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Economy

Only exporting countries  will benefit from AFCFTA–Expert

Agreement
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, Aug. 1, 2018 (NAN) Only exporting countries will benefit significantly from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA), a financial consultant, Mrs Lolade Adesola, has said.

Adesola told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  in Ibadan on Wednesday that the trade agreement was all about trade liberalisation and removal of customs duties for members of the African Union (AU).

“ What the agreement means is that Nigeria will shift her source of importation from Europe or Asia to African countries.

“When we import from African countries,  the country we import from will not pay custom duties.

“But if we import from the United Kingdom or China there will be payment of customs duties.

“ Not only are we just exchanging our source of import, we are now losing income because customs duties collectible from the British goods or Chinese goods will not be payable if we patronise African countries.

“The issue for us is to look at how well we are in doing in manufacturing and how well we are in terms of our pricing.

“Our pricing is very high in Nigeria as imported goods are cheaper than the locally produced ones.

“If the price is high,  we cannot tell the man in Kenya to import from Nigeria if he is going to get it at a cheaper price in Sudan or Egypt.

“So we need to look at our cost of production, our own value chain and what makes it  so expensive for us to produce goods in Nigeria, ” Adesola said

She commended the on-going consultations by the Federal Government with stakeholders such as labour  and the private sector on the agreement.

Adesola added that the trade agreement has many hurdles to cross before coming into effect in each country ’s national assembly in addition to approval by  the Heads of Government.

She maintained that Nigeria must boost its export if it must benefit from the agreement. (NAN)
IBK/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)

Economy

 Economy: Ex-banker urges Nigerians to patronise locally made goods 

Economy: Ex-banker urges Nigerians to patronise locally made goods 

Economy

Ibukun Emiola

Ibadan, July 28, 2018 (NAN) A former banker, Mr Raji Rasaki, on Saturday, called on Nigerians to patronise locally made goods so as to contribute their quota to the growth of the nation’s economy.

Rasaki made this call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

Rasaki stressed the need to encourage the private sector by consuming their products and discourage Nigerian graduates from relying on white collar jobs instead of self employment.

“The government should further discourage the consumption of foreign goods; because it is really killing our own local industries.

“It is when local industries are working that we can reduce the unemployment rate and those employed will contribute their quota to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he said.

Rasaki lauded the Nigerian Brewery for sourcing their raw materials locally, as it had encouraged some farmers to go into mechanised farming, knowing that the company would buy the produce at a good price.

“For instance, the rate at which rice is imported into the country has gone down drastically; with this our economy will improve gradually. It may not be at the expected rate but it will grow better and stronger,” he said.

Rasaki noted that there was the need to always pass the nation’s annual budget early in the year, as it has direct implication on economic growth and development.

“There is no way the economy can improve if the budget is passed at the middle of the year. What the government has been spending was what spilled over from the 2017 approved budget.

“Government is the largest spender of money and once the budget is not approved, there is a limit to how much government can spend,’’ he said. (NAN)

IBK/EOB/YEMI

Edited by Edith Bolokor/Yemi Idris-Aduloju

 

General news

Researchers  alert on  increasing premature deaths in Ibadan

Researchers
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, July 24, 2018  (NAN) A research conducted in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has alerted on the increasing cases of premature deaths in the city arising from everyday hazards.

The research, conducted by  Urban Africa Risk Knowledge (Urban Ark), was made public on Tuesday in Ibadan at a project dissemination meeting.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Urban ARK Ibadan is a three-year research and capacity building programme which seeks to open up and apply research and policy agenda for risk management in urban Sub-Sahara Africa.

The team leader of  Urban Ark Ibadan, Dr Ibidun Adelekan, said “everyday hazards and small disasters have significant cumulative impacts on urban population and it, therefore, requires as much attention as large disaster such as floods.’’

Adelekan noted that from the year 2000 to 2015,  different risks and small hazards including road traffic accidents, crime, violence and floods accounted for the largest number of premature deaths and injuries in Ibadan city based on their research findings.

“Key drivers of vulnerability to urban risks in Ibadan include city governance, inadequate public financing of social services, and regional planning and environmental development sectors.

“Others are inequality in access to infrastructure, basic social services, increasing urban poverty and unemployment,’’ the Urban Ark team leader said.

Adelekan said that the research relied on data from secondary sources including newspaper articles, hospital records and from the local government councils in the city.

She also highlighted some of the challenges in assessing records or data of disaster risks in Ibadan with the most important identified as data limitations.

According to Adelekan, data is either not available or incomplete such as non-continuous record keeping and inadequate data storage.

The Urban ARK team leader further stated that there are ripple effects associated with everyday hazards.

The don asserted that there was no targeted policy to prevent and reduce the impacts of natural and environmental hazards as well as physical and health risks in the city.

A team member,  Prof.  Ezebunwa Nwokocha, who spoke on institutional responses to disasters in Ibadan, said that population explosion without a city expansion frame work, lack of strict enforcement of building code among others were responsible for disasters in Ibadan.

“The best approach is to avoid acts capable of leading to disasters in the first place.

“It is also important to identify specific institutions charged with specific risk reduction responsibility in order to direct requests appropriately and communities must be educated.

“Building synergies between and among institutions and communities is critical for achieving quick responses to risks in Ibadan.

“Government should have the political will to address environmental issues frontally especially those that relate to disaster resulting from negligence as well as to ensure the channel of communication between institutions and neighbourhoods is fluid and open,” he said.

Another member of the team, Dr Femi Olaniyan, who spoke on the roles of local governments in disaster risk reduction, said that it was critical to re-position local governments for risk reduction activities.

“It is necessary to decentralise responsibilities and resources to local governments and give them the autonomy to manage disaster with minimal interference.

“This should provide them with the authority, responsibility and resources to make decisions and implement practical risk reduction actions.

“A policy that will ensure that community-based Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is institutionalised into local governance in Ibadan is necessary,” Olaniyan said.

He advocated for Local Emergency Management Agency (LEMA) at the local government level playing a central role in coordinating and sustaining the platform.

In his remarks, Alhaji Waheed Gbadamosi, the Director-General, Oyo State Bureau of Physical Planning and Development Control, said the bureau was ready to give necessary technical support to ensure implementation of the research outcome.

“The present state government is one that values knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas which are crucial to promoting sustainable development of the state by creating an environment that is safe, healthy, physically, efficient, aesthetically pleasing and economically viable for all and sundry.

“In the past six years the state has been giving priority attention to measures that would strengthen the various institutional structures aimed at risk reduction, preparedness, response and awareness,” he said.

Prof. Oyeronke Odunola, the Director,  Research Management Office, University of Ibadan, who represented the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, said the institution was poised to meet societal needs through research activities to bring long-lasting impact on the society through successful translation of the research output. (NAN)
IBK/AOS/OJO
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(Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Mufutau Ojo)

 

General news

Positively impact on children, NGO urges Nigerians

Children
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, July 1, 2018  (NAN) The initiator of  Blooms Development for Youth Foundation, Miss Tope Ajisebutu,  has urged Nigerians to impact positively on children by nurturing them early in childhood.

Ajisebutu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in  Ibadan that with the various challenges facing children in the country, parents, religious organisations and the society need to do more to protect them.

“Government should please invest more in children’s education; a lot of older people in the society lack self confidence and this can be traced to their warped foundation.

“All hands must be on deck to build virtues and good character in children through education and other innovative means, ” Ajisebutu said.

She said  societal  impediments  and the country’s economic challenges had been  preventing  parents from performing their responsibilities to their children.

‘’When I moved into Mokola area of Ibadan, I discovered that children on reaching  the age of puberty are either pregnant or  have become drug addicts.

“ Some of them dropped out of school while others resort to  vocational training.

‘’I then took it upon myself to correct some of these anomalies and this gave birth to Blooms Development for Youth Foundation  where we catch them young, identify their skills and talents as well as train them for excellence in life.

“We usually have quarterly programmes  which many of the children have benefited from  and it has changed the downward trajectory of this area because the foundation encourages them to aspire to  be the best in life, ” Ajisebutu said.

According to her, every child is great if well nurtured and the culture of good attributes and foresight  is instilled in them.

“We intend to impact on the lives of children in Mokola area through various training initiatives  that would  help them in self discovery, defence mechanism and other techniques to cope with stress and other challenges in life,” she said.

NAN reports that the foundation, which was inaugurated  on Oct.  28,  2017,  had since  been  holding   quarterly meetings where children are trained on vocational and life skills. (NAN)
IBK/AOS/OJO
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(Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Mufutau Ojo)

General news

(Audio) Arts, culture, entertainment sectors are goldmines for Nigeria — Expert

Economy

By Ibukun Emiola

Ibadan, April 10, 2018 (NAN) An arts expert, Mr Kayode Adebayo, has descibed  Nigeria’s arts, culture and entertainment sectors as goldmines for the country, if properly harnessed.

Adebayo, who is the Convener, Africa Music Festival and Cultural Expo (AMFEST), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Tuesday.

Cue in audio (Adebayo)

Adebayo’s audio

“We want to standardized the industries in Africa; Nigeria being a big player in that. So we feel Nigeria should be leader of the new economic movement that is supposed to happen to the Arts, the Culture and Entertainment industries in Africa.

“We want to bring all the professionals and practitioners together and then with the purpose of being able to export what we have here, especially in the area of content, in the area talent and in the area of skill.

“And being able to place Africa at a vantage point where investment can come to Africa from the international space and Africa can be looked at also from an out-sourcing point of view.”

Cue out audio

NAN reports that AMFEST Lagos 2018 Expo is scheduled for 2nd to 6th of July 2018; an initiative to attract foreign investors in Arts, Culture and Entertainment to Nigeria.

He stated that Africa’s Arts and Culture are unique and genuine as they have remained unadulterated or polluted by foreign cultures.

Adebayo, however, called on stakeholders in the sectors to work closely and diligently to harness the inherent potentials in the sectors.

“It is not about the government alone but about the industry itself; stakeholders in the industry waking up and understanding what potentials of the particular business ecosystem is and then coming together.

“It is by doing this that they can help guide the government to understand the economic viability and business opportunity. So the government in turn can bring in some level of policies and create enabling environment for it to thrive because we have the population.” He said.

The entertainment enthusiast also said AMFEST Expo 2018 is projecting an economic impact of about N3.2 billion; every participant, international and local industries will benefit directly or indirectly from the event.

“We are looking at people coming from 90 countries all over the globe; practitioners and professionals with the aim of business networking and exchange of ideas.” Adebayo said.

He however, called on other states in Nigeria to take a cue from Lagos state which is generating N12 billion every weekend from the entertainment sector. (NAN)

IBK/YEE

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Edited by Emmanuel Yashim

Environment

Audio: Expert calls for effective water resources management

Water
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, March 21, 2018, (NAN) Mr Charles Olumese, the National President, Nigerian Association of Hydrogeologists, has called for the effective management of water resources to curb diseases and reduce pollution.

Olumese made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday, ahead of the World Water Day, celebrated on March 22.

. Cue in Audio: (Olumese on Water)

“We should be conscious; more advocacy, more enlightenment, so that the little that the government has been able to do with the meagre resources available to it can be better utilised.

“Otherwise we are going to get to a crisis situation; what will happen is that you will have a situation where you have more water borne diseases.

“You are going to have a situation where you are not going to have enough food because there is no aspect of human life that does not require water.

“If we misuse the little we have, we are creating problems for tomorrow.”

. Cue out Audio

Olumese stressed the need to prioritise the value for water in Nigeria and educate the public on wastage and water pollution.

“Many of us do not know that wholesome water comes at a cost and there is a lot of wastage with attendant scarcity.

“We need to start from home to school and then the media should help in highlighting the dangers in the misuse of such vital resources.

“Look at our mechanic workshops, people discard batteries: car batteries, heavy duty batteries, acid, lead, just like that and lead poisoning is a killer any day.

“Look at our refuse disposal areas in our cities; you will discover that all those things that are deposited there, with time, shift down to the underground water and pollute it.

“In the oil industry we have pipelines being breeched on a daily basis; oil being spilled into water bodies and no effort is being made for remediation,” he said.

While commenting on Nigeria’s theme for the 2018 World Water Day: “Sustainable Water Resources Development in Nigeria: Meeting the Lake Chad Challenge”, the expert said prudent management would tackle the challenges of the lake. (NAN)
IBK/MUK/IS
Edited by Magdalene Ukuedojor/Ismail Abdulaziz

General news

NDLEA raises alarm over use of under-aged children in hard drug peddling

NDLEA raises alarm over use of under-aged children in hard drug peddling

Children

By Ibukun Emiola

Ibadan, March 15, 2018, (NAN) The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Oyo State Command, has raised alarm over the use of under-aged street children in the sale of hard drugs in the state.

Mrs Mutiat Okuwobi, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the command, raised the alarm in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ibadan.

Okuwobi said the trend had posed very serious danger to the state and called on parents not to allow their children turn into street urchins.

“In some areas you will find that street children are used to perpetrate sales of hard drugs; most of these children are under-aged.

“They don’t really start out by using the drugs but they help in selling it, especially marijuana or cannabis sativa. These children are supposed to be in school,” she said.

Okuwobi also decried the high rate of use of drugs among adults and adolescents in the state.

“The use of tramadol and cough syrup is trendy now; these are conventional drugs people use. It is mostly abused by youths. Some children also abuse these drugs.

“Children that take these drugs must have probably collected them from older persons as they cannot on their own buy them,” he said.

The PRO further said that few children had been arrested along with some youths abusing the conventional drugs in some bad joints.

She also said there had been some reported cases of secondary school students in the state who indulge in hard drugs.

“We have some secondary schools around our command office at Onireke where students are involved in hard drugs and the authorities do call us for intervention.

“We have counseled some students and there is the need for continuous sensitisation among the students and that is what we do generally to stop the menace.” Okuwobi said. (NAN)

IBK/MUYI/EMO
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Edited by Muhyideen Jimoh/Ejike Obeta

Health

Expert raises alarm on increased kidney disease in Nigerian women

Expert alerts on increased kidney disease in Nigerian women
NAN-HG-1
Kidney
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, March 7, 2018 (NAN) Dr Yemi Raji, a consultant Nephrologist, University College Hospital, Ibadan (UCHI), says untreated medical condition peculiar to women is the leading cause of increased Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Nigeria.
Raji disclosed this in an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday while speaking on the theme of the 2018 World Kidney Day, which is observed every second Thursday in the month of March.
He noted that the prevalence of kidney disease in Nigeria is about 20 to 30 per cent of the country’s population; saying most people has one form of kidney disease or the other.
According to him, it accounts for 10 per cent of all medical admission in most of our teaching hospitals; sadly most people are not aware they have kidney disease because it is still in the early stage.
NAN reports that the theme for the 2018 World Kidney Day is “Kidney and Women’s health: value, and empower’’, with the aim of sensitising the public on the need to enhance women’s kidney health.
Raji stressed that women were at a disadvantage in the family and the society at large when it comes to accessing quality healthcare on kidney health as opposed to their male counterpart.
“In most parts of the world, particularly in the developing world, women are at disadvantage in terms of how you diagnose kidney disease early, how you prevent it and how you treat it.
“So at every level there is disadvantage for kidney disease diagnosis, detection and prevention among women; that’s why this year is focusing on how that trend can change.
“And looking at women and also considering the fact that there are some conditions that are peculiar to women that could lead to kidney disease and how we can sensitise the whole world both women and men about those conditions that are related to women that can lead to kidney disease.”
The nephrologist however identified cancer of the womb (endometrial cancer and cervical cancer) as the causes of chronic kidney disease in women, adding that there are other non-cancer related causes like fibroid.
He further said chronic kidney disease cuts across men, women, children and adults; with causes such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Auto Immune Disease, which is mostly common among women.
Raji further explained that “cancer is linked to kidney disease because when people have cancer there is a swelling in their tummy which compresses on the pipe that brings water from the kidney to be passed out, this causes an obstruction thereby transmitting pressure on the kidney and that destroys the kidney.
“Other problems which are not cancer related happen when there is a swelling which compresses on the pipe that takes urine away from the kidney to the outside, this obstruct the free flow of urine which destroys the kidney.
“Any obstruction that blocks the pipe that takes urine out will always lead to kidney disease, this is called obstructive neuropathy,” he said.
The nephrologist however said one out of every four Nigerian has hypertension, while more than 50 per cent of them are not aware they do and so it continues to damage the organs of the body, including kidney, heart and eyes.
“Then recently we found out that HIV is also a common cause of kidney disease among the populace; in addition there are drugs people use; a lot of pain killers, all sorts of herbal concoction and herbal medication that people take also contribute to kidney disease.
“Then we have some rare diseases, the one called Auto Immune Disease where the individual starts destroying its own organ and tissue; its own kidney just on its own without anything, the body just starts fighting and destroying itself,” he said.
Raji urged Nigerians to do regular screening by checking their blood pressure, blood sugar level, urine and do regular exercise as well as reduce salt intake and eat healthy food as means of preventing kidney disease.
“When you notice any abnormal sign see the doctor rather than do self medication; every effort should be made to prevent kidney disease as the cost of treating it is enormous,” he said. (NAN)
IBK/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Economy

Audio: Don urges government to accelerate economic growth

NAN-H-89
Economy
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, March 1, 2018 (NAN) A don of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, on Thursday urged the Federal Government to use the improvement in the Nation’s economic index to accelerate development.

Adenikunju, who is the Director, Centre for Petroleum Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL) in the University, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan.

He was reacting to the recent record released by the National Bureau of Statistics that there an overall increase of 0.82 per cent in the economy in 2017.

Cue in Audio –

“It is an indication that the country is heading in the right direction; our economic activities are picking up gradually.

“But on the flip side of things is that the growth is anaemic, it’s still very low for a developing country with the kind of population that we have,

“With the level of unemployment that we have and poverty we expect that the economy will do much better than that especially when we are in a period where the price of oil has continued to trend positively which is our major commodity really major export.

“So ordinarily one will expect that the country will do better than that.”

—- Cue out audio

The economist who commended the growth in the economy however expressed mixed feelings at the performance of the economy since it exited recession.

He noted that though it has continued to be on the positive trajectory but there is the need for a faster pace.

Adenikinju further said the kind of growth rate experienced by Nigeria would have been fine if it were a developed country with a level of optimal capacity.

“We have to do more, I think the government has to do more to ensure that we can improve on the growth record of the country.

“With all of this growth, if you look at per capital income divide it by our population growth rate, it will show you that our real growth rate is actually negative.

“We are taking some basic steps but these are not major breakthrough that we want, they are not things that will actually elicit the kind of expansion that we need to mop up the huge unemployment in the economy or reduce poverty significantly.”

The professor of economics further highlighted ways to accelerate growth in the nation’s economy especially as the country is in its pre-election year.

“What we really need to do is to ensure that the issue of security and political uncertainties are tackled.

“These are really critical as they provide foundation for any meaningful economic development or for the economic plan of the government to take root.

“People must believe in the policies and must be willing to commit resources because it is the private sector that will eventually drive this growth.

“What the government has to do will be to continue to provide infrastructure; road, electricity, security and conducive environment for business to operate, these are really important.”

Adenikinju said diversification of the economy does not imply abandonment of crude oil, but efforts to refine the product in the country, stop gas flaring and allow private sector to drive the economy.

“Let private sector build refineries that will save us a lot of foreign exchange that is spent on importing the product into the country,” he said. (NAN)
IBK/LAB/IS
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Edited by Lydia Beshel/Ismail Abdulaziz

Environment

Mabogunje calls for proactive measures to mitigate effect of climate change in Nigeria

NAN-AE-1
Climate
By Ibukun Emiola
Ibadan, Feb. 28, 2018, (NAN) Prof. Akin Mabogunje, Nigeria’s first professor of Geography, says proactive measures are urgently needed to mitigate the effect of climate change in the country.

 

Mabogunje said this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday.
He said this while reacting to the warnings by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) on the harmattan and heat currently experienced across the country.

 

“Much of what has changed in the climate area is due to what human beings have done in the last 50 to 70 years because development has been so rapid. We are using things we shouldn’t use such as hydrocarbon.

 

“Then, we didn’t know what impact they were having, not only on the ozone layer, which is above us, but also on the whole weather situation.

 

“Now, our knowledge has improved, we know a lot about the coal we were burning, said Mabogunje, the first African to be awarded the Vautrin Lud Prize for Geography.

 

The professor, however, noted that it was not every country that was guilty of carbon emission.

 

“We in Nigeria are contributing to carbon emission because in the oil-producing areas, we are still flaring gas, unlike the developed countries where the contribution has to do with industrialisation,’’ he said.

 

He said that the consequences of carbon emission were not limited to the location where it was generated but they cut across the entire world.

 

“Some of the consequences have to do with delay in the arrival of certain weather conditions and increase in some of those weather output like rain.

 

“Suddenly, we are getting all these flash floods and so on, which we never used to have so frequently. Now, we are having them frequently.

 

“Desertification is expanding, so we are getting areas with more rainfall than they used to have and areas with less rainfall than they used to have,’’ he said.

 

Besides, Mabogunje warned that Nigeria had to be careful about how it exploited its water resources.

 

“We should be cautious about how we manage our rivers and other water sources,’’ he added. (NAN)
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Edited by Bayo Sekoni and Dayo Komolafe