Avoid self-medication, seek proper medical care when unwell —Medical experts

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March 28, 2022

A Medical Practitioner based in Abuja, Dr. Vincent Okaa, has cautioned Nigerians against self-medication, especially those in rural areas.

He said anyone that feels unwell should seek proper medical examination and diagnosis in certified hospitals managed by a qualified medical practitioner.

The physician said self-medication had become a major threat to peoples’ lives, especially to those residing in rural areas.

Okaa said prompt access to certified medical facilities should be the norm, adding, “But most people in rural areas either patronise pharmacies or quacks for medical attention. Some others resort to self-medication and drug abuse, which has serious repercussions.”

According to reports, some commonly abused drugs in rural communities are analgesics and antibiotics.

A patent medicine dealer in Apo community, Abuja, who would not want to be identified, said pain killers and antibiotics are the most commonly patronised drugs in the area.

According to him, “Analgesics and antibiotics, both for children and adults are in high demand here. I sell them quite often. Some come to tell me what is wrong with them – fever, body pains or infections and I give them medications to get relief.”

Another dealer in Kabusa community, who also did not want to be identified, said most people that patronise him usually buy analgesics and antibiotics.

“Most people living here are artisans, market men and women. After the day’s work, some will develop headaches, fever and body pains. They come here to buy drugs so that they can get relief and be able to go to work the next day. Some buy antibiotics for either toilet infection or sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.

A Community Pharmacist, Chidi Ezenduka, however, warned against regular consumption of analgesics and antibiotics, noting that it could damage vital organs in the body and cause complications.

“This is because interactions, drug overdose, drug underdose, adverse effects, drug abuse and drug-misuse can easily occur with the use of such cheap and common medications,” he added.

WHO says repeated exposure to Lead can cause severe Neurological impacts

By

Cleopatra Okohai

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March 28, 2022

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The World Health Organisation says exposure to lead is often not serious in an acute incident, but repeated exposure at low levels can give rise to severe neurological impacts that might last a lifetime.

The WHO Regional Advisor, Occupational and Environmental Health, Dr. Lesley Onyon, said this during an interview session tagged ‘Science in 5’ posted on WHO’s website.

She noted that everyone is potentially at risk from exposure to lead, but that the effects are more on children under five years of age, pregnant and lactating mothers and adults who are occupationally exposed.

She, however, noted that the effects of lead can often go unrecognised because they can be insidious and fairly mild, and can manifest in the form of anemia, constipation, abdominal cramps.

“It is the neurological effects that we are most concerned about and particularly those affecting children. So, the neurological effects themselves can range in severity from irritable behavior, clumsiness, right through to more serious, life-threatening neurological diseases and effects such as encephalopathy and coma, convulsions and death.

“Adults are also affected, particularly cardiovascular diseases and renal diseases. These are affecting occupational groups in particular. Exposure to lead is often not serious in an acute incident, but the repeated exposure at low levels can give rise to these severe neurological impacts that can last a lifetime,” she said.

WHO estimates that almost one million people die from the effects of lead exposure.

According to Onyon, lead can be found in some traditional medicines and cosmetics and in other household sources and glazed pottery.

She said, “The mouthing of objects containing lead is a particular danger for children. Small objects such as fishing weights and curtain weights can easily be swallowed and then have a lasting effect once remaining in the body. But there’s also the mouthing of amulets and toy jewelry and so on.

“A particular growing source of lead exposure comes from the recycling of lead-acid batteries and these are a growing need in our society, whether it be for electric vehicles, whether it be for small scale uninterrupted power supply.

“But the recycling of these batteries is often done under very poor conditions, often within homes as a sort of cottage industry in developing countries and therefore, whole communities and families can be affected.”

To prevent lead poisoning, Onyon advised that houses be checked to see if they contain lead paint before any major renovation projects are carried out.

She also said cheap, brightly coloured toys, jewelry and other things that children can put in their mouths and potentially swallow should be avoided.

She added, “Also important is to store food and drink in preferably glass containers, certainly to not store food in tins that can have solder inside them containing lead.

“I know that it is sort of common practice to reuse plastic containers these days, but sometimes these plastic containers can come from lead-acid batteries and other sources, so be very careful there. Finally, talk to your health care provider if you have any concerns,” she advised.

Tourism: Lagos House Of Assembly Excos To Tour Five Divisions Of State

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf will on Wednesday, 30th of March, 2022, lead some members of the State House of Assembly and Lagos State Executive Council, Ministry officials, as well as other stakeholders on a three-day tour of tourism sites across the five divisions of Lagos State.

In a statement issued by the Ministry during the weekend, the Commissioner said the planned tour is in response to calls by different tourism stakeholders on the need to further expose the Tourism Assets of the State to both local and international tourists.

Akinbile-Yusuf said the three-day familiarisation tour will commence from the Ikeja Division with a visit to the Ndubuisi Kanu Park at Alausa, through the African Shrine, to Ikeja and Oshodi Bus Terminals, after which the team will connect the Lagos Division of the State with a visit to the City Hall, then to John Randle Centre, Onikan to Freedom Park and Glover Memorial Hall, Lagos.

She explained that the team will then depart for Badagry from the Falomo Jetty, exploring the waterways to spend a night in Badagry and afterwards visit the Slave Market, Point of No Return and some other sites within Badagry on Thursday morning.

“From Badagry, the team will return to Eti-Osa with a visit to the world-famous Nike Art Gallery and Lekki Conservation Centre before heading to Epe to spend another night. The Epe Fish Market and Sungbo Eredo will be part of the tourist attractions that would also be visited before going to the Palace of the Ayangburen of Ikorodu which will be the final destination for the three-day tour”, the Commissioner added.

Akinbile-Yussuf noted that at each of the divisions, there will be engagement with stakeholders on how to further harness the various tourism potentials domiciled in the five divisions for economic growth and the benefit of residents as a whole.

For the stakeholders’ engagement in Epe, the Honourable Commissioner informed that the CEO of Wakanow, Mr. Bayo Adedeji, will address participants on ‘Exploiting the Aquatic Blessings of Lagos for Tourism Growth’ at Lagos Theatre, Epe while for Badagry Division, a top-rated Tour Guide, Anago Osho will speak to stakeholders on ‘Reinventing Lagos as the Prime Destination for the African Diaspora’.

She emphasised that the familiarisation tour across the five divisions of Lagos was part of the resolutions from the numerous stakeholders’ meetings held in the past two years by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture which also led to the Launch of the Tourism Masterplan.

In her words: “Lagos, apart from being the first State to launch a Tourism Masterplan in the entire country, has ensured the implementation of different aspects of the Masterplan, including the Community Based Tourism initiative, which is now operational in some pilot Local Government Areas”.

Russia-Ukraine War: Nigeria Seeks To Step In As Alternative Gas Supplier To Europe

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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Following the war between Russia and Ukraine, which is threatening the supply of gas to European countries by Russia, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has revealed that Nigeria is ready to offer its services as an alternative gas supplier to Europe.

He urged the European Union (EU) to increase investments in gas and hydrocarbons in Nigeria to enable the country to meet the bloc’s energy needs.

This is coming as the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), has declared that the emergence of China as almost the sole destination for Nigeria’s solid minerals resources export poses a risk to the country’s economy.

NEITI advised the federal government to develop a business relationship with other countries to reduce over-dependence on China.

Sylva spoke when he received a delegation led by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi on a courtesy call to his office in Abuja.

The minister’s call comes on the heels of the festering war between Ukraine and Russia, which threatens gas supply to European countries.

Russia currently supplies about 30-40 per cent of the EU’s gas needs.

In a statement issued yesterday by his Senior Adviser – Media and Communications, Mr Horatius Egua, the minister said Nigeria was ready to step in as an alternative gas supplier to Europe, urging the EU to encourage its oil and gas companies such as Shell, Eni, and Total Energies to scale up investments in the Nigerian gas sector.

“One of the things we warned against earlier was the speed with which EU was taking away investments in fossil fuels.

“We warned that the speed was faster than they were developing renewable energy. You can see now that what we were warning against is what is happening now,” the minister said.

He told the delegation that what stunted growth in the development of gas in Nigeria was the lack of fresh investments, and called for a change of attitude on the part of the EU if its requests to increase supplies to Europe would be realised.

According to the minister, one of the biggest challenges the sector has is a lack of investments.

“In the last 10 years, over $70 billion worth of investments came to Africa, but sadly less than $4 billion came to Nigeria.

“Surprisingly, we are the biggest in Africa. If we cannot attract investments to Nigeria, you know where we are heading.

“You have been our longtime friend. As of today, our gas reserve is one of the biggest in the world. We have a proven gas reserve of 206 tcf and if we focus on gas exploitation we can get up to 600 tcf.

“We are already building gas infrastructure such as the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline project, expected to take gas to Algeria, and the West Africa Gas Pipeline project designed to take gas to Morocco,” Sylva explained.

The minister further said that after the Russia-Ukrainian war, the EU must have a buffer or an alternative source of gas, and collaboration with Nigeria in that regard was paramount.

He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to working with the EU to bridge the gap in terms of gas, adding that from the Russian-Ukranian crisis, it was evident that gas had been weaponised and unless it created an alternative, it would only get worse.

He reassured the EU diplomats of Nigeria’s readiness to be an alternative supplier of gas to the EU but urged its companies operating in the country to invest more here.

“We would like to be reliable partners to solve the energy problem in Europe and we can only achieve this by working together. It is only when investing in these areas is increased that Nigeria can meet that obligation,” Sylva said.

While emphasising the need for the transfer of technology in gas and renewable energy, he said Africa must be allowed to continue to exploit its hydrocarbon deposits to develop the continent.

In her response, Isopi urged Nigeria to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the present crisis in Europe to shore up gas supplies to Europe.

Ever Heard Of The Uninhabited Alofi Island In Wallis And Fantuna?

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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Alofi Island is an uninhabited island south of the Futuna Island, which comprises the French overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna in the Pacific Ocean.

Since it is uninhabited at the moment, there is a legend from the 19th century saying that the population which was at the time living on the island, was slaughtered by the Futuna people from the Futuna Island in one single raid.

There are some settlements in the island which bear witness that once there was someone living on the island, nonetheless, the most notable villages were Alofitai, Sologa, Sa’avaka and Mua. Still the people from Futuna Island, go to Alofi for their plantations, but return again on the main island.

The shallow lagoon of Alofitai offers corals and colorful fish to snorkelers.

There are thatched huts forming long row on the golden beach at Alofitai, which provide shelter for the people who are coming to their plantations, but also for foreigners who would like to help, enjoy in the paradise, and see something different.

Once Upon A Time – March 27 – 1914 – 1st Successful Non-direct Blood Transfusion Performed By Dr. Albert Hustin

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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1513 Spaniard Juan Ponce de León and his expedition first sight Florida

1625 Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland ascends the English throne

1914 1st successful non-direct blood transfusion is performed by Dr. Albert Hustin in Brussels

1958 Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party

1977 583 die in aviation’s worst ever disaster when two Boeing 747s collide at Tenerife airport in Spain

Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
1952 “Singin’ in the Rain”, musical comedy directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC

Today in Music
1948 Just 11 days after being released from prison, Billie Holiday plays in front of a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall

Today in Sport
1871 First international rugby union match – Scotland beats England, 1-0 at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh

Do you know this fact about today?
1964 The Great Alaska Earthquake (9.2 magnitude) and resulting tsunami kill 139 people in the largest US earthquake and second largest ever recorded

Would you believe this fact about today?
1995 “Back for Good” single released by British boy band Take That, reaches No. 1 in 31 countries

Office Of Wife Of The Governor Inscription Removed From Government House, Awka

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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Since the day of its inauguration last week Thursday, the current administration in Anambra State, led by Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has, expectedly, continued to work, innovate and facilitate some changes in the system of governance.

The wave of change has also, blown to the Office of the First Lady of the state, popularly known as the Office of the Wife of the Governor.

It was observed that the structure of the office, located at the left-hand side of the entrance gate of the Government House in Awka, has begun to receive the Soludo Effect, as painters were seen, cleaning off the inscription “Office of Wife of the Governor” boldly written on the building.

As at the time of the press, the cynosural building currently stands with its former inscription completely erased and it’s former workers assigned to other ministries in the state, heralding the abolishment of the Office of the Wife of the Governor, by the current administration.

Some of the passersby who witnessed the annihilation process tagged it one of Governor Soludo’s strategy towards cutting down spendings and cost of governance, as well as actualising his resolve and promise on prudent management of the state’s resources.

Recall that the Office was in existence and in operation throughout the last eight years of Governor Willie Obiano’s administration, as was boldly occupied by the immediate-past First Lady of the state, Dr. Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano, with its own funding mechanism and impacts.

The building was, however, not designated as the Office of the Wife of the Governor during the administrations of former Governors Chris Ngige and Peter Obi, until the arrival of Chief Willie Obiano who assigned it to his wife who designated it as such.

Speculations therefore abound that the current administration of Prof. Chukwuma Soludo may not tow his predecessor’s footsteps as he made no mention of First Lady or Governor’s Wife in his Inaugural Address last week Thursday.

It is, however, at this time, still sketchy what the building would be used for by this current administration.

Train Services: Nigeria Railway Corporation To Rehabilitate Minna-Baro Rail Line With N80b

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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The NRC boss said that the railway line would cut across the seven stations.

NRC says Lagos-Ibadan rail to start operations next month with 16 trips daily

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revealed that the rehabilitation of the 200-kilometre Minna-Baro railway track will cost the Federal Government more than N80 billion.

The completion of the project will afford people the opportunity to ply the Lagos-Abuja-Kano route with ease.

This was made known by the Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria, during a meeting with officials of the construction firm, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), on Friday in Minna.

Okhiria who said that they plan to complete the project within 3 years, assured that the government will make funds available for it.

He said, “We are here in Minna to carry out a project take-off meeting of the Minna-Baro railway project.

“This meeting will enable us to plan our programme schedule to ensure that the contract awarded to rehabilitate the Minna-Baro rail track is carried out according to standard and completed within the stipulated three-year period.

“The contract sum is a little over N80 billion for the 200 kilometre railway line. We are interested in delivering the project within three years because the government will make funds available.”

The NRC boss said that the railway line would cut across the seven stations of Egba, Katcha, Baro, Lafiagi, Minna, Kateregi and Badegi in Niger State, adding that the construction firm has put up a request for the mobilisation of fund and was already mobilising equipment to the site.

He said, “The contractor had submitted their draft payment guarantee to the Ministry of Finance to mobilise them to start work. After confirming the document, we will advance payment to the company to commence work.’’

Okhiria said that the rail line, a narrow gauge, would be laid in such a way that it could be upgraded to a standard gauge in future.

Chess In Slums Africa Hosts Manchester United Legend, Patrice Evra In Oshodi, Lagos

By

Angel Gimalo

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March 27, 2022

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Manchester United legend Patrice Evra on Saturday, visited Lagos, Nigeria.

Evera during his visit, went to Oshodi under bridge where he played chess with children of Chess in slums Africa.

The Frenchman, who stopped playing professionally in 2019, spent time under the famous Oshodi bridge – where he learnt how to play the sport from kids.

Evra had gone on social media on Friday to announce his first visit to the West African country. “Breaking news! Evra bus stop will stop to #Nigeria first time ever,” the 40-year-old tweeted.

Chess In Slums, founded by Tunde Onakoya, is an enterprise set up to teach and unlock the potential in every child using chess educational resources and mentorship.

Russia Transfers Thousands Of Mariupol Civilians To Its Territory

By

Zoe Maven

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March 27, 2022

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Ukraine has accused Russia of forcibly relocating thousands of civilians from Mariupol, the strategic port city devastated by Russian shelling.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said 40,000 had been moved from Ukraine to Russian-held territory without any coordination with Kyiv.

Some Ukrainian officials describe Russia’s actions as “deportations” to “filtration camps” – an echo of Russia’s war in Chechnya, when thousands of Chechens were brutally interrogated in makeshift camps and many disappeared.

While 140,000 civilians have managed to escape from besieged Mariupol, another 170,000 are still trapped there, the city council says. Relentless Russian shelling for more than three weeks has reduced the city to ruins, its terrified civilians hiding in cellars, desperately short of water, food and medicine.

Relatively few Mariupol civilians have fled via the humanitarian corridors agreed by both sides. Ukraine says Russian troops continued shelling the evacuation routes, which were supposed to be safe.

In parts of Mariupol captured by the Russians, reports suggest the civilians – hungry, thirsty and often sick – have little choice but to head out to Russian-controlled areas and Russia itself.

However, Russia denies it is forcibly removing thousands of Ukrainians from their country.