The Nation Newspaper

Tag: role

  • APC won’t ignore Tinubu’s leadership role, says Alabi

    APC won’t ignore Tinubu’s leadership role, says Alabi

    A governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Mr. Kola Alabi, has said that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has a role to play in the selection of a governorship candidate who can defeat the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in next year’s election.

    Alabi said the Southwest, since the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s days, had respected regional leadership, adding that the former Lagos State governor should b be carried along in the selection process.

    He said Tinubu should ensure that a free and fair primary is conducted for aspirants.

    Alabi said the candidate should emerge, based on zoning, equity, justice and fairplay.

    Alabi spoke in Ikere-Ekiti while declaring his governorship ambition in his family’s compound at Afao Quarters.

    At the ceremony, over 500 members of the PDP defected to the APC on account of Alabi’s contributions to scholarship and infrastructural development of Ikere township.

    He said: “We believe in Asiwaju Tinubu’s leadership. He worked  hard to earn it. But,  I know that being a leader he will support a popular candidate to fly our party’s flag rather than imposition,” he said.

    Alabi said the party can only win the election, if the primary is transparent and if zoning is embraced.

    He added: “What is fair is fair. The North Senatorial District had produced former Governors Segun Oni and Dr Kayode Fayemi. The Central produced Otunba Niyi Adebayo and Mr. Ayodele Fayose. So, the time for the South to have its own share is 2018, if truly we are all Ekitis.”

    Alabi said he was not rattled by the adoption of the Fayose’s deputy, Prof Kolapo Olusola, an indigene of Ikere Ekiti, as the candidate of the PDP.

    “I am neither disturbed nor rattled by his adoption if given my party’s ticket for the election. This election is going to be strength for strength and antecedents for antecedents.

  • Role of herbal medicine in infertility treatment

    Role of herbal medicine in infertility treatment

    The Managing Director of Health Forever Product Limited, Ikeja, Lagos, Otunba Olajuwon Okubena, answers the question.

    Question

    I am fertility challenged. I need a referral to a traditional healer worth his onion because my experience is basically hormonal imbalance and infection.

    Grace Idris, 27-year-old typist, Kogi.

     

    Readers of this Health Page may recall that several years ago, I wrote about the importance of infertility in the stability of marriage in this part of the world. I will reproduce part of the article and update it as the problems currently seem to be assuming a disturbing dimension.

    Mrs.  Aduke Collins (not real name) was visibly worried when narrating her story to me in my office. Her marriage seven years ago was opposed by her mother-in-law on account of  hailing from the South-western part of the country whereas her husband is from the other side of the Niger River.

    In her words: “I was hoping that the arrival of a baby would change the attitude of my parents-in-law but that was not to be. As the years rolled by without the sign of pregnancy, the pressure continued to mount. My husband was very co-operative and we moved round almost all the known gyneacologists in Lagos area.

    “Simultaneously, we joined a couple of  the Pentecostal churches available to tackle the problem from the spiritual angle and for years, we were hoping against hope. At one stage, we were tempted to visit native herbalists, a friend introduced me to the IVF solution and my husband did not hesitate to make available the huge amount of money demanded for this exercise but it was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back. My husband has now started listening to his mother and I suspect a new wife from the village is being arranged for him.”

    She started weeping profusely and it was difficult to console her. I allowed her to exhaust her emotional expression and gave her an appointment to visit me with her husband. I suggested that they bring along the results of all laboratory tests done in the last few years.

    On the appointed date, she came but was unaccompanied by the husband. Fortunately, she brought a load of laboratory reports which showed that she was having irregular menstrual flow, blocked fallopian tube and moderate infection of staphylococcus, while the husband had weak erection, premature ejaculation, and low sperm count.

    On further interrogation, it was revealed that the husband was almost losing interest in sexual activities on the excuse of pressure of work, stress of traffic jams and so on.

    Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive after one year of unprotected sex. A third of the reasons is due to a male factor, another,   female factor while the remaining cases are due to “unexplainable factors”.

    For most couples, there will be several diagnoses of various conditions over time, treatments that do not improve the condition, not to mention the emotional and financial stress of simply moving from one solution to another. During this extremely difficult period, it is important not to lose focus while wading through all the available treatments on offer.

    In a recent article published in the USA NEWS titled: “Drug-Resistant Staphylococcus a widespread threat- dangerous infections occurring more often than previously believed”, study finds that “potentially deadly, drug-resistant Staphylococcus infections are more common, both in and out of hospitals, than experts once thought”.

    “Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are the top causes of skin and soft tissue infections among people in hospitals, and can result in severe and even fatal disease. In fact, MRSA infection account for almost 19, 000 deaths and more than 94,000 life-threatening illnesses each year in the United States.”

    If the US could raise the alarm about this infection, it is better imagined how every Nigerian walks into the pharmacy shops to buy antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.

    We are much aware that a large percentage of infertility in this country is caused by the MRSA and over the years, we have developed a therapy that has succeeded in many cases.

    Some years ago, I had an encounter with Mr. Femi Kusa who was then the Editor-in-Chief of the rested The Comet Newspaper; he decided to do what he termed a  kitchen experiment with the new product we discovered.

    The result of his experiment was published in The Comet Newspaper sometime in 2001 under the title “Bye bye to staphylococcus, the unconquerable”. This was at a time when Health Forever Products Limited was developing the product called BENABIOTIC which was later packaged for sale and have since been used by Health Forever Clinic to reverse several cases of infertility. In the opening paragraphs of the article, Mr. Kusa stated that:

    “Believe me, this is not a joke! A herbal remedy may be on the way which, in only one month, could rid the body of all the colonies stacked up by staphylococcus over several years to inflict all those unbearable aches and remedy in all seriousness. Perhaps prematurely, to help open a health gate, but careful not to be a harbinger of false hope for all those hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people in this country who live under the siege of staphylococcus.

    This Editor worked me up into lifting this veil, I must confess, when he asked me once or twice last month what staphylococcus was all about, he had received letters from some readers making enquiries and had even published one or two of them. To be frank, I am aware staphylococcus defies several pharmaceutical remedies, except perhaps vancomycin.

    Even then, only rarely is vancomycin the staphylococcus waterloo. It walks away majestically free from all traps, causing destabilising internal heat, which may be confused with the hot flashes of menopausal hormonal imbalances; literally, it lives on the sperms in men, subjecting them to not only low sperm count, but taking away their libido as well and creating erectile dysfunction problems for them.

    For women, the monthly cycle is disarranged, if not disparaged, and they itch severely in the secret place. For men, occasional physical reminder that they still live with staph, as staphylococcus is also called, could be pinching inside the tip of their organs. Many sufferers speak of feeling of  “something walking up and down” in their bodies. This may very well be effects on internal tissue of the protein toxins secreted by these bacteria, against which the body fails to produce effective antibodies.

    The body would have been partly incapacitated by a weakened immune system, creating gaps in its defenses which the bacteria exploited to start with. And to worsen the situation, staphylococcus secretes enzymes which depopulate the fighter white blood cells.”

    An important issue raised by Mr. Kusa in his article was the impact of staphylococcus attack on the immune system. Many medical doctors have been prescribing Vitamin E which describes a family of eight antioxidants and one of these; alpha-tocopherol is the form that is actively maintained in the body. Vitamin E maintains the integrity of cell membranes in the body by neutralising free oxygen radicals which would otherwise disrupt this function leading to several diseases in the body.

    High concentrations of free radicals have been identified in a significant number of infertile men especially in cases where the cause is thought to be unexplained. Several studies have also established that the presence of these toxins affects the quality of the sperm in terms of its count, morphology and motility.

    This is the reason why vitamin E, an antioxidant, has long been prescribed because of its ability to neutralise these free radicals. However, Jobelyn has a clear advantage because it has been shown scientifically to have a significantly higher antioxidant capacity (3,123 using the ORAC value) than vitamin E.

    Free radicals have been implicated in conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovarian disease, tubal factor infertility and unexplained infertility.

    The emphasis here is not to use Jobelyn to treat each condition in order to achieve a cure, but to re-balance the body by neutralising the free radicals that cause these conditions. This is because pregnancy is still often times achieved in the presence of these conditions.

    Staphylococcus and other bacteria infections

    Over the years, we have succeeded in treating infertility caused by different types of bacteria infection with our branded herbal product called Benabiotic which is usually combined with Jobelyn.  The main ingredient in Benabiotic is from a plant Anthocleista djalonensis (Loganiaceae)  (Yoruba Name – Sapo). The combination of this remedy with Jobelyn has eliminated Staphylococcus infection from patients within a period of three to five months.

    Anthocleista djalonensis (Loganiaceae)  Yoruba Name- Sapo

     

    Hormonal Imbalance in female infertility

    Recently, hormonal disturbances have been considered of great importance in the knowledge of causes and diagnosis of female infertility. What exactly does hormonal balance mean for our fertility health? What do hormones do anyway? Does hormonal balance really matter? Absolutely! If our hormone levels are not balanced, our health will suffer. We cannot live without hormones. Hormones deliver messages. Our cells are genetically programmed to only receive and respond to messages from certain hormones. Each cell in the body contains hormone receptor cites. Once a hormone fits into a cell’s receptor, it gives the cell instructions. This is similar to a key fitting in a lock. Hormones control our bodily processes. Hormones are coordinated by the endocrine system. Without proper endocrine function, our bodies cannot maintain proper hormonal balance.

    Hormone levels can be influenced by stress, fluid changes in the body, vitamin and mineral levels, infection, exposure to environmental toxins and the amount of body fat we have. Each endocrine gland plays a specific role in the ability of our body to maintain proper function. Each endocrine gland also communicates with the other in an amazing design. If one of the endocrine glands is not functioning properly, it may cause a broken link in communication with other endocrine glands or actions of the body, which may greatly impair fertility. Because the endocrine glands secrete hormones, and the hormones are messengers for actions within the body, if the gland is not functioning properly, hormonal imbalance occurs and the ability to reproduce may be impaired.

    In our clinic, we have researched into the folk medicine that is being used to take care of hormonal imbalance. The main herbal ingredient is a part of a plant called Morinda Lucida ( Yoruba name is ORUWO). We have used this herbal product to normalise hormonal imbalance which affects women in general. The remedy is a major component of our fibroid treatment. It shrinks the fibroid tumor thus improving the chances of pregnancy for infertile women. It assists in the treatment of ovarian cysts and also helps in breast cancer that has the implication of excessive estrogen. So also, it helps in resolving the problems associated with goiter.

    Morinda Lucida ( Yoruba Name – Oruwo)

    Couples intending to achieve pregnancy ought to maximise their chance by meticulously preparing their bodies. Ensuring good nutrition, avoiding alcohol and smoking, preventing sexually transmitted diseases are some basic ways of maximising fertility. However, this must be supplemented by simply ensuring that the reproductive system is working at its best by fortifying the body with natural substances such as antioxidants that rid the body of toxins that have been implicated in most of the causes of infertility.

    Jobelyn occupies a unique and remarkable position in the world of the combination of food and medicine. Laboratory analysis from the reputable GMP Laboratory of USA confirmed that Jobelyn contains Carbohydrates, Protein, Dietary Fibre, Iron which could be classified as food. In addition, it contains other nutrients which could be classified as medicine/food/amino acids and these include selenium, manganese, potassium, zinc, calcium, vitamins like A, B12, C, Omegas 3, 6 and 9, calcium and more. It is a well-known fact that doctors now prescribe multivitamins in addition to drugs. Jobelyn is rich in vitamins and other essential fatty acids and amino acids which are by far superior to the synthetic ones in the market and this is a compelling reason why doctors should prescribe it.

    Otunba Okubena can be contacted on: okubena@health-forever.com

  • Experts challenged on role of food in medicare

    Experts challenged on role of food in medicare

    Medics have been urged to teach their patients the role of food as medicine for combating daily health challenges, especially oxidative stress.

    They were also urged to recommend Jobelyn, the herbal/medicine food, into mainstream healthcare.

    Medical Director, Lindabel Medical Centre, Surulere, Lagos, Dr David Abia-Okon stated this at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Scientific Conference of the Lagos Chapter of Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria (AGPMPN) held in Ikeja,

    Speaking on: ‘Introducing Jobelyn- the botanical/medicine food that resolves major ailments’, Abia-Okon, also the Medical Consultant to Health Forever Product Limited, Ikeja, defined oxidative stress as an imbalance between and overproduction of Free radicals, that is Oxidants, Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) and underproduction of antioxidants which eliminates, suppresses and neutralises Free Radicals (FRs.)

    “This imbalance leads to excess of free radicals which damage important bio-molecules and cells, with potential impact on the whole organism especially the immune system and ageing process,” said  Abia-Okon.

    Citing Jobelyn, a Sorghum Bicolour-based nutritional medicine-food, as a good suppressant of oxidative stress,  Abia-Okon said most people don’t know about antioxidants and the benefits they offer hence, “general practitioners who are the closest to the people among the ranks of medics should encourage them on holistic preventive and healing by using Jobelyn for its antioxidants.  Jobelyn is produced from the polyphenol-rich leaf sheaths of a West African variety of Sorghum bicolor. These free radicals can lead to severe damage to cells; can cause fatal diseases like cancer because they are highly reactive’’.

    “Antioxidants can be natural substances or man-made that helps to delay or prevent cell damage altogether. They can be found in many food categories, including vegetables as well as fruits. But, sometimes it isn’t just enough so Jobelyn brings out to you the goodness of powerful antioxidants in the form of dietary natural supplements –Jobelyn antioxidants. Our body naturally makes some of the antioxidants. And, there are some others that can only be gained from exogenous sources like the dietary supplements.”

    Rooting for Jobelyn as a supplement, Abia-Okon said: “Clinical research has shown that antioxidants from exogenous sources help you to fight and prevent the free radical damage which can lead to cancer if not stopped.

    ‘’Jobelyn Anti-Oxidant is the most powerful, 100 percent natural antioxidant in the world. It has the highest ORAC value 3123µmoleTE/g. Jobelyn is an all-natural powerful antioxidant containing anthocyanins, bioflavonoids, phenolics and other biologically active compounds that help rid the body of harmful free radicals while supporting and improving the immune system’s natural ability to fight diseases and infections.”

    The participants were told that laboratory an analysis from the reputable GMP Laboratory of United States confirmed that Jobelyn contains carbohydrates, protein, fats and oils, vitamins, dietary fibre, and iron which are classified as food.

    In addition, Jobelyn contains other nutrients which could be medicine/food/amino acids and these include selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, calcium, many vitamins, like A, B12, C, Omegas 3, 6 and 9 (in the correct ratio),  and more.

    “It is a well-known fact that medical doctors now prescribe multivitamins in addition to drugs. The US’s GMP showed that Jobelyn is rich in natural vitamins and other essential fatty acids and amino acids. The natural Vitamins and compounds in Jobelyn are by far superior to the synthetic ones in the market. This is a compelling reason doctors should prescribe Jobelyn, as it now a recommended adjunct in the treatment of many diseases including- anaemias,  cancer,   post Chemo/Radio-therapy, post dialysis, pre and post surgery, during severe malaria, some liver and kidney diseases, HIV/AIDS,  diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular and some neurological problems.

    He implored his counterparts to start treat the simple anaemias in the two million Lagosians, using the simplest but most effective botanical medicine-food, Jobelyn, which increases the quality and life span of the RBCs, by suppressing oxidative stress.

    This is because in the last 20 years Health Forever Product (manufacturers of Jobelyn) has carried out research, clinical and laboratory studies in many institutions, such as Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH),  Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife (OAU),  Vivacell Laboratory, (Germany), Brunswick Laboratory (US), and  MD Biosciences (USA) and other research have been conducted at Texas AM University (US), Natural Immune System (NIS) Laboratory (US), Alcorn State University (US).

    So also at University College Ibadan (UI), University of Benin (UNIBEN), GMP Laboratories (USA), PhytoLabs (Germany), Military Hospital Ikoyi, Police Hospital, Falomo, Lagos and at Lindabel Medical Centre, Surulere Lagos.

    The producer and CEO, Health Forever, Otunba Olajuwon Okubena said his company was doing a promo online and giving 10 percent discount.

    “Jobelyn is online at www.jobelyn.com.ng/promotions, for a 10 percent discount and free shipping. Promotional discount available online only,” he said.

    On Jobelyn as an anti-cancer,  Abia-Okon said Jobelyn activates NK cells and NK-T-lymphocytes that destroy cancer cells and cells infected by HIV.

    “It does this by stimulating the activation marker (CD69 found on Human Immune cells according to NIS Lab. US. It activates Monocytes, which later differentiate into Macrophages and Dendritic cells. These cells play major roles in phagocytosis and cancer immunotherapy. Both activities indicate Jobelyn’s strong anti-cancer and anti-HIV properties.

  • No role in recall

    •Senate absolutely has no powers to retain a senator whose constituents have told to return home

    What ordinarily should be an exercise of democratic rights of the Kogi West electorates, anchored on the provisions of the 1999 constitution as amended, has, through chicanery, turned into legislative filibuster and blackmail. We are talking about the aspiration of the people of Kogi West to recall their serving senator, Dino Melaye, over egregious infractions. Without prejudice to the suit by the embattled senator, it is our view that it is unconstitutional and ill-mannered for the senate leadership to turn that national institution into a bully pulpit, in defence of Senator Melaye.

    Both the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, had, in clear abuse of their legislative privileges hinted that the exercise of the constitutional rights of the people of Kogi West will be in futility. According to Senator Ekweremadu who boasted about his scholarly accomplishment and legislative experience, the provision of section 68(2) of the 1999 constitution, gives the two chambers of the National Assembly the right to ambush the recall.

    We vehemently disagree with the ranking senator, for equating threat of bad faith with constitutionalism. The relevant provision referred to by Ekweremadu provides: “… the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives or a member shall first present evidence satisfactory to the House concerned that any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of that member.”

    The subsections referred to are contained in section 68(1)(a-h) of the 1999 constitution as amended, which deals with a plethora of circumstances under which a senator or member of the House of Representatives: “shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member.” The list includes: where a legislator becomes a member of another legislative house; a legislator ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria; a legislator becomes President, Vice President, Governor, etc.; where the President of Senate or Speaker receives a certificate of recall from the Chairman of INEC, etc.

    It is clearly duplicitous for the Senate President and his deputy to give the impression that where any of the circumstances listed in paragraphs a-h of section 68(1) arises; any of the two Houses can, through subterfuge, claim that there is no satisfactory evidence that: “any of the provisions of that subsection has become applicable in respect of that member.” So, it is either that Senate President Saraki who claims exceptional knowledge of law by marriage did not consummate that aspect of the relationship, or he chose to associate with the false intellectual grandeur of his deputy.

    Without prejudice to the order of the Federal High Court, which, as reported, refused to grant an interlocutory order of stay, even as it nevertheless ordered the maintenance of status quo ante bellum; we believe that all that it takes to recall a senator or member of the House of Representatives is contained in section 69(a-b) of the 1999 constitution. Where the provisions of that section have been duly adhered to and a certificate under the hand of INEC chairman is presented, neither the President of Senate nor the Speaker of the House can stop a recall under the guise of lack of satisfactory evidence.

    To seek to appropriate such powers is to infuse the legislative houses with the powers it does not have. To hold otherwise is to say that the Senate or the House of Representatives can allow a member who has been appointed a minister or who has become a member of another legislative house, or who has seized to be a citizen of Nigeria to continue to be a member, by virtue of section 68(2).

    The Senate did nothing to make Melaye a senator; if those who made him one feel he should be recalled, so be it. The best his colleagues in the Senate who might miss him can do is wish him well in his future endeavours. They cannot stop his recall.

  • ‘My role as Dan Amanar Dutse’

    ‘My role as Dan Amanar Dutse’

    An Abuja-based businessman and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Alhaji Nasiru Haladu Danu, was recently turbaned by the Emir of Dutse as Dan Amanar Dutse. He is in the oil and gas sector, construction and security business. He speaks to KAYODE ALFRED about the responsibilities of the title, among other issues.

    Dan Amanar Dutse

    May 4th and 5th were among the happiest days of my life. I feel whatever I’m doing attracted this honour. The Emir by giving me this title has bestowed on me a huge responsibility that requires me to do more. It’s a very happy moment for me. This title is a very sensitive one, because ‘Dan Amanar’ is a word that comes with a lot of trust and integrity. So whatever I was doing before that had to do with this area, I have to do more now.

    Being the Dan Amanar Dutse has to do with providing services to the community. I don’t see it as an opportunity for me to change my way of dressing or to adapt to a new lifestyle. It has more to do with continuity in hard work and giving back to the society.

    For me, the number of dignitaries, ordinary people and the entire community in particular is very important to me. People in the community came out to celebrate with us; it is something that will remain in my memory forever. I also think it’s all about relationship, it’s about unity in Nigeria and that’s why you saw someone like the Ooni of Ife who, as far as tradition is concerned, is the number one Yoruba on earth. When you see the Amaru of Kalabari, you see a powerful and very deep person. He’s one of the biggest rulers. Others like King Ere from Amassoma Kingdom and two major traditional rulers from Plateau State and many other ones from Igboland (Southeast).  Look at Bauchi State governor; he spent two nights with us. Governor of Plateau State, that Friday was his birthday, but he came all the way with his traditional rulers. Then the governor of Jigawa sacrificed three days to make sure everybody is accommodated and happy.

    The Emir of Dutse was so excited for the occasion; a week before the event, he personally made sure that the accommodation of all the traditional rulers and other guests was properly taken care of. Many in my committee of friends: the likes of Chairman Nasir, Ambassador Jiga, Emeka Nwachukwu, a lot of them, friends and family, who like the former first lady of Jigawa State, Hajiya Basira, were so committed to making sure everything worked. I can go on to name all of them: Former IG Abubakar, present IG and Commissioner of Police and so many others. What I’m saying is about friendship, it goes beyond the title. It is to show appreciation of who you are. It also shows that you have good relationship with people and in peace with them and to me it has to do with the unity of Nigeria first.

    The reason I extended this invitation to the West, East and different parts of the world is because it served as an opportunity for us to meet again as Nigerians to be happy and celebrate ourselves and Nigeria as a great nation. I also have to thank the President, Mohammad Buhari and his wife and many other Ministers, like Rotimi Amaechi, it’s just a symbol of pure friendship, I have nothing to give them.

    The Ooni of Ife is one of the greatest in this country, someone like Adebayo Shittu, Minister for Communications, these are fantastic human beings that we have long time relationship with and we maintained that relationship irrespective of their status and their busy schedule. They made their sacrifice to come over to celebrate this occasion with me. There are many I can’t mention, the thrust of what I’m saying is about the personality and friendship involved.

    I’m committed to the unity of Nigeria and that was why I invited everybody. I was so excited when I saw Ugo Osuofia who came all the way from Anambra State with the Masquerade which my people have never seen before in Jigawa and also top artistes from Jigawa who came to show love.

    Detribalised Nigerian 

    Believe me that does not come easily and it’s not by accident. I will give you a brief history of my family. We are typical Fulani folk from the old Kano now Jigawa State, Dutse Emirate Council. My community is just 15 minutes away from the capital.

    My father was a trader who first travelled to the south over 60 years ago. He was trading between Cameroon, Enugu, Port Harcourt and different parts of the world before finally settling down in Port Harcourt long before I was born. My elder brothers and sister and I were born there. During the course of my education I was moved to the North and after sometimes I returned to Port Harcourt.

    What I’m trying to say is that I was born in Port Harcourt and almost all of my friends are from the South and of course if you understand the system and know Nigeria, you will know that Nigeria is one united country, but with few individuals who don’t believe in unity.

    Growing up in Rivers State, my dad was one of the powerful community leaders, a politician and successful businessman. He contributed to the development of Rivers State and lived in peace with Rivers people.

    His close friends at that time were people like late Okilo, the first civilian governor of Rivers State. We were born there and raised there. Basically it’s all about relationships; I’m first a Nigerian before been a Northerner. What we the young people and elite in this country would do to help this country is to see how we can make more commitment to the unity of this country. We must learn how to love our country first, if we learn how to love our country first every other thing will be secondary.

    The development of Dutse 

    I don’t think I’m personally qualified to say I’ve contributed; I honestly doubt it. But I can tell you that we have committed leadership in Jigawa, a committed Governor who is ready to render his services to the people and is being careful with the tax payers’ money. We also have an Emir who is loved by his people and ready to protect his people.

    In state development, no one person can tell you that he developed the state, but then, it is an ongoing project. Even Dubai, already one of the best cities in the world, is still developing. Jigawa is about 20 years old; you can’t develop your community without peace and uniting citizens and it’s part of what we are doing. Our vision is to make a Yoruba man from Ondo State or from Lagos think of Jigawa State as his home town; to make an Ijaw or Ikwere feel at home in Jigawa. I think this will be part of my responsibility: to turn around Dutse to make sure we bring development and investment to Jigawa, Dutse Emirate in particular.

    A close-knit relationship with President Buhari

    There are so many things I love about President Muhammad Buhari. He is someone I’ve worked closely with from 2002 till date. Of course, he’s the president now and the relationship will not be the same; I may not get the same level of access I used to have with him because of the mantle of leadership that he holds in the country and we must all support him to continue to do the right thing he is doing for the country.

    President Buhari is one of the most humble and honest leaders in this country. One of the things I learnt from him is the love for my country. Whenever we sat he would talk about the history of the country and how to move Nigeria to the next level. You will never hear him talking about any other thing aside from his love for the country. He also hates corruption and injustice. I can tell you that he is someone whose modest lifestyle has little to do with money as money has never been problem for him him. He does not lust after money the way all these looters do, even when he was the Minister for Petroleum. Look at his house in Daura, even the orientation he gives his family, you will know that this is a genuine leader who is not materialistic, but eager to serve his people. He is a wonderful man. Even though I am a businessman, he is my mentor and my hero.

    The President’s absence

    The issue here is about leadership as you said. It’s a government structure that is why when you look at the ticket, it didn’t say Buhari alone, it said Buhari and Osinbajo. We both know that Osinbajo has been doing a wonderful job. He is very qualified and capable to handle the job. The last time Buhari was abroad for medication, Osinbajo did well, even the President commended him when he got back and he’s going to do the same thing. Don’t forget they also communicate. But when Osinbajo mentioned that he [Buhari] treats him like his son, people began playing politics. To me it’s like that of our tradition: regardless of the fact that he’s the Vice President, he still upholds him as a father figure. However, I see nothing wrong in what he said, if that kind of relationship is in existence then he should know that the relationship will not affect his constitutional duties. We all know who Osinbajo is: he is a law professor, a gentle man to the core. There’s no difference whether the President is around or not. He is a man of integrity. He [Buhari] told us that he’s going through some medical treatment, we were all there to receive him and he also informed that within a short period he has to go back for checkup which is normal.

    President Buhari has travelled to almost all the states by road; he is physically fit and ready to make sacrifices for his country. Even after we lost the election in 2002, President Buhari would leave either Daura or Kaduna and come to Abuja to attend to court cases. When you put that number of days together, you will realize that he has gone to court for over 50 months. He is a real democrat, a man who believes in due process. He never one day try to mobilize people to protest, but today all that is history. He is the president and is trying to give us the best of democracy.

  • Bimbo Akintola speaks on her role in ‘Pathetic’

    Bimbo Akintola speaks on her role in ‘Pathetic’

    Nollywood actress, Bimbo Akintola, has described the movie, ‘Pathetic’, as a reality for everyone. According to the actress, the issue of domestic abuse is not exclusive to celebrities as has been speculated.

    According to the actress, domestic abuse is not just about being a celebrity but being a celebrity didn’t make it easy on the marriage in that sense.

    “It happens to women. It can be because of your riches, it can be because of anything else but the man behaved the way he did not because she was a celebrity but because he had issues with himself that he needed to deal with. A man that beats a woman has issues; a man that can kill obviously has issues. So, it doesn’t matter if she was a celebrity or not, his instinct would have still come out and would have shown. He would have beaten any woman that he married because that is the sort of person that he is,” she said.

    Reacting to stories on whether she has ever been exploited in the manner the movie portrayed, the 93 Days actor said; “It’s not something that has happened to me personally because I have not been married before. I am single.”

    Set to be released at the cinemas come March 24, ‘Pathetic’ is a human interest story produced by Dayo Amusa.

  • Blossom Chukwujekwu recounts role in ‘Okafor’s Law’

    Blossom Chukwujekwu recounts role in ‘Okafor’s Law’

    Ahead of its March 31 cinema release, award-winning Nollywood actor, Blossom Chukwujekwu, has recounted the role he played in the anticipated movie, Okafor’s Law.

    Blossom plays the role of Chuks Okafor(aka Terminator), an ardent ‘player’ who taught he could sleep with his ex girlfriends, using the Okafor’s Law as his mechanism.

    “Terminator is a pretty audacious young man who believes women want multiple orgasms and that he is the answer to their orgasmic longing. He is a staunch believer of the law; you will think he formulated it, especially given his name,” he states.

    In the movie, Terminator takes a bet with two of his friends to bed three women from his past. The only thing is all three women have very interesting statuses.

    Speaking further on if he can use the law on a woman outside the movie, the talented actor replied, saying; “women are not commodities for sexual objectification.

    “I personally think that if a woman decides to sleep with you again, it’s more a function of a couple of things than just the fact that the sex was great. Women are deeper than that. If she decides to sleep with you it is because she chose to base on factors other than just sex.”

    On Omoni Oboli, he described her as a progressive filmmaker, who would stop at nothing until she gets what she wants.

    Chukwujekwu has featured in several movies among which are Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Finding Mercy, and Ghana Must Go.

    Produced by Omoni Oboli, Okafor’s Lawstars highly rated artistes like Richard Mofe Damijo, Betty Irabor, Omoni herself, Tina Mba, Toyin Abraham, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Ufuoma McDermott, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Yvonne Jegede, Halima Abubakar, Mary Lazarus, Uche Nnaji, Gabriel Afolayan, Ken Erics and others.

  • Your role in preventing miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth and preterm (6)

    Closely related to all that we have discussed—miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion – so far is prematurity.

    What is it? Prematurity is a term for the broad category of newborn born at less than 37 weeks’ of pregnancy.  Weight may also be used as indicator of prematurity. Doctors will often try to care for babies born alive who weighs about 400gram and above.

    Premature babies merely manage to escape the peril of other dangerous instances that I have mentioned ealier. Even though being born alive gives hope, it does not mean that the danger of early death is over. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), premature births carry considerable risk.

    Indeed, “preterm birth is the most common direct cause of newborn mortality. Preterm birth and being small for gestational age (SGA), which is the reasons for low-birth-weight (LBW), are also important indirect causes of neonatal deaths. LBW contributes to 60percent to 80percent of all neonatal deaths. The global prevalence of LBW is 15.5percent, which amounts to about 20 million LBW infants born each year, 96.5percent of them in developing countries”, according to WHO.  We can now see that premature birth of a baby, though much better than being miscarried or being born a stillbirth, constitute extreme danger to the baby.

     

    What causes premature birth? 

    A baby born early has less time in the mother’s uterus to grow and gain weight, and much of a foetus’s weight is gained during the latter part of the mother’s pregnancy.

    There are some factors that make prematurity possible. Black people tend to have higher risk of still birth than our white cousins. One can only speculate why this is so. It might be that we (mothers and also fathers) tend to be more prone to hypertension which is dangerous for the baby if the mother should have high blood pressure in pregnancy. Again, the age of the mother matters. Mothers who are over 35 years old not only carry the risk of miscarriage, deformed babies, high blood pressure in pregnancy and still birth, but she is also vulnerable to having a premature baby.  Just as in stillbirth, multiple pregnancies is a known cause of “prem babies”.

    I have earlier mentioned in preceding articles that maternal diseases is a material risk to medical abortion, miscarriages and stillbirth. The same sets of maternal illnesses may cause the baby to be born earlier than necessary. Such diseases include as previously mentioned, maternal hypertension, diabetes mellitus and thyroid diseases. Similarly, a pregnant woman who uses toxic substances, are exposing their unborn child to early immature birth. Mothers of lower socioeconomic status are also more likely to have poorer pregnancy nutrition, inadequate prenatal/antenatal care, and pregnancy complications – all factors that can contribute to low birth weight and hence premature birth.

    Why is prematurity so important and why is it crucial that we prevent premature birth? In general, the lower a baby’s birthweight, the greater the risks for complications. The following are some of the common problems of low birthweight babies and prematurity: low oxygen levels at birth, inability to maintain baby’s own body temperature as well as difficulty feeding and gaining weight while outside the womb. Most crucially, the baby is very vulnerable to infection of any of his or her organs.

    Independent breathing by the baby may become problematic and can suffer what doctors call respiratory distress syndrome (a respiratory disease of prematurity caused by immature lungs). Remember that immature lung itself is a cause of stillbirth. Being immature may lead the baby to suffer bleeding (stroke) into his or her brain, young as the baby may be. This bleeding could then cause a host of neurologic problems.

    Immature birth could also cause serious diseases in the gut (necrotizing enterocolitis) whereby feeding and maintaining food may become a problem for the baby.  Though not well recorded in Nigeria and perhaps not as common as in other lands, sudden death (cot death) as the name implies could cause early demise of the premature baby.

     

    Prevention

    Prevention is cheaper and better than cure. Prevention will help us avoid gloom and agony of complications premature births. Therefore, at antenatal visits, the health of both mother and foetus can be checked. Because maternal nutrition and weight gain are linked, as I earlier mentioned,  with foetal weight gain and birthweight, eating a healthy nutritious diet and gaining the proper amount of weight during pregnancy are essential measures.  Mothers and potential mothers should avoid alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs, unknown and toxic local preparations which can contribute to poor foetal growth outcomes, among other complications.

    In conclusion of this series therefore, the reader will observe that the pregnant woman or potential mothers are not all that helpless in the face of threats of abortion, miscarriages, stillbirth and premature births. There are small steps that the aspiring mother, the husband and indeed the couple can do to prevent these adverse outcomes. I have discussed these in all the articles. For other reasons and factors that you as a mother/fathers cannot deal with, I urge you to work with your doctors or ask for qualified medical personnel to help you all the way. Start early even before you get pregnant. Good luck to you.

  • 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.

  • Your role in preventing miscarriage, abortion, stillbirth and preterm explained (4)

    So far, we have looked at abortion – both legal and illegal. We discussed possible reasons for legal abortion though not everyone may agree with my position. I believe the true test of decision on if abortion should be done or not is first to weigh in the letter of the law and also pertinently to pause and consider:  “What will I do, if I got an unwanted pregnancy or what will I do if my daughter or sister or any member of my family faces an issue of undesirable pregnancy?”

    We have also looked at miscarriages and what causes it.  I am sure that a host of my readers will wonder what sort of investigations can be done to lead to causes of miscarriage.

    Investigation: Treatment of miscarriages is best handled by skilful specialist in the field.

    That said, the simplest and ironically the grandest place to begin is to attend a qualified medical doctor for initial assessment of detailed history and examination. The doctor will collect information about previous miscarriages, any prior operations, current and past medications, use of substances, including traditional medicine preparations, nature of work and exposure to environmental hazards.

    The attending physician of competence will consider some investigations in line of the causes that I have outlined earlier.  Examples of investigations that you may be expected to do are ultrasound of the pelvis that may help outline the organs of reproduction. Blood sample may be required for test on hormones that I have mentioned as well as to determine other disease states such as diabetes.. Still, genetic testing may be required on both couples.

    The attending gynaecologist may also request for examination of the womb via a camera that is called hysteroscope whereby the doctor can see firsthand, the structure and appearance of the womb. Patients should not be too alarmed at the request for these investigations.

    Are there treatments for Miscarriages? Yes, there are treatments that can be offered for miscarriages, based upon the findings of the attending physician. However, it’s important that the couple see the attending doctor prior to getting pregnant again. Medications are available to deal with deficiencies in hormonal levels.There are also some therapies that are directed against blood disorders that affect pregnancies.  In the case of genetic abnormalities in the parents that leads to miscarriages, the couple could consider egg or and sperm donation as the case may be. Pregnancy may thus be achieved through in-vitro fertilisation.   Where the miscarriage is due to abnormalities of the womb, this may be corrected through surgery. Where the pregnancy loss is due to weakness in the neck of the womb, this may be corrected via tightening the said neck via surgery shortly after pregnancy has occurred. However, it’s important that all these be arranged with the doctor prior to the pregnancy.

     

    Prevention of Miscarriages: Certainly, there are some measures that individuals and couples can undertake to reduce their risk of miscarriage. Example, obesity that may give rise to diabetes should be controlled. Sugar level should be thoroughly brought under control. Nutritional changes along with exercise and weight reduction measures could help to bring down the risk of diabetes and obesity associated with pregnancy losses.

    Further, abortion if it is to be done is best done by the skilful medical professionals. This is important to safeguard the integrity of the neck of the womb (cervix): defect of which may cause miscarriages of pregnancies. Also, persistent infection that may have been introduced during abortion procedure is best minimised at the hands of trained professionals.

    Potential mothers are best advised to avoid consumption of alcohol or nicotine (cigarette) during pregnancy so as to avoid unwanted effects on the foetus. In the same line of thought, pregnant women should avoid substances whose contents are not known or well documented.

    Finally, I have mentioned in another article earlier in the year that the reproductive or fertility chances of women are at their peak between ages 22 and 32. Beyond the age of 35, fertility begins to decrease at an alarming rate and the ensuing pregnancies begin to carry considerable vulnerability to foetal abnormality and the risk of premature expulsion from the womb. The older the woman gets beyond this age bracket before mentioned, the higher the risk of miscarriage.