The Nation Newspaper

Tag: News Agency of Nigeria

  • When not to take ‘agbo’

    According to the World health organisation (WHO), traditional medicine is generally available, affordable, and commonly used in large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

    WHO estimates that about 80 per cent of the population in developing countries still depends on traditional medicine for their Primary Healthcare (PHC) needs; however, this percentage may vary from country to country.

    In Nigeria, many people, especially in the South-West region, believe and rely on local herbs for medication.

    ‘Agbo’, the Yoruba name for herbal medicines, is a concoction prepared from a variety of herbs and; it is one of the most popular herbal preparations taken for various ailments, especially by the native Yoruba people.

    It has also seen a lot of patronage and acceptance by other tribes too; Agbo can be soaked in water, alcohol or even palmwine before one drink it.

    However, medical experts raise concerns on the after effects of taking Agbo, especially over a long period of time.

    One of such concerns is that it can damage the kidney and liver; also, there are concerns on its preparation which include the handling, dosage requirement for each ailment, shelf live and expiration date.

    Recently, at an event to commemorate the 2019 World Kidney Day on March 14, experts raised awareness on the importance of guarding against acts which can lead to kidney disease.

    The event which was organised by the Renal Dialysis Centre, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos, saw experts also empahsising the need to reduce or even desist from consuming local concoctions, especially Agbo because of the possible resultant effects.

    Dr Chinedu Odum, a Nephrologist, said: “In this environment we talk about herbs and we hear many people say the take Agbo’’ or herbs.

    “They say the herbs clean their system but the truth is that this concoction people are taking, some of them have bad effect on the kidney. It can damage the kidney

    “It is a lot cheaper to prevent kidney damage because once you have kidney damage there is no going back; even those who are rich can’t maintain, afford or keep up with dialysis.

    “They can’t even maintain or afford to have kidney transplantation, not to talk of the masses who are not generally or financially equipped to take care of the disease.

    “So, we want to implore people to be aware of kidney disease but more importantly, to be more aware of the factors that increase the illness.’’

    However, Odum highlighted other causes of kidney disease to include high blood pressure which is the number one causes of kidney disease in Africa and of which many people don’t know that they have it.

    “Apart from blood pressure, diabetics and anyone who has long standing high blood sugar can come down with complications; one of the complications is kidney disease.

    “Also, bleaching; some of those creams have some components which can damage the kidney; they also have components that will increase the risk of diabetes and blood pressure.

    “The environment we live in is also very important; infection in this environment too contributes to kidney disease; so we have people who come down with frequent urinary tract infection.

    “If it is not taken care of, they can have chronic kidney infection which can lead to kidney disease and if that’s not channelled, we will be talking of dialysis,’’ the Nephrologist said.

    Dr John Okoh, Founder and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the RDC, confirms that these concoction of herbs have negative impact on vital organs of the body, especially the kidney.

    He urged Nigerians to be aware of the causes and risk factors of getting kidney disease.

    Dr Nkem Achor told NAN that one of the major concerns in consuming Agbo is that one cannot ascertain the dosage and expiration of the mixture, hence the tendency to either under-dose or over-dose.

    “People who take Agbo do not know when it becomes under dose or over dose and this can affect the multisystem functions of the kidney and liver, which are critical to the functioning of the body.

    “Also, it can lead to blood poisoning, gastrointestinal challenges, vomiting, diarrhea, anemia and even death, if mismanaged or not detected early.

    “However, one is not ruling out the efficacy of these herbs, but it is worthy to emphasise that if it is to be taken, it should be after thorough scientific research and approval.

    “Also, the preparation has to follow standard supervised procedure under hygienic circumstances with appropriate dosage requirements spelt out and expiration date written.

    “If these are not adhered to, people will continue to take Agbo indiscriminately; some may get lucky and be healed but a majority will come down with more debilitating and chronic situations which may be too late for hospitals to handle.’’

    Dr. Ebun Bamgbose of the Dialysis/Transplant Unit and Clinical Director of St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, in an earlier interview said that most of the kidney failures, also known as renal failure or end stage renal disease, could be linked to indiscriminate use of these concoctions.

    This is because the herbs are mixed with all sorts, including local gin and there are toxic substances in the unprocessed materials and fermentation.

    A research was conducted by Akande IS, Adewoyin OA, Njoku UF and Awosika SO of the Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Nigeria.

    The research, “Biochemical Evaluation of Some Locally Prepared Herbal Remedies (Agbo) Currently on High Demand in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria’’, was published in the Journal of Drug Metabolism & Toxicology, affirmed the negative effects of Agbo on the body.

    It said: “Based on these findings, we conclude that though these preparations are potential sources of natural antioxidants, but majority of those being hawked on Lagos metropolis may be harmful to human health.

    “This is because many of the hawkers are likely to be quacks. There is also a need for standardisation of dosage regimens and close scrutiny of pedigree of the peddlers of these herbal remedies by appropriate government agencies,’’ the research prescribed.

    • Ihechu is of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

  • Gynaecologist calls for more awareness on exclusive breastfeeding

    Dr Tunde Aromire, a consultant gynecologist with Hope Hospital in Osogbo has called on nursing mothers to make exclusive breastfeeding a priority in order to reduce infant mortality.

    Aromire made the called in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Osogbo.

    The gynaecologist said that exclusively breastfed babies had a lower risk of gastrointestinal infection than a formula (infant milk) fed baby.

    Aromire also said that exclusive breastfeeding always help the babies regain weight lost at birth.

    According to him, exclusive breastfeeding also helps them to quickly recover from infection, cold and also protect them from sickness.

    He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended six months exclusive breastfeeding for nursing mothers.

    Aromire, however, said that nursing mother who engaged in exclusive breastfeeding needed to eat well for adequate supply of milk for the baby.

    He said, “Considering the fact that the only source of nutrition for the baby is the mother’s milk, the nursing mother has to eat balanced diets to get enough milk in her breasts.

    “The nursing mother must, however, be careful about her own diet and continue to avoid or limit the consumption of certain foods which can prevent proper flow of milk.’’

    According to Aromire, if a nursing mother fails to breastfeed the newborn baby well, the baby might experience dehydration, which he said could pave the way for other health problems.

    He said improper breastfeeding could also cause weight loss, slow growth and development in babies.

    “Breastfeeding can be disadvantageous for the newborns when there is an inadequate supply of breast milk or insufficient suck reflex in the baby.

    “So it is important that the mother knows how much milk in terms of quantity she is producing per feed,” Aromire said.

    He urged breastfeeding mothers to always visit nutritionists to guide them on what to eat as this would help both the mother and the suckling baby.

  • Kwara Poly fights cultism with 182 security officers

    The Rector of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Alhaji Mas’ud Elelu, has said the institution successfully tackled cultism with the deployment of 182 security officers.

    Elelu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin yesterday that cultism was a serious challenge to the polytechnic community and its environs.

    He said those in charge of security before were not well trained and could not tackle the scourge.

    The Rector, who is also the Chairman of Commonwealth Association of Technical Universities and Polytechnics in Africa, said many students engage in cultism because of the absence of a cordial relationship between students and lecturers.

    He said: “Today, we have soldiers while personnel of the Department of State Services, policemen, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps among others are being used to tackle cultism in the institution.”

    Elelu also said the institution was also availing itself of the services of groups, such as the Boys Scouts and Man’ O War, to sensitise students on the ills of cultism.

    The Rector added that the school’s authorities had banned students from using motorcycles on campus so that cult members would find it difficult to escape after perpetrating their nefarious acts.

    He said there were ongoing projects in the school to further improve the academic standard of the institution.

    He appealed to students of higher institutions across the country to shun cultism and face their studies so they would become useful to the nation.

  • Delta local govt commences tetanus vaccination

    The Warri South Local Government Council has commenced the Maternal Neonatal Tetanus Vaccination in the area with a view to eliminating the scourge.

    The five-day programme was flagged off yesterday by Mrs Juliet Tidi, wife of the council Chairman, Mr Michael Tidi.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inoculation is for female between the age bracket of 15 and 49, and was flagged off at the council’s Secretariat.

    Tidi urged pregnant women to patronise qualified healthcare workers for proper health monitoring and safe delivery.

    She explained that tetanus occurred as a result of unhygienic method of delivery and umbilical cord care.

    “Pregnant women should as soon as they are pregnant go to the nearest health facility in the Local Government Area for proper health monitoring and safe delivery by trained health workers.

    “Immunisation is key to the prevention of the disease, therefore every girl and woman of child bearing age must ensure they complete the five doses of Tetanus Diphtheria vaccine at appropriate interval,” Tidi said.

    She urged the girls and women to avail themselves of the opportunity and get vaccinated, noting that the exercise will go a long way to improving their health status.

    Mrs Beatrice Onwo, the Health Educator, Warri South Local Government Council, said the exercise would be conducted at fix and temporary fix posts across the area.

    She said the temporary fixed post included schools, churches, mosques and markets, while the fixed posts were all the health facilities in the area.

    “Before now, mothers use cotton wool and other things for their baby cord; there is now a new gel. There will be no maternal neonatal death again with this introduction,” she said.

    Mrs Abigail Edokpaiye, mother of three and a beneficiary, thanked the government for the gesture, noting that it will help in eliminating the scourge.

  • REC cautions youths in Rivers against violence in 2019 polls

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers, Mr Obo Effenga, yesterday warned youths in the state against violence in the 2019 general elections.

    Effenga gave the warning in an interview with told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt.

    He said that youths must avoid being used by politicians to foment trouble during the elections, no matter how highly placed such a person may be.

    “Our young men must be ready to support peaceful elections; they must shun any attempt by anybody to use them for violence at the polls,’’ Effanga said.

    The REC said that the only credible way of electing political leadership was through the ballot, adding, “we must shun violence totally.

    “Election credibility comes through the ballot; it does not come through the bullet. We all owe our society a duty to ensure peace during the elections.

    He called on politicians to play by the rules by avoiding anything capable of triggering violence during the poll, adding that no credible electoral result could emerge through violence.

    The INEC official said that political parties and their supporters owed the society a crucial duty of ensuring a smooth and violence-free election.

  • 171, 163 PVCs unclaimed in Akwa Ibom, says INEC official

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said 171,163 Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) are still uncollected in Akwa Ibom State.

    INEC Administrative Secretary Lebari Nduh made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Uyo yesterday.

    Nduh said the commission registered a total of 2, 121, 126 million persons in the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in state, lamenting that most of the PVCs were yet to be collected.

    “We registered 2, 121, 126 million people in the state in the CVR from 2016 till date.

    “But only five percent of PVCs have been collected, as 171, 163 people are yet to collect their own,’’ he said.Nduh noted that only 4, 208 people have collected their PVCs and urged the electorate to go and collect their PVCs so they can vote for candidates of their choice in the 2019 general elections.

    “PVC is very powerful, PVC is very important, with your PVC you can determine who get what, when and how,” he said.

    Nduh explained that the commission had published names of people whose PVCs were still in its custody, so they can come forward for collection across the state.

  • Niger needs 3,000 teachers

    The Niger State Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) has urged the government to employ 3,000 teachers to fill vacancies left by those that died or retired from the service. Its Chairman, Alhaji Alhassan Bawa, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at the weekend in Minna that the call became necessary because of the acute shortage of teachers in primary schools.

    “Many teachers have retired, some have died, but they have not been replaced. We want government to look into this situation in the interest of quality education,” Bawa said.

    He said NSUBEB had sent the request to the state executive council.

    “As I speak with you, the request is before the commissioner of Education,” he said.

    Bawa complained that the operations of the board were hampered by the lingering paucity of funds.

    He regretted that the challenge of funding had become “increasingly difficult”, saying many schools were in bad shape and had remained so in the last 20 years.

    The chairman said government had executed many intervention projects in many schools, but declared that much still needed to be done.

    “The rains have set in and the yawning gap is staring at us; roofs of many schools have been destroyed by storm. The situation is tough. When you solve one problem, another sets it,” he said. Bawa appealed to teachers, parents and students to bear with the government, and assured them that the challenges would be surmounted “as soon as funds are available”.

  • ‘Politicians recruiting armed thugs’

    The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Borno yesterday decried the recruitment of armed thugs for political campaigns in the state.

    Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, the NSCDC commandant in the state, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri the command had noticed an influx of thugs at campaign grounds.

    Abdullahi said the thugs were being used by politicians to intimidate opponents at political rallies.

    “Such actions by the politicians could mar the fragile peace recorded. The insurgents can equally disguise among them to perpetrate unsuspected attacks.

    “We, therefore, warn politicians that these nefarious activities are contrary to Section 227 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) and sections 94 and 95 of the Electoral Act,’’ he said.

  • Erosion: hotel, judiciary buildings in danger

    The Grand Riviera, a popular three-star hotel in Awka, is facing imminent collapse due to gully erosion occasioned by rainfalls, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The hotel, the Anambra High Court, which is beside it, and the Federal High Court which is a few metres away are all being threatened by erosion.

    NAN reports that the Federal High Courts has already lost part of its premises to the erosion and two other buildings are seriously threatened by the environmental challenge.

    Manager of the hotel Mr Tagbo Igboka, said gully erosion started washing away the foundation of the 12-year old hotel, only about two years ago.

    Igboka said the hotel’s management had spent not less than N20 million on erosion control and repair works since the ‘unwanted visitor’ started encroaching.

    “This is a very popular hotel in Awka. Two former presidents have lodged here including former governors and ministers, but as you can see erosion is threatening to destroy it.

    “These monument has served for 12 years, but we have battled this menace for five years and spent no less than N20 million to prevent the worst from happening.

    “We have received high-powered delegations on inspection here; people from the Federal Ministry of Environment, the ecological fund and even our own state ministry of environment have visited.

    “However, there has not been any intervention to mitigate the threat from them. The entire buffer you see here, even this one that recently gave way, was done by us.

    “Yet as a corporate organisation, we have been paying our dues to government,” the manager told NAN.

    Igboka noted that the problem was caused by a particular erosion channel, which had made the entire area a ‘disaster area’.

    He said that if the channel was linked to the Imoka River, the problem of erosion would be solved.

    The manager expressed the fear that the hotel, which is valued at hundreds of millions, would become rubbles at the onset of another rainy season if nothing was done about the challenge.

  • Delta govt increases jurisdiction of magistrates

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has ordered the increase of civil and criminal jurisdiction of magistrates in the state.

    Mr Timothy Agbaragu, the Head, Public Relations/Protocol Department, Delta High Court, in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Asaba,said the order took effect from Aug. 20, adding that the order was in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Section 24 (1) of the Magistrate Court Law, Cap M1, Vol. 3, Laws of Delta State, 2006.

    The law empowers the governor to increase the jurisdiction of magistrates in civil and criminal matters.

    By the order, the maximum monetary limits of Chief Magistrates (Special Grade), Chief Magistrate Grade 1 and Chief Magistrate Grade 2, has been increased to N10 million, N8 million and N5 million, respectively.

    “Senior Magistrate Grade 1 and Senior Magistrate Grade 2 now have jurisdiction on matters within N3 million and N2 million.

    “Magistrate Grade 1 and Grade 2 shall have jurisdiction on matters within in N1 million and N500, 000,” he stated.

    The governor said that the order followed the recommendation of the state Chief Judge, Justice Marshal Umukoro.

    The recommendation provides that in all actions relating to landlord and tenant, the claimant may in addition claim arrears of rent and the profits.

    This is irrespective of the fact that the total claim exceeds the amount assigned to the cadre of magistrate concerned.

    Okowa also increased the criminal jurisdiction of magistrate courts to Chief Magistrate Special Grade.

    The governor said that Chief Magistrate Grade 1 and Grade 2 were now empowered by the order to impose sentences/fines of 14 years or fine not less than N250, 000.

    He said they now had powers to impose sentences of 10 years or fines not less than N200, 000 and six years imprisonment or fine not less than N150, 000.

    The governor said these were applicable where the law creating the offences did not make any specific provisions.

    Similarly, Senior Magistrate Grade 1 and 2 can now sentence convicts to four years and three years, while their criminal jurisdiction has been expanded to sentence convicts to two years and one year.