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Tag: thoughts

  • Thoughts on Armed Forces Day Celebrations

    Thoughts on Armed Forces Day Celebrations

    Several nations of the world hold an annual Armed Forces Day Celebrations in honour of their military. Nigeria is not left out. The Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebrations in Nigeria is an annual event organized to honour members of the armed forces who fought in the first and second world wars. It is also an event to honour those who served or are still serving in various peace support operations worldwide as well as those who fought in the Nigerian Civil War.

    The day is therefore to celebrate both the dead and the living heroes including all those who suffered various deprivations as a result of wars. The day was formerly marked on November 11 of every year to coincide with the Remembrance Day popularly known as “POPPY DAY” or “11 – 11” for the first and second world wars veterans in all commonwealth countries. However in Nigeria, in view of some significant historical events, notably the surrender of Biafran troops to the federal troops on January 15, 1970, it is celebrated on January 15 every year.

    From thence, military personnel including the army, the navy, the air force and the Nigerian legion converge in different centres across the federation to celebrate the day and give honour to the fallen and living heroes who hazarded and continue to hazard their lives for the territorial integrity of the nation and for peace to reign worldwide. The event is held at the federal, state and local levels where either serving military officers reside or where living ex-service men occupy.

    Several events including release of pigeons to symbolize peace, placing of wreaths, playing of the last post, Remembrance Day Parade, firing of 21 gun salute and others characterize this memorable day. The military officers are usually attired in diverse colours typical of their fields, be it navy, air force, army and the ex-service men. The event also witnesses religious services in both mosques and churches nationwide.

    Looking at the historical background of the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, it is obvious that it is purely a military affair, since they are primarily saddled with safeguarding the territorial integrity of the nation.

    However, the present internal security challenges on different theaters for almost a decade now has, without mincing words, stretched the military beyond its limits and expectations as is evident that the military alone could no longer handle the situation especially in the North-east where the Boko Haram held sway for some time.

    This had led to a lot of alignment of forces, contributions, supports and collaboration from various security agencies to fight the series of insurgencies that have been confronting the nation. The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) for instance, has been known to participate in both peace keeping and peace support operations all over the world while to a lesser extent the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Department of State Security (DSS) have all contributed personnel on peace support operations in UNMIL in Liberia, UNAMID in Darfur and the UNMIS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan), during which lives were even lost.

    I also wish to add that a lot of officers and men of the various security agencies that formed the Joint Task Force (JTF) to combat the Boko Haram insurgency have lost their lives in the process of performing military operations outside their statutory duties; just like the military is now fully involved in the internal security operations to secure the lives and properties of citizens in this country which is primarily the function of the Police. This synergy and collaboration is needed particularly at a time like this when the capacity of the armed forces is stretched thin. This is where the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) which has contributed significantly to the fight against terrorism and lost many of their men deserves a special place in the annual celebrations.

    It is observed that Nigeria as a sovereign nation, considering her unique historical events and challenges changed her own Remembrance Day Celebration from November, 11 to January 15 of every year and also the form or scope of the celebrations to suit her own purpose and the dictate of the situation till date.

    In as much as the essence of the Remembrance Day Celebrations is to honour officers and men either dead or living who served in various peace support operations worldwide, including those who fought in the world wars and the Nigeria Civil War; it is highly recommended that the scope of the celebrations be expanded to take care of the new security developments in the country especially those figting in the Boko-Haram war among other insurgencies ravaging the country. It is good and morally right that the leadership of the various security agencies other than the military and the police that have contributed to the achievement of international, regional and national peace especially in Nigeria where its corporate existence has and is still being threatened, be made to lay wreaths during the Remembrance Day Celebrations in honour of their own service heroes too.

    The organizing committee of the event can schedule and incorporate the sequence of laying of wreaths by the concerned service chiefs in their programme for the day.

    “What is good for the goose is good for the gander”

  • Thoughts on mortality

    Times happen when we are numbed and disoriented, groping to regain a handle on reality and wondering all over at the meaning of this life we live. That is the place I have been for some few days now, with the shock demise of a lifelong friend and soul mate, Oyewole Ande.

    Not that death is anything extraordinary or a scarce phenomenon. It is as commonplace as its polar end, that is birth, and it happens almost daily around us: an inevitable juncture of mortal existence that should be anticipated and, as such, readily adjusted to when it occurs – sure, with grief, but also with fatalist resignation. But death sometimes occurs by sly ambuscade to a loved one and knocks you clear of that conditioning, leaving you grappling to hold steady in your circumstance. When that happens, the momentary effect is like walking dazed in dreamy land.

    My friend’s demise penultimate Sunday was of that mould. On the day he passed on, there were no indications few hours beforehand that his departure was so imminent. He was not in ill health, and neither was he in the least cast down, say by depression, as far as casual observation goes. Now by hindsight, though, it seems there were signposts that he was a Saint Triumphant making ready for a victorious transition to immortality. Almost literally speaking, what Oyewole did was settle his outstanding earthly debts, make final peace with man and God, and then walk the high road into Heaven.

    That Sunday morning, the two of us were on our feet within the premises of the church where he worshipped whenever he came to Lagos for close to two hours – he was that healthy – catching up on each other and clearing up some past misunderstanding. He was based in Ibadan and had earlier informed me he would be in Lagos for some social commitments, and would love that we meet up if I was in town. I happened to be in town; and because he was to return to Ibadan soon after the Sunday morning worship, the best deal was for me to leave mine own church after Sunday School and catch him up at his church during the service.

    We hadn’t seen for some while, and we used the opportunity of our meeting up to refresh each other and speak frankly as lifelong friends that we were about our current circumstances and family conditions. Oyewole smiled meekly for much of the time and was concessionally disposed on all the issues discussed. When I was set to leave, he saw me off to my car and requested that we pray together, which we did holding hands. I had parked my car further down the church gate and needed to drive back towards the general exit, and so I asked my friend to join me so to drop him off at the church entrance. At that entrance, we unconsciously took some minutes more to chat in the car until the church’s security man came around to prompt me that I was blocking the pathway. It was then that Oyewole came down from the car and walked briskly into the church as I drove off.

    News got to me later that this same friend I met with earlier was about leaving church with his family after the morning worship service when he slipped into endpoint unconsciousness. He got in his car, settled at the steering wheel and himself released the car booth latch for his wife to place some items in the trunk. Eyewitness accounts were to the effect that by the time the wife came around to sit next to him so they could drive off, she found him slumped in his seat and initially thought he was taking a curious nap. It was as he failed to respond to prodding that the wife, who I know to be a faith soldier, raised an alarm. The commotion that followed among dispersing congregants as they hurriedly regrouped to intervene could well be imagined.

    Why have I taken out the space this week, you may ask, to tell this personal story? It is because Oyewole’s demise impacts me so profoundly that stitching this piece together is itself an endurance though cathartic task. But also, I owe my lifelong friend a public tribute.

    Besides the shock circumstance of his passing, I had known Oyewole from a time so early in childhood that it is difficult now to pinpoint the starting point. We began as kid playmates and transformed into alter egos, especially as we were of the same age, with only a five-week difference in our birthdays. Him growing to become a senior career banker and I a career journalist, he was so steadfast in friendship that no member of our parental and subsequently personal families could ignore the relationship even if they wanted to. I was the Best Man at his wedding, and we swopped places as he played the same role at my wedding some years later.

    When we both clocked 40 years of age, he preferred that we have a joint birthday party so that whoever cared would know we remained close friends, and he footed the bill to make it happen. We had two other friends we gravitated with from childhood, one of whom we lost in a fatal car crash many years ago. On the day of his own transition, as we prayed, Oyewole remembered to mention to God that it’s been 33 years since Segun Olayemi died (it was his mention that reminded me of the exact number of years), and that we were thankful for being alive in our own case till date.

    How does one write few lines of memorial tribute about a lifelong friend and bond brother whose presences populate the entire spectrum of your memory lane? How? And how can one help wondering what really is the point of life’s exertions, when you could be up and bristling with aspirations one moment, only to be demised and eased into history the next moment – literally?

    But here’s the deal: In Oyewole, I lost a friend but gained a spiritual mentor. In the Christian faith, we believe he has joined the celestial host who witness and urge on the earthly tribe in our faith walk through life. And so, though I lost a friend, I have gained a spiritual encourager.

     

    Re: ‘Obasanjo’s makeover’

    Kayode, please don’t quote OBJ out of context. What he said on ‘do-or-die’ was that fielding credible candidates for PDP in the 2007 general election was do-or-die. This can be restated as: fielding credible candidates in PDP is a task that must be done.

    And for your information, the only medium that carried the story was Saturday PUNCH sometime in April 2017 (sic). Many commentators did not even get to read the original text, but just lapped onto the interpretation of OBJ’s critics without checking out what was actually said and in what context.

    In spite of my observation, I want to commend your insightfulness.

    – Lanre Tunwon, Ilorin.

    Kayode, well said on Obasanjo. Formerly an apostle of politics with bitterness, Baba is now born again. His target is probably (former Vice President) Atiku (Abubakar).

    –      Known respondent, but identity withheld.

  • Thoughts on Nigeria at 57

    Thoughts on Nigeria at 57

    Former International Bar Association (IBA) Country Representative for Nigeria Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho writes that agitation for restructuring must be in line with the law.

    Celebrate if you can, for it is good for one to be alive. We, Nigerians, live on hope for a better tomorrow, hence, suicides were in the past rare in Nigeria. But, in the recent past, suicides have become more prevalent because of the myriads of problems that have become seemingly insurmountable in the day to day lives of ordinary Nigerians.

    Today, there are all kinds of suicides. Suicide from depression is on the rise. Suicide from other factors, including Boko Haram, has not abated.  There is despondency in the land and there is the need to call on the ruling class to pull this great country of ours, Nigeria, back from the abyss – the brink of self-destruction and alienation. Nigeria does not need the divisions it is presently witnessing.

    While agitations for restructuring and even secession may be good to draw attentions to perceived flaws in the polity, such agitations must be channeled appropriately and within the confines of the law, be it domestic or international law. We need an egalitarian society, a strong, united and indivisible nation built on the strong values of equity and justice, rule of law and fairness.

    As a first step, the political leadership of all the political parties should apologise to Nigerians for failing to deepen the tenets of democracy since May 29, 1999, which has invariably made it impossible for there to be the much needed pragmatic and progressive building of the nation by men and women of goodwill.

    While noting that the political space provided since May 29, 1999, have accidentally thrown up one or two men and women of goodwill, honesty and credibility into our political and public life, these very few have not been able to bring about the much desired development, as the fundamentals and structures of their political parties, including the lack on internal democracy, make their impact insignificant.

    Most Nigerians cannot explain the source of their wealth, which in most cases are traceable to corruption both in the public and private sectors. There should be a compelling desire not to tolerate in our midst any person whose lifestyle and means does not reflect his or her known sources of income. In other words, society must not celebrate anyone whose wealth is questionable.

    No one is against a person being wealthy, but we all owe this nation and ourselves the duty to despise persons whom we know have stolen our commonwealth, be it at the local, state or federal level.  Our attitude to work needs complete re-direction, so as to see us as veritable partners in the creation and sustenance of the wealth of the nation, which should be equitably distributed and utilised for the common good as appropriated by the various tiers of government.

    Conscious efforts must be made to create employment opportunities for the teaming masses of our people so as not to have human beings who can be easily mobilised as political thugs and suicide bombers.

    The goodwill being enjoyed by Nigeria in the international community should not be taken for granted. We should closely guard our external relations from being undermined and deal with other nations on the much cherished principles of reciprocity. Every attempt must be made to ensure that Nigeria does not become a pariah nation that is isolated on important questions and issues in world diplomacy.

    Now, more than ever before, is the time for the political parties who will soon begin politicking towards the 2019 general elections to realise that they have failed Nigerians. There is the need for a total political re-awakening to ensure the proper practice of democracy that will produce statesmen (and women) who are deeply concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of the citizens and the nation-state, and not merely politicians.

    Nigeria does not need to elect into office persons who have no alternative sources of sustainable income to return to at the end of their tenure. As part of entrenching internal democracy within the political parties, it would be a welcome development for them to scrap forthwith the selling of “Expression of Interest Forms” to would-be candidates to various elective offices.

    They need to conduct credible primaries so as to open the political space to attract credible candidates who would otherwise be put off by money politics and godfatherism, which then places heavy burdens on politician to recoup their heavy “investments “  and to appease their godfathers when elected.

    Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should make rules that will make electioneering less expensive, so that a person elected into public office to serve does not have a mind-set of finding money to off-set huge election expenses and debts!

    In addition, the culture of placing congratulatory messages for persons elected to serve the people at the beginning of their tenure should be discouraged forthwith.

    Rather, such congratulatory messages could be placed at the end of a highly successful tenure in office, for it is then and only then that the congratulations become deserving, the purpose of which will be to appreciate the contributions and worth of those persons to the development of the society.

    Nigeria’s case should not continue to be like that of a person who fetches water only to pour same on the back side of a calabash (a wasteful exercise), akin to that of a failed state where since independence we have failed to develop as a nation-state.

    We must resist the constant clamor for division along ethnic and religious lines based on primordial considerations. Yes, let us celebrate Nigeria. Let us celebrate being alive. Let us make Nigeria work for Nigerians. God bless Nigeria. God Bless Nigerians. Happy 57th Independence Anniversary Nigeria.

  • Anniversary thoughts

    Yesterday October 1, marked the 57th anniversary of Nigeria as an independent country. On that day, the Nigerian state was founded. With the foundation of the new state, the expectation was that nation building which involves the construction of a common sense of national consciousness and identity would follow.

    This is more so given that the emerging Nigerian state was an amalgam of disparate ethnic, religious and linguistic nationalities. This background threw up the urgent task of inculcating and imbuing in the federating groups, a common bond that is supportive of co-habitation so that the task of national development and progress can be collectively pursued.

    With this heterogeneity, very conscious and concerted measures needed to be called to action to wield the various peoples together and stave off the disruptive influences of unbridled competition and suspicion among the groups on the one hand and the central authority on the other. Taking into confidence the sensibilities of the disparate groups was a more profitable way for national development to progress unhindered.

    But the political elite soon found themselves entangled in a web of bitter competition for supremacy which took ethnic and religious coloration. This was followed by a military coup, counter coup and a three-year civil war.  The cycle of military dictatorship continued only to be punctured with a brief civilian rule that saw Alhaji Shehu Shagari as the president. With the sacking of his government by the same military expeditors, the dictatorship of the military continued unfettered until 1999 when a new civilian government headed by Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in.

    It is worthy of note that all the years the military held sway could be aptly tagged as stages in the foundation of the Nigerian state. One thing central to this period in the history is the predominance of military influence or force in its institutionalization. This period is largely concerned with the establishment of institutions, structures and paraphernalia of government. All have no choice than to obey the command of the military. It allows no space for either dissent or alternative persuasions. And in such arrangement hallmarked by arbitrariness, command and control, it would be foolhardy to expect the sensibilities and overall interests of the constituents to find reasonable expression and accommodation.

    The military finally exited governance after 28 years in the political saddle. But that was after they had done a lot of damage; initiating several measures in several fronts with very profound implications for the organization of this unity in diversity. They created states and local governments at will without any objective criteria. They bequeathed a constitution to the democratically elected government without taking inputs from the very people over whom the constitution is meant to govern. They handed over a federal arrangement that is to all intents and purposes a unitary system; concentrating enormous powers on the central authority.

    Not unexpectedly, the arbitrariness of the military in decreeing forms and structures and a constitution for the federation, has since been the greatest source of friction, threatening the very foundation of the country. These systemic defects elicited agitations across the country for a federal arrangement that is fair and equitable to the constituents. There are agitations for whittling down the awesome powers of the central authority so as to stave off the bitter competition for power at that level.  Calls have also been made for more powers and revenue to the states and local government to facilitate development.

    The unbridled corruption and looting spree that hallmark governance on these shores are inexorably linked to the omnipresence and omnipotence of the federal arm which literally controls life and death. These calls have come in the forms of restructuring, true federalism, resource control and devolution of powers. Central to all these is the desideratum of some form of constitutional re-engineering such that would devolve more powers to the federating units and lessen their overdependence on the central authority for hand-outs.

    It is also envisaged with devolution, undue competition for power and its disruptive effects on national progress and stability would be stymied. There have been calls for a return to the arrangement we had with the 1960 and 1963 constitutions during which period the regions made substantial progress based on their competences and comparative advantages.

    That was the period the country had a semblance of a federal structure where the federal government bequeathed more powers to the regions. All these were substantially altered with the advent of the military. But with the return to civil rule in 1999, agitations for a more equitable federal structure resonated. Obasanjo responded by empanelling a constitutional conference. The conference did its work but its recommendations were thrown overboard for fear of his using it as a springboard for his infamous third term game plan.

    Jonathan who took over from Yar’Adua faced similar agitations and came up with the national constitutional conference. The conference concluded its deliberations and made far-reaching recommendations that would aid the country overcome some of the debilitating challenges that stultify national progress and development. They could not be implemented before he lost power.

    But the agitations peaked since Buhari took over, threatening the very foundation on which the country was erected. It has manifested in the various agitations for self-determination- IPOB, MASSOB, Yoruba Liberation Command, Niger Delta Republic, Arewa Youths and Middle Belt. Central to all these, is the perceived inability of extant federal order to provide the enabling ground for the constituents to approximate their full potentials.

    The federal arrangement has to be tinkered with to get the right mix that will unleash the creative energies of the people for even development and self-actualization.  As national leader of the ruling APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu succinctly captured: “it would be better to restructure things to attain the correct balance between our collective purposes on the one hand and our separate grassroots realities on the other”.

    Restructuring envisions a new order that will task and drive productivity in the different regions of the country rather than the old fashioned dependence on revenue sharing that encourages indolence and laziness. The attraction lies in its capacity to shift and focus attention to new wealth creation areas, promote productivity and competition in the bid of the federating units’ struggle for survival. Overall, it will convey development faster to the constituent units.

    Despite being the way forward, restructuring has not been well received by a section of the north ostensibly on suspicion that it may deny them some of the advantages they currently enjoy. Some have raised fears that it will lead to dismembering of the country even as others have sought to disparage the idea hiding under definitional issues. Yet, the issues to restructuring are unambiguous and very compelling.

    At 57, we ought to have stabilized our governance framework such that the task of nation building can commence. It is a sad commentary that we are still contending with such things as the form of structures to adopt, issues that are usually thrashed out during the foundation of states. It is also a huge embarrassment that primordial cleavages are still in very stiff competition with the central authority for the loyalty of the citizens. It is a mark of collective failure in nation building that October 1 appealed to a group of northern youth as a veritable timeline to quit sections of the country from the north and confiscate their property. It is a veritable statement of our progress in national integration.

    It is not enough to rehash the unity, indivisibility and non-negotiability of the country. Neither can the reliance on force to achieve these suffice. The solution lies in constructing the right mix between our collective aspirations and diverse interests of the constituents. Buhari has a chance to write his name in the sands of history or make a hero of his successor as the new momentum can only be delayed. Its alternative could be disastrous.

  • My random thoughts…

    My random thoughts…

    I am sharing my thoughts in this article, not necessarily as the Governor of Lagos State but as a Nigerian; a Nigerian who wants to see progress and sustainable growth in our country.

    I have been lucky to be administering over a state that has been put on the right track by my two predecessors, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). I do not think I have done anything special except to bring my own style of leadership, my own experience and my vision.

    Lagos, as it is, has not reached its peak but we can see signs of progress and positive transition to the Lagos of our dreams. What bothers me personally is that I do not see the same level of progress elsewhere in the country. I am not happy that most states in our country are not advancing like Lagos. It will be unfair of me to think that because Lagos is functioning, then I can go to bed and assume all is well. If only one man is prospering in a village, it is not progress. Rather that man is in danger.

    According to the statistics released by the United Nations, by 2050, Nigeria is projected to have the third largest population in the world, with two-thirds of the population today below the age of 35. What are we doing today about this? What are we planning to feed them with? How are we going to provide them with jobs, housing and infrastructure? How are we planning to make the country self-sufficient and self-reliant for the future?

    One of the key instruments to the permanent prosperity of Nigeria lies in the hands of the 109 Senators and 360 Representatives in the National Assembly. I just want to plead that we should be open-minded and forward-thinking; we should think about the teeming millions of youths, from Kano to Ibadan, Zungeru to Warri, Jalingo to Yobe, Umuahia to Calabar, and then back to Lagos; we must give serious consideration to what we intend to bequeath to them.

    In my opinion, the prosperity of this nation lies with the states. We need to get the states and Regions working again and the only way we can unleash the potential of the state is for our representatives at the National Assembly to help their own states take the next step and move to the next level. In the past, there used to be positive rivalry and competition among regions prior to the entrance of the military in the national governance. The military split the nation into states and moved all resource control to the centre for their own administrative convenience. Now that we have tasted democracy, I think it is time for us to sit back and think, for the sake of those who are older than us and for the sake of our children, and even those yet unborn.

    We need to raise our voice in support of the demand for devolution of power to states and fiscal federalism, especially the review of the current revenue sharing formula.  These, in my view, are fundamental and critical to creating an enabling environment that will accelerate development in all parts of the country. The ongoing process for the review of the 1999 Constitution presents a golden opportunity for us to redress all the aberrations created by the interjection of the military that have stunted growth and inhibited the capacity of states to harness the huge potentials of our nation.

    Even with the kind of resources we have in Lagos, it is very clear that there is huge infrastructural deficit in the state. In addition, the resources are not so huge as to make Lagos globally competitive and deliver the social infrastructure we all crave. So, where will the money to drive the Lagos of our dreams come from?

    The economy is not doing well as much as we want. I cannot tax the people any more than we are doing presently, but we have to become more efficient in tax collection because that is the major source of revenue with which we can protect the future as well as improve the welfare and well-being of all Lagosians.

    This takes me to the kind of reforms that we have embarked upon in the last two years. We made security a priority. Our goal has always been to deliver a clean, safe and prosperous Lagos. I want to use this platform to thank the private sector and the corporate Lagos who have been wonderful and have been silently supporting us in the provision of security equipment and infrastructure to our security agencies. Because of them we have been able to improve the performance of our security agencies but we will not take them for granted.

    On Cleaner Lagos Initiative. In the last two years, we have found out that Lagos generates one of the highest waste in the world. As at the last count, documented waste in Lagos is estimated at 13,000 tonnes per day; compared to New York which is 10,000 tonnes. Considering undocumented statistics, we can add an additional 4,000 tonnes per day to that figure.

    Now, if we want to be revolutionary; if we want to be globally competitive; if I want to deliver on the promise that I made to deliver a clean, safe, and prosperous Lagos, I cannot use the same template that has been in use in the past. Cleaning Lagos and keeping the environment clean has nothing to do with environmental sanitation and putting your economic productivity at a standstill for three (3) hours in a month. That will not clean Lagos.

    Cleaning Lagos means we should give Lagosians scientifically treated land fill site, transfer loading stations, functional dyno-bins, functional compactors, brand new materials and also be able to employ more people. That is why I extended my hand to the private sector for a partnership that will lead to the introduction of 500 brand new compactors, employ more than 27,000 street sweepers across the various wards in Lagos and create 200,000 indirect jobs. And we are commencing this in another few weeks.

    I fully appreciate the concerns of the people who have been cleaning Lagos in the years past. I do not take them for granted, neither am I going to ignore them. The new model is a win-win for all of us; I have offered them 100% income from the commercial enterprise so that our PSP can gain capacity and also get more capital to do more work. There are over 5,000 companies in Lagos, enough to go around all the PSP operators, with a minimum of 15 companies to each PSP. The government can support them to make their contract with those companies bankable.

    So, while we are using the Cleaner Lagos Initiative to clean private residences and domestic refuse, our original PSP operators are compensated by dealing with companies and getting 100% revenues with just 1% administrative charges to LAWMA. In the past, LAWMA collects 40% in charges. This reform is a product of deep thoughts and serious human considerations for the environment and all stakeholders. We promise Lagosians that effective from October; within six months they will see the difference. All they need to do to help us achieve this goal is to cooperate with the government and pay the annual public utility levy in accordance with the law. This is what will fund the project. Our bins will be cleared systematically on a daily basis. The same way the way the refuse on Adeola Odeku is cleared is the same way refuse in Badagry, Ayobo, Agege and other parts of Lagos will be cleared.

    In the transport sector, we have decided that to integrate our rail, road and water transportation systems. It will take time and but I believe in the philosophy of Think It, Plan It and then Act It. Sometimes, people can be impatient and say we are not responsive, but the issue is that when you run a government, you cannot run a reactionary government. We are running a responsive government which is one of the tenets of good governance. We must and are expected to think through all our policies properly and to the end before planning and executing. The difference between the thinking time, planning time, the execution time and the action time demanded by the populace is what makes people cry out.

    There are a lot of things coming up under the bus reforms initiative. We are introducing new bus terminals; there are already new terminals at Tafawa Balewa Square and in Ikeja. We are constructing more; Yaba, Oyingbo, Mile 2, Ojodu Berger, Ogba and Agege. All these things will be in place before our new buses come in February 2018.

    We are doing a lot on water transportation also. We want to make sure that everyone is able to move from one place to another.

    Like the transport sector, we are doing new things in the health sector. We do not have enough General and Specialist hospitals. From Lekki to Epe there is no General hospital along that axis and we need to do something about it. More Specialist hospitals are coming up but the government cannot do it alone. My take is that the private sector needs to come on board. The private sector is at the front burner of what we are doing and we have a management team made up of experts from the private sector. We welcome ideas and projects that can bring value to the majority of Lagosians. We believe strongly that value is driven by the impact on humanity and that is what all our story is all about.

    We love the criticism that Lagos is the second least livable city. It is a challenge to us and we are working on it, but people forget that the major considerations for this classification are terrorism and crime which I believe we do not have in Lagos. I am passionate about Lagos. I do not compare myself (Lagos) with Melbourne. What is important is that we are making some giant strides, positively affecting the lives of our people and even receiving accolades for the little things we have done. There is still a lot more to come and in another one year, I believe that people will see that Lagos has taken proper shape. I am a good listener and I appreciate objective criticism. I read and listen even though I often do not respond.

    Lagos is the most thriving Cosmopolitan city right now in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our goal is to expand capital expenditure such that in another two to three years, Lagos state will become the third largest economy in Africa.

    These are just some of my random thoughts…

    •Mr. Ambode is the Lagos State governor.

  • Thoughts on June 12

    Today is June 12, and there seems no better time than now to engage in historical reflections, and as well to prospect for lessons from that symbolic date for our nationhood compass.

    It was precisely 24 years ago that the 1993 presidential election held – an event firmly niched in Nigerian annals as the boldest democracy landmark, and perhaps the highest point yet of this country’s nationhood experience. The June 12 poll was landmark, on the one hand because the Nigerian populace determinedly overrode sundry landmines laid by the military elite on the path of the country’s restoration to civil rule to stage an election that was globally acclaimed as credible. On another hand, that election provided citizens a platform – the first of its kind in Nigeria’s history – to break with primordial loyalties in casting their votes.

    Of the 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that made up the federation at the time, Chief Moshood Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) won in 19 plus the FCT, polling more than eight million votes, while Alhaji Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) netted 10 states with some six million votes. Although the late Abiola – a professing Moslem – fielded another Moslem, Babagana Kingibe, as running mate, his victory was resounding across ethno-religious lines as he polled nearly 60 per cent of the total votes cast, and only in two states (Kebbi and Sokoto) did he fail to secure at least one-third of the ballots. Actually, Abiola defeated the NRC flag bearer in his home state of Kano. And though the tycoon was never formally installed as President owing to self-perpetuating shenanigans by then ruling junta, his hijacked victory was the foundation on which the present political republic was erected when civil rule was eventually restored in 1999.

    Twenty-four years on, there is an enduring fascination with the June 12 presidential poll, because it revealed a latent possibility of Nigerians forging a consensus on national goals and aspirations. Such rare consensus would be blind to the primitive fault lines in our nationhood that have historically pitched citizens against one another.

    The logic of June 12 was that Nigerians, in 1993, wanted an end to the long years of military rule. They sensed that then ruling regime of General Ibrahim Babangida was in no hurry to relinquish power despite avowals to the contrary. And so they rallied around the cause of democracy, for which the Abiola-Kingibe ticket merely provided a preferred choice among available alternatives. Voters across ethnic and religious divides in that election cared less if Abiola came from the outer space, or if his running mate were his own blood brother. They made the choice that indexed a collective resolve to force the hand of the reluctant junta and ease it out of power. Abiola’s mandate from the June 12 poll eventually became a crosscutting rallying call for pro-democracy struggle against military rule. And much as Babangida initially dallied on letting go of the reins, he could not help ducking out by ‘stepping aside,’ with succeeding contraptions of government made considerably ill at ease until the military negotiated a tactical retreat to their barracks. Not even the notoriously despotic regime of the late General Sani Abacha survived the heat. Sadly though, Abiola died (actually, suspected murdered) in that struggle and became the Nigerian democracy’s equivalent of the Marxist revolutionary, Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

    While it is likely pro-democracy activists would characteristically hold memorial activities today in remembrance of the late democracy icon, and in commemoration of the June 12 presidential election, truth is that this country at the moment has lost the nationalist innocence that poll symbolised to rabid separatist passions. By all known accounts, not since the unfortunate civil war of the mid-1960s has ethnic consciousness taken on such intensity in the Nigerian nationhood as we have seen in recent times, and with separatist threats hitting a markedly reckless pitch. The rumble over the last week, for instance, was with the purported three-month notice by a so-called Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY) to citizens of Igbo stock resident in the North to leave or be ‘mopped out.’ The group also advised northerners resident in the Southeast states to reciprocally return home. Members of the youth coalition said they were responding to the May 30 sit-at-home order by separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in its 50th anniversary commemoration of the ill-fated Biafra Republic, which had shut down social and economic activities in major Southeast towns.

    It was helpful that leaders of the North swiftly rose against the purported quit notice by Arewa youths, while the Federal Government moved to reassure citizens of their constitutional right to live in any part of the country they choose without any molestation. Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai ordered immediate arrest of the youth leaders who signed the provocative statement, and his colleagues in the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) jointly disowned the coalition and as well promised measures guaranteeing the right of all Nigerians to live in any of the 19 states comprising the three geo-political zones of the North.

    “We are one nation tied to a common destiny. The governors of northern Nigeria are not in alignment with those pronouncements and we will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the lives and properties of all Nigerians living in any part of the North,” NGF chair and Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima said in Maiduguri on behalf of his colleagues. In like manner, Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed urged Nigerians to feel free to reside in any part across the country that they choose because government has the capacity to maintain law and order. “There is zero tolerance for actions and speeches capable of inciting one part of the country against another, and the security agencies are fully on the ground to deal decisively with any individual or group that engages in incendiary activities,” he said.

    It is quite instructive that the principle of commitment to nationhood that our leaders now seek to insure through strict security enforcement was what voters enacted by volition in the June 12, 1993 poll. We need not pretend about it: not a few Nigerians have lost self-motivation to nationhood. And so, it might just help if we revisit the old landmarks in quest of where the innocence was lost.

     

  • Thoughts on a new cabinet

    Thoughts on a new cabinet

    Is a cabinet shake-up imminent?

    The media have so reported  a couple of times, with some quoting “authoritative sources” as saying that President Muhammadu Buhari has made up his mind to either reshape his team or disband it.

    It took the President months to set up the cabinet. He took his time. Critics and advocates of today’s popular fast food-style of doing things, no matter how serious or sacred, scorned him for being “Baba Go-Slow”. He would not be stampeded. He stood firm.

    Less than two years into his four-year tenure, the speculators, manipulators and self-appointed regulators are on song again. Will Buhari succumb to pressure and disband this team in whom he seems to be so pleased? If  he does, will the new team include familiar names or relatively unknown men and women? Will he just move people around? Will he have a complete overhaul?

    Here are a few suggestions as to who should make the cabinet, were the President inclined to take another look at his team. It is all in the spirit of the patriotism for which “Editorial Notebook” is well known.

    Zamfara State Governor Abdualaziz Yari remains unrepentant over his comment on the lethal meningitis outbreak that has hit his state and some others in the North. That is the way it should be. The chairman of all governors should never be seen as a weakling who will suddenly disavow his pronouncements on any issue, no matter how sensitive, just to dodge a fight.

    What did His Excellency say to provoke the huge outrage that greeted his simple and logical comment, which, according to a reliable State House source, was made after a thorough research involving an army of religious giants and top-flight scientists, who remain anonymous because of the ethics of their trade?

    “What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is the type A virus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has carried out  vaccinations against  this type A virus not just in Zamfara, but many other states.

    “However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send type C virus, for which there is no vaccine. People have turned away from God and He has promised that ‘if you do anyhow, you see anyhow’. That is just the case of this outbreak, as far as I am concerned.

    “There is no way fornication will be rampant and God will not send a disease that will not be cured.”

    They, those fellows who usually hide under some dubious nomenclatures, such as analysts, stakeholders and critics, descended on Yari. They said his theory had no scientific backing? How about its logic? They tore at the messenger and dumped the message. When did God start discussing with our governors?  Is Yari a philosopher or an exponent of theocentric edification? They asked scornfully.

    Minister of State for Health Osagie Ehanire, apparently without any proof, dismissed Yari’s theory. He said the outbreak had nothing to do with Nigerians’ moral and spiritual lifestyles. Not to be left out, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, hit Yari for his “not Islamically correct statement”.

    The fact remains that Yari has brought a new perspective to our health issues. The nation can gain a lot from His Excellency’s newly acquired expertise, no doubt.  I nominate him enthusiastically for the health portfolio?

    Asked how the anti-corruption war can get more muscle, former President Olusegun Obasanjo suggested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should hire ogbologbo lawyers to prosecute its cases.

    What a timely piece of advice, coming when High Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), once popular for his rights advocacy, is celebrating a rare feat of defeating the EFCC thrice in one month.

    A brief background. One of  Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose’s bank accounts was frozen by the EFCC. Ozekhome went to court and got the account unfrozen. Then the EFCC checked Ozekhome’s bank account Nestling in there was a hefty sum of money, about N75m. The EFCC impounded it. The lawyer cried out. He said it was a deposit from his client, the governor, for services rendered.  Outrage. But when has a lawyer’s professional fee become the subject of a public debate in beer parlours and soccer viewing centres? Do doctors disclose their fees?

    There is no doubt that Ozekhome is the kind of  ogbologbo Obasanjo had in mind.

    Interestingly, he is also defending Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Raymond Dokpesi, who is charged with alleged corruption for collecting about N2.1billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser. How about the  garrulous SAN for Attorney-General  for the anti-corruption war to hit a new phase?

    Until his academic records became the subject of public scrutiny, nobody knew that Dino Melaye, the distinguished senator representing the good people of Kogi West, had a third class degree.

    The other day when the Senate was discussing how to encourage patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods, Melaye stood up, gathered his agbada, cleared his throat and urged Nigerians to shun foreign spouses. Only a genius could have found the link between these seemingly dissimilar subjects.

    In the heat of the probe of his academic records, Melaye stormed the Senate in a doctoral degree holder’s gown. How he pulled this off remains a mystery till date. The busybodies, who always think everybody’s business is theirs, went to town. They excoriated the distinguished senator for no just cause: “Does he have no shame? Where did he get the gown from? Isn’t this wilful denigration of scholarship? Did he hire it? Why is he celebrating a third class?” They went on and on, lampooning the ingenuity of this inventive fellow.

    For Dino, I think Minister of Education will not be a bad idea. His talents will find full expression and blossom like  daffodils in spring. Our youths, many of who are said to be enjoying his scholarship, will know that with a third class, you could be on your way to fame – and fortune – faster than ever thought.

    Solomon Dalung should retain his job as minister of Youths and Sport. Instead of his great achievements, many talk only about his dressing,  his military police beret and khaki shirt and trousers. Some describe him as an ex-soldier-turned- Lagos Island hotel doorman. To others, he is a Nigeria Civil Defence Corps (NCDC) recruit awaiting his first set of uniforms.

    The other day when the honourable minister told a House of Representatives panel that the money allocated to the Olympic Games was “well spended”, his critics protested. It was as if he had committed a murder. Trust Dalung; he took it all on the chin.

    For weeks, some youths were in Lagos preparing for the ITTF African Junior Championship in Tunis. They were sent home last weekend when the ministry could not fund the trip. Again, the minister is the whipping boy.

    There is no doubt that contrary to the popular opinion that sport is dying, and  our youths are more interested in reality shows, such as the just concluded Big Brother Naija,  all is well. Dalung should retain his job – for his calmness in the face of a clear storm.

    Many are impressed by the tactical way Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal fended off questions over the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE) contracts, among them the controversial N1.3billion grass-cutting job he was said to have awarded to a company in which he had an interest. A well organised man, Lawal has since dissociated himself from the scandal. An attempt by the House to summon him over that matter was rejected because it was the subject of a legal dispute. Besides, he was expressly cleared by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

    It has been suggested in some circles that Lawal should be minister of Works and Due Process. I concur.

    Ben Murray Bruce (where in the world is he?) periodically issues videos in which he comments on matters of national interest. He once said civil servants and politicians were stealing because they had no hope of ever owning a home.  The distinguished senator recently advocated that government officials should be jailed for bad behaviour. And many were asking: “Are senators included?” “Is taking money from banks and not paying  good behaviour?” They taunted the urbane senator – all because the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) sealed off his movie houses, an action that lasted just a few days.

    I have heard some perceptive observers say Murray-Bruce will do well as minister of Tourism, when his skill as a beauty pageant organiser is pressed to service. They have a point, considering the government’s desperation to diversify the economy.

    The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, was once quoted that all he wanted in life was to sit on the revered throne. He has achieved that.  An Islamic scholar of no mean stature and a finance expert of immense energy, Sanusi does not suffer fools gladly.

    In doubt? Ask the Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Seventh Senate and, most recently, Yari and other leaders of the North.

    There is the rumour that the Emir would not mind being president. That seat being not vacant, would he like to be Finance minister, even if it is just a rehearsal for the real show?

    The nominations continue.

  • Random thoughts about aflatoxin, pawpaw leaf detox (2)

    I foresee poor pawpaw fruit harvest in the future if, carelessly, Nigeria plunges into pawpaw leaf medicine without putting the horse before the cart. Many people are showing interest in pawpaw leaf tea, juice, vegetable salad garnish and as anti-malarial, among its many natural medicinal uses. In the housing estate where I live in Lagos, it is almost impossible nowadays to find a pawpaw plant growing outside a house with its full complement of leaves. The health food stores hardly stock proprietary powder products of whole papaya (pawpaw) leaves, although the demand for it is growing. All you may easily find are pawpaw tablets or capsules. Papain is one of the proteolytic enzymes found in pawpaw leaves. Where some efforts have been made to ground dry pawpaw leaves into powder, some health store patriots who know about fungi, mold and afflatoxins (see w.w.w.olufemikusa.com) turn away from it as they did orange peel powder not produced under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

    Like all fruiting plants, seeding or tuber producing plants, the pawpaw plant needs its full complement of leaves. The chlorophyll in the green of these leaves helps to capture energy from sunlight and the air and synthesizes from these photo forces the fruits, seeds, nuts e.t.c that we humans enjoy as food or snack.

    That is on the lighter note. On a more serious note, the Nigerian health conscious public has become more aware than before of the medicinal and food values of such previous food wastes as orange peel, banana peel, plantain peel, mango seed kernel and, now, the green leaves of pawpaw.  Hitherto, the fallen, dried leaves of the male pawpaw plant (the non-fruiting one) enjoyed wide-spread reputation among herbalists as an anti-malarial, especially when boiled along with such equally reputable anti-malarials such as lemon grass, orange or lime or lemon peel.

    My family has been aware of the health benefits of pawpaw leaves for more than 10 years, and our experiences with it have filtered from time to time into this column. Last year, I tried to grow about 30 pawpaw seedlings in the small garden of my house. But I lost about 26 of them because of the searing heat of the hot weather at that time. I have not given up. Two of the three seedlings which survived are female, and should soon begin to fruit. The last one is male, and provides me with its leaves as a food supplement which I enjoy now and then.

    So, how can you, too, enjoy pawpaw leaf as a food supplement for detoxification and other health benefits?

    As many people prefer pawpaw leaf juice to eating the leaves with food, saying they are not animals, we may start with the positive impact of the juice on health. So, off to w.w.w.organichealthy.org we go:

    “Papaya leaf juice can be a new and exciting thing to try and/or a perfect substitute for a smoothie or juice recipe not to mention the benefits you get from it are brilliant. It was found through studies that papaya leaf juice and its phytonutrient compounds act in synergy to display a strong antioxidant and immune-boosting impact throughout the body and blood stream. Papain, alkaloids and phenolic compounds are responsible for their positive biological effects.

    The two biologically active components of the papaya are the enzymes papain and chymopapain. They aid with digestion and help treat problems, such as: bloating, indigestion, and other digestion issues. Papaya leaf juice contains alkaloid compounds which help keep your body’s pH balance and reduce illness. The phenolic compounds, Caffeic acid, Chloregenic acid, Quercitin and Keampferol exhibit potent antioxidant effects. Calcium, Potassium, Sodium, Iron and Manganese are very abundant in papaya leaves”.

    To the question of how the body benefits from them w.w.w.organic health.com offers about nine health advantages it confers. These, in its words, are…

    “ONE: Blood platelet production.  Maintaining a high level of blood platelet is extremely important after a serious illness, especially with diseases like Dengue that cause blood platelets to drop to dangerously low levels.The Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine found that papaya leaf juice significantly increases blood platelet production.

    ”TWO: Supports the liver. Due to the potent effect of papaya juice for the liver, it is the basis for the healing of many chronic diseases, especially of the liver, such as jaundice, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

    “THREE: Prevents diseases. Papaya leaf juice contains Acetogenin that may be used to prevent many dangerous diseases, including Malaria, Dengue and Cancer. This supports the immune system and naturally fights viral and bacterial invaders in the body.

    ”FOUR: Boosts energy levels. Papaya leaf juice does such a good job of cleansing and healing that drinking it daily can help improve your energy levels and help you get started on the day more quickly. It could possibly be helpful for improving chronic fatigue.

    “FIVE: Supports your digestive system. Papaya leaves contain Papain, Chymopapain, Protease and amylase enzymes that are helpful in properly breaking down proteins, carbs and helpful with digestion. Individuals with digestive disorders may find this juice healing and help regulate the digestive system.This very potent anti-microbial juice reduces inflammation of the stomach lining and heals peptic ulcers by killing harmful bacteria, such as the H.phylori bacteria.This healing process may also reduce colon inflammation form inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs)

    “SIX: minimises inflammation. Inflammation is a common side-effect of illnesses and allergies. The anti-inflammatory properties in papaya leaf juice is helpful for reducing inflammation and possibly also reduce chemotherapy side effects.

    “SEVEN: Regulates menstrual disorders. Drinking papaya leaf juice may regulate PMS symptoms and possibly regulate menstruation cycles due to its very potent healing properties that balance the hormone

    “EIGHT: Protects cardiovascular health. The powerful antioxidants in papaya leaves boost the immune system, greatly improves blood circulation, dilates vessels and protects heart health from strokes and diseases.

    “NINE: Naturally lowers blood sugar levels. Papaya leaf juice improves insulin sensitivity that helps regulate blood sugar levels. The high antioxidant content is helpful to decrease the secondary complications of diabetes such as fatty liver, kidney damage and greatly reduces oxidative stress.

     Aflatoxins

    As stated last Thursday, about 40 per cent of food stuff sold in Nigerian markets are yeast and mold contaminated and, therefore, prone to Aflatoxins poisoning of the many Aflatoxins molecules identified so far, Aflatoxins B1- is the most toxic of animal and human health. In humans, it concentrates in the liver, causing cancer of the liver. It damages the reproductive system, causing infertility in men and women. It damages the Central Nervous System (CNS), causing tremor and even seizures. It unbalances the hormonal system, disrupts immunity and causes HIV/AIDS. There is hardly any damage Aflatoxins do not cause. Mention of them becomes frightening when we remember that yeast, mold and Aflatoxins have been found in Nigerian beans, maize groundnuts (peanuts), dry fish, palm oil, yam and potatoes, melon among other foods. One more I would like to mention today is raw pap. Many women grind maize to make raw pap which they keep in the kitchens or freezers for days or weeks. They cover the top with water. Every morning, they drain the water off and replace it, believing this keeps the raw pap fresh and safe. But if they are careful enough, they would notice some blackish or greenish dots on the water they are draining off. These are signs of yeast or mold presence and possibility of Aflatoxins contamination.

    To flush out Aflatoxins from the body, it would be necessary, first to eliminate yeast and mold. There are many herbs which can do this, sometimes over, say one year, because they multiply rapidly. The Rain Tree group has a proprietary blend of them named MYCO, which I often suggest for myco plasma detoxification when this product and similar ones, are engaged, it is important to add large amounts of anti-oxidants to the therapy.  The reason is that when a large number of these organisms get killed, their “corpses” or debris unload a large amount of free radicals on the system which may initially worsen the condition been treated terms of symptoms escalation. This is known as the “die off effects”. Antioxidants helps to reduce this experience. The next stage, of course, is the support to be given to the organs of detoxification (the liver, lungs, kidneys, skin and bowels) which get damage by high aflatoxins load. If the aflatoxins load they bear is minimised, the possibility exists that they may carry on with their living functions without signs of Aflatoxins distress.  This is where pawpaw leaf juice therapy enters the picture as a readily available, cheap or free medicine.

     

    Cancer 

    According to the website w.w.w.stylecraze.com: “The greatest anti-cancer properties of papaya are concentrated in its leaf extract. According to a research conducted by the Journal of Ethanol pharmacology, papaya leaf juice contains certain enzymes that have dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a wide range of tumours, such as cervix cancer, breast cancer, lungs cancer, and pancreatic cancer without any toxic effects on the body. As a result, papaya leaf extract is often recommended as part of chemotherapy in some parts of the world. By regulating the T-cells, the papaya leaf extract increases the immune system response to cancer. Papaya leaf juice contains about 50 active ingredients, including the karpain compounds that inhibit micro- organisms, such as fungi, worms, parasites, bacteria as well as many forms of cancer cells. It is often used in herbal medicine to remove intestinal worms as it contains tannin that protect the intestine from re-infection from tannin proteins in the lining of the intestinal wall. This way, the worms cannot attach themselves. They are effective in suppressing the cause of typhoid fever. The website w.w.w.communityomtimes.com: “The University of Florida did studies showing that Papaya leaves contains agents that kill cancer, especially cervix, prostate, liver, breast and lung cancer. The more concentrated the tea, the better the result and there are no side effects of any kind. Down through history in Australia, the aborigines have talked about Papaya leaf tea as a great cancer healing agent, also in Asia and other places. Most recommended – taking 10 leaves, cutting them up and boiling them in a half gallon water until it boils down to quart, then left to cool. The tea will be kept in the fridge for two days in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Drink as much as possible.  Papaya leaf tea enhances chemotherapy and helps with chemotherapy side effects.

    “Papaya leaf tea cures thrombocytopenia or low platelets counts which keeps a person from clothing.  There have been many studies showing that papaya leaf tea can increase platelet count in cases of vitamin deficiency, chemotherapy, dengue fever and many more.”

    There are many more health benefits of pawpaw leaf that have not been mentioned here simply not because they are unimportant but because they appear remote to some of the problems often associated with fungi, mold and aflatoxin damage. The website w.w.w.healthbenefits.com says:

    “If you are experiencing some symptoms like fever, skin rash, headache, muscle and joint pains, you are probably suffering from Dengue. But that is the common one. If you are experiencing any dangerous symptoms like, blood plasma leakages, low platelet count and bleeding, you are probably suffering from the dangerous disease called hemorrhagic fever. Dengue fever is a deadly disease caused by the virus called Aedes mosquito.  Some studies as indicate that papaya leaves contains enzymes like chemopapain and Papain that can boost and normalise the platelet count and the liver damage caused by Dengue disease and then it also will add the recovery form Dengue disease.”

    I foresee many pawpaw plants in urban Nigerian cities, such as Lagos, becoming leafless when the vogue of pawpaw leaf tea and pawpaw leaf juice sweep through the country. All country people should have no problem with steady supply of fresh pawpaw leaves. Places such as Lagos which are concrete cities will pay through the nose for theirs. In some cases, the consumers may even end up with yeast and mold infected pawpaw leaves.

    Meanwhile, pawpaw leaf’s healing powers continue to make the news in various part of the world. University of Florida researcher Nam Dang, from Vietnam, and colleague have documented in the Journal of ethmophamacology finding of papaya leaf extract. Showed anti-cancer effects against tumors of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas.  The findings agree with folklore medicine in his native Vietnam.  They use extracts from dry papaya leaves and obtained stronger effects when they used larger dosages. Their extracts were reported to boost production of “key signalling molecule called Th 1-type cytokines, which help regulate the immune system to fight cancers”. Through the University of Tokyo, Dang and his colleagues have applied for a patent for their work. Dr. Nam H.Dang, M.D., Ph.D., is a board certified medical oncologist with expertise in the study and treatment of lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). He is a professor and deputy chief of the division of hematology and oncology as well as Director of the University of Florida Shands Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office”. For the patent, he is partnering Hendricks Luesch, Ph.D., a fellow UF Shands Cancer Centre member and a professor of medicinal chemistry.  Luesch is an expert in the identification and synthesis of natural products for medicinal purposes and recently discovered a coral-reef compound that inhibits cancer cell growth in cell lines.”

    Ladies and gentlemen, the table is set and now let us mince pawpaw leaves with our meals. Are you listening, Ladun Runsewe, Abayomi Adepoju, Razak GRA Akande, Gboyega Ige, Akin Orebiyi, Kola Ogunmola, Bukola Azeez, Francesca Omolara Bello, Yahaya Saida, Irene Akintoye. ..?

  • Random thoughts from X-mas to Ibori’s home-coming

    CONGRATULATIONS, 2016 has gone away, 2017 is here, young and fresh and brimming with hope that it would burn off all the dross and ugliness of last year. As I settled behind my desk last Monday, Boxing Day, to write this column, I couldn’t pin my thoughts down to gather steam for what has almost become a routine every first week of January… Alternative Medicine products to watch out for in the New Year. I guess that will come later. Instead, I settled for random thoughts and experiences in the days which formed a bridge between 2016 and 2017, what some people may call the “cross-over” days. The first thought was about the Christmas 2016.

    A saner

    X-mas

    2016

    This Christmas must be about the most spoken about in the last decade or so because many people had no money to splash on revelry. The Asian businessmen, notably the Indians and the Chinese, who import children’s dresses and fire crackers for this season, must be an unsmiling lot now. By May and June every year, they stuff available warehouses with their wares and pay fabulous rent for warehousing, waiting for December to arrive. Stupidly, Nigerians burn hard-earned money firing tons and tonnes of fire crackers of all designs, irrespective of repetitive police warnings that fireworks had been banned since the 1960s. The ban was imposed during the political crises of the then Western Region (Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Edo, and Delta state) and has not been lifted. Irrespective of this, Asians find their ways around the customs and excise Department and around the police to make a mincemeat of the Nigerian economy every December. Every Christmas season, the police would repeat their warnings but would arrest or prosecute no one to make good the warnings. In this process, Nigeria was drained of foreign currencies, especially the Pound Sterling, the Euro and the U.S. Dollar. As the drain occurred, the value of the Naira against these currencies dropped significantly, fueling inflation and scarcities. The story changed in Christmas 2016. Recession had come to town. Every-one began to watch spending critically, eliminating unnecessary expenses. With one bag of 20 pieces of sachet (“pure”) water doubling in price to N150 at the shops, many people began to buy directly from the sales trucks at between N100 or N120 a bag. That meant bad business for the shops. I have taught many people how to add plantain or banana peel to rice or beans or rice and beans to increase bulk, provide enough food for every member of the family and save money on food. In Europe and in the United States, it has been discovered that banana peel, like plantain peel, is richer in some nutrients than the fruit it covers, and that, on it own, it is actually food. In fact, a campaign is going on in the United States to educate the public that these peels are not food wastes, so that, by 2035, no banana or plantain peel would be thrown away.

    The Recession change the face of Christmas 2016 in ways far too many to mention here. It provided a saner environment to observe a Christmas. A Christmas is a reminder of the High Nation of the Lord Jesus to this sinful earth to light up the darkness which had enveloped it, so that some of the inhabitants longing to get out of the rot and return to their home in paradise as perfected spiritual beings may find their way out of the suffocating embrace of Lucifer and his minions. It is a time for sober reflections in which Christians ought to put themselves on the scale and see if they had lived their lives so far the way their Lord came to tell them they should. It is a time for everyone to lock himself or herself up in his inner room. But it became a time for wandering about, almost aimlessly in revelry because the pocket were filled with easy money. The scale of wining and dining decreased last Christmas. Traffic was down on the highways, suggesting many people were indoor. Deafening fireworks were not to be heard in the streets, and the Indians and the Chinese must have gone home, Sullen. Goodbye Christmas  2016.

    Wonders

    Always

    Pop up

    ON this earth, wonders never end. On Christmas Day, I walked into my neighbour’s place in the evening to share with him the season’s greetings. He has a tradition of more than one decade behind him of welcoming his guests with meals and drinks. Beside me sat a gentleman who had been one of my acquaintances in the housing estate for many years. We often met at the relaxation centre. He had a huge appetite for Stout beer. He never stopped drinking despite a bad cough which yielded no ground to self-help pharmaceutical or herbal medicines. Even prescription drugs were of no use. Often, I would tell him I suspected his heart was enlarged and he could come down with congestive heart failure, and even die. I suggested he go to hospital and check with his doctors. But all the suggestions sounded to him like “Greek”. He said Stout beer made him sleep soundly. I said it made him sleep only because it depressed his brain. In any case, the drink could be overworking his liver and kidneys, and these organs may be hardening, resisting blood flow and causing the heart to enlarge in a bid to pack more force to pump harder. An enlarging heart will get weaker in the course of its enlargement, and it may become so weak that it may not be able to pump blood out of the lungs. Blood overstaying its tenure in the lungs would irritate these organs as unwanted guests. To free themselves of the irritation, the lungs would try to expel the blood through the mechanism of a particular cough. This cough hardly responds to popular cough medications.

    After a long debate which involved his children giving him an ultimatum,  our friend went to hospital where his condition was diagnosed as enlargement of the heart. He would prove stubborn still by saying his doctor permitted him to knockoff with this beer provided he did it in moderation.

    To cut a long story short as we say, his cough worsened, his energy began to sag and he could hardly walk. Last Sunday, I saw beside him not a bottle of Stout beer but a glass of water. “What happened?” I asked, shocked. He told me his doctors asked him to give up beer if he wanted to live longer. We joked about the human capacity to chase away killer old habits in the face of death. Then, I advised him the medications he was on would not necessarily reverse enlargement of his heart. They would only slow down the heart so it doesn’t kill itself with work overload thrust upon it by other misbehaving organs. He would have to heal his liver and kidneys of many years of needless punishment. These organs take a lot of bashing when we consume alcohol. Then, he would have to put more energy into his heart on a therapy of Ubiquinol, Hawthorn berries, Vitamin E, Vitamin B Complex, Essential fatty acids, Selenium, Magnesium, and the likes of them, including L-Arginine.

    Remembering this gentleman, reminded me of the book SUGAR BLUES in which the author narrates how he had to give up sugar and sugar foods after many point-of-death battles with unresolved hypoglycemia which masked itself in many other disease symptoms. When he got his health and life back, he would bump into sugar consumers unceremoniously, urge them to give up sugar and sugar foods, they would insult him, he would not give up at the risk of a fiasco and he would go home a sad man. Then, one day, an observer admonished him not to burn up his energy over recalcitrant people. One day, a thunderbolt would hit them. Only when the student is ready does the teacher emerge. Isn’t this the way it has been for many of us health repentant people?

    Holiday,

    Holiday,

    Holiday…

    In the last two weeks, Nigeria has granted workers six days public holidays. To worsen matters, the first work day in 2017, a Monday, (January 2) is a public holiday. The holiday on December 26, a Monday, was understandable. That was Boxing Day, traditionally a public holiday in many Christian countries when Christmas gift sent in boxes or in other packaging are unwrapped and acknowledged. Tuesday, December 27 need not have been a public holiday. But it was so declared to compensate Christians for the Christmas Day which fell on a Sunday, a work free day in the country. January 2, a Monday and a work day, was declared a public holiday for the same reason that New year’s Day fell on a Sunday, a work free day. The thinking has gained deep roots over many decades that if a holiday falls on a work free day, a compensation or a gift with a work day has a work-free day has to be made. This holiday, holiday, holiday mania is a disease of corporate Nigeria which, in many other ways, has eaten the nation deep into its marrows.

    Many people think the season of Change laced with the season of Recession would have swept away this unproductive habit of corporate Nigeria. How many people go on these types of holiday in the informal sector, anyway?

    A recession means backsliding or retrogression. To move from Recession to Ascension, the energy for upthrust or upward propulsion must first be generated. A car driven into a ditch isn’t gotten out of there without some work. Moving Nigeria out of recession cannot be easily achieved, if it will be attained at all, through pleasure seeking irresponsible holidays. If an investor who is to create jobs needs 60 days to repay, say, a N100million bank loan, robbing him of six days work in two weeks isn’t going to be fun to him. If he thinks he can make mincemeat out of the country and get by, his first option may be to inflate his price to make up for the holidays. In other words, some of the pangs of Change many people are complaining about may very well be the price they are paying for the irresponsible holidays they are enjoying. Irresponsible holidays are rare in Japan and China. Often, the Japanese and the Chinese have cultural links to their own holidays. In the Western world, holidays are not frivolous matters.

    That said, there is some sense on the other side of the road, or of the other side of the coin presented by a devil’s advocate. The informal sector, not the corporate sector, may have become the bedrock of the economy, the driver and stabiliser. Here, workers work their hearts out from sunrise to mid-night, taking no organised vacation except when the government declares a public holiday. But this isn’t a fool-proof argument? Do not many of us in this sector troop to work on public holidays which have no religious rings to them?

    There are many things in Nigeria crying for Change which haven’t changed. The culture of too many needless holiday is one of them.

     

    Ibori, a free man

    Former governor Ibori may surface in Nigeria to a tumultuous welcome, having completed his jail term for money laundering in England. His reception in England is an indicator in this regard. In the video, Ibori proudly boasts that, while he was in jail in England, he masterminded the election of some governors in Nigeria. What I can deduce from this is that he would be a major player or king maker in the 2019 Presidential election.

    Gone are the days when only success had many fathers and failure had none. The crowd which milled around Ibori at the reception suggested it is no longer taboo to be seen in public hobnobbing with a former prisoner.

    In the days long gone by, it would be appropriate to tell these people SHOW ME YOUR FRIEND AND I WILL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE or BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER.

    One of my friends reminds me that, in human history, only the FORM ever changes, the CONTENT never changes. The FORM is we human actors or the circumstance in which we act. The CONTENT is what we like to do. Over 2,000 years ago, we sang Hossanah after Jesus Christ on a Friday and shouted CRUCIFY HIM on a Sunday. Pontius Pilate was warned by his wife to protect Jesus. She had been warned in her dreams Jesus was blameless and she should guide her husband to let Him go. The mob threatened Pilate, colonial Roman governor of Judea, he would be reported to the Emperor, Herod, as an enemy of the emperor if he did that, claiming Jesus was seditious in acclaiming Himself as KING OF THE JEWS. Pilate feared that Herod may sack him or even imprison him. He lacked courage, thought of Self and let go. On the part of the mob they preferred that the life of a common criminal be spared while a blameless person should be murdered simply because the leaders of Jewish religion thought His influence over the people would rob them of power and influence.

    Today, we worship criminalism and other vices in this country as the Jewish synagogue leadership and mob. Like Pilate who lack courage to confront evil, we, too, lack courage to confront evil and crime, and this is why our land is filled with criminals and nothing that is right seems to work in it. The officers who man and run our public institutions lack courage, noble human character and candour. Who, today, in this country, can look the king straight in the eyes and say his mother is a witch? who can tell Ibori and people like him to take a bow from the public theatre and retreat to the back stage, nay, the shadows? Once he was appointed a Public Prosecutor irrespect of the Monica Lewinsky affair, Mr Ken Starr pounded President Bill Clinton in the dock as if the President were an ordinary strict man. Who, today, can face a Governor, let alone a President in Nigeria? In my days as a University student in the 1970s, students would have become so irritated about the huge sums of money being recovered from corrupt Nigerian leaders of yesterday that they would have surrounded the homes of this people and the National Assembly in support of the government. Such students of those days are no longer anywhere to be found today. The system may have absorbed them. And so we may discover that President Muhammadu Buhari as a lone tree, may not make a forest in 2019, and Ibori and Co. may call the shots.

  • In the bowel of thoughts

    In the bowel of thoughts

    Title: Thoughtful & Thoughtless Thoughts
    Author: Ipoola Ahmed Omisore
    Year of publication: 2014
    No of Pages: 166
    Reviewer: Badejo Adedeji Nurudeen
    Publisher: Edistyle Company, Lagos

    Thoughtful & Thoughtless Thoughts by Hon Ipoola Ahmed Omisore, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly is a book based on his ‘thoughts’ on contemporary Nigerian issues and politics. It includes an account of his stewardship, marital life lessons, Yoruba and family history, general tips and wise sayings. The book contents are from his daily social media posts from 2010-2015. Divided into five sections and 14 chapters, section 3 deals largely with marital life in the context of weakening family values arising primarily from marital crisis in our society, it is common knowledge that the institution of family and marriage are  endangered these days. The author dwells on the vagares and challenges of marital life, family, love and sex. He places emphasis on home building, the age-long rivalry between mothers and wives, the importance of love in marriage (in actual fact, he encourages men not to give 100% love to their wives, suggesting 90% while the remaining 10% should be tied to the success of the marriage), according to him sex is a strong aspect in marriage. Both chapters 7 and 8 advise a man needs patience to be a good husband.

    As a politician of the progressive circle, he eulogises with fanaticism his leader and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a man with a lion’s heart who bestrides the country’s political space like a colossus. To him, Tinubu is a master planner, a phenomenon and a generous personality.

    From pages 79-87, the author gives an account of his stewardship; including the empowerment of 350 women and 250 youths in Ojokoro, free pre-WASCE lectures, 200 free medicated eye glasses, free exercise books, one day hounourable programme, youth football challenge and his visit to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to settle the medical bill of a patient abandoned by his family and friends after an accident. He also defends his membership of the House of Assembly at 66 with a biblical proclamation! Also, he refers to an incident that almost made him quit the social media when someone described him as a clown; but thank God, he kept faith.

    One very important aspect of this book is the author’s unwavering belief in the indivisibility of the country. He looks at those issues troubling Nigeria as dashed hopes, religious folly, insurgency in the north, Islamic banking, failed agendas, petroleum subsidy removal, the crave for private jets by Nigeria’s bigwigs, state of infrastructure, the rich versus the masses, and graduate unemployment ( a time bomb). And he offers workable solutions. Interestingly, he mentions the late Dele Giwa, the well-known Journalist killed by a letter bomb in 1986, saying they both attended the same primary and secondary school. They completed their secondary education in 1967 according to Omisore.

    A whole section of the book (section 4) is devoted to Yoruba and Ile-Ife history. Omisore has his roots in Ile-Ife, and he gives a picture of his family history dating back to his earliest progenitors. Readers are taken on historical excursion from the First Republic to the present. Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Akintola, Sir Adesoji Aderemi and great Ile-Ife indigenes like Chief Ajani Anibijuwon Omisore (the author’s progenitor), Reverend Kayode (Femi Fani-Kayode’s grandfather) Reverend Cole, R.A. Fani-Kayode, SAN, Chief Alex Duduyemi (former Paliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa), Chief Ijiwoye, Chief Adeyera, Barrister Micheal Omisade are given prominence in this chapter.

    Chapter 13 is basically to celebrate the author’s immediate family, most especially his aged mother, wife and children, while the last section (15) is devoted to general tips and wise sayings about life and development by great political leaders, former presidents, the Bible and others. It is to serve as a guide for anyone aspiring to greater heights.

    On the whole, this is a good book. However, publication of feedback from his audience would have enriched the book.