Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said the government has set aside N200 million to fund indigenous research in health.
Abayomi made his known in Lagos at the ongoing 2022 Annual International Conference on Health Advances, Innovation and Research (ICHAIR), organised by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).
The ICHAIR is a meeting for bio-medical professionals and stakeholders within Nigeria and beyond.
He said: “Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has given us N200 million and it is for the purpose of funding indigenous local research in the state.
“We are presently going through the applications submitted so we can shortlist the applicants while the winners for the grant will be announced next month.
“This will trigger the process for research, innovations and medical advances in health.
The commissioner added that plans were also on to create an intellectual property desk in the state.
“We are working on an intellectual property desk because it is necessary for our researchers to understand how important their intellectual work is,” he said.
Prof. Abayomi urged researchers in the country to carry out research that will proffer solutions to issues that were peculiar to this domain.
When Nigeria’s Bayelsa Queens face hosts, AS FAR of Morocco tonight in the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League, beyond the quest for championship ticket, vengeance should be oozing out of their veins.
AS FAR is a club beloging to the Royal Army – the Association sportive des Forces armées royales.
This is a strong army Nigerian football clubs have found difficult to overcome. There have been seven Nigerian clubs, cutting across generations and gender that have been dealt with by AS FAR.
Remo Stars were the latest victim among men’s club. Last year, at the inaugural edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League in Egypt, AS FAR beat Nigeria’s Rivers Angels 3-0.
Will Bayelsa Queens also make the numbers of AS FAR victims? Only Heartland as Iwuanyawu Nationale ever escape from the artillery of AS FAR.
Even then, it was through the lottery of penalty shootout at the semi-finals of the old styled Africa Cup of Champions Clubs in 1988 when the Nigerian side prevailed 5-3 on penalties after 4-4 aggregate scores.
Before then, AS FAR had in 1968 eliminated Staionery Stores over three legs in the old styled Champions League.
Stores won the first leg 1-0 in Lagos but lost the return match in Rabat 2-1. Nether the away goal rule nor penalty shootout was in operation then.
A third match was played in Dakar Senegal by mutual agreement. After the match finished 2–2 when extra time expired, AS FAR won by drawing of lots.
After that of Iwuanyanwu Nationale in 1988, the next Nigerian sides to face AS FAR were the Wikki Tourists in the 1999 edition of the now discontinued African Winners’ Cup. At the quarter final stage, Wikki Tourists crashed out 3-0 on aggregate.
But in the 2009 Champions League, Iwuanyanwu Nationale ousted the Moroccans after winning 3-1 at home and forcing a 1-1 draw in Rabat in the second round of the competition.
AS FAR again faced Dolphin of Port Harcourt and Enugu Rangers at the 2005 Confederation Cup. The Moroccans ousted Rangers on away goal rule at the play-off stage. The encounters ended 2-2.
In the final, Dolphins lost 3-1 on aggregate. Remo Stars are the latest victims. After forcing an impressive 1-1 draw in Rabat, they crumbled 0-1 at home in the first round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
Will Bayelsa Queens avenge for the other Nigerian clubs?
Africa Cup of Nations – Final – Senegal v Egypt – Olembe Stadium, Yaounde, Cameroon – February 6, 2022 Senegal coach Aliou Cisse
Africa will have five home-grown coaches at the World Cup finals for the first time in a breakthrough that could lead to a change of mindset and more opportunity for locals.
Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia all head to Qatar next week with a local in charge, representative of a dramatic shift in attitude from football leaders on the continent.
Previously, African teams at the World Cup have overwhelmingly been led by coaches from Europe or Latin America.
In 2010, when Africa had six teams at the finals, only Algeria were led by a home-grown coach while at the 1998 finals, all five African representatives had Europeans in command.
The preference for coaches from outside the continent had been the norm for decades, both in national team ranks and also at club level but is a trend that is now being vigorously questioned.
“Something is happening at the level of coaches on the African continent,” said Aliou Cisse, who is taking Senegal to a second successive World Cup, referring to the new-found abundance of African coaches in top jobs across the continent.
It is significant switch from Russia four years ago when Cisse was one of two African coaches at the 2018 World Cup with the other three at the head of African teams coming from Argentina, France and Germany.
“Our dream is for African expertise to be valued as well, for people to understand that in Africa there are very good coaches,” Cisse said in a recent interview.
The change in attitude has followed success for African coaches in continental competition in recent years.
The last two Africa Cup of Nations have been won by teams with an African at the helm while the past seven CAF Champions League winning coaches have all been African.
Morocco appointed former international defender Walid Regragui to the post two months ago after he had taken Wydad Casablanca to Champions League success in May.
Cameroon will be led by Rigobert Song, who is among their most capped players; Tunisia by Jalel Kadri and Ghana have Otto Addo, another former international in charge.
“These are people that might have had past success and been good coaches in Europe but for African football, you need the right coach for the right moment,” cautions Gambia coach Tom Saintfiet, a Belgian with more than a decade’s experience of African football.
“Someone who understands African football, one understands the culture, who understands the pros and the cons of working with an African team and someone who can get the maximum out of them”
World Cup – South American Qualifiers – Ecuador v Argentina – Estadio Monumental Banco Pichincha, Guayaquil, Ecuador – March 29, 2022 Ecuador’s Byron Castillo in action with Argentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez Pool
Ecuador will play at this year’s World Cup in Qatar after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday said Byron Castillo, whom Chile claimed was ineligible to play during the qualifiers, was deemed an Ecuadorean national.
Ecuador will, however, get a three-point deduction at the start of the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup and must also pay a fine of 100,000 Swiss francs ($101,600) for the “use of a document containing false information”, CAS said.
CAS, sport’s highest court, added that the decision was based on the fact that the Ecuadorean authorities acknowledged Castillo as an Ecuadorean national.
Ecuador have been drawn in Group A alongside Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands at the finals and the South American team will play the hosts in the opening match of the tournament when the World Cup kicks off on Nov. 20.
In September, FIFA had dismissed Chile’s appeal following their original complaint that Castillo was born in Tumaco, Colombia in 1995 and not in the Ecuadorean city of General Villamil Playas in 1998, as stated on his official documents.
However, CAS said the Ecuadorean Football Federation (FEF) violated Article 21 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code for the use of a document containing false information.
“While the player’s Ecuadorean passport was indeed authentic, some information provided therein was false,” CAS added.
“In particular, the panel was comfortably satisfied that the player’s date and place of birth were incorrect since the player was actually born in Tumaco, Colombia, on 25 June 1995.
“The panel deemed it necessary to hold the FEF liable for an act of falsification… even if the FEF was not the author of the falsified document but only the user.”
Ecuador have always denied that the player was ineligible. The FEF said they used the correct eligibility criteria to select Castillo and that they were analysing the next steps as they did not agree with the sanction imposed.
Castillo played in eight of Ecuador’s qualifying games — including twice against Chile — for the World Cup as they finished fourth to secure a place at the finals.
Peru finished fifth in South American qualifying, missing out on the last automatic spot for Qatar, while Chile finished seventh.
Regarding the points deduction imposed on Ecuador in the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup, CAS said:
“The panel determined that the three-point deduction should not be imposed in the present preliminary competition to the FIFA World Cup, but rather in the next edition, considering that the player was eligible to play in the preliminary competition to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”
The Nigerian Medical Association has called for psychiatric evaluation of political candidates especially governorship and presidential candidates ahead of the 2023 elections.
The professional body also said medical tests of the candidates would provide a comprehensive view of the state of the body system of those aspiring to hold political offices in the country.
There had been calls for medical screening of candidates to determine their state of health with many Nigerians arguing over the constitutionality or otherwise of such a move.
The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), stoked the controversy in April when he asked political parties to include drug integrity tests as part of the screening processes for candidates.
Speaking to Newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, the NMA President, Dr. Uche Ojinmah listed the battery of tests that candidates should undergo to ascertain their state of health and fitness for office.
NMA President, Dr. Uche Ojinmah
He said, “Simple medical check-ups such as chest X-ray, cardiac echocardiography, abdominal ultrasound scan, urinalysis, kidney function test, liver function test, blood pressure and blood glucose assessment will give one a comprehensive view of the state of the body system.
“Sadly, people applying for top level jobs like Chief Medical Director or Medical Director in our public service are made to undergo these tests while those contesting for executive and legislative posts don’t.’’
“We also want them to undergo psychiatric evaluation. These shall exhaustively evaluate the people vying for the ultimate job in Nigeria,” the NMA president added.
On how the tests should be done, Ojinmah said a professional body like the NMA could be charged with setting up an independent panel to carry out the medical and psychiatrist tests.
He said, “The NMA could be given the responsibility of choosing an independent panel of people who are well known in those different fields to carry out the tests because the problem is that if you allow a government agency like the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria or others, the government in power can influence it.
“So, we will prefer a professional body to be given the responsibility of setting up a panel of renowned specialists in the necessary areas to carry out a clear survey and present the report to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
The NMA President noted that the medical and psychiatrist tests should be made public.
“If a madman is about to be president, we should be told, that is just the truth. We see a lot of things going on with those in power, you will realise that there is imbalance. So, I think the results should be made public, we have a right to know.
“When they are going to vie for a Medical Director or Chief Medical Director of hospitals, they do most of these tests and those who will take the decision of choosing will see the results. So, people are going to be President and they don’t think that we should see their results? We are the ones to make that decision, we should see their results.”
Asked if any candidate who is not medically or mentally fit should be stopped from vying for any position, he said, “It is our position that if you have a mental problem or a neurological problem or you have any organ damaged that may not be treatable, or you are psychiatrically imbalanced, you should not be allowed to lead, you should be stopped. Will you make a madman your traditional ruler? You will not.”
Meanwhile, other national offices including the NMA secretary and publicity secretary aligned themselves with Ojinmah’s position, saying once their president had spoken, they can’t speak on the issue again.
Earlier, the Director- General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae called for enforced medical check-ups for would-be Nigerian leaders, saying many of them were suffering from chronic diseases.
Speaking during the 2022 Citizens’ Get Together, a shareholders’ gathering convened by the Unity House Foundation, to examine and proffer solutions for free, fair, and peaceful 2023 elections in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Osaghae insisted that the 2023 election candidates must be subjected to medical tests.
Intense fighting between Ethiopian government forces and Oromo Liberation Army rebels in the country’s Oromia region has led to “several dozen” casualties in the past week, witnesses tell The Associated Press.
The fighting in Oromia, the largest of Ethiopia’s federal states, intensified as peace efforts were ending a larger, separate conflict between government and Tigray forces in northern Ethiopia.
A witness in the West Wollega area town of Bila said he saw bodies scattered on the ground following an alleged aerial attack on Nov. 2 by what he described as a “small flying plane” or possible drone.
“It was a market day, and students were leaving school,” the witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “I have lost count of the dead, but several dozen people were killed and injured.”
Witnesses in recent attacks in Oromia have blamed Ethiopian forces.
Conflict between the two neigbours who share a common history has been blamed on foreign non state actors who seek to distabilise Ethiopia a nation that was one of the world fastest growing economies before the war.
Western influence in distabilising the continent is legendary with reports blaming countries like France and America for their role in deposing leaderships that refused to yield to froeign influence especially where rare mineral resources were involved.
The world should confront climate change the way it does nuclear weapons, by agreeing to a non-proliferation treaty that stops further production of fossil fuels, a small island nation leader urged Tuesday.
The proposal by Tuvalu came as vulnerable nations pushed for more action and money at international climate talks in Egypt, while big polluters remained divided over who should pay for the damage industrial greenhouse gas emissions have done to the planet.
“We all know that the leading cause of climate crisis is fossil fuels,” Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano told his fellow leaders.
The Pacific country has “joined Vanuatu and other nations calling for a fossil fuels non-proliferation treaty,” Natano said. “It’s getting too hot and there is very (little) time to slow and reverse the increasing temperature. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize fast-acting strategies.”
Rich nations demanding for climate change compliance have failed to meet up with their own end of the deal while expecting poorer nations to bear the brunt. However seems the poorer nations are becoming smarter by calling out rich nations on their hypocrisy by demanding compensation.
Pilots working for Kenya’s national airline are set to resume work on Wednesday after a court ordered them to end their four-day strike.
The court on Tuesday also ordered Kenya Airways not to intimidate pilots who participated in the strike called by their union following the failure to resolve a dispute over a retirement savings fund.
Kenya Airways has been on a recovery path after suffering losses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and had said it could not afford to pay into the fund.
The airline had threatened disciplinary action against striking pilots and even advertised vacancies. The airline estimated daily losses to be $2.4 million.
Kenya Airways on Tuesday welcomed the court ruling and assured its customers that it would “do everything possible to return to normalcy in the shortest time possible.”
The pilots union also asked its almost 400 members to do everything possible to restore normalcy.
Scheduled flights are expected to operate normally on Wednesday.
The stalemate affected thousands of travelers. Dozens of flights had been canceled and fresh produce, including flowers for Europe, was left rotting at the Nairobi airport.
Americans were voting Tuesday in a key election that will decide whether Republicans end the Democratic Party’s hold on Washington and take back the House and Senate.
The balloting marks the first major national elections since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to end constitutional protection of abortion rights. All 435 seats in the narrowly held House and one-third of the evenly divided Senate are being decided.
Emotions were raw as people stood outside libraries, fitness centers, laundromats and fire stations to begin casting ballots. From Lewiston, Maine, to rainy Pacoima, California, they held infants in their arms and wore uniforms, suits and workout clothes as they waited to vote. Many said inflation, abortion, crime and the future of democracy weighed heavily on their minds.
Associated Press photographers fanned out across the U.S. to capture voting on Election Day.
Nigeria’s Anti-narcotic Agency the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) says, it has uncovered plans by some unscrupulous elements to introduce a lethal synthetic opioid known as Fentanyl, which is 100 times stronger than Tramadol into the Nigerian market.
They warned that the illicitly manufactured drug is capable of causing mass casualty among the youth population being targeted by the cartels.
The anti-narcotics agency in a statement by its spokesperson Mr. Femi Babafemi said every step must be taken to ensure that the drug which is currently responsible for over 70% overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US is not allowed to circulate in Nigeria because of its lethality and the current drug abuse prevalence of 14.4% in the country.
The Anti-narcotic Agency urged parents and other stakeholders to be vigilant, and warn their young ones against attempting to experiment with this illicit substance.
It said; symptoms of fentanyl exposure and overdose include pinpoint pupils, falling asleep or losing consciousness, slow and shallow breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, limp body, and pale, blue, or cold skin.
The Agency assured Nigerians that all necessary assets have been deployed to monitor the cartels involved in the latest threat to public health with a view to frustrating their criminal plot and making them face the wrath of the law.
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