The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Preventing

  • Preventing re-looting of recovered loot

    In the last three or four weeks, the Nigerian airwaves and news media have been  awash with breaking news of recovered loot that were either abandoned at the airports or discovered in a shopping complex or residential buildings. In the frenzy that surrounded the breaking of such news which have formed major landmarks in the fight against corruption by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC), the Federal Government Spokesperson – the Minister of Information, National Orientation and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed has  lent  his support to the campaign. He revealed that looters have more money in their possession than all tiers of government in the country. The Minister was quoted as saying that “it is now obvious that more funds are in the possessions of looters than are available to government at all levels to meet their obligations including paying Workers’ Salaries, providing social amenities, upgrading infrastructure and ensuring the security of lives and properties. As the looters continued to run helter-skelter, many of them are even abandoning their booty at unusual places including airports”.

    In recording these outstanding successes in the loot- recovery drive being championed by the anti-grafts agency-the EFCC, kudos should be given to members of the public who are coming forward to the secretly give hints or tips-offs on the hidden places where these loots were kept in line with the whistle-blowing policy adopted by the federal government.

    Despite these laudable developments in its loot-recovery drive, there is heightened fear being expressed by some concerned members of the public that if care is not taken, that the ill-gotten wealth being recovered from the suspected looters may be re-looted again. And this kind of fear is not unfounded. For an instance, it is an open-secret now that a major share, precisely about 50% of the Abacha loot that was recovered during the immediate past administration of the former President Goodluck Jonathan was allegedly  re-looted again through the office of the then National Security Adviser- Sambo Dasuki. This was under the guise of buying arms and ammunition in order to equip our security outfits especially the military to fight the Boko – Haram insurgence whose fire was spreading fast to the other parts of the country from its epicentre in the North-east. And that is the major reason why Dasuki, is still standing trial today, although there may be other charges against him.

    And in order to allay this fear, the Minister of Finance – Mrs Kemi Adeosun has assured the nation that the loots being recovered now will not be re-looted. Specifically, she mentioned that such forfeited loots will be used to fund the budget. Even though we are in agreement with the honourable minister, we are of the candid opinion that the recovered loot should be separated from the normal budgeting system of the nation so that the money will not be subjected to attempted budget-padding.

    In other words, the recovered money should be kept in a special account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the updates of its balance should be in the public domain from time to time. The money in such an account should not be used by the government to pursue white elephant projects that may not have direct bearing at improving the deplorable living standards of the citizens. Rather the recovered loot should be invested into fighting hunger and some identified cases of preventable diseases in the land. Recently, the United Nations made a shocking revelation that if adequate funds were not mobilized by June this year, about five million people in the North-east will be at high risk of death through starvation.

    In addition, the Federal Government can also use the money to embark on projects that are aimed at reducing the high infant mortality rates in our country by the establishment of Mother and Child Care centres in all the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas throughout the federation to take care of pregnant women before and after the delivery of their babies.

    And in a related development, just to ensure that the life-expectancy period of Nigerians is improved, we also recommended the commencement of Rapid Response Rescue outfits on our major roads to rescue and attend to accident victims within 10 – 15 minutes of any road mishap. Succinctly speaking, except for the loots whose actual ownership are still being determined by the courts, those already forfeited to the  coffers of the federal government should be put into immediate use through the implementation of the aforementioned schemes to avoid the temptation of re-looting of such recovered loots.

    With Nigerian Public officials, this temptation is very real and we should not tempt our officials with unending custody of such monies. We don’t want a case of “One thief stole it, while another thief snatched it”.

     

    • Olakunle, JP is General Secretary, National Prayer Movement.

  • Preventing suicide

    SIR: Is suicide a Nigerian problem? Is it not a problem of the Western world?

    On January 1, 2017, Punch reported how an Assistant Commissioner of Police identified as Christopher Osakue committed suicide in Benin by shooting himself in the head using his service pistol in his residence. Another incident was also reported on January 6, 2017, by Punchabout a 19-year-old 200 level, social work undergraduate of Babcock University, Ilisan Remo in Ogun State, identified as Verishima Unokyoh, who committed suicide by hanging himself, using his tie in his parent’s house in Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos. Vanguard of January 16, 2017, wrote about Mr Tope Afolayan, a Grade Level 12 civil servant in Ekiti State who committed suicide by hanging himself in his room because of huge debts and unpaid salaries. Add to these the widely publicised suicide of the medical doctor who jumped into the lagoon after asking his driver to stop on the Third Mainland Bridge. One could go on and on.

    From all indications, suicide seems to be on the rise in our society; the earlier we accept this reality, the better for us. Thanks to the Media (social, print, television and radio) which report these occurrences; and no thanks to the harsh economic conditions in the country.

    What is Suicide? The word Suicide (completed suicide) is derived from the Latin word Suicidium, meaning “the killing of one self.” So suicide is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death either through harmful use of socially acceptable substances such as alcohol or illicit drugs like Cocaine, heroin etc or overdose of prescription medication. It could also be through very lethal means like use of pesticides, poisons, drowning, firearms or by hanging.

    Attempted Suicide or non-fatal suicidal act is the desire to end one’s life that does not result in death but self-injury and sometimes long-term disabilities. Suicide attempts are higher in females and young people while suicide completion is generally higher in males. Men tend to use more lethal methods ranging from hanging, jumping, drowning to using fire arms while women commonly ingest overdose of medication or pesticides and poison.

    In our clime, ingestion of poisonous substances, overdose of medication, hanging, jumping and drowning are most common. Firearms are rarely used perhaps because they are not easily available.

    Suicide is a global problem; about 12 out of 100,000 persons commit suicide every year. This constitutes approximately 0.5% to 1.4% of the population. However, there quarters of this number occur in the developing world (this calls for concern because Nigeria is included).

    Suicide can be caused by biologic, psychologic and social – economic factors. Genetics accounts for 38% to 55% of suicidal behaviours. Psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, alcoholism and substance use are also important factors in suicide. Other causes are impulsive acts due to stress from financial difficulties, homelessness, childlessness, chronic pain, terminal illness, trouble with relationship, gambling and bullying (especially teenagers). Having attempted suicide before is also a risk factor, 20% of completed suicide have made previous attempts.

    Preventive measures can be introduced to reduce the incidence of suicide. Prompt treatment of mental disorders as well as drug and alcohol addiction is paramount. Psychological interventions such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for those who have thoughts of suicide have good outcomes. Reducing access to certain methods such as poison, firearms, controlled access to certain medications, erecting barriers on bridges and having guards patrol likely sites where suicide can be committed can help reduce occurrence.

    We cannot overemphasise the importance of economic development in reducing poverty and consequently suicide. Participating in the annual World Suicide Prevention Day everySeptember 10 will also create more awareness and further educate people about suicide.

     

    • Mrs. M.B. Akinsanmi,

    Yaba, Lagos

  • Your role in preventing miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth and preterm (5)

    In the last 4 weeks, we have been dealing with extremely emotive issues of miscarriage and abortion. If the former two names and experiences evoke huge sensitivities in you, then spare a thought for parents that escaped miscarriages, abortion of any sort but nurtured desirable pregnancy beyond 20 weeks, had a raised hope, often desperately wanted the baby that the woman was carrying; but in the end, the foetus ended as still birth. Pray too for the clinicians (doctors, nurses, counsellors and so forth) that had to undergo grief periods from time to time in empathy with the parents of still birth foetuses. Sadly, even if the mother is innocent, stillbirth can result in guilt  feeling in the woman.

    What then is still birth?  Stillbirth is typically defined as foetal death at or after 20 to 28 weeks of pregnancy. It results in a baby born without signs of life. Put in another way, still birth is the birth of an infant that has died in the uterus (womb) after having lived and survived through at least the first 28 weeks of pregnancy.  In some countries, a baby is considered as viable and “human” from 24-weeks onward. In Nigeria, this threshold is 28weeks. The weight of the stillbirth baby may also be used as a guide. Such guides may be 350gm and above.  Therefore, a baby is full human being from 28weeks. Now imagine the death of such human being in the womb of his or her mother. This is called stillbirth—a  truly tragic event.

    What causes stillbirth and Preventions? Very often, the cause of still birth is not known. In a wisdom that has stood the test of time however, the ancient says that there is no smoke without fire. So, the fact that we do not know some of the causes of still birth is not to say that there is no cause. We simply don’t know enough at this stage.

    That said, there are some causes which are well known and well documented. Those are the ones that I will now discuss below. Being black as compared to white population exposes us to risk of stillbirth.

    In some situations, the causes of still birth are simply those reasons that could otherwise have caused the baby to be miscarried in the first instance. Infection such as syphilis and other bacterial infections could be shocking the baby to death. Malaria is a dangerous illness—killing over 600,000 people yearly— to a fully grown strong adult person. Most of these deaths are children and pregnant women.  How much less a defenceless individual that depends, in the womb, on the mother for survival? Malaria is a terrible cause of stillbirth especially in an environment like ours where healthcare is chaotic. So, while pregnant, take any fever or any illness seriously and seek medical assistance urgently.  Foetus with defects of whatever cause and in particular, lung that is underdeveloped (pulmonary hypoplasia) in which nature had perceived, it may be difficult for the baby to survive in life, may be expelled from the womb before it reaches maturity. Blood disorders resulting from incompatibility with the mother’s blood (rhesus incompatibility) may result in death of the unborn baby.

    If this had not been done via miscarriage, it may be done at the level of stillbirth. Similarly, as I mentioned under causes of miscarriage, genetic and chromosomal abnormality in the baby may be a good reason for the death of the foetus.  For whatever reason and if not detected or managed properly, a baby in the womb that is not growing in keeping with its age (growth retardation) may die in the womb.

    Similarly, in some occasions, late induced abortion may end up as still birth.

    Diseases of the mother such as uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia (see earlier published article on Hypertension), and diseases of the liver may all combine or act individually to compromise the live of the developing baby.

    Yet, some mothers are the cause of the death of their baby via the use of dangerous substances whilst being pregnant. Mothers who consume recreational drugs such as alcohol, cigarette (nicotine) are putting the lives of their baby at risk. On the other hand, some medicines that qualified doctors prescribe may have unpleasant effects on the baby. Thus, it’s important to work with your doctor and nurses before and during pregnancy drawing their attention to any medication that you are given to take. Some medicines must as a matter of fact not be taken in pregnancy.

    Pregnancy that goes over the due date for delivery may also end up in stillbirth. Pregnant women must therefore be vigilant to check and keep their date of delivery. Any competent doctor will be watchful and not allow a pregnancy to be unduly overdue. The key to preventing still birth due to overdue date is early pregnancy dating by ultrasound. So, once a woman misses her menstrual period, she should contact and consult a doctor for assessment as soon as possible.  In addition, once a pregnancy is confirmed, the woman should keep her antenatal dates with religious conviction in other to prevent the agony of stillbirth.

    Further, there are disorders that are associated with the afterbirth (placenta) of the baby. If there is excessive bleeding for example or undesirable detachment (placenta abruptions) of the placenta from its place before the baby is born, it may result in still birth. Physical trauma may be from falls or severe beating from domestic fighting or a kick to the pregnancy may result in death in the womb of the baby.

    Multiple pregnancies such as twins may cause one or more of the growing babies to compete for food and nutrients. One baby may take more to the detriment of the other thus leading to death.

    With all these, it’s important that potential pregnant and indeed pregnant mothers should work very closely with their doctors to prevent unpleasant outcomes.  Next week, we shall deal with premature births.

  • Preventing the deadly Ebola virus

    SIR: It is a terrifying that Nigeria is at risk of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease epidemic. The virus is “out of control” and spreading rapidly across the West African coast like a wild harmattan fire with the World Health Organisation(WHO) recording 44 new infections and 21 deaths in just two days. The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa is the worst on record with over 500 deaths reported to date. With several cases of Ebola reported in Mali, Gambia, Ghana and Sierra Leone, West Africa is witnessing the most challenging outbreak since the disease was discovered 38 years ago. WHO recently declared that it expects the deadly virus’ spread to continue for several more months in West Africa and now that it has spread to three neighbouring countries, the crisis appears to be far from being over.

    Nigeria, being the economic hub of the West African sub-region, attracts the highest movement of people, goods and services within the region and this portends great danger for the country as the Ebola Virus is highly infectious and can be transmitted through bodily fluids, skin and other organs or through indirect contact with environments contaminated by the disease.

    In a country where management of emergencies and disasters is lethargic, a nation where healthcare facilities and personnel are grossly inadequate and doctors’ strike incessant, the possibility of coping with an outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus disease will, no doubt, be a very difficult national yoke. Nigeria remains one of five countries in the world still grappling with the eradication of polio even with readily available vaccination. In a country where strive is rife, the burden of curtailing the outbreak of another disease with no available vaccination will no doubt be a weighty crisis. This is why the authorities must act fast to secure the nation’s borders and prevent entry of the deadly virus.

    Ebola is highly infectious. It can be transmitted through bodily fluids, skin and other organs or through indirect contact with environments contaminated by the disease. The disease can also have a long incubation period, lasting up to three weeks, which allows it to spread rapidly before diagnosis and quarantine can take place. Men who have been infected with the disease and recovered can still pass it on through sexual contact for up to seven weeks.

    In the absence of effective treatment and a human vaccine, raising awareness of the risk factors for Ebola infection and protective measures individuals can take is the only way to reduce human infection and death. Beside clinical management, the WHO, the Federal Ministry of Health and other partners should implement measures to respond to outbreak, contact tracing, disease surveillance, laboratory work, logistics, information-sharing and communication for effective response.

    The Federal Ministry of Health must also step up its public enlightenment campaigns to further create awareness on how to prevent infection from the deadly virus, and in case of infection, how to identify the early symptoms which is characterized by sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, sore throat and death. There is need for aggressive production and distribution of Information, Education and Communication Materials on prevention and management of Ebola Virus.

    Border states, because of their proximity to the reported countries of outbreak, particularly to the west of Nigeria should emulate Lagos and other states that have issued warning alerts to their residents on the risk of Ebola Virus outbreak. Lagos State, in particular, had advised the residents on precautionary measures to prevent infections. These include washing of hands often with soap and water, avoiding close contact with people who are sick and ensuring that objects used by the sick are decontaminated and properly disposed. The Disease Control Units of all the Ministry of Health in the vulnerable states must also synergize in creating a coordinated surveillance system around the border posts to identify possible carriers.

     

    • Sola Ogunmosunle

    Ministry of Information &

    Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

     

  • Preventing road accidents in Nigeria (2)

    This particular suggestion may not go down well with the government agencies in charge of road safety and traffic management at the Federal and state government levels because they don’t want to forfeit the income being generated from this business of re-training drivers.

    I, however, challenge the stakeholders and other well-meaning Nigerians to do more unbiased research and investigation on this issue to properly understand the need for this suggestion which, I strongly, believe will go a long way in drastically reducing road accidents and fatalities as well as enhance the standards of driving schools that will be properly positioned to comply with the set standards.

    •The mindset (perception) of drivers on the use of roads should be properly addressed and adequately restructured to promote safety on the roads.

    •The focus of drivers training should be further diversified from driving skills to include the perceptual, cognitive, motivational and attitudinal factors which can greatly exert on drivers behaviour, influence their judgment and decision-making. There is also the need to develop a road etiquette as well.

    •The focus on the use of high fines to prevent reckless driving may not be very effective because majority of traffic offenders believe that they are not likely to be caught.

    However, drivers should be made to take more responsibility for what is occurring on the roads. This will be more effective than slamming ridiculously high fines on traffic offenders.

    •All categories of drivers and vehicle owners must be made to undergo regular refresher courses because peer influence in driving cannot be over looked. There is always the tendency for those obeying traffic rules to renege and imitate the errant drivers.

    •Public and private sector organisations must be encouraged or compelled to regularly train their drivers because of the level of irreparable lives and properties being lost through driver errors and allied factors.

    •Insurance companies should have incentives, such as discount on premiums for individuals and organisations that sponsored their drivers for re-training programmes. This will encourage driver training and development for accident prevention in the country. This has been effective in countries such as the United States.

  • Preventing road accidents in Nigeria (2)

    This particular suggestion may not go down well with the government agencies in charge of road safety and traffic management at the Federal and state government levels because they don’t want to forfeit the income being generated from this business of re-training drivers.

    I however, challenge the stakeholders and other well-meaning Nigerians to do more unbiased research and investigation on this issue to properly understand the need for this suggestion which, I strongly, believe will go a long way in drastically reducing road accidents and fatalities as well as enhance the standards of driving schools that will be properly positioned to comply with the set standards.

    •The mindset (perception) of drivers on the use of roads should be properly addressed and adequately restructured to promote safety on the roads.

    •The focus of drivers training should be further diversified from driving skills to include the perceptual, cognitive, motivational and attitudinal factors which can greatly exert on drivers behaviour, influence their judgment and decision-making. There is also the need to develop a road etiquette as well.

    •The focus on the use of high fines to prevent reckless driving may not be very effective because majority of traffic offenders believe that they are not likely to be caught.

    However, drivers should be made to take more responsibility for what is occurring on the roads. This will be more effective than slamming ridiculously high fines on traffic offenders.

    •All categories of drivers and vehicle owners must be made to undergo regular refresher courses because peer influence in driving cannot be over looked. There is always the tendency for those obeying traffic rules to renege and imitate the errant drivers.

    •Public and private sector organisations must be encouraged or compelled to regularly, train their rivers because of the level of irreparable lives and properties being lost through driver errors and allied factors.

    •Insurance companies should have incentives, such as discount on premiums for individuals and organisations that sponsored their drivers for re-training programmes. This will encourage driver training and development for accident prevention in the country. This has been effective in countries like United States.

    •As governments and Non-governmental Organisations have been focusing on the campaign against HIV/AIDS, they should focus even more attention on the campaign against road accidents,which is killing more people than HIV/AID and at a faster rate.

    •There should be no sacred cows or VIPs in the enforcement of road traffic laws and regulations. Leaders or VIPs are expected to lead by example and anything contrary must be resisted vehemently.

    I further challenge the Federal and state Ministries of Transport, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) state traffic management agencies and other Stakeholders to come together in a result-oriented conference to deliberate on the above and other related issues with the aim of coming up with a common resolution to be implemented at the Federal and State levels to enhance the war against road crashes and fatalities. Otherwise, Nigeria will have little or nothing to show at the end of the United Nations Decade of Action on Road Safety come 2020 and the Accra Declaration on Road Safety having failed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing fatality rate through road safety. The goal of all and sundry in Nigeria should be to put the safety of lives far above income generation and stop every form of masquerading or pretence.

    There has been cases of these Federal and state governments Agencies, competing and blackmailing themselves in order to secure the contract for the training of the drivers of some blue-chip companies. Can we say their interest is in the drivers safety on the road or on financial gain?

    There was even a very funny development where one of the Government Agencies threatened to be arresting the Drivers of a blue chip company if they fail to give them the contract for the training of their Drivers. Is it not obvious now, where their interests are?

    The regulations guiding the operation of some of these agencies recognises the driving schools as the trainers of drivers (fresh and re-training).

    I am sure that if this matter is not properly addressed as suggested in this article, Nigeria will continue to move in circles in the war against road crashes and fatalities without making any meaningful impact.

    The National and state Assemblies must objectively rise up to this challenge to ensure that the relevant legislations are amended or enacted to address the issues raised in this article because if the right steps are not taken to efficiently and effectively address the road safety and road traffic engineering challenges, the consequences can affect anyone in Nigeria no matter the status because we and our loved ones all use the Nigeria roads at one time or the other.

  • Preventing diarrhoea in children

    Diarrhea is the second leading killer of children under the age of five around the world, accounting for approximately 15% of under-five child deaths worldwide, or almost two million deaths annually according to WHO (2003).

    What is diarrhoea?

    Diarrhea is the passage of loose or watery stools occurring three or more times in a 24-hour period.

    The three types of diarrhea are: acute diarrhea, persistent diarrhea, and dysentery.

    If an episode of diarrhea lasts less than 14 days, it is acute diarrhea. Acute watery diarrhea causes dehydration and contributes to malnutrition. The death of a child with acute diarrhea is usually due to dehydration.

    If the diarrhea lasts 14 days or more, it is persistent diarrhea. Up to 20% of episodes of diarrhea become persistent. Persistent diarrhea often causes nutritional problems, creating the risk of malnutrition and serious non-intestinal infection. Dehydration also occurs.

    Diarrhea with blood in the stool- with or without mucus-is called dysentery. Dysentery is very dangerous because of its ability to lead to anorexia, rapid weight loss, and damage to the intestinal mucosa. Another danger is sepsis.

    Though the global under-five mortality from acute diarrhea has decreased from 4.5 million to 1.8 million annually, acute diarrhea continues to take a huge toll on children’s health in developing countries. (WHO 2006). Diarrhea represents a significant burden on the health system, the household, and the nutritional status of children.

    The management of each type of diarrhoea should prevent or treat the main danger(s) that each presents.

    Why diarrhoea is dangerous

    When a child has diarrhoea the body fluids and salts can be quickly lost from the body. The child becomes dry (dehydrated) and this is very dangerous and may kill the child.

    Diarrhoea causes rapid depletion of water and sodium – both of which are necessary for life. If the water and salts are not replaced fast, the body starts to “dry up” or get dehydrated. If more than 10% of the body’s fluid is lost, death occurs.

    Severe dehydration can cause death.

    The cause

    Diarrhoea is a symptom of infection caused by a host of bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms most of which can be spread by contaminated water. It is more common when there is a shortage of clean water for drinking, cooking and cleaning and basic hygiene is important in prevention.

    Water contaminated with human faeces for example from municipal sewage, septic tanks and latrines is of special concern. Animal faeces also contain microorganisms that can cause diarrhoea.

    Diarrhoea can also spread from person to person, aggravated by poor personal hygiene. Food is another major cause of diarrhoea when it is prepared or stored in unhygienic conditions. Water can contaminate food during irrigation, and fish and seafood from polluted water may also contribute to the disease.

    Distribution

    The infectious agents that cause diarrhoea are present or are sporadically introduced throughout the world. Diarrhoea is a rare occurrence for most people who live in developed countries where sanitation is widely available, access to safe water is high and personal and domestic hygiene is relatively good. World-wide around 1.1 billion people lack access to improved water sources and 2.4 billion have no basic sanitation. Diarrhoea due to infection is widespread throughout the developing world. In Southeast Asia and Africa, diarrhoea is responsible for as much as 8.5% and 7.7% of all deaths respectively.

    Scope of the Problem

    Amongst the poor and especially in developing countries, diarrhoea is a major killer. In 1998, diarrhoea was estimated to have killed 2.2 million people, most of whom were under 5 years of age (WHO, 2000). Each year there are approximately 4 billion cases of diarrhoea worldwide.

    Prevention

    Diarrhoea can be prevented by pursuing multisectoral efforts by:

    improving access to clean water and safe sanitation promoting hygiene education exclusive breast-feeding

    improved weaning practices immunizing all children; especially against measles using latrines keeping food and water clean washing hands with soap (the baby’s as well) before touching food and by sanitary disposal of stools.

    These tips can help parents and communities as well to prevent almost all of these deaths and most of the malnutrition caused by diarrhoea.