also in attendance. They are in partnership with the project, with the understanding to transport any woman in labour in any of these communities to place of delivery round the clock; or anybody that needs medical attention.

    The pro-poor community health project is an initiative by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Health that focuses on strengthening outreach services in communities and encouraging members of the community to take advantage of health care services provided at the primary health centers (PHCs) close to them.

    The Chief Resident Representative of JICA, Mr. Hirotaka Nakamura, said JICA’s activities in the health sector is hinged on maternal, newborn and child health and strengthening the health system in Nigeria.

    Nakamura said the project was not the first in the state as the agency’s activities are evident by past projects which include the project for improvement of maternal, newborn and child health from 2010 to 2014.

    He explained: “JICA’s first phase of health project was aimed at providing intervention to health care providers through midwifery skill trainings on antenatal care, delivery management, and training on activities to improve operating environment which aims to promote the efficiency of routine works conducted at target PHCs.

    “The phase also aim at providing intervention to community through capacity building for ward health committee, health education for male and community needs assessment, stressing that one of the outcomes of the first phase revealed that more women had enrolled for antenatal care adding however that a number of women still prefer to deliver at home rather than health facilities.

    ”It is against this background that the current phase of the project focuses on encouraging members of the community to take advantage of the health care services provided at the primary health centres close to each community.”

    Nakamura expressed optimism that access could be achieved by strengthening outreach services in communities, increasing awareness about health and environmental health in community, initiating activities that help community members engage in matters concerning their health and mapping out possible solutions to challenges to access health care services and strengthen capacity of health care providers; as he solicited the support of the local government authority and community leaders for successful implementation of the project adding that cooperation and understanding for the project will no doubt, ensure the effort of health workers will be worth a lot and yield the desired result.

    The Medical Officer of Health, Eti Osa, represented by the Apex Nurse, Mrs Stella Adesiyan explained to the audience that the pro-poor community health project sponsored by JICA commenced in  2014 and is expected to end in  2018. The aim is to expand and improve the concept of universal health coverage, reduce child morbidity and mortality and improve maternal health.

    He said: “Aside this, it will also strengthen the health services being rendered; ensure sustainability of the health services and establish health services for the poor. The effective implementation, with your cooperation will reduce child morbidity and mortality rate and improve maternal health as envisaged in the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5.

    “We expect the community dwellers to take advantage of this project by ensuring the increasing utiisation of healthcare facilities; encourage early registration  by pregnant women at the health facility and increasing participation of community dwellers in health activities and programmes.”

  • Boosting health with mobile phone

    Boosting health with mobile phone

    The mobile phone technology is fast providing answers to the challenges facing the human race, simplifying processes. Already, there are some wearable devices in the market. Fitbit Flex is one of them. It is a band strapped around the user’s wrist and tracks how many steps he takes, the distance he travels and how many calories he burns. Mobile health is gaining traction, writes LUCAS AJANAKU.

    A major challenge facing Nigeria, like other developing countries, is how to improve access to quality health care for the entire population. This is the principal reason that motivated the idea of health insurance which the Federal Government has pursued vigorously in the last one decade or so.

    Indeed, it is the way to go. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a recent report said, “A health system where individuals have to pay out of their own pockets at the moment of seeking treatment restricts access to only those who can afford it, and is likely to exclude the poorest members of the society.”

    Even a fairly comfortable man may find that he does not have enough money in his account at the exact time he falls sick, especially when the sickness happens towards the end of the month when he has finished spending his last salary.

    This is why, across the world, a broad range of risk-pooling mechanisms or insurance schemes are increasingly being utilised to boost populations’ access to health care and reduce the financial burden of health services.

    However, as laudable as the health insurance is, it has not been embraced by the populace as expected. The Federal Government is working on the target of providing health insurance for at least 30 per cent of Nigerians by the end of this year.

    Globacom has taken a giant step in assisting the Federal Government to achieve this target by introducing what it called the Glo Mobile Health Insurance Scheme. The package is put together in partnership with the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and Salt and Einstein MTS.

    The mobile health insurance product was unveiled in Abuja recently by top Globacom officials and senior officials of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

    According to Globacom, this product is aimed at bringing health care to millions of Nigerians through their telephone handsets. The scheme will guarantee Globacom customers free and easy-to-access consultation and medication in over 8,000 hospitals across the country. It will open a viable avenue for millions of people to come under the health insurance coverage, enabling them to sign up to one of the many Health Management Organisations accommodated in the scheme.

    To benefit from this package, Globacom subscribers need to do dial *616# on their mobile phones and they will instantly be placed on the Glo Health platform after a simple registration process.

    Once subscribed, they will be able to use their mobile phones for a range of pre-defined medical treatments for which affordable premiums are remitted through the subscribers’ mobile phone credit.

    The package also comes with supply of drugs free from NHIS accredited operators across the country for subscribers who are consistent in the payment of their premiums for the first three months.

    The premiums have been deliberately made affordable for virtually everyone. Subscribers can pay N35 per day, N250 per week or N1000 per month to qualify to benefit from the mobile insurance package.

    “We do not know when we will fall sick and require medical attention. The beauty of health insurance is that it takes away the burden of worrying whether you will have any money left in your account or in your wallet when next you fall sick. With health insurance cover, anytime you fall sick, you can rest assured that you will have access to quality medical treatment even if you have nothing left in your wallet or in your bank account,” said Globacom’s Regional Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Ashok Israni.

    According to him, there are millions of Nigerians yet to tap into the immense benefits of health insurance. He said the initiative would open a viable avenue for some of these people to come under the health insurance coverage, enabling them to sign up for one of the many Health Management Organisations accommodated in the scheme.

    He said the product will go a long way in realizing the national objective of extending health insurance to Nigerians regardless of their financial status or social class.

    “Together with our partners, Salt & Einstein MTS and NHIS, Globacom is committed to achieving universal health coverage for all Nigerians within the shortest time possible,” Israni added.

    The Chairman of Salt and Einstein MTS, Ernest Ndukwe, said the scheme would reduce the fear of the cost of health care among the populace. According to him, many Nigerians are typically afraid of going to the hospital when they are ill, but with the product, that fear has been removed. He praised Globacom for its efforts in midwifing the scheme.

    The Executive Secretary of NHIS, Dr. Femi Thomas, said the beauty of the scheme is that the health care cost of one person is shared by all subscribers such that the financial burden is virtually lifted off . He commended Globacom for providing its infrastructure for the project.

  • Health workers may resume suspended strike over demands

    THE Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) has threatened to resume their suspended strike nationwide unless the Federal Government look into their 15-point demand and implement them.

    In his welcome address yesterday in Uyo during the opening of its 6th Triennial Delegates Conference, NUAHP National President, Felix Olukayode Faniran, appreciated President Goodluck Jonathan for taking steps to ensure the stability of the nation, even at a cost to his personal ambition.

    He, however, urged him to, in the same spirit, take steps immediately to address all the 15-point demands of the Joint Health Sectors Union (JOHESU), which he had agreed to.

     Faniran said if their demands were not met, they might be forced to resume the suspended strike.

    The NUAHP President said they were determined to  establish consultancy status for the union’s members as well as pursue the post of chief executive officers of Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals for them.

    He said the union would pursue court cases, agitation and negotiations to get what its members want.

    “The hopes of many allied health professionals, which had been dampened before now, are being resuscitated.

    “Attempts are now being made to establish consultancy status for our members, payment of specialist allowance and participation in the post of chief executive officers of our tertiary hospitals are being pursued vigorously,” he said.

    Faniran, however, regretted that National Health Act did not mention the existing registered traded unions or recognising their roles in the healthcare services.

    According to him, the Act did not also provide for composition of Federal Ministry of Health despite the union’s strong position on the matter.

    He asked that the Federal Ministry of Health to reflect the various healthcare professional groups in the health sector with creation of directorates.

  • HEALTH CORNER

    Do you take biscuits, snacks, fruit juice or drinks to school? Have you ever read the contents. The packages? They mostly contain artificial Flavours and a lot of sugar that are not too good to be eaten daily.

    Instead of artificial fruit drinks and snacks why not tryout a fruity snack!

    This week, ask your mum to get you some common fruits to snack on in school.

    Have a Fruity Snack Week.

    Try these on;

    Monday: 5 sticks of carrots with some peanut butter or groundnut paste.(small picture of carrots )

     

    Wednesday: 4 bananas and peanut burger or roasted groundnuts. (picture of banana)

    Friday: An apple and some slices of cucumber (picture of apples )

  • Sweet potatoes: The health, wealth benefits(2)

    Sweet potatoes: The health, wealth benefits(2)

    PERHAPS the Agriculture Minister Adewumi Adesina is right when he declared recently that the nation has no choice rather than turn her economic search light on agriculture that gave her the economic leverage to hold her head in the comity of nations in the early 60s.

    Adesina spoke during the 50th anniversary of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan. Describing the decline in the price of crude oil as a wake up call, the minister said Nigeria must invest even more in agriculture with a view to diversifying the economy and building economic resilience.

    “Agriculture must become Nigeria’s new oil; we should build our food supply, create wealth and generate jobs out of agriculture. Our goals are to enable the private sector to unlock the potentials of the agricultural sector,” he said.

    Against this backdrop, the Nation went round the country to assess the potential and economic advantages the country stands to benefit from sweet potato putting into cognisance its nutrient and health values.

    Sweet potato which is an house hold tuber in Nigeria, is called edia-makara in Anaang, dankai in Berom, iyan-ebo in Edo, bia mbakara in Efik, ba-fadamee in Hausa, ediam-umani in Ibibio, ji-bekee or nduku in Igbo, beke buru in Ijo-Izon, dangali in Kanuri, dangura in Mambila, duku in Nupe, atsaka in Tiv, imitata or ole-oyinbo in Urhobo, anamo or odunkun in Yoruba

    Nigeria is the third largest producer of sweet potato in the world after China and Tanzania.

    Just like other crops that were neglected and relegated to mere stable food after the discovery of oil, sweet potato was seen as a tuber for mere consumption especially in the rain forest area of the country.

    Speaking to this reporter in Offa, Kwara state, an octogenarian Alhaji Jinadu Bello, said that the people of the area have been consuming sweet potato as stable food from time immemorial whether as porridge or pounded.

    However, its nutrient and health benefit attracted international attention in 0ctober 2009. In an effort to improve intake of nutritious food by African children, the International Potato Centre (CIP) launched an Africa-wide project to exploit the untapped potential of the crop in eight African countries over a five year period.

    Tagged  Sweet Potato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) and  sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,the project  covers  Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Ghana.

    The center targets about 1 million farming families in the eight countries.

    The plan is to help the poorest small holder farmers to grow more sweet potatoes and get it to the market as the world’s single most powerful lever for reducing hunger and poverty.

    According to CRIN, sweet potato produces better yields in poor condition with fewer inputs and less labour than other staples, making it particularly suitable for households threatened by migration, civil disorder or diseases like AIDS.

    Throwing light on the project, the Director General of  International Potato Centre, Dr Pamela Anderson said it “will improve the food security, nutrition and livelihood of at least 150,000 families directly with an indirect impact on one million families in sub-Saharan Africa in five years and creation of conditions to reach 10 million household in 10 years.”

    Besides,it is to ensure small holder sweet potato farmers can readily access diseases- free planting material during the planting season by increasing availability of healthy vines.

    According to Dr Jan Low who introduced OFSP variety  to Nigeria, the centre will work with local scientists, partners and international stakeholders to enable it strengthen the eight countries’ capacity to effectively breed sweet potato in Africa for Africa.

    Today, after five years of launching the project, the music has changed. Same goes for the dancing step for sweet potato stakeholders in the country.

    The National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI) took up the challenge, conducted a series of research on sweet potato, its nutrient potentials, how the vines could be available to the farmers, and also how it could create wealth.

    Speaking to The Nation on the interventionist role which NRCRI has been playing,  Mr. Solomon a sweet potato breeder, said the institute after  intensive research on sweet potato and came up with various varieties, the latest being  Orange fleshed Sweet Potato, OFSP.

    He said the vines of OFSP were given to some dedicated farmers for multiplication to make it available to all sweet potato farmers in the country.

    According to him, the institute also links up processors with sweet potato farmers so that there will be wealth creation in the value chain of the crop.

    Emphasising the health benefits of sweet potato, a researcher with the  International Potato Centre, Abuja, Prof. Stella Williams advised  nursing mothers  to mix Orange fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP)  as a nutrient with their baby food because of its richness in vitamin A.

    Williams, a retired professor of Agricultural Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, said that lack of vitamin A contributes to the high rates of blindness, diseases and premature death in children and pregnant women OFSP, according to her, will promote healthy growth and life in Nigerians kids and will also boost the nation’s economy.

    She added that if the vitamin present in the OFSP can be extracted and added to baby foods, it will give such a baby all the nutrients required for him to have a healthy growth.

    The birth of OFSP has put all the stakeholders on sweet potato on their toes to improve the variety and make the vines available to farmers particular in the pilot states of Ebonyi, Osun, Benue, Kaduna, Kwara and Nassarawa/FTC.

    Speaking to The Nation on the Rainbow Project, the leader of the project Dr Olapeju Phorbee said that the objective of the project is to provide the needed avenue for farmers to produce sweet potato that will be very rich in vitamin A and other nutrients.

    She explained that the pilot states are to provide the OFSP tubers for processors who are using it for various products like sweet potato garri and flour, among others.

    “OFSP is rich in vitamin A which is good for a baby, particularly in her first 1000 days on earth and the nursing mother even while pregnant,” she stressed.

    Phorbee pointed out that apart from the nutrient value of OFSP, it also assists in immune boosting of a child and prevents all form of diseases that threatens their existence.

    “By the time the project has a complete circle, sweet potato will be a household food in all nooks and crannies of the country and at the same time, it will create wealth and job opportunities in the value chain. For instance, the project has keyed into the school feeding programme going on in Osun State. We went round the state to train the food vendors on the need to use OFSP and make it a daily menu given to the school children,” she noted

    Speaking in the same vein, a processor and lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic , Offa, Mr. Oyeyemi Idowu said that apart from creating job opportunities the proliferation of OFSP will also encourage the a variety of products made  from sweet potato by the  private sector.

    Idowu who is the Head of Department of Food Technology in the institution said that over the years the department has churned out a lot of products with sweet potato.

    His words: “The former Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Rasak Bello, in 2005 after visiting China and seeing how sweet potato was used in various products challenged us at the department to commence research into some of the products which sweet potato can be utilized. Against this backdrop we were able to produce sweet potato bread, flour, juice, jam, potato-vita, OFSP sorghumuite among others.”

    He described this as a great opportunity for investors to pump money into some of these products.

    Idowu challenged other state governments to borrow a leaf from Osun by introducing school feeding system,saying such a move would boost the students’ immune system.

    “The multiplier effects of this on the farmers that produces the OFSP, the processors and the vendor in term of wealth creation will boost the economy of such a state,” he explained.

    Speaking on the benefit and economic viability in OFSP and Sweet Potato generally, the President of the Sweet Potato Association of Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Okafor said it has tremendous benefits that can be explored for ever.

    Okafor told The Nation that the association was founded in 2006 s a rallying point for stakeholders in the sweet potato business such as farmers, investors, manufacturers, and marketers.

    The organization has a training centre in Karu, Abuja where members are trained.

    “Anybody that is a member of potato farmers association should attend the training. It is the training that trains the trainers. After the training you go to your locality and also train others. We train them on how to propagate the product, cultivate market and utilize and invest in sweet potato,” he said.

    He said the future of sweet potato in the country is bright given the variety of products made from the crop.

  • The health, wealth benefits(2)

    The health, wealth benefits(2)

    As the nation’s oil fortune is dwindling and all the states are groaning under huge debts SINA FADARE reports that beaming a search light on the huge potentials in sweet potato production among others, might be the needed economic recipe to bail the country out of her economic quagmire.

    PERHAPS the Agriculture Minister Adewumi Adesina is right when he declared recently that the nation has no choice rather than turn her economic search light on agriculture that gave her the economic leverage to hold her head in the comity of nations in the early 60s.

    Adesina spoke during the 50th anniversary of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan. Describing the decline in the price of crude oil as a wake up call, the minister said Nigeria must invest even more in agriculture with a view to diversifying the economy and building economic resilience.

    “Agriculture must become Nigeria’s new oil; we should build our food supply, create wealth and generate jobs out of agriculture. Our goals are to enable the private sector to unlock the potentials of the agricultural sector,” he said.

    Against this backdrop, the Nation went round the country to assess the potential and economic advantages the country stands to benefit from sweet potato putting into cognisance its nutrient and health values.

    Sweet potato which is an house hold tuber in Nigeria, is called edia-makara in Anaang, dankai in Berom, iyan-ebo in Edo, bia mbakara in Efik, ba-fadamee in Hausa, ediam-umani in Ibibio, ji-bekee or nduku in Igbo, beke buru in Ijo-Izon, dangali in Kanuri, dangura in Mambila, duku in Nupe, atsaka in Tiv, imitata or ole-oyinbo in Urhobo, anamo or odunkun in Yoruba

    Nigeria is the third largest producer of sweet potato in the world after China and Tanzania.

    Just like other crops that were neglected and relegated to mere stable food after the discovery of oil, sweet potato was seen as a tuber for mere consumption especially in the rain forest area of the country.

    Speaking to this reporter in Offa, Kwara state, an octogenarian Alhaji Jinadu Bello, said that the people of the area have been consuming sweet potato as stable food from time immemorial whether as porridge or pounded.

    However, its nutrient and health benefit attracted international attention in 0ctober 2009. In an effort to improve intake of nutritious food by African children, the International Potato Centre (CIP) launched an Africa-wide project to exploit the untapped potential of the crop in eight African countries over a five year period.

    Tagged  Sweet Potato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) and  sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,the project  covers  Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Ghana.

    The center targets about 1 million farming families in the eight countries.

    The plan is to help the poorest small holder farmers to grow more sweet potatoes and get it to the market as the world’s single most powerful lever for reducing hunger and poverty.

    According to CRIN, sweet potato produces better yields in poor condition with fewer inputs and less labour than other staples, making it particularly suitable for households threatened by migration, civil disorder or diseases like AIDS.

    Throwing light on the project, the Director General of  International Potato Centre, Dr Pamela Anderson said it “will improve the food security, nutrition and livelihood of at least 150,000 families directly with an indirect impact on one million families in sub-Saharan Africa in five years and creation of conditions to reach 10 million household in 10 years.”

    Besides,it is to ensure small holder sweet potato farmers can readily access diseases- free planting material during the planting season by increasing availability of healthy vines.

    According to Dr Jan Low who introduced OFSP variety  to Nigeria, the centre will work with local scientists, partners and international stakeholders to enable it strengthen the eight countries’ capacity to effectively breed sweet potato in Africa for Africa.

    Today, after five years of launching the project, the music has changed. Same goes for the dancing step for sweet potato stakeholders in the country.

    The National Root Crop Research Institute (NRCRI) took up the challenge, conducted a series of research on sweet potato, its nutrient potentials, how the vines could be available to the farmers, and also how it could create wealth.

    Speaking to The Nation on the interventionist role which NRCRI has been playing,  Mr. Solomon a sweet potato breeder, said the institute after  intensive research on sweet potato and came up with various varieties, the latest being  Orange fleshed Sweet Potato, OFSP.

    He said the vines of OFSP were given to some dedicated farmers for multiplication to make it available to all sweet potato farmers in the country.

    According to him, the institute also links up processors with sweet potato farmers so that there will be wealth creation in the value chain of the crop.

    Emphasising the health benefits of sweet potato, a researcher with the  International Potato Centre, Abuja, Prof. Stella Williams advised  nursing mothers  to mix Orange fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP)  as a nutrient with their baby food because of its richness in vitamin A.

    Williams, a retired professor of Agricultural Economics at the Obafemi Awolowo University, said that lack of vitamin A contributes to the high rates of blindness, diseases and premature death in children and pregnant women OFSP, according to her, will promote healthy growth and life in Nigerians kids and will also boost the nation’s economy.

    She added that if the vitamin present in the OFSP can be extracted and added to baby foods, it will give such a baby all the nutrients required for him to have a healthy growth.

    The birth of OFSP has put all the stakeholders on sweet potato on their toes to improve the variety and make the vines available to farmers particular in the pilot states of Ebonyi, Osun, Benue, Kaduna, Kwara and Nassarawa/FTC.

    Speaking to The Nation on the Rainbow Project, the leader of the project Dr Olapeju Phorbee said that the objective of the project is to provide the needed avenue for farmers to produce sweet potato that will be very rich in vitamin A and other nutrients.

    She explained that the pilot states are to provide the OFSP tubers for processors who are using it for various products like sweet potato garri and flour, among others.

    “OFSP is rich in vitamin A which is good for a baby, particularly in her first 1000 days on earth and the nursing mother even while pregnant,” she stressed.

    Phorbee pointed out that apart from the nutrient value of OFSP, it also assists in immune boosting of a child and prevents all form of diseases that threatens their existence.

    “By the time the project has a complete circle, sweet potato will be a household food in all nooks and crannies of the country and at the same time, it will create wealth and job opportunities in the value chain. For instance, the project has keyed into the school feeding programme going on in Osun State. We went round the state to train the food vendors on the need to use OFSP and make it a daily menu given to the school children,” she noted

    Speaking in the same vein, a processor and lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic , Offa, Mr. Oyeyemi Idowu said that apart from creating job opportunities the proliferation of OFSP will also encourage the a variety of products made  from sweet potato by the  private sector.

    Idowu who is the Head of Department of Food Technology in the institution said that over the years the department has churned out a lot of products with sweet potato.

    His words: “The former Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Rasak Bello, in 2005 after visiting China and seeing how sweet potato was used in various products challenged us at the department to commence research into some of the products which sweet potato can be utilized. Against this backdrop we were able to produce sweet potato bread, flour, juice, jam, potato-vita, OFSP sorghumuite among others.”

    He described this as a great opportunity for investors to pump money into some of these products.

    Idowu challenged other state governments to borrow a leaf from Osun by introducing school feeding system,saying such a move would boost the students’ immune system.

    “The multiplier effects of this on the farmers that produces the OFSP, the processors and the vendor in term of wealth creation will boost the economy of such a state,” he explained.

    Speaking on the benefit and economic viability in OFSP and Sweet Potato generally, the President of the Sweet Potato Association of Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Okafor said it has tremendous benefits that can be explored for ever.

    Okafor told The Nation that the association was founded in 2006 s a rallying point for stakeholders in the sweet potato business such as farmers, investors, manufacturers, and marketers.

    The organization has a training centre in Karu, Abuja where members are trained.

    “Anybody that is a member of potato farmers association should attend the training. It is the training that trains the trainers. After the training you go to your locality and also train others. We train them on how to propagate the product, cultivate market and utilize and invest in sweet potato,” he said.

    He said the future of sweet potato in the country is bright given the variety of products made from the crop.