Lagos, April 2, 2020 (NAN) The Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) on Thursday advised Nigerian youths to make good use of the COVID-19 lockdown period by engaging in self-development activities.
Its Youth Focal Point, Nigeria, Ms Bless-me Ajani, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Ajani also advised them that rather than engaging in unprotected and avoidable sexual activities, they should be responsible in their Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) habits and be positively occupied while inside their houses.
According to her, though, the social distancing policy, which is the only reasonable thing to do at this time, involved closing down of schools and other places, it is making many people to be idle.
“Consequently, adolescent girls and vulnerable women may end up in various compromising situations, hence, the need to deploy measures to avoid them.
“As young people, we should endeavour to make good use of this period by engaging in productive self-development activities such as reading a book, trying out new hobbies, digital skills or even documenting your social distancing experience.
“You will be amazed how your writing skill would have improved by the end of this period,’’ she said.
Ajani advised young people to endeavour to practise abstinence at this time and where they could not, they should get handy condoms and emergency contraceptives.
“It is crucial that we all take responsibilities for our sexual needs during this time,” she said.
According to her, the reality is, this is not a good time to have unplanned pregnancies.
“Because the pressure of the pandemic on the health system will affect and disrupt routine SRH services including family planning, ante-natal services, post-abortion café services and immunisation services,” she said.
Ajani urged government agencies and parastatals to educate the public the implications of perpetrating sexual, domestic and gender-based violence during this time. (NAN)
By Uchediunor Augusta
Lagos, March 26, 2020 (NAN) The Herbs Sellers Association of Nigeria (HSAN) in Lagos State says the rush for Laganaria Breviflorus, locally known as “Tagairi”, and Neem or Azadirachta Indica, locally known as “Dogoyaro” leaves, has increased since the incidence of Coronavirus in the country.
Alhaja Modinat Fasuyi-Onike, HSAN Chairman in Alade Market, Shomolu and Financial Secretary, Elewe Omo Herbs Sellers Association of Nigeria, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.
Fasuyi-Onike said: “We gathered from the people that someone posted on the social media the effectiveness of ‘tagiri’ , as it is believed that when thrown on the floor prevents the spread of any virus like measles and chicken pox.
“Also, that the Dogoyaro plant is used in the cure for malaria.
“So, the demand is higher now as we have seen in our markets.
“I think the demand for Dogoyaro is on the increase because to us, it is an alternative to the Chloroquine tablets, and since it is said that the symptoms of COVID-19 include high fever similar to those of malaria, people are rushing Dogoyaro”
She told NAN that the association, however, condemned the use of the herbs as a cure for COVID-19 yet without adequate scientific or medical research proof.
She urged citizens to wait till authoritative confirmation are made on the cure for COVID-19 by relevant authorities before linking the leaves as cure to the disease.
However, she affirmed that there were no side effects to using Dogoyaro plant and tagiri, especially in the treatment of malaria.
Fasuyi-Onike advised Nigerians to pay attention to government advice by adopting good hygiene in curbing the spread of COVID-19. (NAN)
ANU/VIV/WOJ
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Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Wale Ojetimi
Renal Dialysis Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, takes kidney health advocacy to the streets of Lagos, March 18, 2020 (NAN)
Lagos, March 18, 2020 (NAN) Some stakeholders on Wednesday called for urgent measures to reduce fatality rates arising from chronic kidney disease and other kidney diseases and suggested ways to tackle the increasing cost of managing it.
The stakeholders, pulled together by the Renal Dialysis Centre in Lagos, said that most times, in our own environment, only less than five per cent of patients were able to sustain the disease for longer than three months.
Some participants at a Stakeholders Meeting on Kidney Health by the Renal Dialysis Centre, Ikeja, Lagos. (NAN)
The forum was part of the centre’s activities to mark the 2020 World Kidney Day celebrated annually on the second Thursday in March.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Chronic kidney disease, also called chronic kidney failure, refers to the gradual loss of kidney function including filtering of wastes and excess fluids from the blood.
Dialysis is a treatment that performs the function of the kidneys when they failed through filtering and purifying of the blood using a machine.
Dr John Okoh, the Medical Director/Chief Executive Officer Renal Dialysis Centre, Ikeja, said there was need to ensure local production of some of the reagents used for dialysis to make it affordable.
“We have realised that the menace of kidney diseases affects people greatly, and it is a challenge that needs to be tackled head on.
“There has to be increased funding for dialysis as well as transplants.
“Also, the government has to reduce tariffs and duties on some of these medical products.’’
Okoh also advised citizens on the need for regular medical checkups and importance of adopting healthy lifestyles.
Also, Fatiu Arogundade, a Professor of Medicine and Consultant Physician / Nephrologist at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, said: “Dialysis costs are very expensive worldwide, the costs are insurmountable.
“No individual can cope with it. In our own environment, less than five per cent of our patients are able to sustain the disease for longer than three months, meaning that majority of them died.
“And those that do not die, most are rich enough to sustain it beyond that period. Based on this, what we need is prevention.
“However, one major thing that we need is to be able to reduce the costs.’’
Arogundade, also President, Nigerian Association of Nephrologist, said that consumables for dialysis should be produced locally.
“ Once we import the machines, we can then produce all the consumables that we need locally. So, you won’t need to be importing everything that you need, but the machine could be imported.
“I also know of countries that do not import machines. A country like Egypt, they bring all the components of the machine to Egypt, assemble it and produce them in Egypt.
“This also significantly brings down the cost, because you are not bringing in the finished product, and when we do that, it will bring the much needed employment too.
“For the consumables, majority of them are water-based, pharmaceutical compounds with water in one form or the other.
“So, the compounding can be done in Nigeria, if we go in partnership with some of the established companies to produce them.
“Then, we won’t have to be paying huge tariffs on all these and the cost can be significantly reduced,’’ he said.
Also, Ms Jide Ndili, the Country Director Nigeria, PharmaAccess Foundation, made a case for basic healthcare services through insurance.
“ By the time you have access to healthcare services, you can even go for your checkups, and we catch it earlier.
“ It’s cheaper you don’t have to go all the way to the chronic ailment,’’ Ndili said.
She also said there was need to improve the quality of healthcare services, infrastructure, equipment as well as people and processes.
Contributing, Ayo Grillo, Executive Director of PPC Integrated Systems (PPC), said that technology has a great role to play in the nation’s health sector.
According to him, there is need for up to date equipment to be in our health facilities.
“Government needs to strengthen enforcement in the borders to stall substandard goods from coming into the country,’’ Grillo said.
He also advised that public-private partnership (PPP) model could help address the challenges in the nation’s health sector.
In his remarks, Tope Adeniyi of AXA Mansard, advised that Nigerians should embrace health insurance while they are still healthy as a way out of bottlenecks when health challenges present itself.
“Let everybody enter into health insurance pool, whether privately or in a large group or in a group of employment or whatever, or top up insurance, while you are still feeling healthy.
“That way, by the time certain issues come up, you are able to access care without having to subject yourself to private insurance,’’ Adeniyi said. (NAN)
Lagos council boss urges community leaders to encourage people to donate blood
By Uchediunor Augusta
Lagos, March 18, 2020 (NAN) Mrs Rashidat Essien, Chairman, Lagos Mainland Local Government, on Wednesday called on community leaders to sensitise their people on the need to voluntarily donate blood to blood banks in government hospitals.
Essien spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at a Three-Day Stakeholders Meeting on Voluntary Blood Donation organised by World Health Organisation (WHO) and Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS), held at the council’s hall.
According to her, community leaders are closer to the grassroots, they know the people better and can reach them faster.
The council chairperson said that donating blood voluntarily had benefits and called for urgent reorientation on misconception that blood donation could affect their health negatively.
According to her, youths between the ages of 18 and 45 should be encouraged to voluntarily donate blood rather than waste their blood in communal clashes.
“Blood donation is good for our health, it keeps one looking young and fresh.
“I voluntarily donate blood whenever the need arises and you can see how youthful and healthy l look at my age.
“Also, blood donation, among other factors, reduces the risk of cancer and damage to livers and pancreas, according to studies,’’ she said.
Earlier, the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service (LSBTS) said that donating blood freely had healthy benefits to the donor while a shortage of blood in the bank could result to casualties in emergency situations.
According to Dr Bodunrin Osikomaiya, LSBTS Executive Secretary LSBTS, blood is needed because the repercussions of not having blood in the blood bank are dire.
“If somebody needs blood and there is no blood in the blood bank, the person will die, so we must try to donate blood freely without any form of coercion.’’
On the advantages, she said: “There are many advantages for donating blood.
“One will be healthy, tested, you will not run the risk of having cancer; above all, you are saving a life and the life you are saving might be yours.
“Nobody prays to use blood but it cannot be avoided in some circumstances,’’ she said.
Consequently, she advised citizens to willingly donate blood. (NAN)
Gender equality: Academics task women on increased participation in governance, others
By Augusta Uchediunor/ Michael Ajayi
Lagos, March 10, 2020 (NAN) Some female academics have advised women to arise and increase their participation in governance and other spheres of life.
They spoke in Lagos on Tuesday at a CSO-Media Roundtable in commemoration of the 2020 International Women’s Day.
The event was organised by the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN) in collaboration with First Future Leadership.
It had the theme: “ Twenty-Five Years Post Fourth World Conference On Women: Where is Nigeria? Which Way Forward?
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the objective of the discussion was to review where Nigeria is in the quest for gender equality since the Beijing Platform for Action was conceived 25 years ago.
Mojubaola Okome, a Professor of Political Science, African and Women Studies, Brooklyn College, U.S., said that the Sustainable Development Goal Five – achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls – could only be realised if women would become more involved in governance.
She urged governments to create enabling environments to encourage such involvement.
“Nigeria with six per cent women participation in national legislature is going backwards unlike Rwanda with over 60 per cent; so, let us prioritise women’s rights,’’ she said.
According to her, the essence of signing international treaties is for governments to be committed.
“We are going to hold them accountable by asking them to do what they have promised by making a constitution-based argument to invoke it and it should be practised.’’
She added that creation of a broad coalition of women’s rights organisations would help Nigeria to make the needed progress.
“We are fighting against discrimination of women, saying that there must be equity in access to political office.
“Also, we are saying that hunger is a problem, we want to make sure that we have an inclusive society where we don’t worry about shelter, security and how to pay children’s school fees.
“We must also take them on board because once we reduce poverty and reduce barriers to access to the basic social needs, we can motivate them and work together in accomplishing gender equality,” she said.
She said that the economy should not be for only the wealthy and well-connected.
Okome said that people, especially women, needed access to decent jobs.
Also, Ms Asikia Karibi-Whyte of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, University of Lagos, said that the way forward for increased women participation in governance was no longer by negotiation.
“ If we continue to wait turn-by-turn, we will never get there because power is not given willingly.
“Wresting that power is not just by coming to a gathering, by getting encouraged but by getting involved in political process, leadership positions and investing in companies,’’ she said.
Karibi-Whyte said that women required for governance must be servant-leaders with vision and missions – “those who will make sure that they work together with other women as sisters to deliver to their full capacities”.
“I have found that women do really have a voice because I grew up knowing my grandmother; she was one of the four women in Ibadan who the Olubadan then would listen to.
“Then my grandfather who I never met (he died in 1963) left a lot of property – land, clothes – and my mother happened to inherit a land – over 1,000 acres – that had cocoa and kolanut,’’ she said.
Dr Adetoun Ilumoka, a campaigner for social justice, gender equality and equity, said that Nigeria still needed to do more in education to move forward.
Ilumoka said that education and information had impacts on domestic violence and violence in general.
“Education is contacts and relationships with other women to be able to see what their lives are like so that you can challenge your particular situation in life.
“When you are exposed to information, when you are educated, you are more likely to challenge an unjust domestic situation you found yourself in, and to try and find ways out,’’ Ilumoka said. (NAN)
MA/ANU/VIV/IGO
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Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Ijeoma Popoola
Lagos, Feb. 28, 2020 (NAN) Child marriage and pregnancy are high factors that affect girls from attaining their educational right, which is Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN.
Prof. Abiola Odewole, a Consultant of Paediatrics Endocrinology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and a Professor at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said this in Lagos.
She spoke at the second symposium of the Committee for the Special Thematic Working Group on Maternal, Neonatal, Children and Women`s Health, UI Research Foundation , in Lagos on Friday.
It had its theme as: “Adolescent Health and Education’’.
According to Odewole, the possibility of an adolescent girl with pregnancy going back to school is low.
“ Adolescent pregnancy is high risk for the mother and child because these are the things that disrupt a child from attaining that educational right.
“When a girl gets pregnant, the possibility that the child will go back to school is very low.
“Approximately 3.9 million girls undergo unsafe abortions and half of the pregnancies in persons above 15 years and years 19 years of age in developing regions, are estimated to be unwanted because that right to education has been lost.’’
She added that such actions usually exposed the girls to infections and they become vulnerable because they had missed the information they should have got while in school.
According to her, government and the National Assembly should promulgate laws with stiffer fines for violators of girls and children, that will protect girls and children.
“They should give a stronger fine because the fine given out doesn’t make much impact.
“But if you rape an underage child, you’re made to serve 10 years, I think it will be a deterrent to people not to just pay N20,000 or something to the child.
“Ensure that this girl child that you’ had raped goes to school after delivery and you pay for her education to whatever level she wants to go.
“By the time they promulgate such penalty, a lot of men will think twice before actually doing things like that,’’ she said.
Also, Ayoade Oduola, Director , University of Ibadan Research Foundation, said that the symposium was organised to get inputs from stakeholders.
He listed them as the young people from secondary schools, older people and decision makers to make progress and save lives of children.
Oduola, however, said that observing rights of children required the concerted efforts of everyone.
“We cannot have a university sitting on one side, policy makers on one side and the community on another side.
“So, the idea for this strategic working group is to bring everybody together to look at what we are doing right, what we need to do better and how we can progress.
“This is so that these people who represent the future of our nation will have good education, health and access to support that will make them successful.’’
He added that if the children were well groomed, by the time they are in position of leadership, they will be prepared and be committed not only to the nation but also to themselves to be successful.
Also, Prof. Babatunde Salako, Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research ( NIMR), said that the University of Ibadan Research Foundation, UNICEF and NIMR jointly organised the symposium.
He said this was because everybody was aware that the youth are the future of tomorrow.
Salako described the adolescence as the period between childhood and adulthood where children face many changes.
“It is really a formative period for thi group of people, a period when they are exposed to a lot of risks, where they get some freedom at school and they don’t know how to use it.
“They are supposed to know about their rights from the government, parents and their religious circles so that they can have a voice in decisions made on their behalf,’’ he said.
He, however, said that the stage of adolescence is a period where children could not be left alone as they would need parents and teachers to be closer to them.
“They need parents and teachers to listen to them and discuss their issues so that they will be able to prepare for eventualities in relation to their growth within that period,’’ he advised.(NAN)
