SSANU Gives FG February Deadline To Settle Minimum Wage

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January 31, 2022

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has issued a February warning to the Federal Government to fully implement the minimum wage to its members or face industrial action.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its 41st National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, the union lamented the hardship its members are going through due to the “haphazard nature of the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll System (IPPIS).”

It said: “NEC in session seriously frowns on the endless insincerity and double-dealings of the Federal Government over agreements and memoranda of understanding seamlessly signed with labour unions. NEC recalls the several assurances of the government to pay the agreed arrears of the new national minimum wage. Unfortunately, this promise is yet to be met after countless months – the last promise being the end of October 2021. The government is enjoined to see to it that they keep to the promise of payment of the arrears of the new national minimum wage, which has already lost its value as of today.

According to them “The union is aware that government has requested the relevant offices of the government to submit their data on or before January 28.”

We urge the government to ensure that they pay the overdue arrears of the national minimum wage on or before the end of February 2022.”

The communiqué, which was signed by the union’s National President, Mohammed Ibrahim, lamented the pains the members are passing through as a result of the implementation of the IPPIS in universities.

It called on the Federal Government to unbundle the mode of payment by decentralizing payment along staff unions to guarantee proper channeling of salaries according to staff status.

REPORT: Boris Johnson Sharply Criticised Over Covid Lockdown Parties

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Koko Lawrence

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January 31, 2022

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Parties held by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his staff during Covid-19 lockdown were a “serious failure” of the standards of public office and “difficult to justify,” a highly-anticipated government report said Monday.

Johnson commissioned the report amid widespread fury over a number of alleged parties held while the country was under strict coronavirus restrictions. He has been fighting to save his leadership from the scandal and apologized earlier this month for attending one event, a “bring your own booze” party in the garden of his No. 10 Downing St. residence and office.

On Monday, senior civil servant Sue Gray handed Johnson an “update” of her findings that was later published online. She found more than a dozen social gatherings and sharply faulted the country’s leadership.

But the full report will not be released until London’s Metropolitan Police has finished its own investigation, with major parts of her findings withheld at the police’s request.

“At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of Government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time,” the interim report said.

“A number of these gatherings should not have been allowed to take place or to develop in the way that they did.”

Johnson’s grip on power has been weakened by allegations that the prime minister and his staff flouted restrictions they imposed on the country in 2020 and 2021 to curb the spread of the coronavirus with office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays.”

The claims have caused public anger, led some Conservative lawmakers to call for Johnson’s resignation and triggered intense infighting inside the governing party.

Leprosy not contagious, touching patient safe – Dermatologist

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Cleopatra Okohai

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January 31, 2022

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A Consultant Physician, Dermatologist and Venereologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Olufolakemi Cole-Adeife says leprosy is not contagious, noting that it is safe to casually touch persons living with the health condition.

Dr. Cole-Adeife also explained that leprosy is curable, adding that a person with leprosy can go back to having a normal life once treated and cured.

She, however, warned that untreated leprosy can cause progressive and permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs, testes, and eyes.

She stressed that untreated leprosy is often complicated by severe deformities leading to the stigmatisation and ostracisation of sufferers.

“Even though leprosy is an infection, it is not easily contacted. One has to have a genetic tendency to contact it, which only about five per cent of people have. One also has to be in close contact with a person who has leprosy. Nasal droplets spread it so one cannot get leprosy by touching someone with leprosy.

“Leprosy is not a family curse or from witchcraft. It is caused by a type of bacteria that infects the skin, nerves, nose, and mouth,” she said.

According to her, stigmatisation remains a significant obstacle to leprosy management and control worldwide despite major scientific breakthroughs in knowledge and treatment of the disease.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It is also known as Hansen’s disease, and it principally affects the peripheral nerves, skin, and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes.

“Leprosy can start as a small patch on the skin that is lighter than other skin parts, which tends to feel numb or different from the rest of the skin. “In more severe cases, it may result in long-term nodular rashes on the face, ears, arms, legs, and other body parts. If not treated early, it can lead to irreversible damage to these body parts. It is particularly notorious for destroying the nose and amputation of fingers and toes.

“Leprosy does not have to be life-long or a death sentence and can be treated and cured. Treatment is free and paid for by the government. It is best to see a dermatologist as quickly as possible if anyone has any skin rash that looks like leprosy.

“Leprosy does not have to result in loss of fingers or toes or blindness if detected and treated early,” she said.

The dermatologist said leprosy has affected humanity for thousands of years, and it remains a public health concern in many developing countries despite being a minimally infectious disease, it has slowly spread worldwide via trade routes, wars, slave trades, and migration.

“Due to effective Multi-Drug Therapy, the number of leprosy cases worldwide has decreased significantly over the past five decades. The global registered prevalence of leprosy at the end of 2015 was 0.18 cases per 10 000 people and has been declining each year.

“However, due to leprosy’s long incubation period and delays in diagnosis, it has remained a global health problem. It remains endemic in many countries in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Middle East.

“Nigeria is on the list of 22 countries worldwide with a high burden of leprosy. This may be due to the booming population and increasing number of people living in slums and crowded housing. Furthermore, there appears to be a dearth of medical expertise (few dermatologists and inadequate clinical knowledge of leprosy among health workers) required for early detection of the disease.

“Significant progress has been made in reducing the burden of disease, but so much still needs to be done to sustain the gains and further reduce the impact of leprosy, particularly its physical, psychosocial, and economic consequences on patients and their families.

“Leprosy incidence often starts in early adolescence and is more commonly found in males. Lack of BCG vaccination, poor nutritional status, low educational levels, crowded housing, and family history of leprosy are associated with increased prevalence.

“Most of these risk factors are associated with suboptimal immune competence and may explain the role of poverty in the epidemiology of the disease. The mode of transmission is thought to be primarily via the respiratory route (nasal droplets). The incubation period from infection to clinical manifestation varies from two to 12 years,” she said.

She said eating healthily, avoiding overcrowded living conditions, and maintaining good hygiene are ways to prevent leprosy.

Arsenal’s Aubameyang Arrives Barcelona To Complete Loan Move

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Emenike Agu

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January 31, 2022

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has arrived in Barcelona to complete his loan switch from Arsenal.

The clubs were locked in talks over the striker’s future during the morning of deadline day, with the key factor his £350,000-a-week wages.

The Gunners hope to make a big saving on his wages having already let Sead Kolasinac and Calum Chambers leave this month, along with loan departures for Folarin Balogun, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pablo Mari.

Mikel Arteta sanctioned Aubameyang’s exit after stripping him of the captaincy over a disciplinary breach last month, and the Gabon international has not returned to the squad since,

On Monday lunchtime, fans and journalists positioned outside Barcelona’s airport spotted Aubameyang arriving through the terminal and he signed autographs before hopping into a waiting vehicle, flashing a thumbs-up as he departed.

A tally of just four goals in 14 Premier League matches had raised questions over the 32-year-old’s form of late.

However, Arsenal are lacking in firepower, as evidenced in their 0-0 draw against Burnley last time out, and are set to go without signing a replacement on deadline day

Mali Expels Paris Envoy Over ‘Hostile And Outrageous’ French Comments

By

Koko Lawrence

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January 31, 2022

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Mali on Monday gave the French ambassador 72 hours to leave the country after “hostile and outrageous” comments by former colonial power France about its transitional government, it said in a statement read on national television.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday that Mali’s junta was “out of control” amid escalating tensions between the West African state and its European partners following two coups.

He also called the junta illegitimate. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Saturday French troops would not stay in Mali if the price was too high.

“The French ambassador to Bamako was summoned and notified of a decision by the government inviting him to leave the national territory within 72 hours following hostile and outrageous comments by the French foreign affairs minister recently,” the government statement said.

France has had troops in Mali since 2013, when it intervened to drive back Islamist militants who were advancing on the capital. The Islamists have since regrouped and are waging an increasingly bloody insurgency across the Sahel region.

Relations between Mali and its former coloniser deteriorated this month when the junta went back on an agreement to organise elections in February and proposed holding power until 2025.

It has also deployed Russian private military contractors, which some European countries have said is incompatible with their mission.

Mali last week asked Denmark to withdraw its troops belonging to a European task force in the country, which set off a fresh crisis. France asked Mali to let the Danish troops stay, and Mali’s government spokesman told France to keep its “colonial reflexes” to itself.

“Reports the French Ambassador has been declared Persona Non Grata by Mali transitional authorities are unacceptable. Denmark stands in full solidarity with France,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said in a tweet on Friday.

European allies agreed on Friday to draw up plans within two weeks on how to continue their fight against Islamist militants in Mali, Denmark’s defence minister said, after France said the situation with the junta had become untenable.

Albania: Afghan Women Start Eatery To Help Refugees Feel At Home

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Koko Lawrence

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January 31, 2022

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The smell of freshly baked bread wafts from the kitchen of a small pizzeria in Shengjin city – a small coastal town in Albania. The bread, however, is not part of the usual offerings on the menu of Bella Vita Pizzeria, but in fact, a version of the Afghan naan, a quintessential traditional bread from Afghanistan that embodies much of the war-torn nation’s food culture.

The naan is only one of the five new dishes that are now being prepared in the kitchen of this Albanian pizzeria that has agreed to share its space with a makeshift Afghan restaurant started by two Afghan refugee women – Hasiba Atakpal, a renowned journalist, and Negina Khalil, the first female prosecutor in the remote province of Ghor in Afghanistan.

“We have lobia (red bean curry), qabili pulaw (Afghan meat and rice delicacy), bolanis (stuffed fried bread), banjan borani (eggplant in tomato sauce),” said Khalil, who was a prominent member of Afghanistan’s legal fraternity, investigating cases of children recruited by Afghan armed groups such as Taliban, ISIL (ISIS) affiliates. “And just like in Afghanistan, every meal is served with the naan,” she added.

The familiar aromas of bread and spices invite the roughly 1,200 Afghan refugees in Shengjin to indulge in a nostalgia-evoking culinary experience, more than 5,500km (3,400 miles) away from the homes they left escaping persecution after Taliban seized the country in August last year. In all, nearly 3,000 Afghans have found refuge in Albania, most of them rescued by international aid agencies.

Both women were forced to leave Kabul, but continue to dedicate their energies to serving their Afghan compatriots.

Atakpal and Khalil’s restaurant, called Ghezaye Afghani (which means Afghan cuisines in Dari, one of the Afghan languages), does not have a business address – it exists within the local pizzeria that offered their space to the two enterprising women.

“We started this restaurant three months ago when we saw how much Afghans who escaped to Albania missed the food from home. Everyone here [at the refugee centre] is dealing with trauma, and we wanted to do something to bring smiles to their faces,” explained Atakpal.

They have applied for asylum in the United States and Canada, but it could take as long as a year to be accepted.

For Afghans, the small space has become a conduit to another world, where they gather over familiar flavours to discuss the news from back home.

All Crew Evacuated After Two Ships Collide Off Dutch Coast

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Koko Lawrence

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January 31, 2022

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Two ships have collided off the Dutch coast in the storm-hit North Sea and one began taking on water, prompting an evacuation, according to emergency services.

The Julietta D, a freighter with 18 crew members on board, collided with another boat about 32km (20 miles) west of the port of Ijmuiden, Edward Zwitser, a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Lifeboat Company, said on Monday.

The other boat, an oil and chemicals tanker, was also damaged but was able to continue its voyage, the Dutch coast guard said in a statement.

It said that all crew members were rescued, but did not immediately provide more details of the rescue on the high seas amid powerful winds.

Three helicopters, including one from Belgium, were involved in the rescue operation.

The Maltese-registered Juliette D suffered damage “that poses direct danger for the 18 crew on board”, Zwitser told newsmen in a telephone interview.

Rescue efforts are hampered by Storm Corrie, which is causing wind gusts of up to 120km/h (75 mph) on the North Sea.

Thousands of homes in the Nordic region remained without power on Monday and there were reports of flooding in North and Baltic Sea harbours in the region.

The west of the Netherlands was hit hard on Monday morning, with powerful gusts uprooting trees and causing traffic problems.

Awesome Health Benefits Of Beetroot

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Olasunbo Okoromi

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January 31, 2022

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Deep, earthy flavour and a whole lot of crunch, but what is most striking about beetroot is the incredible colour that can transform anything shocking pink. The overpoweringly vibrant hue makes it one of the most overwhelming vegetables that can completely take over your dish. It comes from a pigment called betanin which is often extracted to create natural food colouring and dyes. Interestingly, beets were also used to add colour to wines back in the day. Originally from Europe, beetroot was first cultivated by the Romans. By the 19th century, it was discovered that it contains one of the highest sugar contents of any vegetable and was then used commercially to extract sucrose from the beet plant. For years, it’s been restricted to the corner of the plate as a forgetful side or mostly dumped in salads. But with its sweet and rustic charm, this root vegetable is enjoying a well-deserved comeback thanks to its health credentials

Here are the many benefit of the beetroot

Heart Health

Various studies around the world have shown that the high content of nitrates in beetroot produces a gas called nitric oxide. This gas helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels which improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.

Rich in antioxidants

Betanin, the pigment which gives beetroot its colour, is a potent antioxidant. Along with another class of antioxidants called polyphenols, these are getting more attention in the scientific community. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, antioxidants reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol, protect the artery walls and guard against heart disease and stroke.

Helps in Detoxification

Beetroot is reckoned to be a great purifier. It detoxifies your body by pulling the toxins into the colon from where they can be evacuated. Some studies suggest that beetroot juice might also stimulate red blood cell production and build stamina.

Low in Fat and Calories

Although it has a high sugar content, it is low in calories and almost fat free. Since it is loaded with fiber it makes you full on lower calories. This makes it a nutritious option for those looking to keep their weight down.

Folate, Fiber, Vitamin C and other minerals

“Most people think that diabetics should avoid beetroot since its sweet. It is sadly misunderstood. Beetroot is a great source of fiber and minerals like iron, potassium and manganese which are essential for good health and in combination with other foods it can deliver a lot,” says Dr. Rupali Datta, Chief Clinical Nutritionist at Fortis-Escort Hospital. Vitamin C boosts immunity, folate is essential for normal tissue growth and fiber helps in smooth digestive functions. It is particularly high in protein and iron than most other roots and tubers.

Hair care

Beetroot is actually one of the best home remedies to fight the flakes and an itchy scalp. You can boil some beets in water and use the concentrated liquid to massage on the scalp. Alternatively, you can mix some beetroot juice, vinegar and ginger juice and apply to the scalp. Keep this for 20 minutes and rinse.

The power of raw.

The nutrients in beetroots are heat sensitive. With the rise in cooking time and temperature, the antioxidant content decreases. Beetroot is rich in Vitamin C which is a water soluble vitamin that can be destroyed on cooking. Not only this, it also loses more than 25 percent of its folate when cooked. It is best to mildly steam or bake it at lower temperatures. Fresh beets are as happy in a soup as they are when pureed in a dip. If the jelly flesh has kept you away from beetroots, you can marinate it with some olive oil and herbs and roast it that’ll add some nice nuttiness. Grilling, on the other hand, draws out the sweetness and gives it smoky flavour.

Save the Greens

The next time you bring home a bunch of beets don’t toss the tops away. These dark, leafy greens that are often overlooked are rich in iron, calcium, Vitamin A, K and C. They’re loaded with vitamin K that plays a major role in blood clotting. An average male requires 120 micrograms of vitamin K while female adults require 90 micrograms – one cup of beet greens provides a whopping 152 micrograms of this vitamin. These can be cooked just like spinach and are slightly bitter as compared to the sweet bulb.

To juice or not to juice

Beet juice is a more concentrated source of betalains, but cooked beets will contain much more fiber. Traditionally, beet juice was used as a blood purifier and to cleanse the liver. It is also considered a natural remedy for anaemia or iron deficiency. Beetroot, all juiced up, is a healthy way to get all nutrients that may be lost on cooking. It is also easier to digest and absorb nutrients in liquid form. Runners and athletes are often advised to drink beetroot juice that allows their muscles to use oxygen more effectively and boosts stamina.

Tunisia Fire Coach Kabajer After AFCON Exit

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Emenike Agu

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January 31, 2022

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Tunisia sacked coach Mondher Kebaier on Sunday, a day after the team’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations and two months before they compete in World Cup playoffs for a place at the tournament in Qatar.

A Tunisia Football Federation statement said Kebaier would be replaced by his assistant Jalel Kadri, who took his place on the bench for Tunisia’s win ove Nigeriar in the last-16 when Kebaier was in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.

Tunisia lost two of their three group matches but still squeezed into the knockout stages of the tournament in Cameroun as one of the four best third-placed finishers.

They then upset Nigeria, despite Kebaier and many key players being absent after a coronavirus outbreak in their camp, only to to go down 1-0 to Burkina Faso to in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

The 50-year-old Kadri has coached extensively at club level in Tunisia and in the Middle East but this is his first national team appointment.

Tunisia play Mali over two legs at the end of March with the winner qualifying for November’s World Cup finals.

Eriksen Joins Brentford On Six-month Deal

By

faith Jegede

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January 31, 2022

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Brentford has signed Denmark and former Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen on a six-month deal.

Eriksen has not played since suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s match against Finland at Euro 2020 last June.

He was subsequently fitted with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) – a type of pacemaker.

The 29-year-old won the league title with Inter Milan last season, but his contract was canceled in December as players fitted with an ICD cannot compete in Serie A.

However, the Danish midfielder has joined the premier league side as the Premier League does not have the same regulations.

After leaving Inter, Eriksen trained alone at Danish side Odense Boldklub.

According to Brentford manager Thomas Frank added, “He hasn’t trained with a team for seven months but has done a lot of work on his own. He is fit but we will need to get him match fit and I am looking forward to seeing him work with the players and staff to get back towards his highest level.

“At his best, Christian has the ability to dictate games of football. He will also bring the experience of top-level football to the club. I expect him to have an impact in the dressing room and at the training ground.”

Speaking to Danish media earlier this month, Eriksen said: “My dream is to rejoin the national team and play at Parken again and prove that it was a one-timer and that it won’t happen again.

“I want to prove I’ve moved on and that I can play for the national team again.”

According to his agent, Martin Schoots: “Playing in England again would absolutely feel like coming home for Chris and his family.

“Christian has been treated exceptionally well by the British public, not only because of his top football skills, but also because of his human values, his modesty, and altruism.”