The Nation Newspaper

Tag: problems

  • ‘Some infertility problems are preventable’

    ‘Some infertility problems are preventable’

    Disturbed by rising cases of infertility, a Reproductive   E endocrinologist and Fertility/IVF specialist, Dr Kemi Ailoje has  said it is high the disease was rooted out.

    She is advocating preventive measures to eliminate causes of infertility before reproductive life is started.

    Trained by the foremost Reproductive Endocrinologist, Prof  Oladapo Ashiru, Ailoje is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lifelink Fertility Clinics in Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

    She said when young Nigerians have access to information on their fertility status, they would not patronise quacks for abortion, thereby removing poor abortion, pelvic inflammatory infections, damages to the uterus due to intake of harmful mixture and indiscriminate use of antibiotics, before reproductive life starts.

    “If young girls, especially, are encouraged to seek information on ways to prevent infertility, we won’t be having the high prevalence we notice in the country. Simple things our young girls and boys do can matter in their reproductive life later in life. For instance, many girls wash their vaginal area with soap. They douche, believing that’s the way to keep their vagina clean and fresh. But, what they are actually doing is aiding infection because as they wash, they are losing their vaginal PH and acidity. It is the acid content around the vaginal surface that fights diseases. Such women need to know the natural way to keep the flora of the female organ. As little as this information, it can prevent infertility in the future,’’ she explained.

    But, what do all these have to do with having a baby? A lot, she said.

    Ailoje said most women only become aware and concerned about their reproductive health when they are sexually active – to prevent pregnancy. But the choices made as teens and into adulthood could have negative effects on their ability to get pregnant.

    “With proper information and awareness, we can work towards preventing several causes of infertility. Lifelink Fertility Centre is a fertility clinic run by women for women, and a women and children’s hospital. It is about taking care of the health of women by women. We offer chances of getting pregnant within the shortest possible period, paying attention to details and we pride ourselves in giving personalised treatments to women.

    “The centre has been in operation for about a year. We are bringing in individualised treatment using state-of-the-art equipment. It is high tech, and everything that has to do with IVF and ART is there. A woman that comes in with any form of reproductive health issues will be seen by the reproductive endocrinologists,” Ailoje assured.

    But the centre is really for women, she explained. “Of course we attend to men as well. You cannot treat a woman outside of men. We see women and children, but men are also attended to. There are males that need much more than reproductive endocrinologists and they need to be seen by urologists. For the men, their infertility could be exospermia (no sperm) or oligospermia (low sperm). This can be linked to genetic factors, lifestyle modification, heavy smoking, alcohol, age, and occupation.”

    Ailoje said a man’s ducts might be blocked or had his testes injured; or there may be sperm issues and would need to be properly treated. “If he needs a specialist, he would be asked to one. We are making it fully individualised, how people can fit into their system, how they want it. The difference is that we are not pooling patients to buy equipment. We have the equipment to meet the services of people who are in need of it.”

    She is leading the team of reproductive endocrinologists, and bringing her decades of experience as a fertility and IVF specialist, practising physician, and UN-trained counsellor to bear.

    On affordability, she said although the facilities are expensive, the procedure is affordable. “You may be 28 or 30 – walk into the fertility centre and say you want your eggs preserved while awaiting Mr Right or until you are ready to have your babies. You just want to become what you want to become. It is about encouraging people to preserve, start or enlarge their families. That is my invisible logo is: Preserving your fertility or starting  or enlarging the family.

    “We have all our state-of-the-art machines and facilities. That is because we want to provide quality care for couples. So, for those who truly are unable to afford it, we have also set up a foundation to vet them and select those that should be assisted. We have done IVF for a vulcaniser who is married to a tailor. Even if the vulcaniser repairs 180 million tyres, he may not be able to raise the money, that is the truth. Our foundation vets those who want free IV and offer it to them,” she said.

    ‘’Lifelink Fertility Cente is about setting up a trend for young people so they know their fertility status. That is the difference here. We are not going to wait until somebody is 43, and then you get a husband or when you do not have a husband and you’re trying to get a baby. We are bringing in young people aged 18-25, to come and talk about fertility, toilet infections, condoms, etc. There is free consultation for that group. There is a proposed plan to launch the Fertilink Profile, which promises free services on adolescent reproductive health and sexuality education.

    “For those aged 26-35, they would want to know their status; at this age, they are thinking of settling down, and concerned about the health of their fallopian tubes. They need maternal health check. And for those aged 35 and above, the women walk into the clinic and know what they want and you help them achieve it. They can pay for it. They want to do a health check but by the time when fertility might have declined considerably.”

    On infertility, Ailoje is thinking outside the box. She is attending to women problems. “We are trying to partner an institution that is interested in preserving the fertility of women, particularly career women in business,” she added.

  • ‘Industry-based solutions will solve construction problems’

    ‘Industry-based solutions will solve construction problems’

    •Association honours Gen. T.Y Danjuma

    The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) has asked professional bodies in the construction industry to seek industry-based solutions to the challenges confronting the industry.

    This was the submission of the President of the Institute, QS Obafemi Onashile, at the first Construction Industry Institutional Business Dinner held in Lagos.

    Onashile said the construction industry in Nigeria faces challenges ranging from building collapse, injuries and death on sites, non-payment of contractors and consultants fees, environment degradation, housing deficit, high cost of construction and shortage of artisans, among others, resulting in stunted growth of the industry.

    He noted that rather than seek government-led solutions, professionals should tackle the problems headlong.

    The NIQS president called for an industry-wide commonly agreed solutions to these problems.

    He said: “The time has come for stakeholders to come together and pursue industry-wide reforms that will enhance the operations of the industry and improve the economy of our country.”

    Chairman of the occasion Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) noted that Nigeria had one of the highest costs of construction in the world. He called on professionals to find a way of cutting the costs of construction in the country.

    Gen. Danjuma was also conferred with the Honorary Fellow of NIQS, in recognition of his promotion of Quantity Surveying and various development programmes of expanding local capacities for the construction industry.

  • Africa’s problems are civilisational

    SIR: Emmanuel Macron, the President of pilloried in the press for daring to speak the truth; the truth being that “Africa’s problems are civilisational.” His heavy critics, ironically, were African-Americans ensconced in the comfort of the U.S.A.; they should have just kept quiet and let us native Africans absorb the painful truth and chart a course to true civilisation.

    Macron was troubled by the tortuous migration trek that Africans embark to reach Europe and he wondered why home was no longer attractive to these young ones. Macron realised that family-size pressures in the heart of Africa means that young ones would always seek climes of greater opportunities in order to do even a modicum of remittance. When an African mother births seven or eight children in the countries where employment opportunities are few and far betwee, then the siblings in that family become desperate to go out far to seek means to alleviate sufferings at home.

    True civilisation is tied to true family planning and this in turn is tied to the well-being of a family; it is the uncivilised family who tries to out birth its neighbours in the midst of paucity of everything. Macron was absolutely correct.

    • Sunday Adole Jonah,

    Federal University of Technology, Minna.

  • Re: Plenty parties, plenty problems

    SIR: Thanks for Femi Macaulay’s article titled “Plenty Parties, Plenty Problems” published in The Nation of December 25. I believe there is a serious problem ahead, if nothing is done about the way parties are registered in Nigeria. This thing has been turned into a joke.

    Some of the questions begging for answers are: How will INEC manage 67 parties we now have, with a possibility of more coming on board before 2019?  How will INEC monitor their primaries as required by law?  How will the ballot papers look like?  How will voters be able to handle these ballot papers with many confusing symbols that will run into many pages?  etc.

    I don’t think we are a serious nation; registration of parties has been turned to ordinary registration of “ business name” in CAC.

    The intervention of the National Assembly is required (urgently) to empower INEC control the number of political parties, because the current number is unwieldy for any General election.

    One of the things to be considered in the proposed legislation is the introduction of payment of “Deposits” of say N100 million by by parties before they are registered or allowed to participate in an election. The existing parties should also pay this deposit before they participate in any election.

    This deposit will be refunded to any party that is able to secure 3-5 seats in the National Assembly (House of Representatives). However a party that fails to secure the prescribed number of seats will lose its deposit and should be deregistered.

    There is a need to sanitize the whole process of party registration, in order to avert the looming danger ahead.

    My proposal should help to check the proliferation of parties and also discourage the political rascals in our midst,who have turned everything to a joke.

     

    • Yomi Unuigbe,

    Akobo, Ibadan.

     

  • Plenty parties, plenty problems

    Plenty parties, plenty problems

    Paradoxically, political parties are causing problems for the country when they should bring solutions. With a confounding multiplicity of parties, the country’s political landscape reflects a poverty of plenty.  There are so many parties but so little political progress.

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, highlighted this problem of unproductive plenty at a National Stakeholders’ Forum on Elections in Abuja on December 19.  The event followed INEC’s announcement of general election schedules:  February 16, 2019, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and March 2, 2019, for the Governorship, State Assembly and the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Yakubu, who was represented at the forum by INEC’s National Commissioner Adekunle Ogunmola, said: “We will continue to register parties as long as they comply with the legal requirements. Our hands are tied. There is no way we can stop registering parties. We will continue to register them until the time stipulated in the constitution. By the time the issue of independent candidate takes off, there will be more problem for INEC. The highest number we have done in governorship election is in Anambra State, with 27 parties.”

    As things stand, there will certainly be more problems. A startling December 15 report said:  ”Nigeria now has 67 political parties.” This new figure is a result of the registration of 21 new parties by INEC. If INEC properly followed the registration process and the new parties satisfied the registration conditions, it does not make the number of existing parties less problematic.

    Now, let’s check out the names of the latest additions to the list of parties.  According to a  report: “The 21 newly registered parties are: All Blending Party, All Grassroots Alliance, Alliance for New Nigeria, Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, Coalition for Change, Freedom and Justice Party, Grassroots Development Party of Nigeria, Justice Must Prevail Party, Mass Action Joint Alliance, Legacy Party of Nigeria, Mass Action Joint Alliance, Modern Democratic Party, National Interest Party, National Rescue Mission, New Progressive Movement, Nigeria Democratic Congress Party, People’s Alliance for National Development and Liberty, People’s Trust, Providence People’s Congress, Re-Build Nigeria Party, Restoration Party of Nigeria and Sustainable National Party.”

    It is unclear how these new parties formed their names, and what factors and influences prevailed at the stage of name formation.  But some of these names are curious, suggesting that they are creations of curious minds. Some of these names are clearly fanciful, suggesting attention to form over substance.  It is worth pondering on this question: What should be the important considerations when creating a party name?

    But a name is not enough, no matter how it sounds and what it is meant to say to the public. A political party will not be rated according to what its name says.  For example, the former federal ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was not progressive and could even be said to have been ironically anti-people. It is easier to give a party a progressive-sounding name than to ensure that the party is progressive-minded.

    These questions are unavoidable: Does Nigeria need 67 parties?  Does the number of parties mean that they are so different from one another?  Why do more and more people think they must form parties?  How many of these 67 parties are parties properly so called? How many of these parties are sustainable?  Further questions: What will happen in the 2019 general election?  How many of these parties are strong enough to compete for power? Additional questions: Will more parties be registered? Are more associations seeking registration?

    Even INEC is uneasy and reportedly seeking the intervention of the National Assembly to enable it control the number of political parties through an enabling law. An INEC National Commissioner was quoted as saying:  ”From the way we are going, we need to apply legal control on the formation and registration of political parties in this country. We should think outside the box for the way out. So far, INEC has registered 67 parties. This number is unwieldy for general election… we cannot afford the luxury of having uncontrolled number of parties.”

    If nothing is done, it is likely the number of parties will continue to rise. The official gave an insight into the situation:  “And the law is fluid; INEC is mandated to register parties at least six months to the general election. As an electoral agency, you may base your projection on a number of parties and new registration can alter your plans.”

    He added: “We have about 94 pending applications from associations seeking to be political parties. By implication, we may still register more parties before the 2019 general election. The latest 21 registered parties were among the 115 pending applications before INEC. We are hamstrung by the law; we cannot reject the applications of associations seeking to be parties as long as they have met the basic requirements.” For manageability of the party system, he called on the National Assembly “to revisit the laws on party registration for a tidier electoral system guided by the Electoral Act.”

    Perhaps it is too easy to register a political party in Nigeria.  Before the 21 new parties, there were 46 parties, and there are applicants expecting to be registered. It is true that democracy encourages diversity, but it is also true that diversity can be difficult.

    Interestingly, every party claims to be interested in progress, but not every party is progressive. Indeed, it may be said that not all progress is progressive. Tragically, the scramble for party registration may well be a self-serving project for many of those involved. The history of the party system in Nigeria has several examples of parties formed by self-absorbed individuals for self-centred purposes.

    It is easy to see that the country’s undesirable level of development easily creates room for the formation of new parties. There is room for the promoters of new parties because there is room for progress. After the failure and fall of the PDP, which ruled from 1999 to 2015, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is struggling to show that it is positively different.

    In the final analysis, the problem with Nigeria is not a shortage of political parties, but a shortage of progressive politicians who can work for progress.

  • Experts proffer solutions to power problems

    The power sector requires funding, infrastructure, a mixture of gas, hydro and renewable sources of energy and cost reflective tarrifs to operate optimally, stakeholders have said.

    Other strategies, they said, are efficient transmission and distribution network, meters, and gas.

    The Chief Executive Officer, SolarCentric Technologies Limited, Mr Adetunji Iromini, the Campaign Director, Nigeria, Power for All, Mr Ifeoma Alo, the Executive Director, Business Development, Starsight Nigeria Limited, Mr Rex Adebayo, and others, spoke during the 12th  renewable energy seminar organised in Lagos, by the German Embassy, Abuja and German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

    The seminar’s  theme was: Solar PV Development in Nigeria.

    Iromini said the industry is facing problems, such as short supply of meters, huge tarrifs and poor infrastructure, adding that the problems can be solved, when the sector is well financed.

    He said when there is huge liquidity  in the sector, it would be easier for the power firms to improve electricity supply, procure enough meters for their customers, amond doing other things that would engander growth in the sector.

    He said the power distribution companies (DisCos) interface with customers regularly, adding that it would be easier for the firms to know the problems facing them and how to proffer solution to them.

    On metering, Iromin urged power firms to conduct enumeration to know the customers that need meter and supply them meters appropriately, adding that by so doing, the firms are saving customers from the agony of estimated billing.

    Citing a report on Power Sector Recovery Programme(2017-2021), he said a unit of energy cost around N50.30, urging the Federal Government to subsidise the price, at which, people are paying for energy.

    Alo urged the government to allow prospective and exisitng investors in solar and other renewable energy build mini-grids, adding that the government would be decentralising transmission of electricity in the country.

    He blamed the Olusegun Obasanjo administration for not probing Nigerians that were guilty of corruption.

    He, however, commended the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, for privatising the sector, despite the challenges facing it.

  • Impunity, immunity and leadership problems

    There is a growing harvest of street fights by members of the security forces lately.  The sights are as ugly as they are national embarrassment; hoping that we are not arming hooligans to maintain law and order. It has gone from inter-agency to intra-agency brawls all the way; members of the armed forces against the Nigeria Police, the Federal Road Safety Corps against the Police, EFCC against the DSS.  It has reached a crescendo where members of the Nigeria Police Force now turn their guns against one another and drag themselves on the street because they are attached as security details to politicians in opposing camps.  It is simply nauseating and sickening.  Impunity has become the signature tune of government officials and members of the security forces and even the paramilitary.  It takes just to be on uniform of any kind, even Boys Scout to preside of the ordinary citizen like a lord and abuse the law flagrantly.  This is how far impunity has gone and it beats ones imagination how we got to this point.

    Wherever we get the mentality that service in any capacity in government places one above the law is a grave concern.  I am not aware that the office anybody occupies makes him an outlaw or above the rule of law.  There is a growing trend in the abuse of power amongst the ruling elite that when they are out of government they still employ the coercive power of the state for personal aggrandizement and trample on the law of the land.  We even rationalize their lawlessness and abuse of office by saying that having served in a particular capacity in government, the law does not apply in equal force to them; this is nonsense!

    Our political leaders and head of government institutions and agencies have because of the office they once held, placed themselves above the law by using sheer force to ward off invitation and lawful arrest to answer for alleged malfeasance while in the office. One wonders if we are operating a democracy that is based on the rule of law or rule of might and strongmen.  If Nigeria is to overcome the problems of corruption and bad leadership, there should be equal subjection to the rule of law irrespective of office occupied.  The law should not be respecter of any person where we have viable state institutions.   Bracton, the Philosopher once held that, “The world was governed by law, human or divine, and held that the king himself ought not to be subject to man but subject to God and to Law because the law makes him King”.

    I watched with disappointment the confrontation between agents of the EFCC and the Departments of State Services when the former, armed with a search and arrest warrants on the former directors of the DSS and the National Intelligence Agency were prevented from carrying out their lawful duty.  It turned into a street brawl as between rival gangs than agency of government that should enjoy some synergy and cohesion.  Incidents of this nature are becoming so rampant with this administration that one wonders if anyone is actually in charge.  Recall a few weeks back, the convoys of the minister of transport and that of the governor of Rivers State engaged themselves in a free for all fights leaving trails of blood and tears.

    Government officials are taking impunity to another level that if care is not taken, could lead to a spontaneous revolution as in Tunisia where the mistreatment of a fruit and vegetable seller sparked off the Arab Spring.  Convoys of government officials have scant regards to other road users and indeed, they drive so recklessly as if they have appointment with death.

    The former directors of the DSS and NIA do not enjoy constitutional immunity by any means.  Assuming they do by an unwritten rule or laws which I am not aware of, having left office, they are subject to the law just like anyone else.  That is how a society and a democratic society should be run.  The former Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Barde, some former service chiefs and generals have had their days with the EFCC and the heavens did not fall; why not the former directors of DSS and NIA?

    The rivalry between the DSS and EFCC in particular appears to be more of personal clash between the heads of the two agencies than inter-agency rivalry.  Ibrahim Magu may be brash and not very cosmopolitan, but he is enthusiastic in carrying out his job and indeed enough irritant to the corrupt politicians.  The fight against corruption should be seen as a work in progress and we should not allow our resentment to an individual because of his method to kill the momentum.  The competition between the two agencies is uncalled for and to be seen to be working at cross purposes when they are both under the presidency is an eloquent testimony of the president’s inability to coordinate and control his appointees.  It is a clash one too many to be tolerated and I am not sure the two agencies are adding value and good public relation to the presidency in the way they are carrying out their duties.  If as claimed, the operatives of the DSS were acting on instructions from above, it would be a height of executive recklessness for anyone to use his official position to stop the agency of the same government you are serving from doing their job.

    Heads of agencies and government officials are not clothed with constitutional immunity; only the president, vice president, governor and deputy governors are so clothed.  Even at that, Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution that confers immunity on the mentioned officials did not make it a life time conferment.  They can be proceeded against whenever they ceased to occupy the offices so described.  It was therefore impunity taken to the extreme for the past heads of DSS and NIA to employ the force of arm to enjoy the status not conferred on them by law and prevent the EFCC from arresting them for questioning.  The world is watching President Buhari to act fast on these two agencies and he does not have all the time in the world.

    Our leaders appear to be suffering from ego neurosis; believing that they are beyond the ordinary citizens and supposed to be worshiped because they occupy government offices; and out of office, they should be revered even when there are obvious cases of abuse of office against them.  We have leaders whose examples are responsible for the socio-economic and political problems we are facing today; corruption, nepotism, poor attitude to work and other official engagement. There is no Nigerian official who will honour official function without going late to that occasion.  The constitution did not confer life immunity on any leader or head of government agencies; this impunity must stop.

  • The sum of our problems

    Let sanity and due process guide our national conduct in the matter of the birds and the bees

    IT was rather heartening, I say rather heartening, to read something good about Nigeria for a change. When I read about the work of Dr. Samuel Achilefu that has led him into inventing the glasses that can ‘see’ cancer cells, I took courage. I say I took courage and picked up my heart from my boots. It made me believe indeed that better days may yet come in spite of the myriad of problems besetting the country.

    On any given day, you’re likely to wake up to all kinds of discouraging things about this country, Nigeria. Today (you can substitute with any day you like since my writing day may not coincide with your reading day) I say today, I woke up to read that sociocultural groups are still butting heads, people are still beheading others (people are guessing it is likely to be for politicians to perform rituals with in readiness for 2019) while the baaad badoo killers are still roaming free on a killing spree (also for the same reason).

    Yep, the media also tell us that corruption is still wearing a cocky hat everywhere in the country; the government wants to prosecute people in the entertainment industry for shooting their videos abroad (not the badoo boys) and, wait for it, Nigerian women are not being satisfied by their men sexually! Clearly, after all is said and done about Nigeria’s problems, like someone always says, there’s usually a lot more said than done.

    All of us are at least agreed on the fact that these problems are man-made. In other words, they are problems that have been created as a result of the refusal by Nigerians to allow sanity and due process guide our national conduct. Take, as an instance, this problem of sexually dissatisfied Nigerian women, and you have the sum of all our problems.

    I mean, I have a few questions on the matter: 1) Do the women know that they are being cheated? 2) Do the men know about the report? 3) Do the men know that the women know that the cheating going on in the boardroom has extended to the bedroom? 4) Do the men know that the women know that the men don’t care one way or the other? 5) Do the women even know that Nigeria is talking about restructuring right now? I think we need answers to these questions before we go on. Let me see if I can have a go at some of them.

    Well, to start with, let me categorically state that I am not qualified to meddle in this troublesome topic of the birds and the bees. Only the walls can, and let’s face it, walls can’t talk. The problem is that many men only like to talk about it, many women don’t. Then of course, many are too embarrassed to. Unfortunately, no topic is taboo on this column, so I will just draw a modest veil over my face as I say my few words.

    Anyway, according to the report released on the level of sexual satisfaction experienced by women across the world, the Nigerian figures do not even appear. In other words, there are no statistics available for this country for one reason or the other. The simplest would be of course that they probably did not ask. The remotest would probably be closer to the state of affairs: that Nigerian men do not really task themselves too much over their partners’ interests in the matter. Please don’t flay me, I did not say it.

    Traditional books on the subject matter mentioned above have tended to portray the Nigerian man as being interested only in number one. Hence, matters relating to taking time to please partners just do not come up. If they do, they come in the form of material goods that turn around to further buy her body for more acts that please the number one so that more goods can come so that… I think you get the drift. That is why men need to steal so much of the government’s money. Its again like the chicken and egg story; keeps going round and round. Come to think of it, life is a little like that: do you live to eat or eat to live and that kind of thing?

     Anyway, I doubt if many women are even aware that they are entitled to something called satisfaction in sexual encounters. Again, traditional books on the matter do not say much except that women live to please the men. I don’t really know what that means but I guess it refers to the fact that what happens between the sheets do not enter history books. They exist in the brains of the birds and the bees, not in the women’s. Most women just wake up one day and are handed their little bundles of joy. This is why women can never satisfactorily answer their children’s question: where do children come from?

    I think if Nigerian men were aware that someone was keeping tabs on their performance between the sheets, they would concentrate less on stealing so much money and live a little more. They would take the time to look into their partners’ faces and actually see a reflection of their reality. They would see the meaning of life and something of what it consists of: giving of oneself to others either by helping them, giving out substances, or just plain holding them in love. God forbid that a Nigerian man should hold his partner in love. He can hold her in beating, yes; in pinching, yes; in yelling at her, yes; but in love? Nah!

    Yep, women are aware of the cheating going on in the boardroom, but I doubt if they knew it had anything to do with what goes on in the bedroom. For most women, life starts and stops in the shops, not in their wellbeing. That’s why many of them just chew the fat and take snuff. Life for Nigerian women is laying down of oneself for others to walk on, or lay on, as the case may be. This is why in many homes now, women are left holding and feeding the children while the men are free to live under the tree playing Ayo and swigging the 404 all day. So yep, the men know that the women don’t know they are being cheated. The women would have organized some kind of unionism on the subject: Association of Grossly Dissatisfied Women of Nigeria (AGRODIW).

    But what can the women do? Nothing. That’s why they have accepted their fate, picked up their children and headed to the farms, the shops, the roadside businesses of selling roast corn or plantain. They know the men don’t care. The men also know that the women know this. So, as the women have gone roasting corn, the men have buried their hands more in their agbada to play more Ayo or stayed longer in their offices to rise higher in the corporate ladder.

    So, with so much roasting to do, how on earth do you expect women to know that Nigeria is right now talking about restructuring, corruption, or even dissolution? Between the smoke, the sheets and the crying children, it’s all they can do to hang on to their lives for goodness’ sakes.

    Clearly, men need to step up on reducing their selfishness; and women also need to step up on reducing their selflessness. As one little girl said, they should both work hard to let everything be on the level. That’s right, let sanity and due process guide our national conduct in the matter of the birds and the bees so that Nigeria can feature in next year’s report.

  • Power sector problems man-made, says Fashola

    Power sector problems man-made, says Fashola

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola said yesterday that the challenges of the power sector were man-made and not technical.

    Fashola stated this as a distinguished lecturer at the University of Lagos.

    The theme of the lecture, organised by the Department of Economics, was: “The power sector reform in Nigeria: Challenges and the way forward”.

    Fashola said there was no mystery in achieving stable and reliable electricity supply but that all stakeholders must conform to guidelines of the sector’s roadmap.

    He said the roadmap was aimed at getting incremental, stable and uninterrupted power because  achieving set targets required step-by-step approach.

    He appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, assuring that the party would deliver on its promises.

    The minister listed the attacks on gas pipelines; kidnapping of expatriates working on power sustainability, procedures and inefficiencies in power transmission and distribution as parts of the the challenges facing the sector.

    He also cited sabotage in governance; non-payment of tariff, poor investment, among others as other challenges frustrating the power sector.

    The minister noted that the issue of stable power was characterised by many years of broken promises but added that the sector was making progress.

    He said the country was not yet feeling the impact of the work done because of the processes involved in transmission and distribution.

    Fashola said: “The issue of containers left in the port for about 10 years; explosion of pipelines; badly installed equipment; cancelled tariff, electricity theft among others are all the handiwork of men.

    “Now, if men and women created these problems, in my view only men and women can solve them.

    “You and I have a role to play, I have stood up to play my role, have you?”

    The minister highlighted issues related to metering and tariff and asked Nigerians to blow whistle when they noticed sharp practices among the operators.

    The varsity’s Pro-Chancellor and  Governing Council Chairman Wale Babalakin said  the country needed a well thought-out  solution based on creativity.

    Dr. Babalakin said: “In thinking of the power generating solution of this country, we also we must be creative. We have what it takes but we indeed need to work on our attitude.

    “And that is why I am calling on all to join hand in reforming our education sector which is key to any developmental stride.

    .“Education as the engine room for the revolution of Nigeria must be fostered.”

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rahamon Bello, said Fashola was well informed about  intrigues in the sector and  would get the solution with the support of all Nigerians. Babalakin added: “The most enduring solution to Nigeria’s problems is applied intelligence and this can only be attained through first class education. In thinking of this solution, we must be creative. We have a fair idea of the resources of the government. It is only through very serious technical application to very good resources that we can solve our problems.

    “There is need for cerebral application of our resources. We have everything; we just need a change of attitude. The most gifted people are not those with aptitude, but those with attitude. Aptitude is great with natural resources but attitude can be developed. I urge the intelligentsia, let us collectively develop the solution.

    “It is sad that we are far behind in education and we are indifferent. How do we resolve this? Let us all collectively find a solution. Education, as the engine room for the resolution of Nigeria’s problems, must be fostered.”

    The Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences of the university, Prof. Iyiola Oni, noted that the multiplier effects of power outages in the country had led to high cost of production.

    Oni also stated that inflation, unemployment and poverty were ripple effects of the power sector challenge.

    “In effect, this means that most of these  negative vices are more likely to become things of the past if sufficient and reliable power supply can be guaranteed,” he said

  • How to stop arguing…solving relationship problems

    YOU’RE a couple in love. Naturally, you’re going to fight once in awhile. However, being frustrated or angry with your partner doesn’t have to be destructive, as long as you know how to approach the argument.

    For the purposes of this article, we’re going to talk about romantic relationships. Obviously, any argument with another person can benefit from some of these principles, but different relationship dynamics require different approaches. What’s appropriate for your boyfriend may not be the best solution for dealing with your boss or your crappy roommate. Romantic relationships have their own unique challenges and its best to deal with problems when they start.

    Recognize there are two problems: your emotions and the situation

    When you first get upset or angry with your significant other, there are almost always two problems: your emotions and the actual problem. For example, say you’re frustrated with your partner for not doing the dishes. You now have two problems to solve: the dishes need to be done and you need to no longer be upset with your partner for not doing them.

    In most other areas in life, we recognize that you need to prioritize your problems and deal with them separately. It only makes sense to do the same with your fights. Before you tell your loved one something along the lines of “For the love of crap, could you please do the dishes for once?!” you may want to make sure you’re not one of those irrational people that make productive discussions difficult.

    When you’re angry and aimed at your loved one, that’s the worst time to start airing your grievances (save that for Festivus):

    For instance, Dr. Lerner mentions that in order to address grievances or differing ideas of what to do about an up-coming dilemma, couples need to take a calming break from talking together if either or both are getting emotionally heated. As she says, “Anger is an important emotion” but “when tempers flare our capacity for clear thinking, empathy, and creative problem-solving go down the drain…” Discussions are far more likely to prove productive when both parties are calm enough to be open to hearing the other person’s perspective, and to be able to express their own concerns without finger-pointing.

    Of course, being frustrated and venting anger is all normal (though continually ruminating on your problems without doing anything can just make you angrier). Accepting that your emotions are a real thing that need to be dealt with and distinct from the subject of your actual argument sets the stage for resolution.

    Deal with your emotions first

    When it comes to anger management, everyone has their own way to chill out. If you find yourself on the verge of a fight with your loved one, take a moment to deal with your stress, and allow them to do the same. In most cases, it’s probably best for you to do so alone (though in some sensitive situations, simply taking a moment to breathe where you are can help, too). Do whatever brings your energy down. Go for a walk. Listen to loud music. Write an angry note and then destroy it.

    This will work best if you let your partner know ahead of time how you best handle stress. Stomping off, muttering under your breath without a word is a quick way to hurt someone. Before you find yourself in a fight, know how your loved one deals with anger and make sure they know what you need. Even saying “I need to go for a walk. Let’s talk in a few minutes,” is more beneficial than “Whatever.”

    Most importantly, once you’re done calming down, come back. As we mentioned earlier, when a fight erupts, you’re dealing with two problems. Calming down solves one problem and it’s easy to feel like everything is better. Sometimes it is, but if you’re having a persistent problem with your partner, it won’t disappear just because you rocked out to Bohemian Rhapsody for a bit.

    Deal with the situation when you come back

    Once you’ve calmed down, you can start approaching your problem rationally. For starters, you’re now in a better position to choose your battles. Fighting with your partner over not doing the dishes for the first time when he’s had a long day may not be worth it. On the other hand, if you’ve gone thirteen straight weeks without spending an evening together, a discussion is probably worth having.

    When you come back to have a discussion with your loved one, take a collaborative approach. If you engage a problem as you vs. your partner, you create barriers that only make a happy relationship harder. As Psychology Today puts it:

    Fighting of any sort indicates that partners have taken a stance against each other. Fighting pits me against you, with expectations that one of us will emerge as a winner and the other as the loser. Participants are antagonists, competitors for who will win.

    Collaborative partnering, by contrast, involves side-by-side problem-solving. In collaborative discussions of even the most sensitive and difficult issues, both parties pursue mutual understanding. Both seek to understand the other’s point of view as well as to express their own concerns. Both presume that a broader and deeper understanding of both their own and their partner’s concerns will open a pathway for moving forward that will be responsive to all of these concerns.

    Sometimes the problems will simply be how you feel. “When you won’t put your smartphone down at dinner, it makes me feel neglected” is just as legitimate of a problem as arguments over household chores. The important thing is to express the issue as something that the two of you can work together to resolve.

    Once the talk is done, be sure to take action. Your ability to communicate is important and helps with feeling more of a bond with your partner, but if nothing changes, you’ll be having the same conversations again in a week.

    Once the two of you have established what needs to change, follow the same tactics you would to form good habits. Remind yourself later about the things your partner wants to change. Don’t rely on memory alone.

    Make Up

    You’ve gotten angry. You’ve calmed down. You’ve talked it out. You’ve come up with a plan for what needs to change. Everything’s good, right? Well, probably. If you stop there and do nothing else, you’ll still be doing better than the average yelling match. However, if you want to be sure that this becomes a habit, reward yourselves.

    Cuddling, watching a movie, or having good old-fashioned makeup sex are all positive ways to end an argument on a happy note (though if you skip the conflict resolution steps, makeup sex can actually be a destructive habit on the level of cocaine). Ideally, you’ll enjoy your significant other’s company and make each other happy. If the two of you have had a healthy discussion about your issues, take a moment to reward yourself with each other’s company.

    It may sound cheesy, but rewarding constructive behavior is a basic tenet of manipulating ourselves and others into self-improvement. If that’s not enough, science shows that the old adage “Don’t go to bed angry” rings true. Instead of settling for just not being angry, do what you can to go to bed happy, content, and looking forward to a better relationship than you had yesterday.

     

    Source: lifehacker.com