Apollo Hospitals, India, in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Hope Alive Child Care Initiative (HACCI), has restored hope to an eye cancer patient.
Country Head, Apollo Hospitals, Rakesh Jalla said the hospital joined the NGO to ensure that three-year-old Tobechukwu Nkwocha is treated at a low cost.
He said cancer is expensive to treat, and as such requires a lot of money from patients.
“This is why it is important for us to work in a way where we can raise fund to help cancer children in Nigeria,” he said.
Jalla said they had raised some money for the patient’s tests so that he can get better, adding: “This is an initiative we have just started and we hope to sustain. ”.
He said the hospital wants patients treated in Nigeria but those that cannot be managed locally can be taken overseas.
“We are paying for the cost of investigation at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Also, we have offered discount to enable him enjoy unhindered treatment,” he said.
HACCI president, Adaugo Nwalema, said the hospital has been helping the three-year-old,adding that he still requires N1.2 million to complete his treatment.
She said her NGO came to the boy’s aid because his parents cannot afford the cost of his treatment.
“He was in dire straight and he needed help. His parents were paying N50,000 every fortnight for his chemotherapy at LUTH. He was asked to do nine sessions of chemotherapy,” she said.
Adaugo said the NGO took over the treatment about six months ago when the parents could no longer pay the bills. The boy’s father, Mr Kingsley Nkwocha, said the family was spending N200,000 monthly on his treatment.
He said so far about N1.5 million has been expended.
There is hope for cancer patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, as its Linear Accelerator (LINAC) machine will soon be repaired.
The machine broke down in the first week of July because of adulterated diesel.
Also damaged were two generators in the cancer department and the one at K Block.
The world’s largest radio therapy company, Elektra, is handling the repair.
Its country representative ,JNCI (Turnkey Medical Equipment Services), is assessing the damage
JNCI Managing Director Mrs Clare Omatseye said: “Our priority now is to get the LINAC working straight away because we use it for a minimum of 82 to 100 patients daily.
“The Federal Government and LUTH community are concerned about the damaged machine.
“Three levels of power supply to the LINAC will be in place- the National Grid, hospital generator and dedicated generators.
“Also an online medical grid UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) i.e 160 KVA with 101 Battery backup will be put up.
“The on-line medical grid will deliver constant online waves.
“It has internal regulator to checkmate any fluctuation from the hospital generator or the National Grid.
“It will help to supply energy to the LINAC for up to two days, should anything happen to any of the three levels or all of the three levels of power supply.
“That means any patient that is booked for the day can still be attended to.”
Of the eight cancer machines in the country, only the ones in Abuja and Sokoto are functional.
A source at LUTH said many cancer patients have died because they could not go to Abuja or Sokoto.
The source said: “Our worry here at LUTH is that nothing has been done to the supplier of the diesel either by the management or the Federal Government.
“The Federal Government should unmask him before further damage is done.”
Head of Department Prof. Remi Ajekigbe said he could not comment on the matter.
He said: “We have recommended to the government that no cancer centre should have less than two cancer machines.”
•Recent developments an indication of better transportation system in Lagos
One of Mr Akinwunmi Ambode’s first initiatives on assumption of office as Lagos State governor was to try to instil sanity and civility into the enforcement of traffic discipline on the state’s highways. Towards this end, he admonished officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to refrain from harassing traffic offenders or impounding their vehicles but rather issue them tickets and utilise sophisticated technological devices to bring offenders to book.
Commercial vehicle drivers, bus conductors and motor bike (Okada) riders, in particular, latched onto this as license to violate the state’s traffic laws with impunity and unleash a reign of anarchy and paralysing chaos on road users with deleterious economic and security consequences.
Mr Ambode’s firm riot act to these unruly traffic offenders to strictly obey the state’s road traffic law is thus timely and commendable. His response corrects the mistaken impression that he is indulgent towards any form of traffic law infraction.
Speaking after a meeting of the state’s security council, the governor stressed that the lawless activities of commercial drivers, commercial motor cyclists and street traders, which have facilitated the escalation of traffic crimes and robbery, will be sternly dealt with in accordance with the law. Consequently, he said, mobile traffic courts are being introduced to promptly prosecute and punish such traffic offenders, including commercial vehicles that operate outside the traffic lanes, persons that infringe on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lanes and commercial buses which do not drop or pick passengers only at officially designated bus stops.
Ambode also gave tank farm owners in the Apapa axis a 90-day ultimatum to build loading bays for their tank farms to decongest the roads in the area or face the wrath of the law. Arrangements, he said, have been made with relevant security agencies to sanction defaulting port users, importers, tank farm owners, terminal operators and shipping companies. The situation certainly calls for the most stringent measures to restore sanity to what has become an environmental, traffic, health, security and economic nightmare.
On a more positive note, the news that the Federal Government has finally approved the construction of the planned $2.4 billion Lagos Red Line Rail Project after eight years of protracted negotiation offers a source of hope that a more enduring solution to the state’s complex transportation challenges will soon be actualised. The Red Line will run from Agbado – Marina on a route that falls on the Right of Way of the Federal Government-owned Nigeria Railway Corporation. The inability of Nigerian politicians across party lines to place the national interest above partisan considerations is responsible for the undue delay of this project with such significant potentials to boost national economic productivity.
It is noteworthy that it was the military regime of General MuhammaduBuhari that terminated the Rapid Transit Metroline Project conceived for Lagos by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration in the Second Republic, with the state losing over $78 million in the process. And history has given Buhari a rare opportunity to remedy this error by ensuring the approval of the Red Line Rail Project during his tenure as a democratically elected president.
With Governor Ambode’s promise that the on-going Blue Line Rail Project, which will link Okokomaiko through Iddo to Marina, will be completed by December 2016, hope undoubtedly beckons for the revolutionary modernisation of transportation infrastructure in Nigeria’s commercial nerve-centre, with positive implications not only for Lagos but the entire country. We urge the sustenance and intensification of this kind of positive inter-governmental cooperation in diverse spheres at all levels in the interest of accelerated development all over the country.
Coming on the heels of a successful first album, Folarin Falana, scion of human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has unveiled plans to launch his sophomore project. The rapper, whose style of music has earned him the nickname Falz The Bahd Guy speaks to OVWE MEDEME about his soon-to-be-released album, Bahd Guy Persona, foray into movies among other issues.
WHAT is the inspiration behind the album, Stories That Touch?
I’m trying to showcase the artistic side of me. So every song on the album is a story; a story that you would either be able to relate to or a story that will touch you somewhere. I want people to be able to connect to me. I want people to listen to the music and have a visual impression of what I’m portraying in the music. That was the inspiration behind the title. The album will be released November 16
What are your fans to expect from the album?
Generally speaking, there is an impression out there that Falz is a crazy guy. Falz is that guy that is unserious in some way. The brand definitely reflects that, but with this album, I’m trying to make people focus on my music, I’m trying to make people see the content of my music. It’s a 15- track album with a lot of features. Phyno, Chiggurl, MI and Show Dem Camp are all featured in the album. There are a few other features but I leave that till when the album comes out.
How would you assess your last outing in terms of acceptance?
I think the acceptance was pretty decent and I would say it was good. But I think with this album, I will even do better in terms of commercial success. Because of the way our industry is shaped, commercial success in terms of sales of hard copies of CDs is somewhat limited. But in terms of digital sales, the sales were very impressive so commercially. I would say it was a successful album.
Is Stories That Touch your personal story?
It is a mix. It is not all personal stories. They are all stories that reflect something. The general themes are life, relationships and things that happen around us. I want people to listen to the music and be able to relate. I want people to get a visual picture of what I’m portraying in the songs. So they are not all personal stories. Some of them are, but most of them are just stories that everyone can relate with and that is why it’s called Stories That Touch.
Does the title not contradict your intent to showcase your artistic side?
Falz the Bad Guy is an all encompassing brand. The funny guy is still in there. The funny guy will continue to be in the music. As much as I’m trying to show my artistic side, I cannot neglect that funny guy. I cannot neglect that element of razz that is always in my music and I’m always going to continue to portray that. As much as we listen to even the songs that have very serious themes, you still hear my alter ego pop up in those songs because it is a part of the brand and it is very important part. From the title to the theme to the whole project, everything still has to reflect that part of me.
What is the inspiration behind the song, Karashika?
Karashika is not necessarily a personal experience. So I cannot say that this person is Karashika. But like I said, from the general theme of the album, the songs reflect things that happen around us. For anyone who is becoming successful, anyone that is making it in life, there will be people who are trying to bring you down. And that is the general theme of Karashika. That is who a Karashika is.
Is there a Karashika in your life?
There is no Karashika in my life right now, if I can fully understand what you are asking (laughs).
As a lawyer who studied abroad, how did you come about this Bahd Guy persona?
(Switching to his bad guy lingua)It’s more from inspiration, at least. Based on anointing. I think everybody, generally speaking, there is always element of razz inside them. So what happen is that I want to tap into it. You understand. I tap into my anointing from above. And generally speaking, I want to project it. I believe we need to embrace it our razz. And that is what I’m trying to do. Everybody have it in them. There is a razz in everybody.
You are known as a rapper, but how do you describe your sound?
It is a mix of hip hop and indigenous Nigeria sounds, so there will be a lot of Afrobeat. There will be a lot of Fuji, all mixed with hip hop. It is a sound that I don’t think anyone out there has. And because of the fusion of the razz in it, that also gives me a unique identity. I have a term for my own genre of music. I call it Wazup music.
Would you admit that your razz is your selling point?
I believe that it is a very strong selling point. But now, I’m trying to show the other selling points I believe that I have on this album. That is why you wouldn’t necessarily hear skits on the album. I don’t want people to be too distracted by the funny. I want people to pay attention to the serious messages and to be able to tap into the spirit of the album.
You seem to be grounded in music. What happens to your legal career?
I will definitely keep the legal part of me alive. At the moment, I’m still into the music. The best thing is for me to find a way to keep the legal fire burning. The way that I have come up with is to focus on entertainment law or intellectual property law. Actually, I have plans to further my education in that regard. What I want to do is to develop some sort of clientele base because I’m already in the entertainment industry.
Do you hope to be a SAN someday?
That would be great. But to qualify to be a SAN, you need a certain number of years of active practice, a certain number of cases at some level in the legal system. That I don’t have yet.
Your first acting gig is Jenifa’s Diaries. Do you have any other pending scripts?
Yes, definitely. The film industry is something that I’ve always been passionate about. And I’m going to focus on that as well. I have a film that I featured in which is coming out early next year. That is also something to look forward to. I’m working on some other film projects but that is the only one that has been completed and will be released pretty soon.
Do you play the bad guy role in these projects?
In most of them, yes.
How does your dad take your music career?
He is a fan. Initially he was taken aback because it is not something that he expected. Neither he nor my mum had any sort of background in music. So it was initially strange to them. But I think they’ve always supported me and they’ve grown to like the music. They listen to my stuff.
When did the music start?
I must have been in the university at the time. Way before then, I was already recording but that was when I put together my first official mixtape. When I put that out, the reviews that I got looked good. That was when I decided to focus on it.
What kind of music does your dad like playing?
When I was younger, I remember listening to a lot of Fela Kuti. He is a huge Fela fan and that is always in my subconscious. And on this album, you will see the influence reflect. Fela always had this political feel to his music. He was almost like a politician. He was almost like a revolutionary in his music and my dad always pushes me to try and toe that line, to try and follow those footsteps.
You once said you prefer people saying Falz’ father instead of Falana’s son; how far have you gone with that?
I think I’m doing a pretty decent job because my dad actually said to me that someone approached him and asked him if he was Falz’ father and that he was actually surprised and at the same time, impressed.
When Dorcas Oke, the only daughter of Ibadan-based preacher, Bishop Wale Oke, died in 2001, it broke the hearts of many. But, little did they know that her death would bring life to many children in distress n hopeless circumstances. BISI OLADELE and SIKIRU AKINOLA write that Dorcas’ death, which brought pains to her parents, has given hope to children in Ibadan and surrounding communities. This charitable work is done through the Dorcas Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL).
Hers was a death lamented by many. Dorcas Oke, the only daughter of popular Ibadan-based preacher, Bishop Wale Oke died 14 years ago of complications from adulterated drugs. Her death rendered her parents distressed. Some of her father’s followers wept while family members were distraught. For years, some who knew Dorcas as a good, innocent girl, grieved.
DOHAL providing succour to vulnerable children
But bearing in mind that the girl has gone for good, Bishop Oke and his wife Victoria decided to immortalise their ‘angel’ with a charity organisation christened Dorcas Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL). That was two years after Dorcas’ death.
The late Miss Oke was a 300-level student of Engineering at the University of Lagos before her death. The 17-year-old had typhoid fever and was given drugs, which, unknown to medics and her parents, were adulterated.
Dorcas, who was the first of the two children in the family, was described by friends and acquaintances as brilliant, gentle and futuristic.
Since October 28, 2003 when DOHAL was established, the foundation has given hope to hundreds of grown-up children who had been consigned to the backside of life by poverty, sickness and lack of useful information.
According to the one of the directors of the Dorcas Oke Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL), the initiative is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in the field of health and development, contributing to the prevention of untimely death among youth, children and women in Nigeria and Africa at large. We largely focus on orphan and vulnerable children (OVC).
Using initiatives tailored towards specific challenges in the society, the NGO helps to prevent deaths among rural and urban children and women, even as it offers poverty eradication programmes as well as relief materials to victims of disasters.
The programmes include the Death Prevention Programme (DPP), Youth Emancipation and Empowerment Programme (YEEP), Poverty Eradication Programme (PEP), Rural Development and Empowerment Programme (RUDEP) and Disaster Relief Programme (DRP).
Through these programmes, many youths in communities and villages in and around Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, are being helped with empowerment tools, offered information on prevention of diseases while hoodlums are being rehabilitated to lead rewarding life.
For instance, under the Death Prevention Programme, several deaths have been prevented, particularly for rural dwellers through the foundation’s information, education and communication materials on preventable health issues such as HIV and AIDS, sexually-transmitted diseases, malaria, Hepatitis B, yellow fever and tuberculosis.
The NGO also sponsors treatment of minor ailments in local communities as well as partners with health agencies on life-saving programmes such as immunisation and tests. It also facilitates education on nutrition and environmental safety.
Summarising the objectives of the project, DOHAL Executive Director, Mrs. Oluwafunmilayo Ajibulu said: “In pursuance of the Death Prevention Programme, DOHAL embarks on series of school outreach as part of its missions of providing information, education and counseling on preventable health concerns, using integrated and sustainable approach. Issues discussed include reproductive health, dangers of pre-marital sex, personal hygiene, child abuse, developing a wholesome personality and other preventable heath concerns.”
Through this programme, diseases and deaths have been prevented in homes and communities.
For the YEEP, DOHAL organises career counseling and seminars, offers scholarship for indigent students from poor homes as well as skill/vocational and entrepreneurial development and training. It also embarks on mentoring and motivational talks.
Under YEEP, several out-of-school youths of both genders are identified and trained in various vocations to help them to earn decent living. For instance, the organisation has arranged several trainings in barbing for boys and hair dressing for girls. So far, over 1,000 out-of-school children have benefitted from this programme, thereby restoring hope to many homes.
DOHAL’s Disaster Relief Programme (DRP) has assisted many victims of flood and other natural disasters. For instance, relief materials, including food, clothes and building materials were distributed to Ibadan flood victims in 2012 while cash was also donated for the rehabilitation of one Mrs. Hafsat Abiade who was a survivor of electricity shock in Apata area of Ibadan in 2012.
Through this programme, DOHAL has also donated clothes, food, drugs, building materials and cash to victims of Jos communal crisis in 2010. The programme also covers prison and market outreach through which items are donated to prisoners in Agodi Prison, Ibadan. Counseling and medical outreach were organised for traders at the Bola Ige International Market, Gbagi, Ibadan.
Under its Rural Development and Empowerment Programme, villages, including Ikija, Adeosun, Oyainu and Sanusi (in Ibadan) have benefitted from welfare packages donated by DOHAL. They included provision of potable water, sustainable sanitation facilities, access to micro-financing, promotion of community health and awareness on civil matters.
The organisation also identifies vulnerable children and link them with orphanages.
Through these and many more, DOHAL, which was borne out of a young girl’s death, has become a source of hope and life for many youths. Besides, the NGO instituted an annual lecture where salient issues affecting youths and women are discussed by experts with the aim of creating awareness on such dangerous issues.
Explaining the reason for some of the programmes, Bishop Oke said many deaths in Nigeria are preventable, including that of Dorcas. He urged the society to rise up and take necessary measures based on the firm belief that life is sacred.
In his speech at this year’s lecture at the weekend, Bishop Oke said DOHAL has been affecting and changing lives positively around the country.
His words: “Over the past 12 years of its existence, DOHAL, inspired by the experience of the church of Christ, has been positively affecting and changing lives around the nation, one life at a time. God certainly knows how to turn tragedy to triumph. He knows how to turn sorrow to joy. We give Him all the glory due to Him; specifically for all He has done with DOHAL over the past 12 years.”
•Medical personnel examining a child
Oke said the NGO believes that everybody has the right to life, right to happiness and enjoyment and the right to maximum fulfilment. “We depend on public-spirited individuals to give and participate in our programmes and to make sure that the children of Africa do not die needlessly like Dorcas did.”
He further explained that though the organisation was set up as part of the “Mercy Ministry” of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, it offers help to the needy irrespective of their religion, gender or background.
The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo delivered a lecture entitled “Child Abuse and the Challenges of the African Child” at the event.
According to Osinbajo, children in African cultures are regarded as gifts from God. “We have not found that society where a child is a curse except in an ignorant society; when we started having twins and triplets. The birth of children is heralded with joy. Why is it that these same children whose birth were celebrated with fanfare made to suffer from the society?” he queried.
Osinbajo, who was represented by former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said Nigeria passed its Child Rights Act (CRA) in 2003. “For now, 24 states have passed the child rights act into law. Lagos and Akwa-Ibom have been enforcing the law. All the states that have pass this act into law adopt the age of 18 as age of consent.”
Continuing, he said: “When you beat a child in a way that will cause permanent damage to him or her, you have violated the CRA. The age below 18 is when we instill character, ideas and attitude into the child. Anything she learns constitutes what is going to form part of her adult life.
“Tribal marks, tattoos, child trafficking, child labour, betrothal, child molestation, child prostitution, depriving a child access to education and enlistment of children into the armed forces are against child rights act.
“Some of these child abuses are not always intentional but the law does not know that. If you circumcise a girl-child, you have committed an offence under the law.
“Ignorance and poverty can be the reason but they are not valid excuses. It is an offence for you to beat a child just because he or she is not serious. It is a crime under the law. This abuse goes beyond physical assault; it is affecting some internally and you cannot notice it. Some have been exposed to some criminal activities that cannot make them useful to themselves again.
“Forty per cent of Africans live in slums. You can have a family of seven in a room. In this kind of situation, there is the likelihood of child abuse. Majority of African children living in slums have either of his parents. HIV and AIDS kills women and children mostly in the slums. There is no security of lives and properties there.
“More than 2,000 children have been sold into slavery in sub-Sahara Africa. Only 57 per cent of African children are enrolled in primary school and only three per cent completes it,” he noted.
He further explained that there are some religious interpretations to child abuse. “Some will say their religion is against some things which are against the law. The only way out of this is for them to be educated. The law frowns at some religious and traditional interpretations. You cannot do what you like to your children. You cannot beat a child to coma.
“Some cultural and religious perspectives need to be changed. We have the law. How we enforce it should be paramount in our minds.
“Child marriage is still rife in Nigeria. Thirty per cent of our children between the ages of 18 and 24 are married before adulthood. Poverty is a problem that we must do all we can to tackle. Tackling it will go a long way in curbing child abuse. Let us stop insurgency also. When a child loses a parent, it affects the child in many ways.
“We will begin to make impact when we set up agencies to tackle this menace. Let us report and the appropriate quarters will react to it. Institutions must be put in place for people to lay their complaints.
“To children, it is good for them to speak up. There are cultures which forbid children from speaking against injustice. Children must have knowledge of what constitutes abuse. Education will give them the confidence to speak up. Though the responsibility is of government but it cannot do it alone. Education is a solution to many problems because an enlightened child will not die in silence. We must fight against all social vices,” he advised.
A Don and head of the Mass Communication Department of the Imo State University, Prof Victor Kogah has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption fight will brighten Nigeria’s growth prospects.
He said the anti-corruption campaign would raise the country’s integrity rating before the international community.
“Today, it is easy for the international community to do business with Nigeria without fear. His anti-corruption war would raise the integrity rating of Nigeria before the international community.
“President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance has instilled fear in Nigerians and many are afraid to offer or collect bribe. Even the ministerial nominees are already aware of Mr. President’s zero tolerance for corruption and that it would no longer be business as usual.”
He noted that proceeds from the anti-graft war would be ploughed back to strenghten Nigeria’s infrastructure needs in the areas of road, electricity and others.
The Management of the IBBU has reiterated its commitment to regaining full accreditation for the Accounting programme.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Muhammad Maiturare made this known when executives of the Niger State branch of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) visited him.
He assured the visitors that the university was ready to partner with the association to boost human capital for its accounting programme before a new accreditation exercise.
The state Chairman of ANAN, Alhaji Aliyu Lafene, said the visit was to congratulate the vice chancellor on his laudable feats achieved within the short period he assumed office.
He pledged the association’s readiness to partner with the University towards strengthening the accounting system of its operations and enhancing the status of the accounting programme.
Lafene sought collaboration with the university to introduce Postgraduate programmes in Management so that both lecturers and civil servants could benefit instead of going outside the state for additional qualifications.
The Presidency has said that the terrorist group Boko Haram has been degraded and has lost its central command. It is not yet time for Nigerians to lose hope about finding the Chibok girls who were abducted by the group over one year ago, the government said.
While assuring that the troops are being careful about certain locations within the Sambisa forest so as not to harm the girls, Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said the government and the military had better intelligence to work with.
Sambisa forest is Boko Haram stronghold. The girls were abducted on April 15 last year.
He said: “What the President has always said is that we don’t even know where the girls are and that we need to go in there and get the intelligence and situation of things and then act.
“Without meaning to endanger what is left of those girls, you know that the Sambissa forest is being degraded right now. The bombing is done in a careful manner to avoid certain locations of interest as far as Chibok girls are concerned. Please take note of what I am saying. I am not saying that the girls are here or there. But there is better intelligence now.
“In fact, Sambissa forest is under observation 24 hours, in case somebody decides to move those girls from point A to point B. If there is any movement that is suspicious, we have drones, unmanned aircraft that fly around the place at night and during the day.
“In the last few days, you even saw the Chief of Army Staff leading the troops and I am aware that in the last few weeks, very interesting pictures have been sent to the President on the basis of which we will say to Nigerians, ‘don’t lose hope on the Chibok girls. I am not saying they have been found or that they have been seen. But it is not yet time for Nigerians to say we have lost them”.
Shehu, who was answering reporters’ questions in Abuja, said there were assurances from the military to carry out the directive of President Buhari to end the insurgency within three months, adding: “From my conversation with these commanders, what they are saying to themselves is that they are not going to wait for three months, but do their best to beat the target given by the President.
“So, there is so much going on and I can assure you that the spirits is very high. The Army chief was there with the soldiers for about nine days. That is leadership because you see him leading the soldiers from the front. If the chief himself is there, who are you to drop your gun? A lot is happening and Boko Haram has been degraded. They have lost central command and are now in splinters.
“What you have now is bits and pieces carrying out distractive action because they don’t want to go down alone. So, they are looking for very soft targets, such as churches, mosques, markets.
“The Air Force is clearing this place for the ground troops to move in. They are looking for bomb making structures and moving convoy of these insurgents. But they are being careful about certain locations with the hope not to harm these Chibok girls in those locations.”
Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has urged indigenes and residents to be hopeful, noting that the challenges are a passing phase.
He supported the policies and programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying: “They will bring within our reach and attainment, the dreams of our people for a happy and a prosperous nation.”
In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, the governor thanked the people for their faith in his administration.
He said: “Challenges are human phenomena. Great countries had at one time or the other been confronted with challenges, which they surmounted. Your support saw us through the first term. I have no doubt that your solidarity will make us to even surpass expectations in our second tenure.”
Amosun went on: “We have spent the last 100 days restructuring our finances, following the sudden economic downturn in the country. We participated in the Federal Government’s bailout programme with the support of our House of Assembly. The Treasury Single Account (TSA), which we introduced in 2011 and has now got a nationwide acceptance, has enabled us to block leakages. We look into the future with confidence.
“As we reform our governance in line with the present realities, we have paid attention to our environment. We are engaging local and foreign investors with tangible results in the number of companies berthing in Ogun. We are taking stock, looking into new initiatives to raise our Internally-Generated Revenue and consolidate our achievements through the completion of projects. We are laying a strong economic base for the future. We have hopes of a better tomorrow.
“We will remain focused and continue to work harder to make Ogun State better than we met it.”
There is hope for children born with hydrocephalus, a condition characterised by excessive accumulation of fluid in the brain, if they can receive treatment at an early stage, Head, Neuro Surgery Department at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr Femi Bankole, has said.
Hydrocephalus, he said, can occur in children and adults, adding that adults can develop the disease due to a blockage in the brain.
The consultant neurosurgeon said once the cerebrospinal fluid is not flowing and the brain retains its fluid it would lead to a massive head size. He said hydrocephalus in adults is more dangerous than children as individuals may not be able to cope with the problems, adding that late treatment of the ailment may lead to death.
“Anything that obstructs the flow of cerebral spinal fluid in the brain can trigger hydrocephalus. There is bleeding in the brain, stroke, meningitis, tumours in the brain, which can compress certain parts of the brain causing blockage,” the neurosurgeon said.
Dr Bankole said 90 per cent of children with the disease can function normally if promptly treated.
Founder, Festus Fajemilo Foundation (FFF), Mr Afolabi Fajemilo, said children born with hydrocephalus can now smile as they can get some level of support.
This, he said, was made possible by his foundation, which advocates prompt and quality health care for children suffering from hydrocephalus and spinal bifida in Nigeria.
Fajemilo’s first child, Festus, was diagnosed of hydrocephalus when he was two months old.
Fajemilo said he was informed by the doctor attending to his son that an urgent brain surgery should be conducted, adding: “As parents, who knew nothing about the condition, we started looking for alternatives rather than surgery. We were also worried about the child’s chances of survival having to go through a rigorous surgery in the brain. Festus was given various therapies, concoctions and herbs got from different traditionalists and herbalists, who claimed to have the answers to the problems; but all was a ploy to extort money and material items from us.
“Some clerics even advised that my son should not go through surgery, rather we should fast and pray that the massive head size will reduce. When festus was 14 months we became tired of giving him concoctions and settled for surgery through the help of the Lagos State government and Lagos State Ministry of Health.”
He mentioned massive brain size, down deviation or sun setting of the eye balls, vomiting, irritations, high fever, headache, delayed milestone in terms of development, high memory loss, person may experience bed wetting no matter the age and flat forehead as signs of the ailment.
“Patients with hydrocephalus also experience problem with motor co-ordination and are not able to hold things because of the connection between the brain and the nervous system. Early test given to children diagnosed with hydrocephalus are (CT) computer tomography test, (MRI) Magnetic resonance imaging test, which gives a clearer view of the brain,” he said.
He said research and discoveries made him understand that his son’s condition was not strange, and that like any medical disorder, people lived with it.
“The foundation was set up in 2006 to advocate for prompt and quality health care of people living with spinal bifida and hydrocephalus in Nigeria. It is also promoting their rights. We started to create awareness of hydrocephalus and spinal bifida to the public. The organisation initially started with seven families registered under them, but have above 100 families now who are being affected as their clients,” he said.
Fajemilo said: “Surgery does not bring cure during operation, shunts are inserted in the brain to bypass the blockage, these shunts are tube like materials inserted in the brain down through to the abdomen and it aids the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, releases the pressure in the brain and it begins to function normal. Patient with hydrocephalus needs continuous management.”
