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Tag: Nigerians

  • Falana to Nigerians: Sue govt. for poor healthcare delivery

    Falana to Nigerians: Sue govt. for poor healthcare delivery

    Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has said Nigerians can sue their governments for failure to provide adequate healthcare delivery.

    He said governments in Nigeria are failing in providing health and security for their citizens. He described the two as inalienable rights of Nigerians.

    According to the rights activist, the Federal Government should henceforth pay the ransom demanded by kidnappers for the release of Nigerians abducted which he said was brought about by failure to secure their lives.

    Falana spoke on Thursday a lecture he delivered at the public presentation of a book on “Financing Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria” held at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). The book is written by Dr. Olaofe Ogundipe.

    Falana in his lecture titled: “The Justiciability of Health as a Human Right” insisted that federal and state governments can fund healthcare for all citizens of the country.

    He argued that Section 17 of the Constitution and National Health Act 2014 made it a matter of imperative for government to foot the medical bills of poor Nigerians, regretting that these are not being implemented.

    He said: “I know the defenders of the status quo are going to say that the federal and state governments cannot afford to fund healthcare for all citizens.

    “My answer is that the governments can, if they are prepared to make healthcare for all citizens a priority. This has been demonstrated by Cuba which has for over 50 years funded free healthcare for all her citizens.

    “That country which is ahead of many developed countries in the area of medical services has no oil, gold or diamond.

    “Since it may be argued that the population of Cuba is only 12 million; what of China which has guaranteed affordable healthcare for the teeming population of 1.4 billion people.

    “If we do not want to follow the example of Cuba and China, we can borrow a leaf from other countries which have extended medical services to the poor and disadvantaged people by opting for medical insurance.

    “The federal government has already opted for the latter and has enacted the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Act. Our duty is to make the law work in the overall interest of the masses of our people.”

    On kidnapping, he said: “Let me say, if I am kidnapped today and I pay ransom to secure my freedom, I will surely take FG to court to refund my money because it is the responsibility of government to secure my life.”

     

  • Nigerians urged to embrace Christ’s teachings

    The District Overseer of the Apostolic Faith Church at Abesan in Ipaja, Lagos State, Rev. James Tifase, has urged Nigerians to embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ and imbibe them for their transformation and that of the society.

    Tifase, who spoke at the weekend at a Christmas concert with the theme: The Nativity, said the moment churches performed their roles, there would be assurance that people would change and crimes would reduce.

    He said: “We want nations to embrace the teachings of Christ, as this will transform all spheres of lives. Crimes will be reduced to the barest minimum. When the heart is changed, behaviour and attitude will change. There will be development. Definitely, our society will change for the better.”

    The cleric said this year’s edition of the concert was taken out of the headquarters of the church for the first time to decentralise activities, move it closer to the people and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them at their doorsteps.

    The Assistant Music Director Rev. Bode Odulaja said Christmas is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, regarded as the saviour of the world, hence the decision of the church to gather families and loved ones for the musical concert to thank and appreciate God, even at the district level, for the first time.

    Highlights of the concert included Christmas Carols, symphony orchestra, classical and sacred music by the mass choir and orchestra, who treated the congregation to soul-inspiring music.

    The event was attended by clerics, Akintunde, the elder brother of Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, a community leader in the area, Chief Afolabi Babatola, traditional rulers and others.

     

     

  • Osinbajo, minister, others to Nigerians: change your corruption perception

    Osinbajo, minister, others to Nigerians: change your corruption perception

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerians to change their perception about corruption toward developing a positive nation.

    Osinbajo spoke at the launch of Corruption Busters by Creative Youth Initiative Against Corruption (CYIAC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Lekki, Lagos State.

    The event, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), was organised by the civil society group to commemorate the 2017 International Anti-Corruption day.

    The Vice President shared the same view with Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu, diplomats and civil society organisations at the event.

    Osinbajo said: “We should re-examine ourselves  and move toward changing our perception and our country will one day, overcome this menace known as corruption.’’

    According to him, the president has always reinstated severally that, “if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will definitely kill us”, which is why he had given strict instructions on tackling corruption.

    He said no nation could survive with the presence of corruption in its system, adding: “Corruption is one thing that will kill us if we don’t fight it hard indeed”.

    “We need strong willed men and women who are  committed to fighting corruption, though we have had notable committed persons but we need more people who are crusaders and zealous,” he said.

    Osinbajo said one of the very important resources in tackling corruption was not just arresting victims and detaining them, but having to reform them.

    The Vice President lauded the CYIAC group for taking a bold step in complimenting the efforts of the government by reaching out to the youths to join in the fight against corruption.

    “I have not lost my zeal in this commitment to fight corruption, especially with the involvement of the young people who are vulnerable targets in building or losing integrity,” he said.

    Mohammed hailed Foluke Michael, the project director, CYIAC and her team, for focusing their attention on the youths.

    The minister said the move was the best step in tackling corruption.

    “Targeting the youths is the best way to fight corruption because they are the future hope of our country and that is why the CYIAC group must be commended for taking this right step.

    “The fight against corruption is the toughest task but can be much easier if we have the Nigerian youths because they represent a large chunk of the society,” he said.

    Expressing his disappointment, the minister said the resources which would have been used to take care of the youths had been stolen by the “fat cats”.

    “It is so unfortunate that billions and trillions of dollars that would have been used in providing good and necessary amenities were stolen by looters.

    “But I want to reassure everyone that we are already driving corruption under the table by recovering billions of naira monthly, saving monies from ghost workers and raising our foreign reserve,” he said.

    The minister said the Buhari administration would take the initiative to every nook and cranny of the country, stressing: “If we don’t fight it, it will overwhelm us.”

    Also, United Nations Project Director Mr. Glen Prichard said the success of tackling corruption was to have a coalition of all arms in the struggle.

    Consul-General of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Ingo Herbert hailed the Federal Government for waging war against corruption.

    Herbert, however, said it existed everywhere in the world.

    “Corruption is like a disease which exists everywhere but it becomes epidemic when it is too high and so should be vaccinated through anti-corruption groups as CYIAC,” he said.

    Magu said the present administration had zero-tolerance to corruption because it was a setback to growth.

    “The best strategy is to have all organs, young and old, coming together to fight corruption.

    “It is a major force for underdevelopment and we are almost chasing it out,” he said.

    A civil rights activist, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, said if Nigerians did not kill corruption, corruption would kill them.

    The CYIAC group, comprising of school children and adults, displayed art exhibitions and animated clips on corruption busters in musical slides.

  • Okorocha: 89 per cent of Nigerians unhappy

    Okorocha: 89 per cent of Nigerians unhappy

    •Gov. urges Air Force to create Happiness dept

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said that 89 per cent of Nigerians are unhappy “in the real sense of the word happiness”.

    According to him, only 4 per cent could really be happy to some extent, while 7 per cent might claim to be happy. He added that the vital aspect of human existence, which is happiness, must be addressed.

    Governor Okorocha, who recently created the Ministry of Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment, spoke at the weekend when Airmen, led by the Air Officer Commanding Ground Training Command, AVM Sampson Akpasa, visited him at the Government House in Owerri.

    He noted that agitations, insurgence, hate-speeches and the likes, come up when people are unhappy.

    His words: “I thank you for your efforts in bringing Regiment 211 to Imo State. In appreciation, we have donated a 200-bed hospital to the force. This morning I spoke to the Chief of Air Force, about our intention to also donate the school to train electricians and artisans; you are doing a wonderful job.

    “But if you can observe recently, the level of crisis and agitations are on the increase. While we fight insurgence, I would want to advise that we also should go deep down to find the root cause of this agitation.

    “Agitation comes up when people are not happy, and the whole essence of life is to be happy. For this reason, I will advice that the Air Force too, just like I did recently, which most people didn’t understand, should create a department for Happiness and Purpose Fulfilment. This will help to address the need of even junior officers, who may have some forms of dissatisfaction in the discharge of their duties. Sometimes, you may think they are happy when they are not, and this sabotages the efforts of the Federal Government.

    “Mentorship is another aspect which can help people achieve their purpose in life. If people are happy, there will be less agitation. The amount of money we spend on aircrafts and in the purchase of arms would have reduced by 50 per cent. This could also end issues of restructuring, Niger Delta and all other forms of agitations…”

    AVM Sampson hailed Okorocha for the tremendous transformation his administration has recorded in the state. He said they had come on a familiarisation tour of the constituent security outfits established on July 3, 2017, adding that Enugu was carved out of other commands due to clumsy administration, and that their new training ground has helped handle insurgency in the Northeast.

    He asked for collaboration and synergy as key in all security challenges, and craved for more cooperation in Imo and other Southeast states, saying the command needs every form of support to blossom into maturity and global excellence.

  • Pharmacists to Nigerians: check health status, stop stigmatisation

    Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) President, Ahmed I. Yakasai, has urged Nigerians to check their health status, stop stigmatisation against HIV/AIDS patients and show love to  them.

    Yakasai stated this at this year’s World AIDS Day.

    Quoting the UNAIDS, Yakassai said last year, Nigeria had 220,000 new HIV infections and 160,000 AIDS-related deaths.

    ‘’There were 3,200,000 people living with HIV in 2016, among which 30 percent were accessing antiretroviral therapy. Among pregnant women living with HIV, 32 percent were accessing treatment or prophylaxis to prevent transmission of HIV to children. An estimated 37,000 Children were newly infected with HIV due to mother-to child transmission. Among people living with HIV, approximately 24 percent had suppressed viral loads.

    “The Key populations most affected by HIV in Nigeria are: Sex workers, with an HIV prevalence of 14.4 percent; Gay men and other men who have sex with men, with an HIV prevalence of 23 percent and people who inject drugs, with an HIV prevalence 3.4 percent,” he added.

    Yakasai said everyone, regardless of who they are or where they live, has a right to health, which is also dependent on adequate sanitation and housing, nutritious food, healthy working conditions and access to justice.

    He said: “The right to health is the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as enshrined in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This includes the right of everyone, including people living with and affected by HIV, to the prevention and treatment of ill health, to make decisions about one’s own health and to be treated with respect and dignity and without discrimination.”

    He explained that the #myrighttohealth campaign focused on the right to health, which explored the challenges people.

  • Charge d’Affaires – Some Nigerians unwilling to return from Libya

    Charge d’Affaires – Some Nigerians unwilling to return from Libya

    Charge d’Affaires of Nigeria in Libya, Mr Illiya Fachano, says some Nigerians in Libya have refused to be repatriated inspite of the “unfavourable situations.”

    Fachano revealed on Thursday that  “not all of them (Nigerians) want to come back home”.

    “Before you can assist them, they will have to sign a consent form, after which emergency travel certificates are issued.

    “I want the public to know that we have some Nigerians who are not willing to return inspite of the unfavourable situations and the fact is that we can’t get them on the flight without their consent”.

    “Migration is a natural and has always happened but becomes an issue when there are people migrating illegally meaning the migrants arrive without proper documentations and conceal their identity.

    “What we do is identify the Nigerians in the camps, register them then issue them an emergency travel certificate but those who happen to be sick get medical treatments before being confirmed to fly.

    “The Internationl Organisation for Migration ( IOM ) has rallied support of the European nations and particularly Italy for the Libyan Coast Guards who are particularly ordered to prevent boats that smuggle migrants and refugees from Libya to Europe.

    “The fact that the coast guards at the Mediterranean Sea are professionally trained and well funded by the EU, they have captured many people who are trying to illegally cross to Europe and returned them to Libya.

    “Unfortunately, we have noticed that in every batch of people brought back to Libya from Europe or the Mediterranean Sea, a larger number of the migrants come from Nigeria because of our population causing us to have much more Nigerians to be repatriated,’’ he said.

    The charge d’affaires said it is worrisome that with all the efforts of the government to rescue stranded migrants, more Nigerians are still trying to go to these places hoping that they will be lucky in achieving their European dream.

    Read also: 3250 have been repatriated from Libya – FG

    The Federal Government said yesterday, that it has so far identified 2,778 Nigerians trapped in the Libyan detention camps.

    Of this figure, government said 250 were repatriated on December 5.

    So far the government said 3,250 have so far returned from the Libyan enclave.

    Foreign Affairs ministry spokesman, Tiwatope Elias-Fatiile, said that the 2778 were Nigerians

    identified in detention camps that embassy officials had been visiting.

    Those registered in these camps, the spokesman said, While the government indicated that the repatriation exercise was a continuous exercise.

    The government said it would continue to engage the legitimate government in Libya and other stakeholders in addressing the plight of Nigerian migrants in that country.

    NAN

     

  • Libyan slavery: Reps’ panel rues lack of  inter-agency collaboration 

    Libyan slavery: Reps’ panel rues lack of  inter-agency collaboration 

    The House of Representatives has identified lack of inter-agency collaboration as largely responsible for the migration of Nigerians abroad through illegal routes.

    According to the lawmakers, the spate of illegal migration through the desert eventually encouraged the slavery incidence recently uncovered in Libya.

    At a meeting between Committees on Foreign Affairs and Human Rights and stakeholders Wednesday, the lawmakers said the situation in Libya has made it imperative to find ways of addressing the situation.

    At the meeting were the Nigeria Head of Mission, Libya, Iliyah Fachano as well as officials of Department of State Services (DSS), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    The joint Committee was mandated by the House to unravel circumstances that led to the death of 26 Nigerian girls at the Mediterranean Sea.

    Chairman of the joint Committee, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje said following the disturbing report from Libya, the country must find ways of addressing the situation.

    Saying that lack of inter-agency collaboration among the various security agencies in the country was a major reasons for illegal migration of Nigerians to other countries, Elendu-Ukeje noted, “A situation where many of them either end up been killed or enslaved such as the recent revelation in Libya as reported by the Cable News Network (CNN) which has drawn worldwide condemnation.”

    Deputy Chairman of the joint Committee, Edward Pwajok, said security agencies in the country have to come out with a lasting solutions to the menace of human trafficking and illegal migration.

    In his remarks, The Head of the Nigerian Mission in Libya, Fachano said that the Libyan situation was not new, that it had long been in existence.

    The role of some Nigerians who were living in Libya was described as despicable as they were found culpable of being actively involved in selling off their kinsmen.

    They also said being a State with an unstable government contributed largely to the situation

    While the committee continues its findings, it requested more submissions on the situation in Libya by the various agencies.

  • 1,070 Nigerians died in road accidents – NBS

    1,070 Nigerians died in road accidents – NBS

    The National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ) said on Wednesday  that at least 1,070 Nigerians died in road accidents in the third quarter of this year.

    The NBS Road Transport Data for Third Quarter, 2017 posted on its website on Wednesday showed that 89 out of the victims were children.

    The report stated that 981 of the 1,070 Nigerians that died, representing 91.7 per cent of the figure were adults while the remaining 89 Nigerians, representing 8.3 per cent of the figure were children.

    The breakdown of the figure showed that 815 of the number were males, representing 76.2 per cent while 255 were females, representing 23.8 per cent.

    According to the report, 2,478 road accidents occurred in the third quarter.

    It, however, attributed the major cause of accidents to speed violation, which it said accounted for 44.51 per cent of the total accidents reported in the quarter.

    It stated that loss of control and dangerous driving followed closely as they both accounted for 10.41 per cent and 9.52 per cent of the total accident recorded respectively.

    Meanwhile, the report stated that a total of 6,803 Nigerians got injured in the accidents.

    Read also: Nigeria’s population hits 193.3m, says NBS report

    It stated that 6,419 of the 6,803 Nigerians that got injured, representing 94.4 per cent of the figure were adults while the remaining 384 Nigerians, representing 5.7 per cent of the figure were children.

    It further stated that 5,110 male Nigerians, representing 75 per cent, got injured in road accidents in the quarter while 1,693 female Nigerians, representing 25 per cent got injured.

    According to the report, estimated vehicle population in Nigeria as at third quarter was put at 11,547,236 with the total population of the country puts at 193.3 million in 2016.

    It stated Nigeria s vehicle per population ratio was put 0.06

    In addition, it stated that data on the category of vehicles involved in road accident reflected that 58 per cent of vehicles were commercial (2,000), 40.6 per cent were private (1,401), 1.4 per cent were government (48) and the remaining were diplomat (0).

    It stated that FCT recorded the highest number of road crashes in the quarter, closely followed by Kaduna and Kogi States while Borno and Bayelsa States recorded the least.

    The report stated that 200,565 national driver’s licenses were produced in the period under review.

    It stated that Lagos and FCT produced the highest number of driver’s licenses while Zamfara and Kebbi produced the least numbers of national driver’s license.

    Similarly, it stated that 75,958 vehicle number plates were produced in the quarter.

    It also stated that Delta and FCT produced the highest number of vehicle plate numbers while Ekiti and Rivers produced the least numbers of vehicle plate numbers in the quarter.

    NAN

  • 144 more Nigerians return from Libya

    144 more Nigerians return from Libya

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Tuesday joined officials of some government agencies as they received a fresh set of Nigerians flown home from Libya.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no fewer than 144 Nigerians voluntarily returned home aboard a chartered Buraq Airlines aircraft with registration number 5A-DMG.

    The aircraft landed at about 6.45pm at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The returnees were assisted back by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and the European Union (EU).

    NAN reports that the Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, who represented the Wife of the President, Haija Aisha Buhari, was also present at the Hajj Camp area of the airport as the Nigerians returned.

    The South West Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu , who gave a break down of the returnees, said they were made up of 97 males, 39 females, two children and six infants.

    Addressing newsmen, Dabiri-Erewa, commended the IOM for facilitating the return of the Nigerians.

    She, however, noted that there was need to keep the tempo of awareness high in order to stop Nigerians from embarking on the perilous journey in search of greener pastures in Europe.

    One of the returnees, Mr Godsent Jatto, from Edo State, told NAN that he had a harrowing experience in Libya after being sold into slavery by fellow Nigerians.

    He said :”I am so happy coming back to Nigeria. I will never dream in my life to pass through Kano to Libya again”.

    Jatto said it was sad that some Nigerians also lured their fellow brothers to Libya only to get them into human trafficking.

    He said some were sold to the Arabs who will now start calling the Nigerians’ families in the village demanding for money for them to be released.

    According to him, traffickers usually lie to people back in Nigeria that their relatives have crossed to Europe whereas some of them have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.

    “My advice to Nigerians that still want to embark on this journey is that they should not try it. Keep doing anything you are doing here because your country is your country,” he said.

    Another returnee, Ms Caroline Ishola, an aspiring actress from Ekiti State, described her journey to Libya as a misadventure.

    Ishola said: “My experience was bad. It is a very dangerous country. I was an actress before embarking on this journey and I paid the person who took me N400, 000 at first and paid more when I got to Libya.

    “I was sold in Libya but thank God it was not into a connection house and at the end of the day the place was raided by the Police and we were arrested and that was how I got back.”

    The fresh returnees came back days after a batch of 150 Nigerians voluntarily returned on Nov. 30 from the volatile North African country where they had been stranded enroute Europe.

    Before then, many had also been assisted back home in batches.

    As at the time of filing this report, another batch of Nigerians was being expected from Libya as their aircraft was said to be on the way from Tripoli. (NAN)

  • Unilever charges Nigerians on oral hygiene

    Unilever charges Nigerians on oral hygiene

    Unilever Nigeria’s Pepsodent toothpaste has charged Nigerians to adopt good oral care practices by brushing twice daily to improve general health and quality of life.

    This was during the ministerial press briefing at the National Oral Health Week which started November 27 and ends today.

    Speaking at the event, the Regional Sales Manager for Middle Belt, David Ebah, reaffirmed Unilever’s commitment to improving oral healthcare among Nigerians. In 2016, Unilever signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Health to improve the oral health of children in Nigeria and educate them on the importance of brushing day and night via the Unilever Brush Day and Night Schools Programme.

    The Category Manager, Oral Care, Toluwaleke Salu stated that since 2014, through the Pepsodent Brush Day and Night Schools Programme, Unilever has directly educated over 3.5 million Nigerian children to imbibe the culture of brushing twice daily by using a fluoride toothpaste such as Pepsodent, in order to prevent oral diseases.

    “Unilever Brush Day & Night School Program is a 21 days behavioural change campaign aimed at educating children on the importance of adopting good oral care habits and maintaining good oral hygiene, and to prevent the causes of ill oral health that affect children’s ability to learn,” she added.

    Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, represented by the Head, Hospital Services department, Wapada Balami noted that great progress has been made in reducing the extent and severity of common oral diseases.

    “Unilever has been of great support to the Federal Ministry of Health especially during the National Oral Health Week over the years and we are immensely grateful for this,” he added.

    Unilever was recognised and awarded as ‘outstanding oral health development partner of the year’ during the event.