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Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

Saturday, 22 November 2014

3 perish in Nigerian Air Force helicopter crashFour days after a Nige­rian Air Force helicop­ter crashed in Damare, close to the camp of In­ternally Displaced Persons in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, another military helicopter crashed on Thursday night at Sangere, killing all crew members. Eyewitnesses said the helicopter crashed around 10pm. Sangere is also in Girei Local Government Area, and is a few kilometers from the site of the first crash. The recent crash caused pandemonium in Yola, the state capital ,and its environs as students on campus, off campus and residents of Sangere, where the crash occurred scampered for safety believing that Boko Haram had launched an offensive. Residents told Saturday Sun that they panicked when they heard the explosions and the belch of fire and smoke that followed. Describing the events leading to the crash, Hey Ibrahim Ali, a resident of Hayin Kada Village near Yola, told our reporter, “We saw the helicopter hovering, later, we heard the sound of the helicopter suddenly changed. It started going down and then we heard a loud sound, followed by explosions. So we started running into the bush.” He said villagers went to the crash site on Friday morning and security officials cordoned it off. Confirming the story, the defence headquaters said the crash, involving a ground attack helicopter on an armed patrol crashed “at 2200hours” on Thursday around the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State. “The crew of three was lost in the ill-fated accident,” it said. “Rescue party worked throughout the night to preserve the wreckage of the aircraft and the scene of the accident for proper investigation to be carried out. Further details would be made known later.” Meanwhile, the hunters and Civilian JTF, who recaptured the town from the insurgents have arrested the leader of the Boko Haram gang in Mubi, “Amir” of Boko Haram in Mubi. Following the recapture of Mubi, many of the insurgents fled to Gombi and Hong local governments of the state, where they tried to launch a reprisal attacks on another two communities. This sparked another round of firepower between local hunters and the insurgents. Saturday Sun sources from Gombi and Hong local governments disclosed that the fleeing insurgents launched attacks on many places leading to the death of about five persons in Hong. The insurgents also destroyed a prison in Gombi and set the inmates free while they razed a police station.

crashed chopper
Four days after a Nige­rian Air Force helicop­ter crashed in Damare, close to the camp of In­ternally Displaced Persons in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State, another military helicopter crashed on Thursday night at Sangere, killing all crew members.
Eyewitnesses said the helicopter crashed around 10pm.
Sangere is also in Girei Local Government Area, and is a few kilometers from the site of the first crash.
The recent crash caused pandemonium in Yola, the state capital ,and its environs as students on campus, off campus and residents of Sangere, where the crash occurred scampered for safety believing that Boko Haram had launched an offensive.
Residents told Saturday Sun that they panicked when they heard the explosions and the belch of fire and smoke that followed.
Describing the events leading to the crash, Hey Ibrahim Ali, a resident of Hayin Kada Village near Yola, told our reporter, “We saw the helicopter hovering, later, we heard the sound of the helicopter suddenly changed. It started going down and then we heard a loud sound, followed by explosions. So we started running into the bush.”
He said villagers went to the crash site on Friday morning and security officials cordoned it off.
Confirming the story, the defence headquaters said the crash, involving a ground attack helicopter on an armed patrol crashed “at 2200hours” on Thursday around the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State.
“The crew of three was lost in the ill-fated accident,” it said.
“Rescue party worked throughout the night to preserve the wreckage of the aircraft and the scene of the accident for proper investigation to be carried out. Further details would be made known later.”
Meanwhile, the hunters and Civilian JTF, who recaptured the town from the insurgents have arrested the leader of the Boko Haram gang in Mubi, “Amir” of Boko Haram in Mubi.
Following the recapture of Mubi, many of the insurgents fled to Gombi and Hong local governments of the state, where they tried to launch a reprisal attacks on another two communities. This sparked another round of firepower between local hunters and the insurgents.
Saturday Sun sources from Gombi and Hong local governments disclosed that the fleeing insurgents launched attacks on many places leading to the death of about five persons in Hong. The insurgents also destroyed a prison in Gombi and set the inmates free while they razed a police station.

Nigeria, ultra-rich hunting ground for foreign varsities

Foreign-4-20-11-14Undoubtedly, the international education market is increasing in scope and size. In the process, it is also gaining immense momentum. While some parents see sending their wards abroad to acquire tertiary education as a status symbol, others are doing so owing to the increasing lack of access in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Consequent upon this, lots of tertiary institutions from the West, the Arabian Gulf and indeed other parts of the world are constantly wooing Nigerian students. The implication of this is both good and bad in equal measure as ENO-ABASI SUNDAY found out in this report.
DELECTABLE Miss Phoebe Larry-Izamoje graduated from Imperial College, London in 2012, upon completion of her Master’s degree in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management. Earlier on, she had bagged a B.A. (Hons) degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Manchester, still in London.
  Upon her return to the country, she took up an appointment as a management trainee with Nigerian Breweries Plc in December 2012 through to January 2014.  After spending one year and two months in that capacity, she was in January this year made assistant brand manager- Amstel Malta.
  Phoebe represents that lucky group of young Nigerians who have, either through the instrumentality of their parents, governments or well-wishers acquired tertiary education in the West.
  Miss Larry-Izamoje’s path to schooling abroad was strewn with no thorns.  Apart from having capable parents who had the financial muscle to help her realise her dream education, she also attended Nigerian institutions that were directly aligned with very good universities abroad.
  “I attended Bridge House College, Ikoyi for my university foundation programme and before that, I attended Chrisland College. These institutions boast hundreds of students they have facilitated their study abroad, and who have come back successfully,” she submitted.
  With her return to the country and with a dream job, the young lady who “looked at the global league of universities and wanted to study in one of the world’s top 20 universities,” has effectively realised her dreams having been tutored at “Imperial College Business School for my Masters, currently the world’s second-best university.”
 Miss Inemesit Okodi, who just graduated from University of Bradford, Halifax, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom is another Nigerian who is of the opinion that schooling in the United Kingdom remains one of the greatest things to happen to any young Nigerian seeking knowledge.
  She buttressed this assertion by adding that not only are UK certificates recognised worldwide depending on ones level of accomplishment, but the availability of eminently qualified teachers and the abundance of facilities, she said adds to the overall pleasant learning experience out there.
  These two ladies, represent an infinitesimal percentage of the tens of thousands of Nigerians that depart the country at regular intervals to begin or continue their academic sojourns in different parts of the world, either for the purposes of acquiring quality education or making up for the increasingly lack of access in the country’s tertiary education system.
  In the last couple of years, about 1.5 million candidates sit for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB)-organised Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with the hope of securing admissions into the over 150 private and public Nigerian universities. Of this number, barely 400, 000 are admitted to read their choice courses and the Federal Government seems to be at its wits’ end on the matter.
  For instance, while JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde accused universities of under-utilising admission spaces as only 35 per cent out of the 1, 735, 892 who sat for the 2013 UTME secured admissions in Nigerian universities, immediate past Minister of State for Education, Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, had urged Nigerians affected by the lack of carrying capacity in conventional universities to enrol in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).
  Apart from this apparent lack of access plaguing Nigerian colleges, infrastructure inadequacies; insufficient endowment fund and assistance from alumni and community; poor human resources; poor funding of universities; endless strike actions by teachers; indiscipline on the part of teachers and students; and dependence on government also come in handy to afflict the system endemically.
  Time was when a good number of young Africans from countries like Zambia, Ghana, Angola, Zimbabwe and beyond were educated in Nigerian colleges at the end of which they returned home with the Golden Fleece. But the problems besetting the tertiary education sector in the country has ensured that the reverse is now the case as young Nigerians are now found in far-flung locations across the world, seeking education in illustrious and famed academic institutions, as well as in some nondescript and ramshackle ones. Funny enough, neighbouring African countries including Ghana, Republic of Benin, Togo are some of the destination where the search for quality education is taking Nigerian youths to.
  Daily, all sorts of recruitment officers and education administrators, decked in shimmering suits with their large portmanteaus, arrive in Nigeria in search of Nigerian students to take away. With this unending arrivals, the country has been turned into one large education fair ground, where recruitment officers serve as salesmen, and do their utmost to convince the strike-weary Nigerian students and their parents that the institutions they represent remain the right destination for the knowledge-seeking youths, who apart from the will to study abroad, must be scions of deep-pocketed parents, who are more often politicians, top businessmen and top government dignitaries.
  However, it is instructive to note that apart from children of the haves who are willing to school abroad, those that fail to secure sufficient marks to earn them places in Nigerian universities are also targets of the foreign institutions.
  Sitting in audience in one of such education fairs, one is inundated with all sorts of offerings and incentives in both realistic and unrealistic realms. They include scholarship opportunities, work-study offers and fragmented fee payment schedules just to mention a few.
  Engaging some agents/representatives of some of these schools reiterates the obvious- a number of them are charlatans looking for unsuspecting parents and students to fleece. While the capacity of some of the schools to make eggheads of the students they are shepherding away remains suspect, the chances of hidden charges popping up in the course of the students’ academic odysseys remains sky high.
  Promoters of the idea of seeking knowledge abroad often reel out a legion of dividends that accrue from the exercise. Among others, they guarantee completion of studies in record time. They also claim that students who studied abroad pick jobs easily, or generally fare better than their locally schooled counterparts in international labour market.
  In addition to this, they say that in view of the fact that knowledge has become an international commodity, the top of the range know-how brought in by students who studied abroad, also helps in rejuvenating ailing economies.
   Analysts are of the view that this ever-expanding international education market has benefitted immensely from Nigeria’s deeply troubled tertiary education sector. The evidences are manifold.
  Curiously, while some of the world’s most developed education systems including the United States and the United Kingdom are playing host to some Nigerian students, it appears the greatest beneficiary of Nigeria’s epileptic tertiary education system is next-door neighbour-Ghana, where unbefitting structures including uncompleted buildings and Portakabins house some of the 51 private universities set up to target Nigerian students.
  This much was attested to by the Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Ademola Onafowokan, when he said, “...A thousand and one one-block and many mushroom universities (are) set up to target Nigerian students yearning for education…. But, sadly, they are not cheap as Nigerians pay in dollars. These universities are just pure business ventures.”
  One of such institutions, which operates from a one-block facility and which claims equal fame and capacity to that possessed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), U.S., is the Accra Institute of Technology. Of its 2, 000 population as at late last year, nearly a third are Nigerians.
  Its “doctoral programme” is run from a rented uncompleted structure, where it charges between $1, 300 and $1, 510 per session. Accommodation and feeding are not included in this amount.
  Other institutions that fall into the league of one-block varsities are Mahatma Gandhi University, Accra campus, Radford University College, Accra and the Sikkim Manipal University, Accra campus. Worthy of note also is that fact that of all the 50 private universities that Nigerian students troop to, over 98 per cent of them do not award degrees on their own, but serve as study centres of schools located abroad. Only the Valley View University (VVU), belonging to the Seventh Day Adventist awards degrees on its own, without doing so in concert with any government-owned or foreign varsity.
  Another factor that still remains a sore point in the academic sojourns of Nigerian youths, especially in Ghana is the fact that these private institutions through their doors open to students deficient in their Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) for undergraduate programmes, even though affected students are expected to remedy their deficiencies before the end of their stay in the schools.
Economic losses occasioned by capital flight
Evidently, this “exodus” has caused the country immense economic woes and played a critical role in the under-development of the education sector, which is cardinal to national development. Nigerian youths are now making substantial contribution to the running of some developed systems across the world.
  For instance, in elite institutions in the UK, while local students and those from the European Union countries pay £1, 310 or something in that neighbourhood per session, Nigerian and other international students spend £19, 000 averagely on living expenses as well as tuition fees per session. For the science students among them, the amount usually shoots through the roof.
  In the United States, average tuition fees stands at $8, 000 per session and the entire sum could go up to more than $25, 000 when calculated alongside accommodation, feeding, Internet access etc. In Singapore, tuition fee average is $4, 000; $20, 000 in Malta and $1, 000 in Malaysia.
 One of the organisations that gave an insight into the huge economic loses that Nigeria suffers on account of affording her youths foreign education is Exams Ethics International, which revealed that the country spends a mind-boggling ₦1.5trn yearly for this purpose.
  According to the organisation, Ghana, UK and U.S. were some of the greatest beneficiaries of Nigeria’s indiscretion in the education sector.  
  Chairman of the group, Ike Onyechere, who is of the view that the amount covers monies spent on scholarships, private and government owned institutions, and individuals, said it was imperative to halt this trend to “prevent this huge economic loss,” adding that, “This is the greatest negative balance of payment any country can suffer,” he said.
  Earlier on in 2012, the then chairman, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) had stated that statistics from the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana claimed that about 110, 000 Nigerian youths were studying in Ghana with approximately N160bn injected into the Ghana education system by them.
   However, a recent study published by World University News, claimed that 75, 000 Nigerians were in schools in that West African country alone.
  Former Governor of the Central Bank Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had at a public lecture revealed staggering figures and the cost implications for students and indeed the country as it relates to studying in Ghana.
  According to Sanusi now the Emir Of Kano, “Although there are no comprehensive data on the number of Nigerian students abroad, recent data have shown that there are about 71, 000 Nigerian students in Ghana, paying about $1bn United States dollars annually as tuition fees and upkeep, as against the annual budget of $751 million for all federal universities.
  “In other words, the money spent by Nigerian students studying in Ghana with a better organised system, is more than the annual budget of all federal universities in the country,” the former apex bank governor had lamented.
  “Nigeria is today placed third on the list of countries with the highest number of students studying overseas,” he added.
  Many took Sanusi’s figures as fairly reliable considering the fact that all requests for overseas remittances, which also include funds for students’ fees and upkeep are processed through the banks.
  Because of the way Nigerians value education, generations of them have been educated in Britain over the last 70 years or thereabouts. A report in 2010 had it that Nigerians spend in the UK, monies in the region of ₦246bn to educate their loved ones. This sum formed over 60 per cent of the 2012 education allocation in that year’s annual budget, which stood at ₦400.15bn. The 2013 budget for education marginally rose to ₦426.53 bn.
   According to data provided by the United Kingdom Council for International Student Affairs, 17, 585 Nigerians were duly registered as students studying in British universities in the 2012 academic year. That number was about a thousand more than the 16, 680 that registered in the 2009/10 academic session.
  Though Nigeria’s student population remains the third highest from non-European Union countries, trailing 39, 090 recorded for India and 67, 325 for China, it would contest for second place by 2015.
   In 2012, a British parliamentarian, Mr. Iain Stewart, who spoke at an education seminar at the behest of Focus Learning Support (FLS), in collaboration with Global Development Partnerships, Sodji Sports Foundation and the University of East London said, “There will be nearly 30, 000 Nigerian students in the UK by 2015. These numbers account for seven per cent of the total UK university population; this is a very significant number,” he said.
  Stewart, who explained that the international students market was worth nearly £10 billion, had urged UK politicians and the academic sector to place more importance on the industry.
  Stewart’s prophesy was corroborated by statistics from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), which confirmed that the number of Nigerian students gunning for degrees in the UK had tripled in eight years.
  Late last year, the statistics indicated that a total of 17, 640 Nigerians had enrolled for different degrees in UK universities during 2011/12 compared to 5, 385 for 2003/04.
  Specifically, Nottingham Trent College, which is based in Nottingham in the East Midlands in England, within the period under review, had on its register, nearly double the number of Nigerian students it had just about three years ago. For the last academic year, that is 2013/14, 64 Nigerians enrolled at the university, compared to 38 in 2011/12.
 According to the U.S. Embassy Educational Advising Center, in 2011, Nigeria had more students schooling in the U.S. than any sub-Saharan African country. Within the period under review, there were over 6, 500 students studying at over 733 institutions in all of the country’s 50 states as well as the District of Columbia.
  But recent data reveals that the search for the knowledge is the reason why 7, 318 Nigerian students are currently studying in more than 700 universities and colleges in the same country.
  According to the Head, Embassy Education Advising Centre, Jennifer Onyeukwu,  “The total, right now, of Nigerian students studying in the U.S. is 7, 318 at undergraduate and graduate programmes. This fall, we sending more than 100 students to study in the U.S., over 80 per cent had some form of scholarship or financial aid from schools in the U.S.”
  The official also said there were 22 scholarships under U.S Achievers’ Programme, “which recognises academically stellar students, who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds...”
Mixed reactions over merits, demerits of the rising trend
Watchers of the scenario believe that with the flow of student traffic from Nigeria to other nations on the upswing, brain drain is also top on the list of what is lost by the country. This is so because some of the youths elect to stay behind upon completion of their studies.
  But Miss Larry-Izamoje believes that, “The main thing we lose as a country is the money because of the tons of investment Nigerians make in the educational systems abroad. It is expensive to school abroad. But we gain a global view and are ready players in today’s high-tech, dynamic and ever challenging society. We get a first hand grasp of developments in the advanced economies and the possible opportunities for our society. If those in the Diaspora can easily contribute or return, with their exposure and knowledge, our country will be better.”
 A director of ForwardLeap Consultants Limited, a Manchester, United Kingdom-based outfit, accredited agent for the Cambridge Education Group and the Study Group- (two of the world’s leading education providers across Australia, Europe and North America), Mr. Babatunde Modupe-Ojo, seems to agree with Miss Larry-Izamoje.
  “Human migration is a reality of the global world that we now live in. The present upswing with respect to Nigeria is not unique to the country. It is still a child’s play when compared to the statistics available on countries like China, India and Indonesia etc. The positive impacts of such migration are the cross fertilisation of ideas, knowledge and best practices. It is hoped that when the majority of Nigerians who have been abroad to study return home, then they will contribute immensely to the development of Nigeria in all ramifications, provided, the government ensures that enabling environment is created for such talents to blossom.
  Modupe-Ojo, a lawyer, whose outfit has access to about 500 universities around the world continued, “Education and knowledge exchange have become international commodities. It serves the long-term interest of Nigeria to allow the free flow of these commodities, in that the benefits of education generally cannot be internalised by the beneficiaries only. The society at large benefits immensely from a highly educated populace through cross fertilisation of ideas and best practices in all fields of human endeavour. There is really nothing to lose from the trend of Nigerian students seeking education abroad.
  “The verifiable benefits of schooling abroad are many. One can point to exposure to high standards of teaching and research, particularly in the sciences, benefits from quality facilities, networking with fellow students that would pay high dividends in future, etc. Perhaps, the demerits are mainly the tendency for the gullible students to want to imbibe foreign culture and attitudes, which may not be beneficial to the Nigerian society,” he added.
   On people staying back especially in the UK after studies, Sephora Imomoh, a project manager with British Council, Lagos, said, “People who choose to study in the UK independently, are responsible for their decision making. But for some of the schemes that we run including the Commonwealth Scholarship and Chevening Scholarship, we track them because they are required to come back and help to develop their communities. There are a number of these UK school’s alumni that are contributing to the Nigerian economy. So while we track those that the UK government funds to study abroad, we don’t track those that go there to study independently.”
  Imomoh added: Apart from monies going out, some also come in by way of scholarships, which are also offered to Nigerians to study in the UK. We are also thinking along the line of forging partnerships with Nigerian institutions with a view to developing the Nigerian education system as well. So, it should be made clear that through some of the programmes that we run like the Commonwealth Scholarship and the Chevening Scholarship, the British Council is bringing back some kind of investment into the country.”
  Imomoh is, however, of the opinion that the UK is irresistible for international students because of its “strong reputation for research, innovation and creativity. UK universities and colleges attract some of the world’s leading academics and industry professionals. Students are encouraged to express their own ideas and think for themselves.”
  Even though Imomoh failed to pointedly address how viable the Nigerian education market is to the British Council, and indeed how much Nigerian imports were contributing to oiling the education system in the UK, Director Programme, Nigeria, Louisa Waddingham, gave a hint to that effect when she informed, “A whole lot of money goes out helping to fund education in the UK. Universities in the UK have to make money to be able to operate as they are not funded by any formal grant. In the UK, everybody pays for post-secondary school education. So, in that regards, Nigeria contributes a lot to education in the UK alongside other students from other parts of the world and British students as well. So everybody pays for tertiary education in the UK because the colleges, which have a high reputation for research, creativity and innovation cannot run without adequate funding. Without funding coming from these students, living up to the standards to deliver what the world economy needs would be very difficult.
  “The UK education sector has always had a very strong interest in the Nigerian context and every year, we have a lot of institutions wanting to come here to meet with the students and their parents, and do what they can to support Nigeria’s educational development.
  “There is also an increasing interest of British institutions to work in Nigeria as well and I think that is something that the British Council really wants to look. Given how many people that are in Nigeria, in addition to bringing people to the UK, we really need to see what the UK can do in Nigeria in the education context here to support people’s development,” she stated.
Ponzi schemes/ money spinning machines
Until lately, not very many parents ever sat down to appraise the financial losses they could be subjected to if they fall into the traps set by rogue agents, who pose as education consultants with bountiful connections to many foreign-based varsities and colleges.
 In other words, it is not for lack of what to say that a cleric, Elder Gabriel Fasanu, warned parents to be conscious of whom they deal with in the ever-expanding international education market.
 Fasanu, Principal, Babcock University Schools, Ogba, Lagos, speaking recently in Lagos observed that many unsuspecting parents have been fleeced by wolves in sheep clothing as they attempt to send their wards abroad to obtain the Golden Fleece.
 He therefore, urged them to be wary of charlatans and fraudsters who pose as recruitment agents to international schools
  Unlike Miss Larry-Izamoje, who is back in the country enjoying the fruits of her labour, Adesina Amu and his parents are in and out of court room attempting to get justice, after they were conned by an “agent” who claimed he had the capacity to organise admission for any student, qualified or not, in any school, including those in the farthest part of the earth.
 Ibe Isiguzo runs Lagos-based Harlem Consult, which also claims to have the capacity to facilitate admission into at least 20 United Kingdom-based universities and colleges, which his outfit allegedly has partnerships with.
  A close interaction with Isiguzo, a National Diploma holder from a Nigerian polytechnic gives him out as one that is yet to master his “job,” but knows enough to earn a living conning others or capitalising on their ignorance to feather his nest.
  “I have been in this business for nearly 10 years and some of my clients are back in the country on completion of their studies. They are working in big companies in Nigeria, where they are well paid,” he claims.
  Asked to volunteer the contacts of any two of those he has helped secure admission for in the past, whether they were domicile in Nigeria or abroad for confirmation of his claims, he declined insisting that it would amount to intruding into the privacy of his clients.
 The family of 21-year-old Ifeoluwa Akindele is in court with Isiguzo, after he failed to facilitate their ward’s admission into a London-based tertiary institution. Attempts to get a refund peacefully proved abortive and both parties after immense circumlocution landed in a Lagos court to trash out matters.
 Ghanaian educational consultants/entrepreneurs have continued to make incursions into different parts of the country to recruit prospective students. Hamart Ventures, a Ghanaian business concern is one of the firms that scouts and arranges admission for Nigerian students in Ghana for a fee.
  Its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Martins Amo-Ayesu, to date, has visited Nigeria, Benin Republic, South Africa, Togo and few other countries on the continent plying his trade.
  Amo-Ayesu, who has visited about 25 states in Nigeria, has found the country to be a very fertile ground for his business because of Nigerians insatiable appetite for higher education.
  The Ghanaian, who is fully aware of the sharp practices of some of his compatriots, who are in the same line of business is, however, quick to warn Nigerian parents and guardians about the existence of fake agents and unaccredited schools in his country.
  “It is not all tertiary institutions in Ghana that are accredited and licensed to operate. This has been a challenge to those of us in this line of business. So, I would advise Nigerian parents that before they send their wards to school in Ghana, they should always inquire about the schools from relevant authorities,” Amo-Ayesu cautioned.
  The Ghanaian, who has successfully recruited over 5, 000 Nigerian students and placed them in different universities in Ghana, in collaboration with the institutions added, “In January this year, I was able to process admission for 155 students from Cross River State alone and over 500 recruited from Nigeria within this period and they have all been admitted into colleges in Ghana.”
  He continued, “Three years ago while visiting a friend in Nigeria, I discovered that most Nigerian parents have been duped one way or the other by fake agents. The fake agents do this by extorting large sums of money with a promise to get their victims’ children admitted into higher institutions in Ghana only to disappear into thin air.”
He lamented that the activities of these rogue agents, has caused genuine agents misery as many parents now tar the genuine agents with the same brush as the criminally minded ones.
  His words, “We have been having our little challenges because most of the agencies who started recruiting students from Nigeria to Ghana have caused a lot of havoc here. I always tell parents that because fraudsters have caused a lot of havoc in the admission process, it does not mean that getting admission into schools in Ghana is that difficult.
 “The minimum entry point that is required of the prospective students is credit passes in six subjects including Mathematics and English Language in their O’ Level examination. Once any child has this type of result, he is assured of admission into any accredited Ghanaian tertiary institution. Unfortunately, “so many parents have paid over N200, 000 just to purchase admission forms from fraudulent agencies when in actual fact, these forms should never cost that much. So, we help parents to find the right school for their children and at very reasonable cost because they do not have to go through the tedious process they are going through before securing admission for their children.”
  Evidence of the booming trade that acquiring tertiary education in Ghana has become is finding expression in the spread that firms like Hamart Ventures are enjoying.
 Project manager, British Council, Lagos, Adetomi Soyinka, says the British Council is aware of the existence of rogue agents and was doing its best to sift the grain from the chaff. 
  “Anywhere you have products and services being sold and bought, you are bound to get these kinds of things happening be it in India, China or wherever. So for us, we have a network of agents and we ensure that they are properly trained because these are people that interact with the public.
  “Once upon a time, the British Council used to have a students’ counseling service, where people walk up to get information about schooling in the UK. Now, we no longer have the capacity to do that. So what we have done now is to put in place a six to eight weeks online certification programme for our agents, regardless of where they are operating from.
  “The course content ensures that the agents are updated on the changes in the education system within the UK. So, at the end of the online programme, the agents write an examination and if they pass, they are put on our global agents’ database. So if people are requesting for information about education in the UK, we refer them to these people who have the right information to give to members of the public. These are the agents we deal with. Beyond that, the agents themselves are trying hard to clean up the market because they know that some rogue agents have put their collective reputation at stake.
  “So, what they do is that they have formed an association -the Nigerian Association of UK Education Agents. They meet on a regular basis with a view to cleaning up the market themselves. Most importantly, they constantly watch out for rogue agents amongst them and take prompt action if they find any of such within their fold,” she stated.
  “Also, UK institutions come to us to inquire about these agents that have taken the course and if they can deal with them directly. We always direct these institutions to check with the association. For us, these are some of the little checks and balances we are putting in place to ensure sanity and protect the reputation of the agents in Nigeria because it is a huge market,” the project manager stated.
  In lending her voice to this, Miss Larry Izamoje agrees that some of these educational agencies are run by unethical and shrewd businessmen, reason why hidden charges, which were not disclosed at the initial stage begin to pop up thereby jolting the students.
  To guard against this, she says, “I believe the processes should be made available for scrutiny. On no account should any one partner with unethical institutions. Ask questions; be clear about what is offered, and who you are dealing with. Any one identified should be reported to the relevant authorities to minimise or completely eliminate these issues.
 “There is a lot to worry about especially when parents and prospective students are not sure of the validity of these institutions. It is imperative that they check the legality and capability of every educational agency by being fully aware of their links with institutions or universities abroad. They must get as much information as possible from students, who have graduated from foreign institutions and question the legal standings of these firms if in doubt. Parents should check if the firms are registered companies, whether they do conform to educational rules as laid down by the government. Most importantly, they must be sure of agencies and institutions before allowing children to fill their forms. Definitely. It is imperative for parents and/or guardians who want their children to school aboard to check how authentic what they get and what they are told are before making any decisions. Thankfully, Nigeria has a pool of authentic institutions that are directly aligned with very good universities abroad.

Friday, 14 November 2014

Boko Haram wants to wipe out Christians – Catholic bishop

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Catholic Bishops in the country have claimed that Boko Haram’s main target is to wipe out Christians in Nigeria.
Speaking yesterday after a closed-doors meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, president of Nigerian Bishops Conference, Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, said that the principal aim of Boko Haram was to eliminate Christianity and pave the way for total Islamisation of the country.
The bishops particularly indicted the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), over the poor distribution of relief materials.
The bishop who led the delegation which included John Cardinal Onaiyakan, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja and Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Minister of Works, Mike Onolemenme, Minister of State Education, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, and Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Olajumoke Akinjide, said they were dissatisfied with the way relief materials were being disbursed and asked to be involved in the distribution.
On what transpired in the meeting, Kaigama said: “We had some concerns about the situation of security in the nation as well as political developments. In general terms, we shared with him in a conversation and discussion. We just wanted to remind him of things he already knows, there was nothing we said that was new, we just wanted to lay emphasis and we wanted him to know we are concerned.
“They are reviewing strategies and by the grace of God this terrorism that we are witnessing will soon be a thing of the past. This is the assurance we are coming away with.
“We feel that things are not right. Territorially, our land is being taken away, the people we look after are displaced, their homes, their villages, towns are captured and they are internally displaced being refugees in their own land.
“We thought this is not right. We have families that are just stranded. We thought that the President should know. As a Catholic we have laid a good structure for relief and taking care of such situation, we want the government to collaborate with us. We have what we call the Catholic Peace and Justice Commission, we respond when there is an emergency. We know how to technically do registration of displaced people.
“The little funds we gather we buy clothings and materials and are able to reach out very effectively, you would almost say scientifically because every victim gets something.
“So we are telling government that we are aware of the wonderful efforts they do, the relief they give through NEMA and other agencies, the effectiveness of the distribution is our concern.”

Air Force helicopter crashes as Boko Haram mount raids

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The Nigerian Air Force on Friday said it had lost another helicopter in the restive northeast, after Boko Haram rebels raided two more towns and vigilantes and hunters clawed back a key militant stronghold.
The second crash in a week happened late Thursday in Yola, the capital of Adamawa, which is one of three states that has been under emergency rule since May last year.
While there was no immediate indication that the armed Islamist movement was responsible for the crash, there has been an increase in Boko Haram activity in the state in recent weeks.
Boko Haram has reportedly taken over more than two dozen towns in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, including the commercial hub of Mubi, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) from Yola.
Last week, the extremists, who have been waging a five-year insurgency to create a hardline Islamic state, renamed Mubi “Madinatul Islam” or “City of Islam” in Arabic, residents said.
Nigeria’s chief of army staff, Major General Kenneth Minimah, told a Senate defence committee on Thursday that the loss of territory was “painful” but promised that troops would recapture lost ground.
Locals and a government official said later that about 200 vigilantes and hunters armed with home-made guns, spears, clubs, bows and arrows, and machetes took back Mubi.
“It is true Mubi has fallen back into the hands of Nigerian soldiers with the help of local vigilantes and hunters,” Chibado Bobi, chief of staff in the Adamawa state governor’s office, told AFP.
“It is however too early for residents who fled to move back to Mubi because the security and vigilantes need to mop up all remnants of the group that may be lurking in nearby areas.”
Boko Haram had introduced its strict version of Islamic law in the town, including amputations for accused thieves, according to residents who fled.
The hunters captured the Boko Haram-appointed emir, or leader, of Mubi after the attack, while militant fighters fled.
But instead of being pushed back to other territory it is reported to control, locals said Boko Haram invaded Hong, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south on the way towards Yola, and Gombi, to the northwest of Mubi.
In both Hong and Gombi, the militants were said to have razed the towns’ police stations.
The move towards Yola will raise concerns about safety in the city, where thousands of people have taken refuge to escape the violence.
The chopper crash near a hall of residence at the Modibbo Adama University of Science and Technology caused panic among students, as weapons said to be on board apparently exploded.
“We heard a huge thundering sound which made us rush out of the hostels, thinking the school was under Boko Haram attack,” said one student, Harisu Abdulaziz.
Another student said there was chaos as residents at the hostel tried to flee but were prevented by soldiers guarding the gates.
The university has been under military protection after a spate of Islamist attacks against schools in the region.
Kyari Mohammed, a lecturer at the university and a specialist in Boko Haram, said the helicopter that came down was one of two that flew over the campus.
“The crash was followed by a series of intermittent explosions inside the chopper, which people believed to be from weapons the chopper was ferrying,” he said.
Air force spokesman Dele Alonge confirmed that one of its aircraft had crashed but provided no details as to the cause or casualties.
On Monday, the military said another helicopter made an emergency landing near Yola airport, with no casualties reported.

Patience Jonathan accused of donating expired rice to Bayelsa women


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News coming from Yenogoa, the Bayelsa State capital says that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan distributed expired rice to Bayelsa women.
Dame Jonathan had visited the state on Thursday to distribute empowerment materials to women. The exercise caused a heavy traffic gridlock, paralyzing social and commercial activities on the Yenagoa-Mbiama Road.
Women in the state, who were gathered at the Samson Siasia Stadium at Ovom, Yenagoa received gifts and cheques from the First Lady, who urged them to vote en-masse for her husband, Goodluck Jonathan.
However, news reports alleged that the rice distributed by the First Lady were expired ones.
According to Sahara Reporters, “the MDGs, a United Nations benchmark which is aimed at eradicating extreme poverty and hunger for all citizens, became the basis for a political campaign ground for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), a political group affiliated with President Jonathan’s re-election.”
Several bags of rice repackaged in bags branded with Mr. Jonathan’s photos, sewing machines, hair dryers, and tricycles also known as “Keke NAPEP” were distributed to some at the rally.
A DailyPost source in Yenogoa, responding to enquiries, said she heard the rumour but cannot confirm if Dame Jonathan actually distributed rice or whether the rice were expired. She added that what she is sure the First Lady gave out were tricycles.

Thursday, 23 October 2014

Bill to Place HND at Par with B.Sc Passes Second Reading in the Senate

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With the second reading of a bill seeking to put Nigerian polytechnics at par with the universities on Wednesday, the Senate has intensified moves to address the age-long clamour to bridge the dichotomy between the two higher institutions.
Entitled “A Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination Between First Degrees and the Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field and Related Matters,” the bill was sponsored by Senator Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central) who is also the proprietor of All Over Polytechnic in Lagos.
Leading a debate on the bill, Akinyelure who said the framework was propelled by wage disparity and gross discrimination against HND holders in the public and private sectors, noted that the situation “is threatening to derail the nation’s core policy thrust of evolving a technologically and scientifically based, self-sufficient and self-reliant society in the nearest future. Hence, the need for Senate intervention at this juncture.”
He added: “Without mincing words, and as l speak, thousands of would-be polytechnic and technology students are contemplating or have decided to opt for university education because of perceived and real discrimination against HND graduates in relation to their counterparts who are university degree holders. If this contemplation occurs, there is bound to be a vacuum created in our labour market in this regard and dire consequences are bound to follow this trend.”
Akinyelure, who claimed that polytechnic education dwells mainly on the practical while that of the university is merely theoretical, added that the degree of discrimination against HND holders in the country is so appalling to such an extent that they are employed as gatemen while their fellow university graduates are employed with dignity into ranking offices.
The senator who also claimed that HND holders in the field of accountancy, engineering, among others, had been found to be better on the field than degree holders, added that both qualifications are not supposed to compete together but should rather complement each other.
Furthermore, he said initiating this bill had become compelling in view of the fruitless promises allegedly made by the federal government to rectify the disparity between the two institutions in the past adding that the bill aims at promoting “technological advancement instead of 90 per cent of qualified candidates pursuing university education which is more theoretical without adding the needed value to the system of technological advancement of our great nation.”
But a number of senators kicked against the bill, describing it as baseless as they argued that the clamour to raise the value of polytechnic education to that of the university amount to wanting HND holders to reap where they did not to sow.
The opposing senators who described the objectives of the bill as misplaced, argued that the polytechnic education is structurally different from that of the university.
According to them, these structural differences must first of all be addressed before any clamour could be relevant.
Therefore, they argued that not only are the entry requirements into the university more complex than that of the polytechnics, it is mere university graduates that teach in the polytechnics, saying the situation is different in the university where Ph.D is the central qualification to attain ranking in lecturing.
But the opposition notwithstanding, the bill scaled second reading and referred to the committee on education for further legislation.

With 7.5M, Chika Won’t Die

Chika-Ogwili-2210.jpg - Chika-Ogwili-2210.jpgHopewell Ukpebor writes that a 40-year-old man from Anambra State is in need of an urgent kidney transplant to stay alive

A few months ago, there was nothing to suggest that Mr. Chika Ogwili, a boisterous and easy going young man from Issieke in Ihiala local government of Anambra state, was struggling with a life threatening ailment,  as he was full of optimism for the future. Now, 40 year old Chika’s life hangs in the balance, and he is in need of an urgent kidney transplant to ensure that his dreams for the future do not just pine away.

Before August of this year, Chika was a bubbly gentleman working hard to make a decent living and there was nothing to indicate that a medical condition had been loitering around him for a long time. One which eventually manifested a few weeks ago and has confined him to the hospital bed, where he has been receiving routine and maintenance haemodialysis twice a week.

Chika has been diagnosed with Chronic Kidney disease and needs to have a kidney transplant in India which costs N7.5 million, in order to help save his life.

As the first child of a family of five, Chika has high hopes placed on him. Before he became bed-ridden, he worked as a driver for Harmony foam in Umuahia, before getting a job in Abuja as a technician at EMMACOOL, where he barely earned enough to take care of his immediate needs and that of his family.

While things have not exactly worked out as planned for him, he still burns with an uncommon optimism that things will turn out well. That hope however appeared to have hit the rocks in early August when Chika started noticing symptoms of an illness he could not explain.

At first, it seemed like malaria, and Chika was prompted to quickly visit a pharmacy to nip it in the bud, but that did not stop the illness from growing further. Soon enough, Chika started throwing up regularly especially while brushing his teeth, and later started having severe difficulty in breathing, which degenerated into nose bleeding, while he also noticed that his legs began to swell and he was always dizzy.

It was at this point that Chika hit the panic button and visited the Okwe community health centre in Umuahia, Anambra state to seek medical help.

While there, he was diagnosed to have Hypertension. However, with his condition still deteriorating and the health centre not possessing the required equipment to carry out a full treatment. Chika, with the help of his family sauntered into Abuja, where he was first admitted at Kubwa general hospital, before he was later referred to National Hospital, Abuja to see a nephrologist.

It was at the National Hospital that he was diagnosed by the Chief consultant at the hospital, and since then has been visiting the hospital twice in a week.

According to Ada Igwilo, a sibling to Chika, ‘’it was when we went there to the National hospital, the consultant told us the problem and also said that a transplant will be needed because the kidney problem is chronic, since then he has been on haemodialysis which I have been paying for worth ninety thousand naira for a session, and it Is really eating deep into our finances because right now I am broke, and I don’t know where to turn to’’, she said.

That arrangement however got complicated after Chika missed one of his hospital visits, which was usually on Mondays and Thursdays, and his appointments was pegged back to just one a week. To keep up with his treatment, Chika’s family have had to visit Zenith medical and kidney centre, where another round of tests were carried out on him.

In Chika’s medical report, Dr. Kareem, the consultant physician and nephrologists of Zenith hospital, said ‘’he is presently on routine and maintenance thrice weekly haemodialysis as well as twice weekly subcutaneous erythropoietin and weekly iron sucrose and other drugs.
He is hypertensive and his case is being managed as a case of chronic kidney disease secondary to chronic Glomerunophrytis. He will benefit from a kidney transplant  which carries a better outcome in terms of life expectancy and costs about N7.5 million’’, the doctor said.

This sum of money has only added more sorrow to Chika and his family, as the purse has run dry after spending so much on his weekly dialysis which has been sponsored by his sister since he started the treatment, while his parents are only low income earners unable to foot such a heavy bill.

To make matters worse, Chika was sacked from his work place late last month and has been struggling to make ends meet ever since. The situation has thrown him into deep pains as he struggles to come to terms with the present predicament, one that will cost him his life if help does not come soon.

Pleading with Nigerians, Chika who barely managed to speak in an emotionally laden tone said, ‘’I am pleading with everyone out there to assist me in raising this money. There is nothing too small or too big. I would sincerely appreciate your help.

‘’Do not look at the fact that you do not know me, because giving is not about that, it is about helping people in need, regardless of the situation. If you know the value of brotherhood, then you will realize that we are all one, whether you know the person or not, and I am sure that as you help, God will repay you in hundred folds.

‘’It is my prayer today that God will not allow such predicaments befall you or your family, and even as you help you will never lack. I beseech all Nigerians to come to my aid. Do not let me die. My family has suffered enough because of my illness, and they don’t have anything anymore to fund my hospital bills much less sponsor the kidney transplant. This is why I am calling on everyone to come to my rescue, since we have only been able to raise a hundred thousand naira. I pray God answers all your prayers too’’.

Chika said Good Samaritans can help rescue him from untimely death by paying into the following bank account: CHIKA IGWILO ECOBANK PLC, 4232038324. He can be contacted through his mobile numbers: 08034940624, 08088267959 and 08034040624

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Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Toke Makinwa talks about pressure of getting pregnant after marriage


The TV/Radio personality took to twitter just now to talk about the pressure she's receiving from folks about her not being pregnant many months after marriage.

Monday, 20 October 2014

How SUNDAY PUNCH rescued girl, 6, from kidney crisis

Williams
Miss Williams (not real name) looked like your typical six-year-old girl as she teased her four-year-old younger brother. The dark-skinned, petite Williams was a bundle of energy as she skipped gleefully.
But Williams has not always been this lively. About six weeks ago, she was bedridden and was being prepared for a surgery to save her from a life threatening ailment. Little Williams had a faulty kidney. However, before August 2014, the Williams were not aware that one of their daughter’s kidney wasn’t functioning. Several visits to public and private hospitals shed little light on William’s ailment.
According to her parents, the little girl had been contending with ill health which had defied medical explanation since a few days to her fourth birthday.
Her father, said: “Very early one morning, some few days to my daughter’sfourth birthday, my wife woke me up to talk about a dream. In it she saw that something happened to our daughter’s face. We were still in bed, when our girl walked in. Surprisingly, she started talking funny. My wife and I felt she was up to some pranks. But when she asked to be given water and she was drinking, the water was falling off from the left side of her face. The same with food. By this time, we had noticed that one side of her face was lopsided. The left side looked funny and distorted. That kicked off our travails which spanned more than two years.”
The mother, a graduate of English Language and a teacher in a government secondary school, said, “We quickly took her to a hospital where they conducted some tests. At the end of the day, we were given a damning result. Our daughter had facial palsy which means facial paralysis, the cause of which they could neither trace nor say.”
All the doctors could do then was recommend therapy. The parents took her to a private hospital, at Iyana Ipaja, another suburb of Lagos. The facility was owned and run by a consultant at a general hospital. Each therapy cost N2,000 and they had three in a week.
When her condition did not improve as the parents wished, she was moved to a military hospital also in Lagos courtesy of her grandfather who is a retired military man.
There the treatment continued and she improved. The family had some respite. But alas, it was to be for only a while.
“Few days to her fifth birthday, she suffered another facial paralysis. But now it was on the right,” said her father.
“With this development, family members started insinuating it could be a spiritual attack. Then began a spiritual battle which we combined with medical treatment. We again took her to the military hospital. In fact, we had to change our church to another which is renowned for its deliverance ministry. Again, therapy started. She was taken for therapy thrice a week. After months of therapy, her face returned to normal. But after some time, she had a relapse. Again, we took her to the hospital. It was this time that the head of department of the therapy unit refused to go ahead with another round of therapy. Her take was that something must have triggered the second facial paralysis and that it would not be kind on the girl if only the symptoms were being treated without establishing the cause. She said something must have caused the relapse and that it should be investigated. She directed us to a teaching hospital in Lagos.”
If the parents had thought they would find succour at the teaching hospital, they soon discovered their error of judgement.
The mother disclosed to our correspondent that at their first call at the hospital, her daughter, without being examined, was asked to come back in three months’ time. Reason: Hers was not an emergency.
Mrs. Williams said, “When we got to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, they did not treat her. What they did was to give us an appointment for three months. She had the second facial paralysis on August 17, 2013 and her birthday was supposed to be September 19, 2013. After all the formalities, the hospital refused to attend to us insisting that her case was not an emergency and as such, she had to come back. But they referred us to a urologist. I begged, cried and begged but they did not yield. Hence, I had to take her home. But I returned the second day and took her to another doctor who referred her to the Ear Nose and Throat department. Then, my daughter was always complaining of noise in her ears. Thus I took her to the ENT who then referred her to a physiotherapist. Again the physiotherapist refused to treat her insisting that she must be seen first by a urologist who would determine whether it was an infection or not. I had to return to the military hospital where I wept and begged the HOD to please give her therapy. I couldn’t bear seeing her face distorted. It was so contorted. Her mouth had slid to a side and she talked very awkwardly. When she ate or drank, the food or drink would be dropping from the affected side of the mouth. She could not close her mouth. She could not also close the eye on the affected side. She looked so pathetic. Out of compassion, the doctor agreed to treat her. And within three months, her face returned to normal and it was as if nothing happened to her.”
The mother took her for the appointment at LASUTH when the time came. Again, she was given another three months. After the lapse of this, the mother took her again to the hospital. Again, she was asked to bring her in another three months. This appeared to be the last straw; the mother would not take it, she gave vent to a loud protest which attracted some senior doctors.
She was promised that her daughter would be attended to but with a caveat: only if her name was on the list of those given appointment to see the consultant that day.
Mrs. Williams added, “As we were scanning the list together I saw her name and called the doctor’s attention to it. Thus, very reluctantly, they agreed to see her.”
The little hope she felt was dimmed when she discovered that the daughter would be attended to by a trainee doctor.
Mrs. Williams said, “A student doctor was first asked to attend to my daughter. He asked her and me all the routine questions about our family, her feelings, sensations and all that. He then took her pulse. After this he took us to the consultant urologist.
“The consultant asked the mercuric metre to be brought to check her pulse himself. Later, he called on a female doctor to do it. She did and looked shocked. They again called on another doctor. All of them looked shocked. The reading was 140/90. They looked alarmed. They said they had to place her on admission because her blood pressure was very high and if they should release her, she might have a stroke or bleed into her brain. She was placed on admission and we were asked to do several tests which we did. Still they could not find anything. After that, they asked us to do Magnetic Resonance Imaging.”
This the family refused on the grounds of the danger such a sensitive test might have on their daughter.
All this while, the little girl was placed on anti-hypertensive drugs and multi vitamins.
Her mother told SUNDAY PUNCH, “It was a tablet which they asked me to split into four and we were giving her once daily. But anytime, she took the drug, she would sit down looking dull, complaining of severe headache. We were in the hospital for three days.”
Mr. Williams called for the discharge of his girl. “I couldn’t allow my daughter to remain there. She was in the midst of very sick people. The person beside her had HIV and another one another disease. I was asked to sign that I was taking her away against medical advice. So we took her home,” he said.
After asking the little girl to be discharged against medical advice, the parents took her home and intensified their praying and fasting.
On July 2014, as Mrs. Williams sat in her sitting-room thinking about the worsening state of her daughter’s health, she came across a health column in SUNDAY PUNCH.
Mrs. Williams said: “One Sunday afternoon, I saw our landlord reading a copy of the Sunday Punch. I asked him to allow me read which he obliged. Going through it, I saw an article, “Hypertension in children”. I quickly took the section out and returned the paper to him. I took my time to read the article. When my husband returned from work , I showed him and we decided to get in touch with the doctor who wrote the column, Sunday Doctor in the paper.
“On the day I took my daughter to the hospital, I was holding the newspaper article. After explaining to Dr. Sylvester Ikhiesemojie who writes Sunday Doctor in SUNDAY PUNCH again, he took my daughter away to examine her. Her reading that day was 130/80.
“Immediately, he asked us to go for a scan which we went for at a nearby laboratory. It was during the scan that I first learnt that she had a problematic kidney, that was the first time I knew my daughter’s kidney was faulty. All the previous doctors were treating hypertension.”
Eventually, after series of tests and examinations, Miss Williams was operated on by Dr. Ikhisemojie and Dr. Oluwatoyin Grillo leading the team at the JK Randle Memorial Hospital, Lagos. The surgery was conducted on September 9, during the last nationwide industrial action by medical doctors.
The diseased kidney was removed and seven days after, little Williams was discharged. Now, according to her mother, the six-year-old is no longer on anti-hypertension drugs, a situation which has totally removed the excruciating headaches which had been her lot while taking the drugs. Her BP has returned to normal while her face is no longer distorted.
Also, her face is no longer distorted and there are no tell-tale signs that it had once been. Furthermore, anyone who did not know little Williams would never know she used to have a protruding stomach., a result of her earlier ailment. Her stomach is now flat save for a long scar on a side .
As she moved around the modest living room of her parents that Sunday afternoon asking the reporter several questions, one could not but wonder how different things would have been if her mother hadn’t read a copy of the Sunday Punch the fateful day.
‘My daughter might have died’
How did you feel when you discovered that your daughter was not properly diagnosed in all the clinics you had taken her to?
I was unhappy. I felt as if what was wrong with her was not ordinary. If not, they should have seen it and given us a right diagnosis. I was not myself. I was sad.

Mrs. Williams
How has it been taking care of a sick child for almost three years?
It has been very stressful. Though most of the time she behaved normally, yet anytime I took her for reading of her BP, and it remained so high, I was always distraught. I always felt so distressed. Again, if I had to take her to the hospital, which was often, we had to leave the house early and moving in commercial vehicles was always hectic. It also entailed taking a lot of permission from my place of work. I never felt comfortable with this and the notoriety of absenteeism it might give me. Really, it has not been easy.
Why did you believe that the doctor’s column you read in SUNDAY PUNCH would help your daughter?
I believed because that was the first time I would come across an article on hypertension in children which my daughter had been diagnosed of. All other literature I had read, both hard copy and online, did not tell me this. Hence, immediately I saw it, I just felt relieved that at least her case was not non-existent.
How did you feel when Dr. Ikhsiemojie said a surgery would be carried out?
Actually, when Dr. Ikhsiemojie asked me to go for the scan, I was told at the lab that she would need a surgery. This left me shocked and sad. Immediately I got home, I sent the report to Dr Ikhsiemojie via text, he replied mildly. He is not an alarmist. He replied with the text, ‘Her case is treatable but the damage to the kidney is irreversible’. I asked him a lot of questions which he answered. I wanted to know what effects this would have on her in the future, whether or not it would affect her childbearing and other things. He explained a lot of things to me. But I was still sad. I commenced serious praying and fasting and also informed my pastor and parents to join me.
How did you feel on the day of the surgery?
Despite having read a lot about it and assurances from the doctor, I was very afraid. The operation took so long as if it won’t end. It was later that I realised that it was just over an hour. But it seemed like forever. A few days after, my daughter was really in pains. I really felt for her. But miraculously she recovered so fast even to the surprise of the doctor.
How much did you pay?
I paid N30,000 for surgery, bed space and feeding. I also bought everything that was used for the surgery.
What is the difference in your daughter after surgery?
Thank God for SUNDAY PUNCH, Dr. Sylvester Ikhsiemojie and his team. My daughter is okay now. If not for the article in the newspaper, who knows by now, my daughter may have died. Now her bulging tummy has become flat. She used to have a bulging tummy before the surgery. If she ate any little thing, it would just shoot out as if she had eaten all the food in the world. Also, her BP has gone down to normal and she does not complain of headache again. I am a happy mother now.
‘She was a rare case’
Dr. Sylvester Ikhisemojie, the consultant paediatric surgeon who writes a health column for SUNDAY PUNCH, Sunday Doctor, sheds light on the surgery
What was your reaction when you received Mrs. Williams message?
She sent a short message to the cell phone number provided on the column. It was a very passionate message and I was only half-way through it before realising it was different in terms of seriousness from many of the other hundreds of emails, sms, even phone calls I receive on that line every week. I was very concerned that such a young girl had suffered a stroke which was not being treated with the seriousness it deserved. I feared something much worse happening to her. As a result of all those considerations, I asked her to call me on my private line so we could discuss what we should do for her.

Ikhisemojie
Have you come across a child with such condition before?
Yes, I have. That was a-three-week old baby whose affected right kidney was so large that it was obstructing the flow of intestinal contents through the small intestine. He had an emergency operation to relieve the obstruction but we were quite surprised to find out what the real cause was. It was a hugely enlarged kidney full of cysts.
How many have you come across and how frequent?
These are the two cases I readily recall now. This is a rare condition and although we have no figures for this in this part of the world. It is estimated to affect about 12.5 million people around the world from the new-born to people about 60 years old.
At what point did you decide to operate on her?
After reviewing the results of the intravenous urogram, the special X-rays she had, it was clear the affected kidney was not functioning at all and the decision to remove it was taken. It was unable to produce any urine and so could also not excrete any waste. Besides, such a kidney if it can be called such, was of immense danger to her. The hypertension it had caused could not be effectively controlled with medications.
Would there have been an alternative to surgery in her case?
The answer to that is no. This matter has been settled by exhaustive research.
What are the chances of success of surgeries like that?
The chances are quite good once competent staff is on the ground to perform their various tasks. It is not a one-man show.
How long did the surgery take?
A little over one hour.
What are the implications of a six-year-old living on one kidney?
Contrary to what many will believe, the chances are very good indeed. There are perhaps hundreds of thousands of people who live normal lives from a very early age with one kidney. Some people are born with one kidney and they live well with that. Others may have one large kidney that is actually a fusion of the two kidneys and it will end up functioning as one unit. That’s why we needed to confirm that the other kidney is present and that it is functioning well before taking the grave decision to remove one.
It was a delicate surgery — Anaesthetist
What is your name please?
I am Dr. Oluwatoyin Omopero Grillo.

Grillo
When and how did you know of Miss Williams case?
I got to know of the case through Dr. Ikhisemojie who is the consultant paediatric surgeon in the hospital I work. It was during the last industrial action embarked upon by medical doctors. He told me of a parent who got to know about her child’s condition through SUNDAY PUNCH and that after examining her he discovered that she had a tumour which had to be removed and that he needed an anaesthetist. I said no problem as long as I examined her, because she had to be fit for surgery first. It was an interesting case because she was a six-year-old who had already had a stroke in the layman’s term. Hearing that, being a mother and then the confines of the profession, I was moved. I was like wow! It is an uncommon case here: a six-year-old having a stroke and already on anti-hypertension drugs.
Which type of anaesthesia did you use on her?
It was a challenging one. It was a very specialised and technical type of anaesthesia that we used on her because of the peculiarity of her case. There are some conditions which do not favour some kinds of anaesthesia because some people suffer stroke on the table. That is why having the patient’s medical history before bringing them to the operation table is important. Hers was a very challenging case. She had to be examined thoroughly and all her results checked. We did not want a situation that she would be worse off after the surgery. We needed to select drugs that are cardio stable i.e. heart friendly, since she has a condition because whatever is giving her problems has affected her heart. She had hypertension. It was not an everyday or routine operation. She had to be well managed. We had to use cardio depressant agents too.
What were chances of survival when you wanted to do the surgery?
In our assessment or diagnosis, her case was an ASA4 which means she is a high risk kind of patient. This means her case was a 50/50 one. ASA is an acronym for American Society of Anesthetists which grading is used globally.
How many of such cases in patients of such age have you operated on?
None. But even with that we know how to handle them. She is quite young and she has suffered a stroke also the pathology, that is, the defective organ had not been removed. There was an urgent need for the surgery. It couldn’t have been delayed. I also need to commend the efforts of my team: the doctors and nurses that worked with me because I didn’t do it alone. They were all wonderful.
How many hours did she spend on the table?
The surgery was over an hour. Again, we have to commend the expertise of the paediatric surgeon because when a surgeon is skilful, he works faster. Elsewhere, the surgery might have lasted around four to five hours. The speed of the surgeon is also important because the longer a patient stays on the operation table, the more dangerous it is because complications may arise. But everything went well.
How much did it cost?
The least such a surgery would have is about N500,000. But because Randle is a government-owned hospital, treatment of children is heavily subsidised hence it cost about N30,000.
I don’t feel headache anymore — Miss Williams
How old are you?
I am six years old.
What happened to you?
I was very sick. I was feeling pains and I was always having headache. I used to have tummy pains. I was having chest pains too.
How do you feel now?
I am feeling better. I don’t have headache again. My chest is no longer paining me too.

Ebola outbreak in the West: Why some survive, some don't

Watch this videoThere's no cure for Ebola. So why have some patients walked away healthy while others in the West died?
Dr. Kent Brantly, Nancy Writebol and Dr. Rick Sacra all contracted the disease while working in Liberia -- and all survived.
Spanish nurse's aide Teresa Romero Ramos got the virus while tending to stricken patients. She too lived.
But like the patients above, Thomas Eric Duncan and Spanish priest Miguel Pajares also received treatment in the West. Yet they died.
While there might not be a single, conclusive answer, a series of factors may contribute to survival.
Early, high-quality treatment
This may be the most critical factor in beating Ebola.
The survivors in the United States all have one thing in common -- they were rushed to two of the country's four hospitals that have been preparing for years to treat a highly infectious disease such as Ebola.
Brantly and Writebol were successfully treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta; Sacra was released from the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Duncan didn't go to one of those four hospitals. He went to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas with a fever and told them he'd recently returned from Liberia. Yet the hospital initially sent him home with antibiotics.
Then, after he returned to the hospital much more ill, two nurses became sick with the virus. They have since been moved to more specialized facilities such as Emory and the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.
But that doesn't mean patients are doomed just because they go to a different hospital.
. "In West Africa, the mortality rates are above 60%. I think it is better in the United States. But they're not going to be zero, I think no matter where somebody is."
Quick rehydration
After finding a hospital capable of treating Ebola, those who survive are usually rehydrated quickly.
"The most important care of patients with Ebola is to manage their fluids and electrolytes, to make sure that they don't get dehydrated," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "And that requires some meticulous attention to detail and aggressive rehydration in many cases."

Man beats pregnant wife to death in Enugu

Nigeria police logo
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a man, Mr. Ozoemena Nwankwo, for allegedly beating his pregnant wife, Ndidi Nwankwo, to death.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, explained that the incident occurred around 10pm on October 17 at Nwankwo’s residence in Akpawfu village, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
According to the police, Nwankwo, who was described as a chronic wife-beater, beat up Ndidi, who was four months pregnant, until she lost consciousness.
The woman sustained a severe injury on her right leg during the beating.
It was learnt that the pregnant woman gave up the ghost after she was rushed to a nearby hospital.
It was learnt that Ndidi’s corpse had been deposited at Agbani General Hospital, while Nwankwo had been arrested.
The police spokesman said Nwankwo had expressed regrets over the development, saying he never thought his pregnant wife would die as a result of the beating.

Thursday, 16 October 2014

First Japan passenger jet in 4 decades rolling out


TOKYO (AP) — The first made in Japan passenger jet in four decades reaches a development milestone later this week.
A "rolling out" ceremony in Nagoya, central Japan on Saturday will unveil the long awaited Mitsubishi Regional Jet, or MRJ, a fuel-efficient lightweight carbon-fiber composite passenger plane.
Major Japanese machinery maker Mitsubishi Heavy Industries says the MRJ90 will seat 88 people, while the MRJ70 will seat 76, and the planned MRJ100X will have 100 seats.
The plane is billed as fuel-efficient, quiet and green, with a comfortable cabin of relatively wide seats and high ceilings.
The first flight is planned for the second quarter of next year, with test flights to follow totaling 2,500 hours, and the first deliveries are set for 2017.
MRJ has received 191 orders, from All Nippon Airways, Trans State Holdings, SkyWest, Air Mandalay and Eastern Air Line with 184 additional purchase options.
Japan Airlines announced in August it will buy 32 of the jets, with deliveries set for 2021, although the final deal has not yet been inked.    
The MRJ is Japan's first nationally funded, domestically manufactured passenger aircraft since the YS-11, a turboprop airplane that was discontinued in 1973.
Mitsubishi has struggled to obtain orders, and initially attracted almost no interest even though it approached dozens of potential customers.

Police arrests a 25-year-old generator repairer

The Nigeria Police have arrested a 25-year-old generator repairer, Amaneze Odunna, for allegedly stabbing one Sunny Nsuka with a screw driver and broken bottle in Lagos.

It was learned that the suspect allegedly stabbed the deceased in the neck, head and back, following a heated argument between the duo.

An eyewitness said: “After the victim returned from work, they discovered that his neighbour and other tenants were trying to fix their electricity which was faulty?

“He told them to be careful with the electrical connections they were carrying out because they aren’t officials of Eko Electricity Distribution Company.

“The suspect, Odunna, told him to keep quiet and mind his business or he would slap him. Suddeenly, they were engaged in a scuffle which later led to the suspect using the screw driver in his hand to stab the victim on his hand and back.”

The victim is, however, receiving treatment at a separate medical facility at Isolo where he was eventually taken.

It was gathered that the suspect who ran after stabbing the victim, had been arrested and the case is currently being investigated and would soon be charged to court.

Flying Bird turn into old woman in Oshodi

25-yr-old arrested for attempted murder

The Nigeria Police have arrested a 25-year-old generator repairer, Amaneze Odunna, for allegedly stabbing one Sunny Nsuka with a screw driver and broken bottle in Lagos.

It was learned that the suspect allegedly stabbed the deceased in the neck, head and back, following a heated argument between the duo.

An eyewitness said: “After the victim returned from work, they discovered that his neighbour and other tenants were trying to fix their electricity which was faulty?

“He told them to be careful with the electrical connections they were carrying out because they aren’t officials of Eko Electricity Distribution Company.

“The suspect, Odunna, told him to keep quiet and mind his business or he would slap him. Suddeenly, they were engaged in a scuffle which later led to the suspect using the screw driver in his hand to stab the victim on his hand and back.”

The victim is, however, receiving treatment at a separate medical facility at Isolo where he was eventually taken.

It was gathered that the suspect who ran after stabbing the victim, had been arrested and the case is currently being investigated and would soon be charged to court.

Monday, 13 October 2014

Abia govt owes me 3.5m pounds –Eze Ikonne

Eze Ikonne
 His Imperial Majesty, Eze Isaac Ajuonu Ikonne, Enyi 1 of Aba, as he is widely known, is one of the foremost traditional rulers in Abia State. Having ascended the throne over 40 years ago, Eze Ikonne, who is the former chairman of Abia State Traditional Rul­ers’ Council and ex-Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council of Ndi Eze, has seen it all, as a monarch.
In this interview, Eze Ikonne x-rayed Ni­geria at 54 and Abia State at 23 and gave his verdict on both. He also spoke on why he took the Abia State Government to court over a four million Pounds debt and why traditional rulers should not be involved in politics.
Excerpts:
Nigeria celebrated her 54th indepen­dence anniversary recently. Could you make comparison between now and the First Republic?
In the 60s, our political leaders led the coun­try with truth and the fear of God. There was no corruption, as we have it today. Although churches were not as many as they are today, crime was at its lowest ebb. By then, gov­ernment cared for the governed; whatever money that was earmarked for any project was judiciously utilised but the same can not be said of government of today. We do not know where they are coming from, as they no longer tell those they govern the truth. The present federal administration, I must tell you, is trying its best except in the South-east where much of what it had done has not been felt. This could be seen in all the federal roads in the South-east that are in bad condition. But elsewhere, the present government is trying more than pre­vious ones. To tell you the truth, President Goodluck Jonathan remains the best president Nigeria has had because of what he has been doing to transform the country.
However, I advise President Jonathan to cancel all the road contracts in the South-east given to non-performing contractors and give fresh contracts to those who would deliver because the South-east is lagging behind in so many areas. We deserve a better treatment because we love the president and will continue to support him. I know that roads in the South-east are bad but those in Abia are worse. So, I am appealing to President Jonathan with tears in my eyes to, as matter of urgency, come to the aid of Abia and Aba in particular because resi­dents can no longer access communities in their neighbouring states because of bad roads. I am not talking to the president only as a traditional ruler but as a statesman because I was among the two traditional rulers, who were picked from each state then when the foundation of Abuja was laid. The late HRH (Eze) Onu Egwunwoke and I were the only two traditional rulers, who represented old Imo State at the foundation laying ceremony.

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