Echotitbits – Nigeria News

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  • June 12 2020: Fulfilling the Promise by Hafsat Abiola-Costello

    June 12 2020: Fulfilling the Promise by Hafsat Abiola-Costello

    Hafsat Abiola-Costello
    Today marks the anniversary of June 12, 1993, the day on which a general election was held in which my father, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, was elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Now, 27 years later, tragically, his campaign promise that Nigerians would say farewell to poverty remains unfulfilled.
    My father had campaigned on a platform of restoring hope after General Ibrahim Babangida laid waste to a once vibrant economy with years of neoliberal economic policies. Within two weeks of M.K.O.’s election, on June 23, the military regime, inexplicably, annulled the results. By 1994, he was in jail, setting in motion a pro-democracy movement that continued until democracy was restored in 1999.
    After 21 years, Nigeria now ranks as the wealthiest country in Africa. It is also the most populous with 200 million people. Yet, everyone feels the reality of deepening poverty across the country, causing many to question whether the democracy movement was worth the sacrifice.
    Where did we go wrong? When that historic election was annulled, people power was ignited. Ordinary Nigerians led the struggle with their mother serving as the face of the movement. But we made a huge mistake. We thought our work was done when democracy was restored. With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that our work had only just begun.
    M.K.O.’s date with destiny should have been June the 12th. He, my mother, and so many students and activists are now dead. But Nigerians still have the prospect of realising the dream. If there’s anything we can learn from that time, it is this: the people must again take the lead.
    In a world that is waking up to the fact that black lives matter, Nigeria’s demand for economic justice in the global system may finally be heard.
    So let this be a day on which we renew our commitment to liberate ourselves from the shackles of poverty. United, we defeated a military dictatorship. United, once again, we can really fulfill the promise and eradicate poverty in our land.
    A luta continua.
  • How IPOB is plotting US, UK against Nigeria – Presidency says

    How IPOB is plotting US, UK against Nigeria – Presidency says

    Tobiloba Kolawole

    The Presidency has revealed a ploy by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)
    to use smear campaigns to malign the Federal Government of Nigeria with the intent to damage the relationship between it and its international allies.

    This revelation was disclosed Sunday evening by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu who stressed that it was necessary to draw the attention of citizens and the International community to what he described as a “misleading campaign”.

    Garba, accusing the IPOB leadership of spearheading the misleading campaign revealed that the group’s approach is using false allegations such as “persecution of Christians against the Nigerian State”.

    He said: “A very deep and wide investigation by an agency of the Nigerian government, working with international partners have made us become aware that there are two, interconnected campaigns being run concurrently by the IPOB in this regard.

    “Both are using the cover of Christianity – and calling for a US Special Envoy to be appointed to stop the “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria. But the real purpose is to drive a wedge between the Nigeria government and its US and UK/European allies” he said.

    Garba, in a veiled reference to exiled leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, faulted the interest of IPOB leadership whose religious views is divergent to that of his followers.

    “IPOB leadership of course self-proclaims as “Jewish,” a position not shared by the generality of the members.

    “For reasons of convenience, he claims to have an interest in the welfare of Christians – but this is a ruse: the case for independence, the leader believes, is strengthened by “proving” the government of Nigeria is “autocratic”, engaged in a “silent slaughter” of their own citizens along religion and ethnic lines – and that therefore the only viable option for the unique religious and ethnic minority is a sovereign Biafra separate from Nigeria, he stated.

    READ ALSO: Bandit Attacks: President Buhari to increase military operations in katsina, others

    While warning stakeholders across board, the presidential spokesman further revealed how the group’s campaign and activities against the Nigerian Government are being funded by unknown sponsors.

    “Nigerians and the international community are advised to be wary of this divisive campaign, which available evidence shows is being funded with a monthly spending of $85,000 USD since October 2019, with no records of the source of this largesse.

    “The campaign consists of producing articles in the names of the alleged Christian NGOs’ leaders (of campaign groups created at the time this PR contract with a US lobbying firm was signed) and letters to and from members of Congress to the White House.

    “Unfortunately, some Members of Congress have clearly been persuaded there is indeed a “Christian persecution” underway in Nigeria – and do so quoting the campaign – and they are known to be taking up the case directly with the White House to appoint the special envoy”, Mr Shehu said.

    Expressing how far the group had gone in its attempt to heat up the polity and cause disquiet nationally and international, Garba noted that the “misleading campaign” has caught the attention of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and other international figures and organizations in the UK and Europe.

    Shehu stated that: “There is also a UK and European angle of the Campaign, which is more opaque than its US sister campaign – given there is less legal requirement for public filings – but what is known of this at the moment is that their Budget is sufficient to hire four PR firms in the UK, Belgium, France and the US (the latter additional to the above).

    “They have founded an “NGO/Charity” and a linked web-based campaign named “Stop the Silent Slaughter” which is well designed and complete with video “evidence”-completely concocted.

    “Members of the alleged Christian NGO have had multiple Op-Ed articles in conservative news websites promulgating their message of a “Christian Genocide”. Some of those articles have also been used as “evidence” in the sister US campaign.

    “Two of those conservative news websites were co-founded by the owner of the UK PR firm they have hired to generate their publicity as well as an OP-Ed article in the name of a British MP who may have been convinced by their campaign under false pretences” Shehu revealed.

    With additional coverage in France, EU and Germany as stated by Presidential spokesman, Shehu added that: “They secured a MPs debate on the “Christian Genocide” in the House of Commons in which staff member of the UK PR was referenced as the “private secretary” to the leader of the UK-based Charity”.

    Shehu pointed out that the misleading actions of the group is capable of damaging inter-religiois dialogue in the country as well as the reputation of Nigeria among international communities.

    READ ALSO: AfDB Board finds middle ground, supports Adesina, grants US a review

    He said: “It is clear from all of the above that the IPOB’s extraordinarily and dubiously well-funded campaign in the US and UK/Europe is misusing the issue of the welfare of Christians purely to further their own political ends”.

    He however called on international groups and societies to send representatives to Nigeria for fact findings so they could see the false claims by “these terrorist groups who are duping them of their money and involving them in conduct and activities disguised to destroy the harmonious relationships existing between their home countries and Nigeria”.

    Shehu advised Nigerians and the international community to “ignore this campaign as they have disregarded similar past campaigns originated by this group which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the Nigerian State”.

  • African Development Bank Presidency: I’ll Stand By You, Buhari Tells Adesina

    African Development Bank Presidency: I’ll Stand By You, Buhari Tells Adesina

    Idowu Sowunmi
    President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday said Nigeria would stand solidly behind Dr. Akinwumi Adesina in his bid to get re-elected as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
    The President stated this at State House in Abuja, while hosting Adesina on a courtesy visit.
    According to him, “In 2015, when you were to be elected for the first term, I wrote to all African leaders, recommending you for the position.
    “I didn’t say because you were a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Minister, and I belonged to the All Progressives Congress (APC), so I would withhold my support. I’ll remain consistent with you, because no one has faulted the step I took on behalf of Nigeria.”
    The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, pledged that Nigeria would work with all other leaders and stakeholders in AfDB to ensure that Adesina is elected for a second term built on the record of his achievements during his first term.
    The African Union had already endorsed the incumbent AfDB President as sole candidate for the continent, but some other stakeholders are trying to ensure that Adesina is re-investigated on some allegations, and rendered ineligible to run.
    Giving a background to what was happening in the bank, Adesina, a former Nigerian Minister for Agriculture, said the 16 allegations raised against him were trumped up, “and without facts, evidence, and documents, as required by the rules and regulations of the bank.”
    He added that the Ethics Committee of the bank cleared him of all the allegations, and calls for fresh investigation by the United States of America, were against the rules.”
    He said: “My defense ran into 250 pages, and not a single line was faulted or questioned. The law says that report of the Ethics Committee should be transmitted to the Chairman of Governors of the bank.
    “It was done, and the governors upheld the recommendations. That was the end of the matter, according to the rules. It was only if I was culpable that a fresh investigation could be launched.
    “I was exonerated, and any other investigation would amount to bending the rules of the bank, to arrive at a predetermined conclusion.”
    Stressing that the motive was to soil his name, and that of the bank, the AfDB President said he was proud to be Nigerian, and thanked President Buhari for his unflinching support.
    “You helped me to get elected in the first place, and you have supported me robustly all along, and the African Union unanimously endorsed my re-election,” he declared.
    While commiserating with President Buhari on the death of the former Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, Dr Adesina described Professor Ibrahim Gambari, new Chief of Staff as “a man of integrity, and of global standing.”
  • Nigerian military kills more terrorists, recovers arms and ammunition

    Nigerian military kills more terrorists, recovers arms and ammunition

    Several Boko Haram and Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents have again been killed by the Nigerian Military when troops from the 212 Battalion under Sector 1 of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) successfully repelled attacks by the terrorists in Gajigana, Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State on Sunday.

    About 24 hours after disclosing a similar killing of terrorists in Baga, a township in the same state, the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Defence headquarters, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche disclosed in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja that the OPLD annihilated several terrorists and recovered arms and ammunition.

    In his explanation, Gen. Enenche said that troops acted on credible intelligence report on the convergence and advancement of the terrorists who aimed to attack ground troops at their Gajigana location from Goni Usmanti village of the local government area.

    READ ALSO: Regard the lives of residents – Ogun Governor tells Customs

    According to him, in response to the panned attack on ground tr, the Air Task Force, scrambled its attack aircraft and helicopter gunships to provide close air support and in collaboration engaged the terrorists in exchange of fire.

    Enenche noted that “further exploitation by 7 Division Garrison discovered one destroyed gun truck and two abandoned gun trucks at Mitturu village.

    “Items recovered include two AK-47 riffles, three magazines, 36 rounds of 7.62 millimeter special ammunition, two 36 hand grenades and one LG3 bomb.”

    In the mood of victory recorded, Enenche stated that authorities of the Military High Command was impressed by the performance of the troops and congratulated them for their gallantry and professionalism.

    READ ALSO: Nigerian troops intercept terrorists, kill 20 in Borno

    He added that The Armed Forces of Nigeria will remain resolute and continue to sustain the offensive against the enemies of the nation.

    “We shall not relent until peace and normalcy are restored not only in the North-East, but also in every other troubled region of our beloved country,” he said.

    (NAN)

     

  • Lebanese authorities arrest man who put up Nigerian lady for sale

    Lebanese authorities arrest man who put up Nigerian lady for sale

    Authorities in Lebanon have arrested a man, identified as Wael Jerro for advertising the sale of a Nigerian lady on social media.

    The arrest was confirmed by the Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in a tweet it posted on Thursday, April 23, a day after Lebanese authorities condemned Jerro’s dehumanizing Facebook advertisement of a Nigerian citizen.

    https://twitter.com/abikedabiri/status/1252641878744367104/photo/1

    The commission revealed that the Nigerian Mission in Lebanon had immediately initiated necessary cause of action to ensure the arrest of the suspect and release of the victim. The Nigerian Mission in Lebanon was said to have reported the matter to the host government requesting immediate manhunt for the suspect.

    NIDCOM noted that the Lebanese Ministry of Labour issued a statement condemning the act and described it as unethical and in contravention of the country’s laws. It also stated that Labanon’s Ministry of Labour will also commence legal action against the suspect on the grounds of human trafficking.

    The victim was said to have hailed from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital after retrieving her international passport that was obtained from her in May 2018.

    While a legal action against the suspect before a court of competent jurisdiction is expected to commence soon, the Nigerian Mission in Lebanon has demanded an unconditional release of the Nigerian lady.

    Last Tuesday, an Instagram user with the handle @thereneebisaad had reported the incident when she posted on her page details of the suspect and the victim.

    She wrote: “Dear People, come and see what this human is doing. Selling this Nigerian housekeeping lady for $1000. This is NOT OKAY‼”.

    The Instagram user claimed that Jerro had advertised the Nigerian lady whose name as stated on the passport posted online is Busari Peace Ufuoma on a Facebook buying and Selling closed group. She added a translation of the suspect’s caption as:

    “Domestic worker from Nigeria for sale with new legal documents. She’s 30 years old, she’s very active and very clean. Price: 1000$‼”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_NbRDaHh4H/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

     

  • Lawyer demands governors justify N360 million funded NGF

    Lawyer demands governors justify N360 million funded NGF

    • Tobiloba Kolawole

    Governors of the 36 states of Nigeria have been tasked on the need to justify the existence of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the about N360 million expended annually to run its secretariat.

    A legal practitioner, Adedayo Edun made this demand today in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital when he spoke to frontpage.ng on what is expected of governors.

    Edun lamented that the NGF, which ought to be a rallying point for cross fertilization of ideas bothering on development and good governance aimed at uplifting the lives of Nigerians, has been reduced to a mere political machinery.

    He said: “It’s all about politics, how do we win this and that, which is of no concern to the electorate. The electorate wants something that will impact on their lives.”

    The legal practitioner emphasized that Nigeria is in critical need of good governance for any meaningful development. He stressed that the current make up of the NGF is more of a merry making platform for the governors since the impact of such entity have not been seen on the masses.

    He stated further that: “If they are converging at all, it is precisely to create a synergy. And what is the synergy? To answer this question is to say it is to make positive impact on the citizenry, that’s the purpose of that convergence.

    Unfortunately, they have missed the purpose for which they are in office. They tend to see their position as an opportunity to amass wealth, to exercise authority, particularly arbitrarily.”

    Their objective for me should be how we make positive impact on the people we are governing. So each governor will share experiences on how to make the people happy. How do we create purposeful governance in our respective states? And what is the opinion of those citizens in relation to their governance” he said.

    Although, Edun believes that the N360million naira expended out of the billions they receive from the Federal Government annually would have been insignificant if it was used to better the lives of citizens in their states.

    “If they are attaining positive ends with that amount, and what I mean by positive ends is what really concerns and affects the populace in their respective states; maybe we may say that it is justified. This is because we would see prompt actions and outcomes from their forum that clearly deals with how to make citizens in their states happy”, he said.

    Edun added that: “If you have spent 360million in a year in 36 states, well, that is still reasonable to make your people happy. What they collect in a year put together is over N40 billion. So N360 million in itself would be insignificant if what they have been able to achieve is to make their people happy.”

    He lamented that nobody is happy: “Look at electricity; they can do it in their respective states. If they are so determined to give their people electricity they can do independent power projects and the citizenry will know that these governors are working.

    But unfortunately, they are all on a frolic of their own. They determine what is good for the citizenry by their own opinion and that’s not the thing. It is not your own opinion that matters. You must determine where the shoe pinches the citizenry to understand their needs and decide to address the problem”, Edun said.

    The Nigeria Governors Forum had come under severe criticism. It had been referred to as a boys club especially because of its heavy politicking over leadership and the tendency to become machinery for divisive politics as experienced during the Jonathan administration.

    However, in his reaction, the Head, Media and Public Affairs, Nigeria Governors Forum, Abdulrazaq Bello-Barkindo refuted claims that the forum is merely a boys club.

    He disclosed that as part of the induction ceremony that was held in the week for governors-elect, there was a spouses day aimed at bringing together for the purpose of training male or female spouses of elected governors.

    Barkindo noted that: “The reason for which the Nigeria Governors Forum was set up is imperative.”

    He explained that: “We can’t have governors come together as individuals just fighting for different things at the same time. So the governors in 1999 thought they needed to come together.”

    We took a cue from the National Governors Association in the United State where governors come together, rub minds and put together a certain front that will emancipate their people from their own problems”, Barkindo Said.

    He said further that the NGF is concerned about eradicating poverty, mis-governance, hunger and starvation, which is why it has 6 key mandate areas that include infrastructure, policy, economy, environment and security.

    He stated that it is “preposterous” for Nigerians to say the NGF has not had positive impact on the lives of the people across the nation.

    He said: “Over time we have seen improvement in how governors relate to each other. Today there is no bickering among governors, they are all together and they approach matters in a uniformed solution seeking way.”

    One of the arguments against the forum is that the peer review function that it tries to sell to Nigerians has not changed the way governors deliver governance in their respective states. This has fueled questions as to what role the NGF plays in the running of states.

    Barkindo however disclosed that: “We are a service intuition that serves from a consultancy point of view. We serve every governor according to his specific needs. What we try to do is to provide tailor made services that governors need at a particular time.”

    The NGF official also revealed how the forum is funded.

    “The NGF is funded by dues from the governors; dues of only N10 million per annum. That will surprise you, that there is not a lot of money that comes into the services of the NGF”, Barkindo noted.

    In order to prepare incoming and returning governors for the task of delivering purposeful and effective governance, the NGF organized a 3day induction event which started last Monday and ended on Wednesday.

    Speakers at the event include the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Ibukun Awosika and other notable local and global leaders.

  • Federal and State governments to deploy ICT for economic recovery.

    Federal and State governments to deploy ICT for economic recovery.

    By Tobiloba Kolawole

    The Federal Government and State governments in Nigeria are consolidating efforts to take advantage of the far-reaching potentials in the deployment of information and communications technology for social and economic gains.

    At the opening ceremony of the 6th regular meeting of the National Council on Communications Technology, which held last Thursday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the Executive Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Ibikunle Amosun reinforced the need for governments at all level and the private sector to invest in ICT to fast track development and reduce unemployment rate to the barest minimum.

    In his opening address, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who was the chief host of this year’s NCCT meeting underscores the impact of communication technology on development. He said, “The interests to share and the ideas to exchange among the people have assumed a multi-dimensional proportion and have totally become driven by technology. These evolving challenges of information management have led to advancements in Big Data, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cryptography and Robotic Engineering.”

    It is imperative that a society that is desirous of continued growth and development must not only put in place necessary machinery to ensure seamless information and communication but must also place a high premium on the various means of communication. This is why the conception and hosting of the 6th National Council on Communication Technology in our dear State, is a welcome development at this critical time in our nation’s development.”

    Governor Amosun further emphasized that there is a nexus between modern development and Information technology, which necessitates that any country that is desirous of achieving a turn around transformation in the economy, social welfare delivery, employment, effective agricultural process, education, and other areas must proactively invest in ICT.

    Amosun said “on our part as an Administration in Ogun State, we appreciate the need to deploy technology in all our programmes and policies. Our belief is that, in Ogun State, by building an ICT ecosystem and leveraging on the benefits of technology, we will not only sustain the momentum of the achievement of our Administration, but we will also fast-track the process of development.”

    The Ogun State Governor highlighted his government’s efforts to identify and help channel the exuberant energy of youths in Ogun State towards innovation. He said the aim is to encourage a crop of tech-savvy people who will deploy disruptive innovation technologies to solve society’s socio-economic challenges.

    “This is one of the major reasons, amongst others, for featuring Technology in our 2018 Investors Forum and, the hosting of the 2018 TechSummit Ogun on Thursday 18th January 2018”, Amosun said.

    He also said “Apart from opening up a wide range of opportunities in employment generation for our teeming youth on a macro level, the TechSummit Ogun was also conceived to explore the potential for creating new economies along the ICT value chain, such as web development and maintenance; programming; software design and hardware engineering. It is my joy that our dear State has continued to take full advantage of the expected manpower needs by facilitating ICT hubs to provide needed skills acquisitions.”

    FrontPage recalls that about two weeks ago, the Ogun State Executive Council approved a new ICT policy that highlights the development of human resources; provision of infrastructure; the roles of Government and other stakeholders; and strategies to be adopted in the deployment of ICT towards the development of vital economic sectors such as education, health, Agric, commerce and industry, tourism, etc.

    The Chairman of the National Council of Communications Technology and Minister for Communications, Hon. Adebayo Shittu reiterated the impact of ICT as a veritable tool for advancing the growth and economic diversification in countries. The minister noted that a World Bank econometric study carried out in 2009 showed that every 10% increase in ICT investments generates a 1.38% increase in GDP.

    In his address, Shittu said that “the Nigerian ICT sector today is one of the fastest-growing despite the economic recession and contributed 9.8% in GDP in 2014. The challenge is how to address the issues of revenue, investments, cost savings, employment generation, and national productivity among others.

    “In pursuit of national agenda, we have continued to reposition the ICT sector in the areas of infrastructure and industry development, local content optimization, enabling policy, legal and regulatory framework; deepening of ICT in Government and mainstreaming of ICT into all spheres of national life among others”, Shittu said.

    While highlighting some of government’s efforts towards ICT integration, the Minister said that through Galaxy Backbone, internet access has been provided to about 40 MDAs, over 11,000 nodes of wireless LAN to all MDAs at the Federal Secretariat, over 40,000 email addresses for government officials under the gov.ng and mil.ng domains, which is aimed at ensuring that government data is hosted locally on a secured website with data back-up to MDAs and 200 servers hosting 94 MDAs.

    “We are working to have ICT infrastructure designated as critical national infrastructure. Efforts are being made to procure additional communication satellites to complement the existing NigComSat-2 as a means of reaching areas that cannot easily be covered by terrestrial fiber”, the Minister explained.

    He said further “we are also working to make more investments in building the capacity and harnessing the talents of our youth. In particular, we are increasing Accelerators and Incubator programmes as a means of building and harnessing the capacity of our increasingly ICT savvy youth population.”

    “Going forward, the government will expand its investment in ICT infrastructure to extend connectivity to un-served and underserved areas. In this regard, attention will be paid to the issue of multiple taxations of ICT infrastructure. A robust, safe and resilient infrastructure is the key enabler of a digital economy.”

    Also, the Special Adviser on ICT to the Governor of Ogun State, Bunmi Adebayo stressed the need for a synergy between ICT professionals and service providers on one hand with the aim to recognize problems and attendant solutions for alleviation. He further emphasized the Government’s role in creating and enacting necessary social policies to address such problems.

    Adebayo highlighted some of the achievements of the Ogun State Government through the Bureau of ICT.

    “We have been innovative in this end in Ogun State and it may interest you that Ogun State is the First State to provide the longest Government Sponsored 250-kilometer Fiber optic layout in the Country in partnership with MainOne Cable, a private sector company, in a “Quid pro quo” arrangement by giving concession on Right of Way fees. The first to deploy a Satellite-based ICT solution to deliver Precision Management to Agricultural potentiality of our land, Pertinent positioning of our Agro-cluster and Agricultural yields.”

    The first to host the only CISCO Networks Academy Support center (ASC) for English Speaking West and Central Africa stretching to the Gambia and Southern Nigeria which is managed by the center”, Adebayo said.

    The theme for this year’s meeting of the National Council on Communications Technology was Leveraging ICT as a Vehicle for Economic Recovery and Growth. It began with a technical session on Monday 19th November and ended on Friday 23rd November. The meeting focused on how the highly acknowledged potentials of the ICT sector can be used to achieve the main policy objectives of economic recovery and growth.

    The National Council on Communications Technology is the highest governmental policy advisory body in the ICT sector with the Federal Minister for Communications as the Chairman.

    Members of the NCC includes the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, State Commissioners and highest state official in charge of ICT matters across the 36 states of the Federation; Chief Executives of Government agencies and parastatals in charge of ICT and key private sector stakeholders.

  • World Diabetes Day 2018: 400 people, including children around the world at risk

    World Diabetes Day 2018: 400 people, including children around the world at risk

    By Tobiloba Kolawole

    The International Diabetes Federation has urged families to learn more about the warning signs of diabetes. This was the call by members of the body around the world to mark Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day 2018, which also held in across Nigeria last Wednesday.

    In a statement, the body revealed that new research from IDF has discovered that parents would struggle to spot this serious life-long disease in their own children. Despite the majority of people surveyed having a family member with diabetes, an alarming four-in-five parents would have trouble recognizing the warning signs. One-in-three wouldn’t spot them at all. The IDF also said these challenges and recent findings underline the need for education and awareness to help people, particularly families, spot the diabetes warning signs early.

    This year’s event was marked with the theme of Diabetes and the Family because the impact of diabetes on the family has been described as a big challenge to raising healthy children.

    Since 1980 Diabetes cases have risen from 100million to 400 million people living with diabetes in 2018. In a television interview, a Lagos based medical doctor, Tuyi Mebawondu said: “as non-communicable disease, we are seeing a kind of pandemic of diabetes and its impact is essentially a burden on the family”.

    Tuyi emphasized that parents ought to make it a priority to ensure every member of the family is tested for diabetes, including children. He stressed that early detection will help in the effective treatment and management of the disease. “The diagnosis of diabetes at the early stage is key because if you don’t pick it at the early stage you will pick it when life-threatening complication sets in” he stated.

    “Our lifestyle has to change a lot. This is because as much as you want to alter your diet, as much as you don’t exercise, you smoke and live a sedentary life, the chances of having diabetes is higher” Tuyi said.

    Again, diabetes has a critical impact on the organs of the body. It increases the risk of heart diseases, stroke and hypertension; in fact, it is the most common cause of blindness and amputation.  Unfortunately, treating diabetes is becoming more challenging and expensive placing a burden on the family”.

    LIFESTYLE CHANGES

    The medical doctor advises people living with diabetes to have lifestyle changes starting with their diet. He said “the more your weight increases the more the challenge of your body using sugar, especially in type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes constitutes about 90% of diabetes cases all over the world”.

    DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TYPE 1 & TYPE 2

    In his analysis, Tuyi explained that “the difference between type 1 and type 2diabetes is in their etiological factors, that is how they originate. Type 1 diabetes is what we call childhood-onset, which depends on insulin. In this case, the pancreas, the organ responsible for making insulin is not producing sufficient insulin”.

    He further said that “In type 2 the usage of sugar at the cellular level is having challenge because the body is not taking in the sugar and as you know sugar is the biological fuel that the body uses to get energy.  So because most adults have loads of sugar in their system there could be a challenge for the body to take care of those sugars”.

    HOW DIABETES IMPACT ON THE FAMILY

    “It could be a big challenge to diagnose or quickly spot diabetes in children. One of the signs could be a mother having to change her baby’s diaper frequently, or a child not seeing properly. If there is a family history of diabetes then it is important to screen the children for diabetes” Tuyi said.

    WHY WOMEN ARE MORE PRONE TO DIABETES

    Tuyi also explained why women might be more prone to diabetes than men. He said “the disease has sex and age preference. For women, it could be because women are more likely to gain lots of weight or lifestyle peculiar to women. Also, when women pass through pregnancy, they pass through what is called gestational diabetes. So that puts a lot of load on the system to process sugar. There are about 400million people living with diabetes worldwide and about $1.2 trillion is being spent in terms of direct spending for treatment.

    The theme for World Diabetes Day and diabetes awareness month 2018 and 2019 is The Family and Diabetes. A two-year time frame has been chosen to best facilitate planning, development, promotion, and participation. Materials and actions that IDF will develop over the two years of the campaign will aim to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and support network of those affected. Also to promote the role of the family in the management, care, prevention, and education of diabetes.

  • Tony Elumelu Foundation invests $7.35 million in African entrepreneurs

    Tony Elumelu Foundation invests $7.35 million in African entrepreneurs

    By Tobiloba Kolawole

    No less than 5,000 African entrepreneurs, private and public sector leaders and the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem converged on Lagos on Thursday, October 25, 2018 for the annual Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Forum. The event is a unique opportunity for bringing together young business talent, creating dynamic networks and transmitting the message to policymakers that a vibrant and responsible private sector will deliver economic transformation.

    The forum which is now in its fourth year,  is the graduation of the 2018 cohort of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, after a tedious nine-month duration of training, mentorship and funding. This brought the total number of beneficiaries of the Programme to 4,470 and about 300,000 applications received since the start of the entrepreneurial initiative.

    A major highlight of this year’s forum was the unveiling of TEFConnect, a revolutionary digital community that serves as a complete convergence of the entrepreneurship ecosystem across Africa and beyond. The platform includes entrepreneurs, investors and the broader business community in one digital community, connecting them with three vital elements for success – capital, market and business tools. TEFConnect brings to fulfillment a key responsibility in bringing together entrepreneurs across the Africa, a continent that is riding a wave of rapid technological driven change spreading through payment systems, education, agriculture and infrastructure.

    The event commenced with a battery of goodwill messages from major stakeholders in the investment, governmental and development communities. Other important highlights were pitching competition, panel discussions, as well as a vibrant interactive session between the Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and entrepreneurs; and moderated by TEF Founder, Tony O. Elumelu.

    The event also included a marketplace exhibition where past beneficiaries of the programme showcased their products and services.

  • My Relationship With President Buhari Remains Strong – Amosun

    My Relationship With President Buhari Remains Strong – Amosun

    By Tobiloba Kolawole.

    The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has restated that his relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari remains strong and unimpeachable in spite of the desperation of the political opponents to orchestrate disaffection between them through mendacious propaganda.

    In a press statement personally signed by the governor and released on Tuesday, Amosun vehemently denied the allegations against Buhari, which were attributed to his person, describing them as lies from the pit of hell.

    According to Amosun, “The ultimate aim of the purveyors of these unconscionable falsehoods is to drive a wedge between me and the President and tarnish my hard-earned reputation. This hatchet job will not work as Mr. President is discerning enough to know the source(s) of the pack of concocted lies.”

    “The relationship between President Buhari and myself transcends partisan politics. I hold President Buhari in the highest esteem and nothing will change that”, Amosun emphasized.

    “The target of this grand campaign of calumny is actually our dear President Muhammadu Buhari”, Amosun said in the statement.

    For the avoidance of doubt, let me state categorically that the people trying to cause disaffection between those of us loyal and committed to Mr. President and the success of APC, are plotting to strip Mr. President bare so that their grand design to achieve unfettered domination of the party would be achieved,” the statement concluded.