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Tag: Nigerians

  • Fight hypertension, Nigerians told

    Fight hypertension, Nigerians told

    Nigerians have been urged to stop hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure (HBP), before it stops them.

    The Managing Director, Neimeth Pharmaceuticals, Mr Emmanuel Ekunno, who gave the advice at the World Heart Day in Lagos, said hypertension never sleeps or rests, and as such, must be fought continually to arrest it.

    Quoting the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ekunno said, there is an upsurge of hypertension and diabetes, adding: “About 50 per cent of African countries is hypertensive”.

    This, he said, was responsible for many deaths from heart and the disease.

    He identified high cost of medication as a major problem pre-disposing hypertensive to early deaths, noting that it must be tackled.

    Obesity, he said, can trigger hypertension. “Women are likely to be more obese because of sedentary lifestyle and modernisation,” he said.

    He said awareness must be created on the condition so as to control the scourge.

    According to him, people should avoid coming down with hypertension, stress and diabetes, as they are  unholy triangle.

    Ekunno said drugs should be made available to the hypertensive at affordable prices.

    He said Neimeth has slashed the price of its hypertension drugs by half (50 per cent) to enable people afford it, adding that it is also into partnership with the government to make drugs available to patients.

    “No fewer than 70 per cent of hypertensive go on drugs holiday because of their inability to afford them and lack of access to them,” Ekunno said.

    The Neimeth chief executive said the campaign-Fight the Good Fight against Hypertension (FITGAH) embarked upon by his organisation, is a wakeup call to reduce and/ or nip the condition in the bud.

    He said the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and stakeholders have partnered with his company on the campaign, adding: “We need more collaborators to save many lives plagued by hypertension.”

  • ’97m Nigerians don’t access grid electricity’

    No fewer than 97 million out of 175 million Nigerians have no access to grid electricity.  The remaining 78 million people who are connected to the grid face substantial power interruptions, the Energy Savers Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has said.

    In a paper titled: “The Nigerian Power Sector, A Performance Appraisal under the Buhari Administration” Moses Nasamu, a  member of Board of Trustees of Energy Savers Nigeria, said about 56 per cent of the population are connected to the grid, while 44 per cent  are not.

    He said an estimated 41  per cent of Nigerian businesses generate their own power supply to augment supply from the grid, in line  with the recent World Bank report on electricity situations in Nigeria, adding that the problem was caused by poor generation and distribution system and other systemic issues in the sector.

    It said Nigeria lags behind other developing nations in terms of grid- based electricity consumption with 126 kilowatts hour(kwh) per capita, stressing that electricity consumption is expected to be five times higher than what it is today in Nigeria, if we  consider the country’s Gross Domestic Product( GDP) alongside other countries globally.

    The paper said 25 per cent of Nigeria’s 12, 522 megawatts (Mw) of electricity installed reach the end user. “Widespread inefficiency means that only 3, 879Mw of this capacity is operational, with 3,600Mw transmitted and 3,100 distributed. Most of the shortfalls, which were about 5,381Mw, is capacity that is unavailable due to obsolete equipment and poor maintenance or due to ongoing maintenance and repair activities at existing power plants. Also, about 3,262Mw of electricity is non-operational primarily due to gas, water, high frequency, and transmission line constraints.”

    According to the paper, the sector has recorded some operational improvements, mainly driven by increased availability of gas since May 29th, 2015, when the Buhari/Osinbajo led government started.

    The paper stated that in August 2015, Nigeria hits historical highs as both peak generation and total energy generated across the system stood at 4,811Mw and 4,213 megawatts hour (mwh) respectively. It said transmission losses fell by 10 per cent between June and August 2015, compared to the first four months of the year.

    “Nigerians would recall that at the commencement of Buhari/Osinbajo’s administration in May this year, the sector was plagued with challenges,  which included under-utilisation of generating plants partly due to insufficient gas availability occasioned by  frequent vandalism of gas distribution assets, inadequate transmission infrastructure, high distribution losses, liquidity problem, among others,” the group added.

    They said electricity generation and distribution has improved relatively, despite the fact that the problems still exist in the sector. “The Buhari government has helped in restoring confidence in the sector through its decision to fast-track execution of the first set of World Bank partial risk guarantees, and granting of sovereign immunity waiver which aimed at increasing the rate of growth of the first tranche of project-financed Independent Power Projects (IPPs) and the interim execution of the contracts undertaken by the management of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    On solution, the group urged the successor distribution companies to improve on their revenues in order to enable them fund what they described as ‘Wholesale Obligations,’ cater for their operating expenditure requirements,  invest in new and modern capacity, and ensure cost- effective tariff is provided for the teeming consumers of electricity in Nigeria.  They said when these measures are well implemented, power supply would improve and industrial activities will improve also.

  • ‘295 Nigerians on death row in Asia’

    No fewer than 295 Nigerians are on death row in prisons across about eight Asian countries, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), The Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) has revealed.

    LEDAP, an organisation of lawyers and law professionals engaged in the promotion and protection of human rights, the rule of law and good governance in Nigeria, made this revelation on Saturday, during activities to mark the 13th World Day against the use of the Death Penalty.

    It named the countries to include China, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Others are Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

    The organisation called on the federal government to abolish the application of the death penalty for drug-related offences and reminded it and Nigerian foreign missions of their legal obligations under the Vienna Convention on the Consular Rights Services, to provide consular support to its citizens that are in conflict with the law abroad.

    LEDAP’s National Coordinator, Barrister Chinonye Obiagwu, said: “Data collected independently by LEDAP showed that nearly 120 Nigerians are facing the death penalty in Chinese prisons, and over 170 in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc and five in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

    “33 countries and territories retain the death penalty for drug crimes and it is estimated conservatively that over 16,500 Nigerians are in prisons abroad and nearly 350 of them are facing the death penalty.”

    The group said Nigeria is a signatory to a number of international instruments including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which prohibits the imposition of the death penalty for any but the ‘most serious’ crimes.

    It emphasised that drug offences do not meet this threshold, and that only crimes involving intentional killing can be ‘most serious’.

    Obiagwu revealed that LEDAP had litigated over 35 death penalty cases on appeal, out of which nearly half of the prisoners were exonerated. She added that the NGO is producing a documentary on the innocents on death row to be titled “The Exonerated”.

    She continued: “There is an urgent need for the government to through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to track and support its indigent citizens facing the death penalty abroad, and their families.

    “This is no longer an emotional issue but an issue of balancing the prospects of harsh punishment that does not even deter crimes, with the risk of wrongly executing innocent people. We will continue to insist with other abolitionist campaigners that the death penalty is itself inhuman and degrading, and to apply it in situation where there is high risk of mistaken conviction is utterly unacceptable in the 21st century.”

    Obiagwu further questioned the fairness of trials Nigerians face abroad. She said: “Most of the Nigerians convicted abroad did not receive fair trials because most of them did not have lawyers to defend them, the trials are held in languages they do not understand, in many cases no interpreters are provided and more importantly, consular support services are lacking.”

    LEDAP called on the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that consular services are provided to every Nigerian facing a criminal charge abroad. The group urged the ministry to recruit and train legal attachés in all its missions, especially in South-East Asia, to ensure that no Nigerian is on death row aboard.

    The NGO further warned all the 58 retentionist nations including Nigeria of the dangers of continued use of the death penalty. LEDAP and hundreds of exonerated ex-death row prisoners in Nigeria and aboard called on the federal government to make concerted effort to abolish the death penalty in Nigeria and be responsive to the plight of its citizen’s aboard.

  • How Inc. Media, Ultima Studios brought magic to Nigerians on Independence Day

    How Inc. Media, Ultima Studios brought magic to Nigerians on Independence Day

    ULTIMA Studios, Lagos, came alive on Independence Day, 1st of October, with exciting performances from the peep show of the much anticipated Broadway themed musical, Magic of The Musicals.

    Jointly produced by Notes Inc. Media, an Austrian-Nigerian production outfit and Nigeria’s foremost television production company, Ultima Studios Limited, Magic of The Musicals re-enacted breath-taking scenes from some of the world’s biggest Broadway performances.

    The host of the evening, thespian extraordinaire, Jimi Solanke, was at his best, orchestrating the proceedings while the impressive ensemble of cast including Ayoola, winner of the MTN Project Fame Season 5, Elvina Ibru, seasoned actress and sultry singer Evaezi amongst others combined to give the audience a memorable event.

    However, the Magic of The Musicals Peep show wasn’t all about Ayoola, Elvina and Evaezi. The other members of the cast including Arese, Buffette, David Ogbor, Chiquita, Tony Offiong Edet, Sochukwu Obumselu, Adeola Awodehin and a host of others gave a good account of themselves as they took the audience through an exciting medley of popular Broadway hits including The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Phantom of the opera, and Lion King but to mention a few.

    Speaking on the event, Damola Adewole of Notes Inc. Media described the Magic of The Musicals as a new dawn in the history of staged musical productions in the country. He added that the Independence Day’s edition was a prelude to the main show which will hold in December 2015. According to him, the December leg of the show will feature a collection of stars from Nigeria’s entertainment industry.

    “The Magic of The Musicals is Nigeria’s foremost Broadway-styled folklore show. We are especially proud of the event because it is a platform for Nigerians to showcase their talents. The peep show is a foretaste of a bigger and more spectacular edition coming up in December that will feature some of our biggest stars from the entertainment industry,” he stated.

    Adewole also commended Femi Ayeni, CEO of Ultima Studios, for supporting the event. In his words: Magic of The Musicals came about as a result of the dream of one man, the labour of love of many people and the support of Ultima Studios. I am especially grateful to Mr. Femi Ayeni of Ultima Studios who has been very supportive of the entire project,” he stated.

    The Magic of The Musicals Peep show was directed by Floyd Igbo and choreographed by Slim of the Body Language Company.

  • ’97m Nigerians don’t access grid electricity’

    No fewer than 97 million out of 175 million Nigerians have no access to grid electricity.  The remaining 78 million people who are connected to the grid face substantial power interruptions, the Energy Savers Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has said.

    In a paper titled: “The Nigerian Power Sector, A Performance Appraisal under the Buhari Administration” Moses Nasamu, a  member of Board of Trustees of Energy Savers Nigeria, said about 56 per cent of the population are connected to the grid, while 44 per cent  are not.

    He said an estimated 41  per cent of Nigerian businesses generate their own power supply to augment supply from the grid, in line  with the recent World Bank report on electricity situations in Nigeria, adding that the problem was caused by poor generation and distribution system and other systemic issues in the sector.

    It said Nigeria lags behind other developing nations in terms of grid- based electricity consumption with 126 kilowatts hour(kwh) per capita, stressing that electricity consumption is expected to be five times higher than what it is today in Nigeria, if we  consider the country’s Gross Domestic Product( GDP) alongside other countries globally.

    The paper said 25 per cent of Nigeria’s 12, 522 megawatts (Mw) of electricity installed reach the end user. “Widespread inefficiency means that only 3, 879Mw of this capacity is operational, with 3,600Mw transmitted and 3,100 distributed. Most of the shortfalls, which were about 5,381Mw, is capacity that is unavailable due to obsolete equipment and poor maintenance or due to ongoing maintenance and repair activities at existing power plants. Also, about 3,262Mw of electricity is non-operational primarily due to gas, water, high frequency, and transmission line constraints.”

    According to the paper, the sector has recorded some operational improvements, mainly driven by increased availability of gas since May 29th, 2015, when the Buhari/Osinbajo led government started.

    The paper stated that in August 2015, Nigeria hits historical highs as both peak generation and total energy generated across the system stood at 4,811Mw and 4,213 megawatts hour (mwh) respectively. It said transmission losses fell by 10 per cent between June and August 2015, compared to the first four months of the year.

    “Nigerians would recall that at the commencement of Buhari/Osinbajo’s administration in May this year, the sector was plagued with challenges,  which included under-utilisation of generating plants partly due to insufficient gas availability occasioned by  frequent vandalism of gas distribution assets, inadequate transmission infrastructure, high distribution losses, liquidity problem, among others,” the group added.

    They said electricity generation and distribution has improved relatively, despite the fact that the problems still exist in the sector. “The Buhari government has helped in restoring confidence in the sector through its decision to fast-track execution of the first set of World Bank partial risk guarantees, and granting of sovereign immunity waiver which aimed at increasing the rate of growth of the first tranche of project-financed Independent Power Projects (IPPs) and the interim execution of the contracts undertaken by the management of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    On solution, the group urged the successor distribution companies to improve on their revenues in order to enable them fund what they described as ‘Wholesale Obligations,’ cater for their operating expenditure requirements,  invest in new and modern capacity, and ensure cost- effective tariff is provided for the teeming consumers of electricity in Nigeria.  They said when these measures are well implemented, power supply would improve and industrial activities will improve also.

  • Council chief to Nigerians: be patient with Buhari

    Council chief to Nigerians: be patient with Buhari

    The Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Micah Jiba has urged Nigerians to be patient with President Muhammadu Buhari in his bid to reshape the nation.

    Jiba, who also serves as the National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), congratulated Nigerians on the 55th Independence Day anniversary, saying that only unity and love have kept the country together.

    The ALGON boss further commended President Buhari for the bold steps he has taken to tackle insecurity, saying that with the prayers and support of the people, the administration will put an end to insurgency.

    Jiba said 55 years of any nation is not a joke, adding that Nigerians should have sober reflection and also pray for President Buhari.

    He also appealed to the President to consider indigenes of Abuja in his cabinet when appointing ministers, adding that indigenes of the FCT deserve better representation at the Presidency.

    “I will advise Nigerians to continue to remain united and work with the present administration in order for President Buhari to move this nation to greater height.  We are also appealing to President Buhari to consider Abuja indigenes in his ministerial appointments, so that we can contribute our quota in his government.

    “The indigenes of the FCT have been marginalised for a very long gone time and we believe that with the present administration, the marginalisation will come to an end. We are also appealing that since the independent anniversary is taking place today, Nigerians should continue to be law abiding and loyal to this administration,  so that the government will be focus and succeed in his desire to reposition the nation in all ramifications.

    “Nigerians should be patient with President Buhari as he is taking his time to reposition the country and correct everything that needs to be corrected. We should continue to pray for this administration, that God will give our President good health and the wisdom to pilot the affairs of the nation to greatness,” he said.

     

  • Three quarters of Nigerians are lawless, says judge

    Three quarters of Nigerians are lawless, says judge

    A judge of the Lagos State High Court, Justice Gani Safari, has said three quarters of Nigerians deliberately break the law.

    Speaking at a one-day symposium titled: The constitution, law enforcement agencies and you, organised by the Human Rights Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja Branch, Justice Safari, who represented the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, as the guest of honour, noted the difficulty law enforcement officers face in carrying out their duties.

    “Three quarters of Nigerians are lawless,” he said, “I have to say it the way it is. Unless he is compelled, the average Nigerian does not want to obey the law.

    “This is something we all know, and that is why I personally don’t envy our law enforcement agencies, because they have a job to do to enforce the law, against people who are not willing to obey the law.

    “In doing so, they are also enjoined to have respect for the rights of fellows.”

    He continued: “Somewhere along the line an officer gets caught up in the line of duty and gets accused of overstepping his bounds, like the instance where a police officer was charged to court for murder for misusing his firearm which led to the death of a citizen.

    “There was also a time when a Divisional Police Officer was charged for misuse of his firearm during a riot. If you look at your environment, we all go out on a daily basis, you’ll realise that the average Nigerian does not comply with simple instructions, until he is made to do so.”

    Justice Safari’s views were echoed by B. J. Fasopin, a Deputy Route Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC).

    Fasopin, who represented the FRSC’s Corp Marshall, said Nigerians are difficult when it comes to obeying the law.

    “I stopped a lawyer for not wearing a seatbelt, and he said he was going to court he had a case and it was his right not to wear a seatbelt.”

    The event, which was held under the chairmanship of Justice I. Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, also featured speeches by Professor Lanre Fagbohun of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (UNILAG Campus), Mrs. Omotola Rotimi the Director of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender, Mrs. Gloria Egbuji of the Crime Victims Foundation as well as representatives of the Nigerian Police, the Nigerian Civil Defence Corp, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA).

    Prof Fagbohun, who identified violations of human rights among all levels of society, urged law enforcement agents to see themselves as guardians of human rights.

    Mrs. Rotimi identified the government agencies who are most culpable in the infringement of human rights, based on the statistics available to her agency.

    She said: “Of all the enforcement agencies that operate in Lagos State, statistics show that the officers of the Nigerian Police Force take the lead in the infringement of the rights of the citizens. Next in  line is the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.

    “The officers of the Kick Against Indiscipline, and the Federal Road Safety Corp are other major law enforcement agencies that take pride in infringing the rights of the ‘bloody civilians’ in the state.”

    The first Vice Chairman of the Ikeja NBA’s Human Rights Committee, Mrs. Gloria Nweze, said the programme was in response to several complaints received by the Committee daily from the public about their unpleasant experiences from Federal and State law enforcement agencies including the Police, FRSC, Civil Defence Corps, LASTMA and KAI.

    Mrs. Nweze said: “We investigated many of these complaints and the Committee came to the conclusion that there is a need to organise a programme of this nature to enlighten both the public and officials of these agencies on their rights and powers under the law.”

    A former chairman, the Ikeja NBA, Mr. Dave Ajetunmobi, presented plaques of appreciation to the speakers on behalf of the branch.

     

  • Nigerians should learn from Ilorin peace’

    Nigerians should learn from Ilorin peace’

    Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari says that peace in multi-ethnic and religiously divergent Ilorin should be a case study. ADEKUNLE JIMOH reports

    The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari said that the ethno-religious and political diversity of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, has been a source of blessing to the town and that Nigerians should take a cue from the ancient town.

    The monarch also urged would-be chroniclers of Ilorin history to carry out intensive research before publishing any book about the town.

    Represented by the Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Soliu W. Mohammed, the emir spoke this at the launch of a book titled: “Managing Ethno-political relations in Nigeria: The Ilorin example, 1823-2003.”

    Foremost historian and Dean, College of Humanity and Social Sciences, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin, Prof Akeem Danmole urged Nigerian intellectual to come up on the history of their towns and cities.

    Prof Danmole who taught the author of the book, Dr Abdulwahab L. Olumo at the university, said he encouraged the writer not to abandon the writing of the book midway.

    Chairman of the occasion and former Vice Chancellor University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof Shuaib Abdulraheem said that the book having been subjected to academic scrutiny had met international standard.

    He said the author’s dedication and perseverance made the book to see the light of the day, adding that “no one can tell the story of a town than the ‘son of the soil.’”

    A lecturer in the department of political science, UNILORIN, Prof Hassan Saliu said “either in past or present, Islam is a major factor working to unite all Ilorin people with the existing political order. Once Islam is removed from our understanding of certain phenomena in Ilorin, our knowledge of such issues would be incomplete.

    “This had played out in the rejection of merger with our western brothers and sisters under the first republic. Nothing has changed in the position of Ilorin as the town has shown more tolerance and accommodation with northern political establishment than any other political tendency in the country.

    “Indeed, the Ilorin people have never failed to make the point that they are Yoruba speaking people in the north, not Yoruba. It is however a troubling reality that we do not yet have much to show for this alliance.”

    In his own remark, Akeem Yusuf, a legal practitioner said the book had contributed to the body of knowledge, noting the author had contributed his quota to the development of the community.

    Mr. Yusuf added that “the book is a challenge to all of us here to put on our thinking cap by coming up with our own books to advance the frontiers of knowledge.”

     

  • Adeboye urges Nigerians to thank God

    Adeboye urges Nigerians to thank God

    The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, yesterday urged Nigerians to always praise God in spite of the current challenges in the country.

    Adeboye made the plea at the dedication of Ogun Province 8 Youth Church at Orimerunmu in Mowe.

    According to him, God who performs special miracles will never fail Nigerians.

    He advised Nigerian to have trust in God who had the solutions to problems the nation was going through.

    Adeboye said Nigerians could attain higher heights and live above fear and failures if they trusted God.

    “Genuine peace and true progress come to countries that put their trust in God,’’ he said.

    The Overseer said: “When the King of Kings comes in, failures, poverty sorrows, shame will be things of the past.’’

    The Wife of the General Overseer, Mrs Fola Adeboye, congratulated the youths and urged them to be steadfast in God.

    “It is a glorious day. I am so grateful to God to be here today.

    “This church is one of the bushes i blessed, then there were only two houses in this area.

    “To those who supported the dream, their dreams will not die and for those whom God used to build the church, they will prosper,’’ she said.

  • Hajj: Nigerians won’t stone devil again -Sanusi

    Hajj: Nigerians won’t stone devil again -Sanusi

    Nigeria‘s Amirul Hajj to the just concluded pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, remains unhappy about the loss of many lives during the stoning of the devil rites during the hajj.

    He is already contemplating recommending to the federal government that Nigerians should in future skip that particular rite except they are accommodated close to Jamrat where the stoning takes place.

    No fewer than 70 Nigerians are believed to have lost their lives in the stampede during the rite while latest figures say over 1000 pilgrims died.

    Alhaji Sanusi who is also the Emir of Kano told Sokoto pilgrims in the Holy Land that  stoning of the devil is not worth the blood of any Muslim.

    The Emir who quoted several verses of the Qur’an and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said refusal to even perform the stoning of devil rituals does not in any way invalidate one’s Hajj.

    His words: “During the era of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he permitted pilgrims who came on camels to stay in Makkah after Arafat, instead of staying in Mina and sleeping at Muzdalifa.

    “So, if the Prophet could give such grace to some people, just to protect their animals, why didn’t our scholars educate our people properly to avoid this untoward hardship and death.

    “Therefore, it will be part of my recommendations to the federal government that, if we cannot get accommodation close to Jamrat where the Arabs reside in Mina, then this year may be the last time we will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because we want to stone the devil.

    “Besides that, if one deliberately refuses to even perform the stoning of the devil rituals, all he needs to do is to slaughter a ram. So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and die instead of sacrificing a ram?

    “As is it presently, sleeping in Mina and Muzdalifa is not backed by any Hadith or verse of the Qur’an. So, why do we continue to do it?”

    The Emir said, he would, as the leader of the Nigerian delegation, recommend that Nigerians no longer participate in the devil stoning rite, except they are accommodated close to ‘Jamrat’.

    He insisted that blacks, particularly Nigerians, were not responsible for the Mina stampede. Nigeria, according to him, has no issue with the Saudi authorities, but stressed that the Riyahd authorities must understand that no human being is superior to another before Allah, except he who fears Allah most.

    The Emir, however, challenged Islamic scholars to educate Muslims on how to perform a hitch-free hajj, without losing anybody’s blood.