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Health

Midwifery School withdraws 50 students

Midwifery School withdraws 50 students
By Mercy Osajiugo‎
Rustication
Minna, April 11, 2018 (NAN) The School of Midwifery in Minna, Niger, has rusticated 50 students during the 2016/2017 session as a result of academic incompetence. ‎
‎The Provost of the school, Mrs Aisha Maikudi, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday. ‎
‎She ‎said the students were withdrawn because they were not academically competent to cope with the academic and professional standard of the institution.
‎Maikudi however noted that the action did not go down well with some parents and guardians ‎as they claimed that their wards finished from the best schools in the country.
‎“We want parents, guardians and the general public to understand that we cannot cope with incompetence in the midwifery profession‎ as that will be catastrophic.
‎“Many a time they bombard us with different questions on why should we admit students and withdraw them within a short time.‎
‎“It is a situation we cannot help, it is better that we keep complaining that we do not have midwives than to have midwives that do not know their jobs.
“Some of them that were withdrawn could not even read temperature how can we keep such students, that would be against the ethics of midwifery profession and humanity will not forgive us.
‎‎“We want the general public to understand that midwifery school is a professional training institution‎ and we are dealing with lives.
“Pregnant women can be carrying multiple pregnancies, any mistake will be multiple tragedy.
“That is why we will not compromise in our standard by keeping students that are not competent,’’ she said.
The provost said that the internal screening of students by withdrawing the incompetent ones had helped the school in achieving a success rate of 98 and 100 per cent, respectively.
“As I speak with you 51 students that were presented for the external examination 50 passed, and 21 students that were also presented for the same examination all passed.
She however said that the measure they were taking to withdraw incompetent students had helped a lot in charting a better part for the students, school and the state.
According to her, mass failure at the external examination will have been catastrophic for the school and the state but for the internal screening via the internal examination.
‎Maikudi therefore called on parents and guardians to believe in the measure they were taking as they had to go by standard via examination to sanitise the system.
She also urged parents and guardians to encourage their children and wards not to compromise their studies, saying that their bright future lies in education. (NAN)
MNO/GOM/MST
Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

‎Minna General Hospital records 97 eye patients in Q1

‎‎Minna General Hospital records 97 eye patients in Q1
By Mercy Osajiugo‎‎
Eye
Minna, April 7, 2018 (NAN) Dr Isah Jibril, the Medical Director of Minna General Hospital, Niger, says the facility has recorded 97 eye patients in the first quarter of 2018.‎
Jibril, who is an Ophthalmologist, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna.
‎He said that out of the 97 eye patients who ‎came for routine checks, 44 were males while 57 were females.
‎He also confirmed that out of the figure, one had an eye repair, while six had cataract operation to correct their impaired vision.
‎“Cataracts are degenerative condition, it is the clouding‎ of the lens of the eye and this happens when the lens loses flexibility.
“Cataracts does not help vision to improve but rather deteriorate vision, untreated cataracts result to vision loss,‎” he said.
According to him, cataracts could deteriorate vision completely, ‎adding that it is a major cause of blindness.
“Many are usually anxious about the operation, this is not a surgery to worry about as 15 to 20 minutes surgery will redeem that eye,” he said.
Jibril said that cataract interferes with people being active and productive in their daily routine.
“Cataracts tend to prevent one from reading books, watching television and other daily routines’’, saying that early cataract surgery will ensure more years of clearer vision.‎
‎He urged adults from 20 to 65 to always go for routine eye examination for healthy eye care, saying that routine eye examination will reduce eye disease.
“While in a routine eye check, patients with degenerating eye disease such as glaucoma are earlier detected and treatment to slow it down is commenced,” he said.‎
‎Jibril advised the general public to take advantage of the modern equipment in the hospital to have their eyes checked periodically. (NAN)
MNO/AIJ/MST
Edited by Abigael Joshua/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

NGO offers free breast, cervical cancer screening in Minna ‎

NGO offers free breast, cervical cancer screening in Minna ‎
NAN-H-‎19
Screening‎
By Mercy Osajiugo‎
Minna, Oct. 28, 2017 (NAN) Raise‎ Foundation, an NGO, says it provided free cervical and breast cancer screening to 617 females at the Kure Ultra Modern Market in  Minna, Niger.

The Cen‎tre Manager of the foundation, Ms Maureen Chawa, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Minna.‎

Chawa said that the number of women that turned up for the three-day screening was encouraging.‎

‎“We screened 381 females for breast cancer, 16 had lumps in their breast while all the 236 screened for cervical cancer had a negative result of Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA),” she said.‎

Chawa said that the turnout was relatively impressive but that she expected more women to take advantage of the free exercise.

“I was expecting a good turnout ‎because it was a free exercise, but the reverse was the case as many of them were busy in selling and buying‎ in the market.

“In spite of the fact that the exercise was brought down to the Primary Healthcare Centre in the market place they remained busy with their trade,” she said.

She explained that the beneficiaries that came for the screening were in the age range of 16 to 70 years.

‎Chawa advised women to pay more attention to their health before any other thing.

“I had expected that all the women traders who spend all their time in the market would have taken advantage of the exercise and avail themselves that free exercise.‎”

She explained that it was only when one has a good health that all opportunities can be maximally explored‎, adding that early detection of the ailment saves life and brings the situation under control.

Hajia Hadiza Yusuf, a Matron with the foundation, called on women from puberty to adulthood to take advantage of breast cancer screening.‎

“Cervical testing should not be undermined as‎ early detection will help nip cancer in the bud.

“It is safer, cheaper if it is dictated early but if it is already advanced we cannot treat it here,” she said‎.

She said that those that had lumps would be booked for surgery by the foundation.

She however referred those that could not be screened to locate them at their centre in Minna for the screening.‎‎‎ ‎

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was the pet project of the Wife of Niger governor, ‎Dr Amina Bello. (NAN)
MNO‎/JPE/MST
Edited by Joseph Edeh/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

08034895018

Judiciary

3 docked over illegal road block in Minna

3 docked over illegal road block in Minna

NAN-H-8

Arraignment

By Ameen Gijira

Minna, April 21, 2017 (NAN) Three persons on Friday appeared before a Minna Magistrate’s Court for allegedly mounting an illegal road block.

The accused are Abubakar Mohammed, 25; Masaud Babangida, 45, and Abubakar Mohammed, 38.

They are being tried on a four-count charge of conspiracy, extortion, obstruction in public way or line of navigation and failure to give information to public servant.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Emmanuel Danladi, told the court that police operatives arrested and brought the accused persons to the station on April 20.

Danladi alleged the accused had mounted a road block along Kuta road by Central garage junction in Minna and extorted money from motorists under the pretext of issuing Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association tickets.

He ‎ said the offences contravened sections 97, 293, 197 and 138 of the Penal Code Law.

However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate,‎ Mr Mohammed Hassan, granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 each.

He also ordered that they must each produce a surety in like sum, adding that the sureties must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

Hassan adjourned the case till May 18, for further mention.

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, recently ordered for the dismantling of all illegal road blocks in the country. (NAN)

AMEN/KOO/MST

Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Education

GSS Minna now Rev. Fr O’Connell College – NGSG

NAN-H-13

Renaming

By Aminu Ahmed Garko

Minna, March. 25, 2017( NAN) The Niger State Government announced on Saturday that the Government Secondary School, Minna had been renamed Father O’Connell College, Minna.

Deputy Governor Ahmed Kesto, who announced the change in Minna, said that the gesture was to honour Rev. Fr Jeremiah O’Connell, from Ireland, who served as a missionary and a teacher in Minna, for 55 years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Kesto spoke at a reception for the priest, who retired this month, after serving as the principal of the school for 50 years.

The priest, who arrived Minna in 1962, worked as a missionary for five years before becoming the principal of the school in 1967.

Kestu commended O’Connell’s commitment to the educational growth of Niger and Nigeria, and tasked teachers and management of the school to sustain his legacies and the the reputation the school was was known for.

“The main challenge here is for you to introduce educational programmes that will even surpass what you have met in the school,” he said.

Speaking earlier, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, who chaired the occasion, commended the state government for naming the college after its longest serving principal.

He described O’Connell as “a God fearing man, who has dedicated his life to the service of humanity”.

“The selfless service rendered by O’Connell has produced qualitative leaders that have contributed to the growth of Niger and Nigeria.

“A lot of us see him as a God-sent servant to the people of Niger.

“I have known him since 1968 as a committed missionary and a teacher, when I was a Deputy Chief Inspector of Education in the North-Western state; we took to liking each at first sight and our relationship has remained intact,” he said.

He said that O’Connel had proved to be “a very accommodating priest and a man of integrity, who never showed any discrimination along religious lines”.

In his remarks, Alhaji Zubairu Dada, a former student, challenged his colleagues to donate to the Rev. Fr O’Connell Foundation set up to assist brilliant students without the wherewithal to sponsor themselves to further schools.

He promised that the Foundation would reconstruct the school library and provide adequate books to add value to educational growth.

Speaking earlier, Mr Godwin Ahituabe,  president of the school’s old students association, pledged the association’s readiness to support government’s efforts to provide more facilities to the college .

O’Connell, in a brief remark, thanked the state government for the honour and promised to continue to pray for the school.

“ I will continue to put you in prayers for God’s guidance and protection,” he said . (NAN)
AAG/ETS

Edited by Ephraims Sheyin