It is no longer news that actresses, Ibinabo Fiberesima and Clarion Chukwura, are not in good terms. The two have been throwing jabs at each other for some time now. Recently, Clarion berated Ibinabo who is the Actor’s Guild of Nigeria (AGN)

Ibinabo and Clarion

president for paying a courtesy visit to the President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, at Aso Rock.

Clarion Chukwura described the visit as uncalled for, adding that it was not in the best interest of the industry. According to Chukwura, AGN is not the guild that represents the English movie actors, the Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTAP) and Kannywood. This statement has continued to attract comments from other moviemakers.

Clarion’s statement reads:  “I read with dismay the address of president of AGN, Miss Ibinabo Fiberisima, during her recent visit with some notable actors and AGN officials to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. It is alarming to discover from this address, the false claims by Ibinabo that the Actors Guild of Nigeria is the only umbrella body of Nigerian screen actors; that President Goodluck Jonathan has by the “constant release of funds” effected a sustained development of the Nigerian movie industry since the inception of his administration; that an AGN Secretariat located in Abuja and political appointments for actors would advance the welfare of the Nigerian screen actors. It is not surprising that Ibinabo would display such a lack of knowledge of what advances screen actors professionally in the developed world since she has not functioned consistently as an actor and has less than 10 titles to her credit in a career spanning from the late eighties.”

Chukwura did not also spare other actors who accompanied Ibinabo on the presidential visit. “They watched in compliance, the denigration of the integrity of Nigerian screen actors, as she read her requests literally begging for crumbs from the President’s table,” she said.

For Chukwura, AGN was not established as a platform to canvass for political appointments or pursue selfish interests. She, therefore, called for Ibinabo’s resignation as AGN president. “For her brazen use of a guild created to serve the creative interests of a group to gain political appointment while in office. I enjoin her to follow the respectable road of her predecessors by joining the PDP and testing the real value of her self-earned popularity as an actress for political appointment,” she said.

During the week, Ibinabo finally ended her silence. In a statement addressed to Clarion Chukwura, and copied to Box Office, Ibinabo respectfully referred to Clarion as her senior colleague who has got it all wrong. She started by explaining why she kept silent all along, saying;  “I was away on a short vacation when my attention was drawn to two publications credited to your very respected self, where you cast a lot of aspersions on me and where you resorted, because of your inordinate ambition to become president of the guild, to feeding the general public with deceit and falsehood. Ordinarily, I would not have replied you openly because I personally do not join issues with my colleagues, whether junior or senior, on the pages of the newspapers or on social media. Besides, as president, I should be seen to be uniting members of the guild and not causing disaffection, as your unfortunate outburst set out to do.”

She faulted Clarion for quoting her wrongly. “Madam, I gleaned from your incoherent attacks that your grouse with me was that I didn’t ask President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for support on issue of legislation that, quoting you now “could bring all the screen actors in Nigeria under one single body so that an enabling environment could be put in place to create jobs for actors. Your other grouse was that I also asked for ‘a political appointment’ and a national secretariat in Abuja. You were also bellyaching because you said I led a delegation that didn’t include veterans. But Madam, I am not sure you listened to my address to Mr. President. You mischievously picked one aspect of the entire address that you wanted to use to score your cheap political points and left out the thrust of my address to Mr. President.

She said: “For the purpose of clarity, I don’t know whether those who reported the visit to you told you that I mentioned to Mr. President in clear terms that my ultimate objective as president of the guild is to deliver better professional and financial opportunities for my members, provide for their long-term welfare (as the acting career can be a precarious one), source support in the areas of finance, funding, provision of standard production equipment for use by our members and corresponding training facilities and also improve the livelihoods of our actors whilst making the future of our industry more sustainable.”

Clarion had in her speech berated Ibinabo for asking the President to build a headquarters for AGN in Abuja. But Ibinabo says there is nothing wrong with that, saying; “I raised all of these issues in my speech. But you didn’t even acknowledged them, instead you gave the impression that all I went to the villa to do was to ask for an office for the guild and to ask to be given a political appointment. And I ask, what is wrong in asking for an office for the guild in the country’s capital territory? As an affiliate of the Federation of International Actors (FIA), wouldn’t it be prestigious to receive our international visitors in a befitting secretariat that is at the seat of government?

“I understand the point you make about my not taking ‘veterans’ on the delegation. Oh! you wanted to be on the delegation, right? But how can you possibly be on the delegation when you have blatantly refused to identify with the guild. My Exco and I and even the Board of Trustees, have tried as much as we can to get those of you in the veteran class involved in the activities of the guild. We created a veteran forum since some of you complained that you would not like to be holding meetings with those some of you consider ‘up starts’ and ‘interlopers’ but each time we call a meeting, either directly or indirectly, only very few people show up. But we won’t relent. We shall continue to reach out to those of you in that class and I make bold to say that some veterans were part of the delegation to the Villa.

“And to correct you, ma, I didn’t ask Mr. President for ‘a political appointment’ as you have been mouthing. I thanked Mr. President for the few consideration he has made in appointing some practitioners into key government positions and requested for more of such appointments in line with our expressed desire to have more of our creative people in government and in politics so we can have people to influence legislation that will benefit the industry. I have attended meetings where most people in government think that all we are good for is beauty and glamour and no brain. So, what is wrong in asking that our members be given an opportunity to contribute to national development? What is wrong in asking that someone as experienced as you head an agency like the Film Corporation so that you can bring about the change we desire?”

Ibinabo said she would not resign as AGN president as Clarion has requested. Clarion had pointed out that Ibinabo receiving a political appointment from President Goodluck dictates that she must resign. Ibinabo continued: “You also asked that I resign my appointment as President of the AGN because Mr. President graciously appointed me to serve on the Governing Board of the National Council of Arts and Culture (NCAC). Well, it may interest you to note that the appointment was in my personal capacity and it is a part-time appointment as we are only expected to sit four times in a year, maximum. However, It was only a coincidence that the appointment was announced days after the visit to the villa. But I had been intimated long before the inauguration of the board that I have been nominated to serve on the board of one of the agencies in the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism. If the other artistes that have been appointed on merit into part-time positions have not stopped acting as it were, why should I resign? AGN is governed by a constitution and not by verbal pronouncements. My appointment is rather another achievement for our Industry.”

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By Aramide Oikelome Snr Correspondent, Lagos

Christian groups in Lagos, comprising of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),  Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Christ Living Apostolic Ministries (CTEM), and others, have mobilised their followers to lead a protest march in demanding the release of the abducted school girls in Borno State by the Boko Haram Islamic sect.

They have called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts towards the release of the abducted schoolgirls.

Addressing participants at the rally, which commenced with prayers at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja, the group, was received by the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was moved by the compassion, which drew the large turnout to his office.

According to the governor, “there is a lot to be said about the sense of compassion that has stirred the mobilisation of this rally today”, assuring that “as we unite against the disappearance of the girls from their hostels, this move can be our most defining moment and a thing that can further unite us a people.”

The governor did not fail to assure the crowd of his commitment to an indivisible Nigeria.

According to him, “It is my wish that the spirit of brotherhood continues. Every nation discovers itself in times like this and it will be so good if we work towards what unites us, rather than that which divides us.”

Fashola also enjoined parents to be close to their children and be conscious of who they entrust their young ones to.

As he put it: “I like to use this opportunity to appeal to you. While we do everything to protect you, we can’t be in every home, no matter how much we want to be.

“We must be conscious of who we entrust our children to, we must be vigilant. I went to school in the midst of the civil war.

“Have you told your children not to follow strangers, and have you told them in their schools when you will come for them? This is where it becomes your responsibilities”.

He therefore enjoined Nigerians, especially residents of Lagos, to unite the same way they stand against the abduction of the school girls, against crimes in the society.

“The same way we come together for these girls is the same way we should be against criminals. I am sure, for the terrorists, the game is up,” he assured.

The prayer rally, which began at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja, culminated at the same chapel where prayers were said by Christian leaders towards an end of terrorism in Nigeria.

One of the facilitators of the prayer rally and pastor in charge of Christ Living Apostolic Church (CLAM), Pastor Wole Oladiyun, assured Nigerians of the return of lasting peace to the country through the power of prayer.

“We know that through prayers, things will change. We are not here on this rally conventionally like other people, but by the power of the Almighty God to bring peace to Nigeria,” he said.

At the prayer rally were Christian leaders from different denominations, including Pastor Gbenga Ademujimi, Evangelist Elishamah Ideh, Apostle Dele Johnson, Publisher of Lifeway Magazine, Jackson Ekwugum, among other Christian leaders.

It would be recalled that over 200 school girls, writing their final West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations were abducted from their hostels in Chibok, Borno State, pn April 14 by the Boko Haram Islamic sect, a group that has continued to terrorise the North Eastern Nigeria for about five years.

The group, which released the video of the abducted girls during the week, is opposed to western education, also wants an end to such education in Nigeria.

The post CAN, PFN, others mount pressure on FG over abducted Chibok school girls appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Aramide Oikelome, Segun Obisanya, Lagos

The President, Eckankar Nigeria, Professor Henry Alapiki, has said the path to achieving lasting peace in any society is when individuals commit themselves to respect “each other’s religion” and imbibe the virtue of love, tolerance and harmony.

The position of the organisation was dropped over the weekend at the National Theatre, Lagos where the organisation held a seminar themed: “Living the spiritual life”.

The Eckankar leader, who declined to comment on political and other recent developments in the country, said the practice of love and tolerance is crucial to peace and economic development of any society.

He said the level of development a society attains is proportional to leadership quality.

He said, “The position of Eckankar is clear in relation to the ugly development in the nation: we should respect each other’s religion, we should practice tolerance, love for one another.

“This is a situation where people love their neighbours as themselves so that we can bring about peace, mutual respect, and understanding. From there, you begin to develop.

“Every society develops from one stage to another; every society has their teething problem. But the key to development is showing tolerance, commitment to the wellbeing of everybody, showing good leadership quality.

“Let us be patient but let us be committed standing shoulder to shoulder with our neighbours, with the government. In friendship, there is no war or violence. There cannot be development in the absence of peace.

Asked to comment on what the organisation has done to impact the society positively, the Regional Vahana Team Leader Nigeria, Momah Wilson, submitted the religious organisation would prefer to be silent on their corporate social responsibility.

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With Remi Akano

It was inevitable that prayer for the safe return of  “our girls”, as the abducted students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, have become known, would feature at Kingdom Men’s Mega Summit 2014.

Led by Lead Speaker, Rev Dr Larry Titus, the men and the few women in attendance, lifted their voices to God in deep surrender, fully persuaded that it will take His intervention to “Bring-back-our girls”

As I recall that session this morning several days later, I have this strong impression in my inner being that God heard that prayer, along with those of others, of course, and that He will move in such a devastating and an unexpected manner that Boko Haram and its backers will regret that singular act.

Abubakar Shekau had been thumbing his nose, not only at the Federal Government of Nigeria, but more sacrilegiously, at the God of the majority of those girls snatched audaciously from their school dormitory. That exactly is the only way to understand the manic glee with which he spoke in that widely circulated video said to have been first obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

A CNN translation from the Hausa language quoted him as declaring, among other things: “I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah…There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women.”

In other words, Shekau is saying that his god (certainly not the same as that of majority of Moslems) has asked him to sell these girls and it doesn’t matter what the God they believe in thinks about it. Nobody ever does that and get away with it.

As I meditate on this strong impression, I am reminded of this record in the book of Isaiah of a communication from King Sennacherib of Assyria to King Hezekiah of Judah:

“And Rabshakeh said unto them; Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest? …Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? And have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? (Isaiah 36:4,18-20).

It was a direct challenge to the God of Judah, the same God that Shekau is challenging to a duel over the destiny of some 200 of His daughters. And Hezekiah did what he had to do; took the challenge to Him as the Bible records:

“And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD. And he sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests covered with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.  And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. It may be the LORD thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God, and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that is left. (Isaiah 37:1-4)

This was exactly what the men did at KMEN Mega-Summit 2014 – added their voices to those of many others across the globe, in a passionate cry to the Most High to redeem is name.

This was how that encounter ended: “Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake. Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh. And it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons smote him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Armenia: and Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead (Isaiah 37:33-38).

This is exactly how this very sad and saddening episode will end, in glory to our God and to our joy, in the precious name of Jesus.

The post Boko Haram’s Chibok misadventure appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

The outcome of a new study on a common antidepressant is pointing to the possibility of it preventing Alzheimer’s disease also known as dementia, which is not medically known to have a cure, but worsens as it progresses until it leads to death.

The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, included people and mice, found that the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram (Celexa) stopped growth of amyloid beta, a brain peptide that clumps into the plaques believed to trigger Alzheimer’s.

According to the lead author of the study, Yvette Sheline, Professor of Psychiatry, Radiology and Neurology and Director of the Centre for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress, at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, “The study isn’t evidence that this drug can slow Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s an exciting first step towards greater understanding of the capabilities of SSRIs, which offer promise as preventive measures”.

Currently, Alzheimer’s ranks as the sixth-leading cause of death in the US and the rates of the disorder are expected to more than triple over coming decades, unless a way to prevent it is discovered.

Since Alzheimer’s symptoms begin about 15 years after plaques start to form, says Dr. Sheline, “the hope is that early treatment could slow or even prevent the disease.”

However, it’s too soon to tell if antidepressants can ward off the much-feared disorder, the doctor adds. Here’s a closer look at the research.

The study is the first to identify a previously unknown effect of citalopram, which was approved by the FDA in 1998 for treatment of depression.

While the drug typically takes a few weeks to help relieve depression, the researchers discovered that it has an immediate – and significant – effect on amyloid beta, says Dr. Sheline.

In the double-blinded controlled study, 23 healthy adults, ages 18 to 50, who had no previous history of antidepressant use, received the drug. Compared to people who took a placebo, those treated with citalopram had a 38 percent lower level of amyloid beta in their cerebrospinal fluid, which was tested hourly over a 37-hour period.

In a parallel study with mice that are genetically predisposed to develop brain plaques, treatment with the drug reduced levels of the peptide by 25 per cent, compared to baseline levels.

In addition, over a two-month period, the treated mice had no new growth of plaques, compared to a control group of mice given sugar water.

The research builds on a 2011 study by Dr. Sheline and colleagues linking antidepressant use to reduced amyloid levels in the brains of elderly volunteers.

“That was an astonishing discovery, since depression is a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s,” says Dr. Sheline. In that retrospective study, the team analysed PET scans of the brains of 186 cognitively normal adults with late-life depression.

During the analysis, the researchers didn’t know which volunteers had taken antidepressants. After the results were un-blinded, the team found that volunteers who had taken citalopram during the previous five years had significantly less plaque development, compared to people who hadn’t taken the drug.

What’s more, the longer the volunteers had been treated with the antidepressant, the fewer plaques they had. The researchers also found that mice genetically predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s had a 50 per cent reduction in brain plaques if they were treated with the drug, compared to mice given sugar water.

The post Can antidepressants prevent Alzheimer? appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

One of the strategies to reduce infant morbidity and mortality is through promoting and supporting breast feeding. It should be encouraged that infants be exclusively breast fed for the first six months (Ebrahim 1982, MOH 2010).

The implementation of the breast feeding strategy is facilitated where breast feeding policies exist, guidelines are formulated to great benefits. The components of the guideline, which include health education in respect of breast feeding should involve all stakeholders, viz health professionals, pregnant women, nursing mothers and community support groups, etc, both in the urban and rural areas.

The biochemical and physiological uniqueness of breast milk should be highlighted. It has immunological constituents, which protect the infant against infection and allergy. These agents are immunoglobulin referred to as IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE and IgM. These have specific and unique roles in protecting the infants at a time when it is quite vulnerable to infective and allergenic agents in its environment.

The fat and protein contents are not only PRESENT in the right amount but are specifically adapted to the needs of the child. There is more when protein in breast milk compared to what obtains in cow’s milk, which has more of casein.

When protein is better digested by the baby than casein

The fat in breast milk has among other features omega-3 fatty acid. The benefit of this in cognition has been well – established. The mineral composition is uniquely adapted to the physiology of the baby. The sodium content is at such a concentration to meet the glomerular filtration rate and possibly discourage high sodium content in blood, which may be an antecedent to raised blood pressure.

Related to the protein mentioned above is the phosphorus content which is low compared to what obtains in cow’s milk. High phosphate content depresses calcium content with consequent hypocalcaemia.

Though Vitamin D, Iron and Fluoride contents of breast milk are low they are biologically readily available. Furthermore the role of sunshine for vitamin d nutrition should not be ignore and nature may be protecting the infant by not incorporation too high iron content in the breast milk from the point of view of infection.

This communication cannot be complete without mentioning bonding and breast feeding. The significance of this is far reaching in the light of contemporary observations. Mothers have great satisfaction breast feeding their babies. It must be stated that this is an area that is fraught with controversies.

In conclusion the benefits of breast feeding for the infant, the society at large and in particular in reducing infant morbidity and mortality as it relates to the MDG4 is not in doubt. The challenge for all stake holders is how to promote, support and sustain it. This should be regarded as one of the rights of the child, which should be protected.

© Dorothy Chanda, NNIA

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By Rukayat Atanda, Special Correspondent, Lagos

Author of a blog, Book Shy: An African booklovers, Zahrah Nesbitt-Ahmed, a 25- year-old final year doctorate degree student of the London School of Economics said she developed her zeal for reading at a tender age in which her mother will read to her hear bed-times stories.

In an online interview with Books, she said: “I grew up around books and always loved reading even as a little girl. My mum always told me I started reading when I was two. She used to read bedtime stories to me, but instead of falling asleep I’d want her to read more.

“Her solution – teach me how to read so I’d be able to do all the reading I wanted. Reading was how I keep myself company, especially when there was no light. As I got older, reading became a way for me to travel to new and different worlds in few hours and also learn about new cultures and ways of life.”

She recalled that Our Wife by Karen King- Aribisala, was the first African novel she read and that was the book that thrilled her to read more African books. She said the book is about some West Indian women married to Nigerian men and the theme of the book was a cultural alienation.

“This was the first time I read stories that could be about me, with traditions and cultures that I could relate to. It was also the first book that showed me just how beautiful African literature could be,” she explained.

More also, Ahmed gave out an endless list of the books she read in 2012. Her Nigerian books includes: “Fine Boys by Eghosa Imasuen, Night Dancer by Chika Unigwe,  AfroSF, Science Fiction anthology edited by Ivor Hartmann, Everyday is for the Thief by Teju Cole, Tomorrow Died Yesterday by Chimeka Garricks, Eyo: African Lolita by Abidemi Sanusi among others.

On the contrary, she challenged the youth to promote the reading culture through reading for pleasure, noting that reading is essential for learning. She insisted that though whether it’s for education or for pleasure, reading would strengthen literacy skills and widen learning opportunities.

“I am a proponent of reading for pleasure as it has added quality to my life and provided me with many different experiences and access to various cultures. My parents encouraged the culture of reading from a young age,”she noted.

Her blog Book Shy: An African booklovers, which was created in December 2011, is an avenue for youth to read or find their love in contemporary writers. “It represents the young me who was so shy and escaped through books and the older me whose shelf is always one book shy.”

The post I fall for all African literature –Ahmed appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Dream Vanilla 

“We have to get some things sorted out, still…” I could tell he was about to continue, but I interrupted. “Like what things?” I pulled away from mom, sitting up almost straight and forcing myself to stop crying. Time to be a big girl, I told myself. Dad was saying, “…court date this Friday, custody, moving…” “Who’s moving?” I interrupted again. Mom answered this time. “Everyone. We’re putting this house up for sale as soon as your dad closes on an apartment. I found one too, only a couple of blocks from here. Neither of us can afford to keep the house without both our incomes.”

I could feel tears threatening again; I looked at my lap and blinked them away. Again, I was trying to sort through all the thoughts swirling around in my head. What was it that hadn’t worked out? Had they been fighting, and I just never noticed? Had one of them found someone else? No…that couldn’t be it. Besides the fact that mom just said they’d be paying for their houses by themselves, with only one income, I knew my parents wouldn’t cheat on each other, even if they didn’t love each other. Was that it? Had they simply fallen out of love? I decided that maybe it would be better if I didn’t find out right away. “There’s going to be a lady coming to talk to you in a couple of days,” mom informed me. I just nodded; afraid speaking might lead to crying. I was still staring at my thighs, but I knew mom and dad were looking at each other again, before dad said, “We’ll leave you alone now, so you can think. You can come get us if you need us, though.” I nodded and sniffled. My nose was running from crying earlier, and I was in desperate need of a Kleenex. Mom must have noticed, because my peripheral vision caught her holding out a box of Kleenexes to me. I reached out and took one, not really blowing my nose, but wiping it. My parents stood up from the bed. “I know it’s hard, but it’ll be okay,” mom assured me again, before they both left the room.

The post The Divorce (a semi-true story) appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Yemi Adebisi, Acting Head, Literary/Arts

Award winning Nigerian author of Half of a Yellow Sun, Chimamanda Adichie, has joined the world to condemn the state of insecurity in Nigeria.

She also expressed her disappointment in the way the government has handled the issue in the recent time.

In an exclusive monitored online through thescoopng.com, Adichie advised Jonathan to be more seriously involved about the state of security in Nigeria.

“…We are experiencing what is, apart from the Biafran war, the most violent period in our nation’s existence. Like many Nigerians, I am distressed about the students murdered in their school, about the people whose bodies were spattered in Nyanya, about the girls abducted in Chibok.

“I am furious that politicians are politicising what should be a collective Nigerian mourning, a shared Nigerian sadness. And I find our president’s actions and non-actions unbelievably surreal.

“I do not want a president who, weeks after girls are abducted from a school and days after brave Nigerians have taken to the streets to protest the abductions, merely announces a fact-finding committee to find the girls.

“I want President Jonathan to be consumed, utterly consumed, by the state of insecurity in Nigeria. I want him to make security a priority, and make it seem like a priority.

“I want a president consumed by the urgency of now, who rejects the false idea of keeping up appearances while the country is mired in terror and uncertainty.

“I want President Jonathan to know – and let Nigerians know that he knows – that we are not made safer by soldiers checking the boots of cars, that to shut down Abuja in order to hold a World Economic Forum is proof of just how deeply insecure the country is.

“We have a big problem, and I want the president to act as if we do. I want the president to slice through the muddle of bureaucracy, the morass of ‘how things are done,’ because Boko Haram is unusual and the response to it cannot be business as usual,” she said.

The post Boko Haram is unusual – Adichie appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Archbishop Anthony Okoh, in this interview with Assistant Life Editor, YINKA SOKUNBI, and Senior Correspondent, ARAMIDE OIKELOME, bares his mind on current issues of national importance, especially the Boko Haram insurgency and the abduction of secondary school girls in Chibok, Borno State. Excerpts:

Okoh

As Nigerians, it is obvious that these are very tough times for us as a nation. Many have said that the problem of insecurity and corruption came to this peak because the Church in Nigeria has failed to take its rightful position as the light of the world and salt of the earth as the Bible charges us. Some even argue that church leaders have compromised their stand, hence they cannot correct political leaders like Elijah did to King Ahab in Israel. Do you agree with this?

You are right; with the position and situation on ground, the church is very confused and everybody claims to be a leader. But when there is a little misunderstanding in the church, somebody will just break away and start his own church and because of situations like this, discipline has been relegated to the background. The purpose of the church has been undermined in pursuit of money and material gain. The society has equally been glorifying such, thus attracting more and more of such quacks. To that extent, I agree that as churches (without specifying which church), we have all played one role or the other that have not been very helpful.

Now, when we come to the church without referring to any denomination, the duty of the church is still being carried out, but the fact that they are not being adhered to can’t totally be blamed on the church. If you go through the Bible, you will see that people like Prophets Amos, Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, Micah and other prophets preached and the people did not listen, as a result of which they were eventually taken to exile.

Do you agree with some of the conversations going on again that we are having this seemingly overwhelming challenges because President Goodluck Jonathan was not really prepared to rule Nigeria or rather that he has wrong people as co-travellers on his journey?

In fact, President Jonathan is the most prepared in the sense that he was a Deputy Governor, a Governor, then he became the Vice President and Acting President before he eventually became the President, which meant he went through about five stages. So, it cannot be right to say he did not prepare for the job. But, coming to say whether he has wrong people around him, I think that there are some people among his staff who are actually discrediting his work.

Do you think there are things he should have done differently, but he is not doing. And if you think so, how can he be so advised to go in the right direction, even for the short period that is remaining for his first term?

We all don’t perceive things from the same perspective. So, it is difficult for me to say that what I perceive to be the right thing is what the President would perceive to be the right thing; or what a political party perceives to be the right thing is what another political party will perceive to be the right thing. Having said that, I would say that generally speaking, if the programmes of government are pursued consistently with what he has on ground, particularly the issue of transformation, it can take Nigeria to a higher level. It can take Nigeria to a place where the light will come, the salt will be effective and the society will be better.

In the last few weeks, the Chibok incident has permeated every fabric of the world; including politics, health, social issues, etc, but Church leaders are accused not to have categorically reacted; rather, what we hear are calls for prayer and fasting to free the abducted girls. People are asking if prayer without action is sufficient to redeem us at this time?

Again, this is a societal problem, which every part of society must contribute to work out in order to bring about redemption. From the perspective of the church, it is a divine institution, it has to call upon God for divine intervention and this divine intervention is the hands of God. Yes, some other people and nations like the Israeli, French, America and others have other things they can contribute. But for the church, it has divine angle. More than that however, the Church is also contributing her pieces of advice, which cannot be published. They are things that are with hearts of humility and must be forwarded in humility to the appropriate quarters. We do not think one thing alone can bring about the redemption of the country from Boko Haram.

What is however very worrisome is that people are treating Chibok issue in isolation. Chibok matter is not an isolated case. Yes, the abduction of women and children by Boko Haram is a new development.  You will agree with me that in war situation, anything is possible. Nigeria is in a state of war and we should just know this. The real problem is not just the abduction, because, the war situation we are in is what made that possible. What is not welcome is the operation of Boko Haram itself. If we do not have the operation of Boko Haram, there would not be abduction. We should view the whole situation in a comprehensive manner and not in isolation.

If the children are brought back today, there are two things, there is no guarantee that another school will not be so attacked; secondly, you will not say that the trouble of Boko haram is over. Only recently a lot of people died in Nyanya and bombs are still exploding. If you don’t have abduction, but a lot of people are dying and bombs are exploding, it’s as serious as abduction. So, Nigerians should think of a comprehensive solution rather than isolated solution.

In view of this, in the last two days, the international media have also been awash with a claim which Nigerians find repulsive, that it is indeed a failed state. We have a country that has the largest economy in Africa, which recently hosted the World Economic Forum and the whole world came as never before with 70 leaders in one meeting and now we are told that we are a failed state. Is it that Nigeria is a failed state or that the soul of Nigeria is just been hunted by the devil?

Nigeria is not a failed state. If it is, you will not be moving about like this. There is order in Nigeria and the people are still doing their legitimate business. Life is still going on and then there is a government. Sometimes I think the western media out of racial mentality tend to desecrate Nigeria. Remember, there was recently a plane disappearance in Malaysia and the government is still there, nobody has called them a failed state. The whole world is gathered to look for that plane; they have not succeeded in finding it. Same thing happened in South Korea, a major disaster happened there and they have not set the country ablaze. I believe that colonial mentality is part of what is happening. They think they can say anything; even the language used on our President is uncalled for. So, we should not swallow what they are saying. Nigeria has a future, Nigeria is strong and Nigeria is reputable.

In view of the fact that they are now offering us support, both in terms of money and human resources, to redeem some of our insecurity images, do you really think that they are not justified by their claims and assertions?

In modern world, interdependence is the doctrine. Every country depends on another country; there is no country that is self-sufficient or an island. Even the United States itself depends on another country. When there is difficulty, one has got to seek for help. So, Nigeria needing their help or support is not enough reason to classify us as a failed nation. If they offer anything we gratefully accept.

Do you think there is hope for us to be together in 2015 as a nation even if we sort out these immediate challenges?

With this, I will take you back to my constituency as a Priest of God. I honestly believe in miracles. I believe that God who has being piloting Nigeria from the past is still on the throne. Nigeria had come close to the precipice in the past, but by the stroke of God’s hands all of these disappeared. I believe that 2014 and 2015 elections will not destroy this country. God in His infinite goodness will build us a bridge and we will cross over the Red Sea on dry land and Nigeria will get to its Promised Land.

Chibok is predominantly a Christian community and the Boko Haram leader said he would trade off the girls. Now, the girls’ parents and indeed Nigerian women are in pains. What word of encouragement do you have for everyone?

My word is not just for the Chibok families alone, but to all the families who were thrown apart in Nyanya, in the two separate bombings, as well as those who were abducted and those whose loved ones have been killed in different quarters. This is what the Bible calls perilous time, we should not give up, in the end there will be light.

The post Nigeria not a failed state –Okoh appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

Author: Sir Lucius Ehieze

Reviewer: M A C Odu

Publisher: Kaygee Communications Limited

No of pages: 298

I was turned off initially by the title, which sounded immodest. He had dialogued with himself in expectation of this comment but stood his ground. Having gone through the work, I exonerate him from the inadequacy of his title and overlook his penchant for self-judgment that came through all the work of this unusual star. My first attitude is to advise all in my generation to put down legacies in print by which subsequent humanity may find their way through this increasingly complex maze of directionless life that is slowly becoming the inheritance of those without proper tracks to be guided by. No graduate should pass on without leaving his life in print. It is worse for any alumnus of University of Nigeria to complete a life without heritage in print.

It is also important for all in our generation to be completely literate in Information and Communications Technology, so that work of note like this will come out sparkling in our received language. No hurry should be entertained in producing a life work like this. University of Nigeria founded all students in Use of English. The author had the benefit of working in England where the language is native and had no reason to shortchange their rules and help debase the language in this unwholesome trend of GSM murder of the language.

The author must have a giant and receptive brain judging by the ease with which he remembered most people he interacted with through nearly three score and ten years of eventful, conscious life on earth. He has invoked in me a sense of inadequacy. I rejoice in the fact that we met in the University of Nigeria as team-mates of the victorious University of Nigeria team that came home from West African University Games in 1965 with the maiden trophy. We had shared Kafanchan unbeknown to our selves. We share friends beyond team mates like Ebenezer Ikeyina, Bernard Peters, Collins Obih, Charlie Alozie and lions and lionesses too numerous to mention. His bank was my bank at a point in my professional history. I will be dispassionate however in my attitude to this work.

I went with an eagle eye on the prints to destroy his choice of title. He showed amazing tack in dealing with people in the various theatres of his life each of which most people fail to fully address in all of their lifetimes. He found himself called to the peak as soon as he showed up. He became relevant in primary school as a great footballer. I benefited from the school called St. Peter Clavers School which his team made minced meat of many times in a series of denominational rivalry.

He served his people in a foreign idiom very well. He did not however seek to anchor the tradition of the people back into relevance and did not in all the pages reflect on the ways of his people before the incursion of foreign culture and Judeo-Christian faith.

He has written an indelible message for current and future bankers setting out in great detail, the pitfalls that may lead many to ruin in the financial world prone as it is to criminal assaults of all kinds. No banker should qualify without recourse to this work crafted by a dedicated diplomat. It is a pity he failed to earn it politically on account of murkiness of politics. But a diplomat he actually earned in soccer at various levels of education, in prefect ship in his secondary school , University of Nigeria Students Representative Council, in labour relations at African Continental Bank Limited and Plc, in Anglican faith in which he popped up and got empowered by his glaringly creative talents, in financial diplomacy for ACB through Europe in the normal course of duty as a banker in foreign business department and as a community leader, motivator and eventually a Local Government Chairman as his crowning glory for his capacity to make friends and sustain friendship.

I am a victim here of his friendship. He was my field marshal to whom I cannot say no in the precarious field of battle that Nigeria has become in spite of the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians that have issued from the portals of University of Nigeria that espouses the restoration of the dignity of man. Lucius has played his part beyond full measure in a life time judging by the enviable endowments his lanky and handsome frame exposed him to. He probably was prepared for the immensity of challenges in a previous incarnation.

The post True Diplomat, My Autobiography appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Yinka Shokunbi

Some of the escaped abducted Chibok school girls.

There is a strong psychological view that when bad things happen to people, it can take a while to get over the pain and feel safe again. But with the right treatment, self-help strategies, and support, Psychiatrists say this can speed up recovery.

Whether a traumatic event happened years ago or yesterday, it is possible to heal and move on.

However, recent happenings in the country have made many to argue if it is indeed possible for anyone who has experienced the magnitude and degree of the trauma many Nigerians are passing through to heal and move on.

Each time the deadly Boko Haram sect releases video recording to justify their act of terrorism; there is always a wide condemnation.

When the video recording of the abducted Chibok girls was released last Monday by the Boko Haram abductors, there was a wide outburst of emotions especially among families who were already in pains and anguish for over a month the girls were forced into captivity from their school dormitory.

Some of the parents of the girls were reported to have fallen sick and many going through medical therapy to fight emotional and psychological depression.

Our correspondent sought to know from a renowned Child Psychiatrist, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Professor Yinka Omigbodun, what really could be responsible for the level of terrorism exhibited by members of the Boko Haram sect?

According to Omigbodun, “several of those who perpetuate crimes are suffering from mental illnesses. When ‘terrorists’ say they hear voices instructing or commanding them to carry out acts of violence or wickedness, they may actually be responding to what we describe as auditory hallucinations (hearing voices of unseen persons) which is indicative of the presence of a severe psychiatric illness which fortunately responds to treatment”.

She noted, “Several of those who carry out these crimes, have also experienced multiple traumatic experiences in childhood.

“Many would have experienced attachment disorders especially if they were uprooted from their families at a very young age for various cultural reasons as it’s found with the Almajiris in Northern Nigeria.

“It could be that the Almajiri children of yesterday, who grew up on the streets begging, greatly traumatised are now the Boko Haram of today with distorted minds, deluded and depressed and angry against the same society that raised them” Omigbodun argued.

“We are deeply in sorrow,” said Mary Dawa, whose 16-year-old daughter, Hawa Isha, is missing.

“Every day, I am in deep sorrow. I don’t even feel like eating.” When asked how she was coping, she said, “How can I start?”

“I’m not happy at all,” said Yana Galang, the mother of 16-year-old Rifka another vicitm.

“She’s in the bush. I don’t know where she is right now”, because, according to the mother, the girl had recently been recovering in a clinic after surgery for appendicitis, and had come to the school only to take an exam.

Desperate parents have reportedly entered the forest themselves, armed only with bows and arrows.

The governor, Shettima has equally expressed deep frustration at the lack of progress, and anxiety over the fate of the girls. “These girls are from the poorest of backgrounds,” he said. “They are the poorest of the poor”, he had said.

Indeed, “Chibok is deeply troubled,” said Mrs Galang, the mother of Rifka. “All we are hoping is to have the girls back here.”

An account of one of the escapees, Sarah Lawan, 19, succinctly explained why majority of the girls couldn’t escape. She told Associated Press that more of the girls could have escaped but they were frightened by their captors’ threats to shoot them.

She said: “I am pained that my other colleagues could not summon the courage to run away with me. Now I cry each time I come across their parents and see how they weep when they see me.”

Lawan said other girls, who escaped later have told her that the abductors spoke of their plans to marry them. She said the thought of going back to school terrifies her — neither the burnt out ruins of Chibok Government Girls Secondary School nor any other school.

“I am really scared to go back there; but I have no option if I am asked to go because I need to finish my final year exams which were stopped half way through”.

Watching some of the mothers of the victims on television and reading the accounts of many others show the extent of trauma they are passing through especially with the daily ‘Bringbackourgirls’ protests that go on around the world .

We then sought to know from another Psychiatrist at UCH, Dr Yetunde Adeniyi, the possible feelings the children could be going through, effects of act of terrorism on their psyche, families and the nation; as well as how best to work out a possible treatment?

According to Dr Adeniyi, “The experience of abduction or kidnapping can be emotionally traumatic to the victims especially children. It is more traumatic in children who are held for long period of time and who experience sexual and physical abuse. They could experience a wide range of feelings such as shock, denial, anger especially towards their relations and sometimes acceptance of the abduction state.

“Victims of abduction and their families could experience a wide range of mental health problems. The victims can experience an initial period of shock and intense fear.

“Children tend to be more affected, some can loss already established milestones like a loss of bladder/bowel control, and some can develop eating and sleep disturbances, aggressive behaviour, and anxiety symptoms.

“They can also develop distrust of authority figures and relatives and a fear of personal attachments.

“Many victims of abduction develop post-traumatic stress disorder which can manifest with difficulty sleeping because of nightmares, anxiety and frightening thoughts.

“They may isolate themselves in an effort to avoid reminders of the traumatic event. Children who experience abduction are also at heightened risk of substance abuse like alcohol, cannabis and cigarette and other high-risk behaviours. Experiences like physical and sexual abuse can make the symptoms worse.

“Some victims could develop what is called Stockholm Syndrom where the victim comes to identify with their kidnappers or abductors and they start to feel that they deserve their current state.

“Parents equally experience feelings of loss, rage, and disturbed sleep. Many of them can develop feelings of loneliness, fear, loss of appetite, or severe depression.

“Sometimes the stress and trauma of the experience did not necessarily end when the child is recovered, some parents’ psychological distress could be higher after reunification with their child than it had been prior to the abduction, possibly because of concerns about a re-abduction and the stress associated with the reunification.

“It can predispose many to marital conflicts and break down of marriages among parents of victims”, she explained.

The effect of this trauma no doubt robs on the entire people of the country Adeniyi pointed out.

“People are distracted from productive activities as a result of the fear and uncertainties especially in areas where there have been attacks. These experiences could lead to an increase in the rates of psychiatric disorders like anxiety disorders especially post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep problems.

“The rate of other disorders like depression and psychotic disorders can also increase. There can be an increase of psychoactive substance use and other mental health problems among adolescents and young adults”, Adeniyi noted.

Specific therapies a survivor of an abduction or kidnap especially a child, would need to go through after his or her release is secured to enhance rehabilitation.

“The process of recovery for a victim of abduction or kidnapping is gradual and it depends on a number of factors such as length of stay in captivity, experiences during the abduction; like sexual or physical abuse.

“Some may recover with psychotherapy and counselling such as the trauma -focussed cognitive behavioural therapy. Some might need medications for major psychiatric disorders.

“They need a strong support network to help rebuild their sense of security. Other therapies like Family therapy, Assertive therapy can also be useful.

“Rehabilitation of terrorists on the other hand, might involve carrying out a full psychiatric assessment and psychotherapy sessions to find out the basis for the individual’s involvement in the first place.

“Cognitive behavioural therapy might be useful in changing the beliefs that are related to terrorism. Some might actually require medications and in- patient care if they are found to have major psychiatric disorders”, Adeniyi averred.

The post Handling abduction related trauma appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

Dr. Maryam Abdullahi is the Founder of Women for Peace in Nigeria (WOPIN), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has a global alliance of individuals and organisations with common interests in building peace in 1998. She is one of the delegates at the on-going National Conference. She won the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award 2012, presented by African Students Union. An honorary degree holder from Pacific Western University and  foremost Female Peace and Development Activist, her kind disposition was dictated early in life, when she was seen to have great love and empathy for the less privileged.   Senior Reporter ANTHONIA SOYINGBE spoke with her recently and she bared her mind extensively on numerous issues

Abdullahi

You must have faced a lot of condemnations and criticisms from some of your kinsmen for your role in supporting the rights of women and children in the North. How did you come about this advocacy work?

There is a belief that women from the North are not supposed to be outdoor, rather they should be in the Purdah. But even women in the Purdah are also doing very well. This is my calling and I find myself doing what I am doing today. I am more passionate about promoting peaceful co-existence. I also care and support orphans and the under-privileged. People don’t really care for the under-privileged children, especially with the growing trend of Almajiri.

What are some of the challenges associated with your operations, especially with the reoccurring incidences of violence in Northern Nigeria?

Violence and challenges have nothing to do with our work, because it didn’t stop us from functioning well. We will continue to preach peace because both religions preach peace and so we will not stop advocating for peace and unity.  Despite the conflicts in the North, lots of people are out there preaching peace and security.

What has been the achievement of your organisation as regards advocating for peaceful co-existence among women and children?

I am always happy and proud whenever people ask me this question because we have been able to do a lot, not only in the North, but in different parts of the country.

Considering the fact that women and children are more affected when there is war and unity in the society, what are the roles of women and children in peace building?

Whenever there is conflict, women and children bear the brunt of the crisis and it is difficult to see men at battle fields because the youths are being used. Women should continue to preach peace. You can’t give what you don’t have, so women should start preaching peace by having peace within themselves; thereafter create peace in their homes and bring their message of peace to the larger society.

Do you think it is possible for us to have a peaceful society which you are advocating for when you can’t even trust your neighbour due to the security challenges in the country?

It is time to renew our efforts to stop the war of tragedy and conflicts. Peace can be built only through actions and not by mere words of mouth. It is a collective effort and we should all join hands to build global partnership for peace by doing that. We can choose a good part for resolution of conflicts. It is a call to all leaders and organisations to strengthen their commitment to the promotion of peace and stability. With their capacity to act as tool for peace, they can build bridges. Our leaders have unique position to reinforce a system of collective peaceful activities and make Nigeria a safer place. Promoting peace is also the task of individuals and let us all have a culture of peace, based on the universal values of respect for life, justice, solidarity, human rights and so many other things.

What informed you to promote peaceful co-existence? Was it as a result of your experience or what?

We started the campaign when crisis started in different parts of the country. But we started in the North. That was how we got our calling and we started by introducing house-to-house counselling. After that crisis, there was Sharia crisis.  My love for orphans and the less privileged has been legendary and my major propelling force. Women from all parts of the federation will gather in Abuja this week for a three-day prayer and fasting to rescue our nation from the hands of terrorists. Are these activities not affecting the smooth running of your home?

I am lucky because I get full support from my husband and it makes it easier for me to do what I am doing today. My children also support what I am doing. So, I am grateful to my children and my husband for encouraging me in doing this. It doesn’t affect my house chores.

What would you say is helping you in sustaining your home?

I got married very early; that was immediately after my secondary education. I had my first daughter at age 17 and after that, I knew I had to go back to school.

Who encourage you to go back to school?

My father wanted me to go to school; but my husband was behind it. The encouragement came from my husband; and so, today, I look at him as a father, a friend, a brother and my husband. My husband saw me grew into a woman in his hands. I am a mother of so many children and peace reigns in my home.

Some men still forbid their wives to work in the North…

(Cuts in) It is not peculiar to the North, rather, it is an African thing. Our tradition in the North says if you are going out, you need to seek permission from your husband.

Can you let us into your experiences while growing up?

I am from a very disciplined home; my father is educated and he never gave us the chance to play around and he made sure we are academically sound. He is such a wonderful father and if I am coming back into this world, I will want to have him as my father. My father plays with us, but my mother doesn’t, because she is far disciplined than my father. We got lots of encouragement from them and today we are grateful for all they did for us.

What are your thoughts about child marriage, which is still in existence in some parts of Nigeria despite criticism about it?

It was fashionable in the olden days. But for me, I don’t think there is any harm in a girl getting married at age 17 and above. People frown at it; but if a girl is getting married, she should know how to cook and how to do other house chores. She should also know how to make her husband happy and how to keep a home. In my own case, I was still very young and I came from a home where we had domestic staff who did virtually everything for us. But I learnt later.

The post Women should continue to preach peace –Abdullahi appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Nkasiobi Oluikpe /  Lagos

Hardly is demography and migration in Africa discussed without a mention of his name. A widely travelled personality, Professor Aderanti Adepoju

Professor Aderanti Adepoju

earned a B.Sc. degree in Economics at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) in 1969. Four years later, he earned a Ph.D. in demography from the London School of Economics (LSE), United Kingdom (UK), having been awarded a population council postgraduate scholarship in 1970. Armed with a doctorate degree, he returned to the University of Ife in December 1973, where he began a flourishing academic career that later brought him into national and international limelight.

From 1974, his brilliance and hard work earned him several positions of responsibility, both within and outside the university but also at the international level. In 1974, he was invited to the sampling programme for foreign statisticians at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States. He emerged from the programme as the best participant, an outstanding feat that made the International Statistical Institute in London to offer him a job.

Between 1985 and 1990, he was at different times United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) training coordinator and United Nations chief technical adviser to the government of Swaziland. Adepoju has 13 books to his credit including the recently launched one titled: Seeking greener pastures abroad: A migration profile of Nigeria.

Beyond consulting for the UN and other international organisations and agencies, he is the coordinator of Network of Migration Research on Africa (NOMRA).

As a young graduate, he had the option of three appointments at his disposal. But irrespective of how lucrative the two others were he opted for teaching. Why?

According to him, it was prestigious and a thing of pride to lecture in the university. Above all, it was a more secured job with freedom of space. Within a short period, he reached the peak of his career as dean of the faculty of business administration in the University of Lagos and decided to try something else.

As an educationist, he lends his voice on what the insurgency in the North Eastern Nigeria portends for a place that is considered educationally backward: “I think it is disastrous, to put it very bluntly. Compared to other parts of the country, the North East is educationally disadvantaged; that is, the number of children in school in proportion to the eligible children is very low. The number is just picking up. If you look at the gender distribution, the girls are more disadvantaged because very few girls go to school. And with new attempts to bring girls back to school through all initiatives, we are now having this disastrous attack on girls. It is drawing back the hand of the clock 360 degrees.

Adepoju counters the views that both university and polytechnic lecturers are being inconsiderate to have embarked on strike in quick succession, saying: “If you had been in the school administration, you will discover that the educational system has almost collapsed at all levels. Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) did their strike just for the universities alone. Now, we find the polytechnics and colleges of education, which have their own challenges in terms of facilities and broken promises by government now embarking on their own. They couldn’t do it across board because there is no national association covering all the academic associations in our tertiary institutions; each one is doing its own.

“It’s unfortunate it’s coming almost immediately after the ASUU strike, but I think it shows that there is so much rot in our academic institutions that has accumulated through the years, that teachers and administrators are actually finding it difficult to survive in imparting knowledge to students.”

Government consistently laments that there is no money, while the facilities in the schools keep depreciating with no remedy in sight. Here, Adepoju draws the line on how to bridge the gap between the two situations. He said: “Education is a necessary component and a driver for development. So, government has to make up her mind on her priorities. If we want our children to have the skills and want our economy to be driven by knowledge-based skills, then we have to invest in education. If you look at the United Nation’s Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)’s recommendation, I think about 40 per cent of the total budget should be invested in education. What is happening in Nigeria is that government has not moved close to that target. Government has to take a cue from the Asian countries and sponsor education squarely.

“The university system is the cheapest tier of education for children. Parents pay huge amount of money to put their children in good private crèches, daycare centres, primary, secondary and private universities where they pay as much as N500,000 per child. Whereas the public universities pay less than N100,000 per year. So if one should rationalise, it would be wise to increase the fees at the university level to make it more sustainable because parents are willing to pay. That is one thing with Nigerian parents; they invest in their children, who in turn invest in their siblings and in their own future.”

Though supporting government’s position on the conditions given by the Chibok schoolgirls’ abductors for their release, he advised that the situation should be handled discreetly and diplomatically.

According to him, “This is a very difficult question because if I were to be a parent, I would say, go ahead, I want my girl back home. If I am a government official, I wouldn’t want to be cowed down to the demands of terrorists because once you do so you are already in the circle of capture and release. They can as well be asking for monetary rewards. Once it starts, it never stops. I think from the military policy point of view, the stand of the government is correct. You don’t negotiate openly with terrorists. What many countries, including France, have done is to negotiate discreetly. You don’t bring it to public domain otherwise it will attract criticisms. Government should handle it as discreetly, efficiently, diplomatically and timely because it’s beginning to take too long and we don’t know what is happening to the children now.

Should a kid come to Adepoju to explain the significance of the tribal mark on his face, hear what he will say: “I happened to come from a royal family in Osun State. The tradition in that place is that all children from Ile Oba (house of the King) must have tribal marks to distinguish them as members of that privileged family. People say that during the time of intertribal wars, it was a way of distinguishing who comes from where. But in my own family, it was because of the hereditary nature of the traditional obaship. So we don’t struggle and contest for obaship. It is already established family by family. We are a tree of three branches with all of us coming from the same great great grandfather. But over the years, that tradition started wading as none of my children has tribal marks. But I am proud to belong to that generation and able to trace my origin. I am also proud of the privilege to have been born into that society.

Despite having left the four walls of the university since 1990, he still works tirelessly.

“I have enjoyed three things outside the classrooms,” he said, adding; “About the time I was leaving, the university structures were shaking. I was relieved of all that. Secondly, I was able to do something different in the world of the private sector. I worked cumulatively for almost 20 years in the United Nations (UN), had an insight into how the UN works, how they get information that is available and how it impacts on national development and policies. I had to bring such back home to start an international non-governmental organisation (NGO), training planners and researchers and government officials. That is what I have been doing since then.”

Telling his childhood story, he said: “When I was growing up, I was encouraged by my father to always wear a complete Yoruba attire anytime I am dressing up. As a young man then, I would just wear the buba and sokoto without a cap. My father would always draw my attention to it and say, your dress is not complete, wear a cap; you are an omo Oba. Many times, I would lose the cap. I must have lost so many caps until I finally got used to it that today, I hardly go to anywhere without a complete Yoruba attire comprising the buba, sokoto and cap. And when the occasion demands, I wear agbada. I got it from my father, that irrespective of the number of caps I have lost, I should always be wearing the complete traditional attire because of where I come from.

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Today, every six seconds, someone dies from tobacco use. Tobacco kills up to half of its users. It also incurs considerable costs for families, businesses and governments. Treating tobacco-related diseases like cancer and heart disease is expensive. And as tobacco-related disease and death often strikes people in the prime of their working lives, productivity and incomes fall.

“Raising taxes on tobacco is the most effective way to reduce use and save lives,” says WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan. “Determined action on tobacco tax policy hits the industry where it hurts”, she noted.

Based on 2012 data, WHO estimates that by increasing tobacco taxes by 50 per cent, all countries would reduce the number of smokers by 49 million within the next three years and ultimately save 11 million lives.

The young and poor people benefit most

High prices are particularly effective in discouraging young people (who often have more limited incomes than older adults) from taking up smoking. They also encourage existing young smokers to either reduce their use of tobacco or quit altogether.

According to Director of the Department for Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases, Dr Douglas Bettcher, “Price increases are two to three times more effective in reducing tobacco use among young people than among older adults.

“Tax policy can be divisive, but this is the tax rise everyone can support. As tobacco taxes go up, death and disease go down”, Bettcher pointed out.

Good for economies too

WHO calculates that if all countries increased tobacco taxes by 50% per pack, governments would earn an extra US$ 101 billion in global revenue.

“These additional funds could – and should – be used to advance health and other social programmes,” adds Dr Bettcher.

Countries such as France and the Philippines have already seen the benefits of imposing high taxes on tobacco. Between the early 1990s and 2005, France tripled its inflation-adjusted cigarette prices. This was followed by sales falling by more than 50 per cent. A few years later the number of young men dying from lung cancer in France started to go down. In the Philippines, one year after increasing taxes, the Government has collected more than the expected revenue and plans to spend 85 per cent of this on health services.

Tobacco taxes are a core element of tobacco control

Tobacco use is the world’s leading preventable cause of death. Tobacco kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. If no action is taken, tobacco will kill more than eight million people every year by 2030, more than 80 per cent of them among people living in low- and middle-income countries.

Raising taxes on tobacco in support of the reduction of tobacco consumption is a core element of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), an international treaty that entered into force in 2005 and has been endorsed by 178 Parties. Article 6 of the WHO FCTC, Price and Tax Measures to Reduce the Demand for tobacco, recognises that “price and tax measures are an effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption by various segments of the population, in particular young persons”.

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By Dream Vanilla 

Grandma tried to take my mind off of the divorce by playing board games and renting movies. It never really worked, though. My mind was always lost in how my family was falling apart.

My parents fought for custody of me, but in the end, mom won. Dad moved out first, then mom and I left the house and moved into a two bedroom apartment. I felt numb most of the time. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I wanted mommy and daddy, at the same time, not one on weekdays and the other on weekends. This wasn’t fair. I could hear mom crying sometimes, at night if I was still awake. Usually though, I was already asleep or couldn’t hear her through the sound of my own tears. Sometimes she heard me, and would come in my room and we’d hold each other. It was a long time before both of us were okay enough not to cry at night. Dad never showed it when I was with him, but I knew he was sad, too.

I look like my mom, and sometimes I’d catch a little glimmer of pain in his eyes when he looked at me. He always told me he loved me though, there was no forgetting that. I believe him – he wasn’t sad to look at me, he was glad that he got the weekends to spend with his only daughter. I was glad, too.

Mom got remarried about a year after that. I think he helped her through the divorce. He helped her heal and they fell in love quickly.

Their wedding was beautiful, really. It took place in a church, only a few blocks from our new house. The ceremony was lovely, the decorators did an amazing job. Everything was white and sparkling, family surrounded my mom and her new husband, and everything came all wrapped up in love. Presents, words, actions… Love was truly in the air. I was happy for my mom, though I wasn’t sure about having another dad. Or, rather, “father figure,” because he’ll never really be my daddy. I had trouble accepting that. I often heard, “it isn’t all bad!

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By Yemi Adebisi, Acting Head, Literary/Arts

Award winning poet, journalist, activist and film producer, Maya Angelous, whose death occurred on Wednesday, May 28, was described as a symbol of stars and talents, worthy of emulation.

Chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Femi Onileagbon, said despite her background and challenges, she made a name for herself.

Angelous was raped at the age of eight by her mother’s boyfriend. She spent her early years studying dance and drama in San Francisco, but dropped out of school at age 14.

When she was 16, Angelous became San Francisco’s first female streetcar driver.

She returned to high school to get her diploma, but gave birth a few weeks after graduation. While the 17-year-old single mother waited tables to support her son, she developed a passion for music and dance, and toured Europe in the mid-1950s in the opera production Porgy and Bess.

In 1957, she recorded her first album, “Miss Calypso.”

Chronicling her mother’s abandonment as a young child, Angelous dedicated her last memoir, Mom & Me & Mom to her mother’s reunion and reconciliation. She ended the book with an emotional stanza: “You were a terrible mother of small children but there has never been anyone greater than you as a mother of a young adult.”

Affectionately referred to as Dr. Angelous, the six-foot-tall professor never went to college. She has more than 50 honorary degrees and taught American studies for years at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

“Maya Angelou has been a towering figure – at Wake Forest and in American culture.

She had a profound influence in civil rights and racial reconciliation,” Wake Forest University President Nathan O. Hatch said Wednesday. “We will miss profoundly her lyrical voice and always keen insights.”

In a telephone interview on the death of Angelous, the Nigerian-born Frank Porter Graham Distinguished Professor of Africana Studies at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Professor Tanure Ojaide, said she was a great influence in global literature.

“The death was a great loss. She was not just a writer, but a great activist. Of course she started black literature and brought it into national debate. Partly because of her background and mental torture at her early stage of life, she exposed child abuse in America.  We have lost a gem in North Carolina and world literature,” he said.

The acclaimed doyen of African children’s literature, Professor Akachi Adimorah-Ezeigbo, told Sunday Independent that Angelous has left a great vacuum as an activist and reputable icon.

“I feel so very sad to hear that Maya is dead. She was a great writer indeed. Her life experience as reflected in her book, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing was very wonderful.

“She was a courageous woman till death. I love her poetry. She was a very strong woman.

“I teach her poetry in University of Lagos too. Angelous was a source of inspiration to many writers including me.

“She lived her life to inspire black women especially. We have lost somebody special in the literati,” she said.

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Not leaving any stone unturned, Christian and Muslim women gathered last Tuesday at Onikan Stadium, Lagos to specially seek God’s intervention for the release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

The prayer session was organised by the Fatimah Charity Foundation and the Women for Peace and Justice, as the attendees were all cladded in their red outfits, chanting various songs to air their purpose of coming and grief for the yet to return girls.

Some of the lyrics of the songs that rented the air were;  “Nitori Omo la se wa (We are here because of our children), Iya yi to…(the suffering is enough, it must come to an end.), E ko won jade ooo , Ibi kibi tee to won sii
(bring the children out, from wherever  they are being kept), Eba wa wa won ooo (help us look for them).”

Fatimah Tinubu, revealed the prayer rally as a medium of seeking God’s wisdom and direction in achieving the global outcry of bringing back the girls, as she said; “we have no weapon all we can do is to pray, that is why we are here to pray to God that we don’t see but know is looking after us to give direction and wisdom to solve this dramatic
episode in the early lives of the girls while a traumatic experience to us as a nation.By this time last year they were all with their parents celebrating Childrens’ Day.”

Opening the prayer session was the Assistant Pastor of an RCCG Parish, Dominion Sanctuary, Ivory Close, Ogba, Elean Oluwawo, who gave an assurance that the girls will return.

Comparing Boko Haram to the stiff necked biblical Egyptian King Pharaoh, she said they will meet their waterloo if they refuse to turn a new leaf.

Describing God as faithful, she went on to assure that; “He will always bring His promises to pass, including that of long life.”
She beckoned on Nigeria security forces to do more, shun selfishness and make God their ally as to become victorious.
On his part, the Missioner of Lagos Central Mosque, Sheikh Muyitaba Giwa noted that the gathering of both faith members is to show the importance and value attached to prayer, as being the most potent weapon in the face of any trial efficacy of prayer.

“We the Muslims believe in the efficacy and potency of prayer, likewise the Christians so that is why we are gathered here to seek God’s intervention in the present situation of our nation.  And we believe God will hear us,” he stated.

Representing the Catholic Women, Mrs. Victoria Osikilo, also expressed optimism in resulting to  prayer  to seek God’s help. As she asserted; “we have not lost faith in God that is why we are here today to pray and put our faith in God Almighty to touch the hearts of evil perpetrators, those causing blood shed in the country. We believe that after this prayer rally today God will touch their hearts. As He Has said that we should not let our hearts be troubled.

Another cleric, Pastor Alex of God Bless Nigeria Church, Surulere, restated that protection comes from God;  “We reckon the fact that the present situation surrounding the abduction of the girls speaks volume to show how vulnerable we can be no matter how secured we think we are. That is to say protection is from God. I think is time we talk to God, seek forgiveness from where we have missed it. That God Himself will start reordering our lives”.

Comforting and advising the girls’ parents, he stated; “My advice to the parents of these girls is that they draw solace, comfort and hope from God, I know that it is very difficult time for them no doubt, the emotional pain, trauma and depression. They should stand in faith and hold on to God’s word. So that God himself will start healing and bringing them out of their pain and situation.

“He is the only that can comfort and that is why we need the help of the holy spirit to comfort them on every side so that they can start seeing what God is doing from a new perspective.”

He was also of the opinion of providing  proper rehabilitation and care for the girls on their return.

Giving words of advice to leaders he stated; “Our politicians need to go back seeking the face of God as never before,  because they have lost the trust of the people.

“Our leaders need to go back to the drawing board so that God himself will start breathing on them and they will be acceptable in the sight of God and men”.

Similarly, former Attorney General of Lagos and one of the organisers of Women for Peace and Justice, Hon. Justice Wonu Folami, asked God to; “take control and touch the hearts of those bent on destroying Nigeria and make Nigeria great so that we can enjoy all the blessings in our country and be the best nation in the world if our resources
are well handled.

Still being optimistic on the safe return of the girls, Mrs Fiyintola Okunola, member of Federation of Muslim Women, advised that “we should all have faith in God on the safe return of the girls. There is nothing we can do without prayer, we have carried out protests, now we are resorting to prayers to beg the Almighty to come to our aid”.

The post Muslims, Christian women pray for Chibok girls appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

By Yemi Adebisi, Acting Head, Literary/Arts

Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, is one of the few leaders that create time for reading despite his tight schedule. Not only that, he has contributed immensely to develop Nigeria’s reading culture especially through the annual Garden City Literary Festival, now, Port Harcourt Book Festival. It would be recalled that this effort has earned the city its glamour to become the 2014 World Book Capital City.

Last year, on a day set aside to commemorate children annually, Amaechi, carried out a double celebration. He spent Children’s Day, which is also his birthday, reading and interacting with students of State Primary School, Kpite, in Ogoni. He read about the historical character, Marie Curie, a two-time Nobel Prize winner and scientist from the 19^th century.  Curie’s life story stands out especially when understood against the historical backdrop in which she existed: a time in which education and womanhood were not synonymous.

Curie was a scientific icon remembered for her pioneering work in the field of radiation research. She discovered radium and polonium, defining their atomic weight and their place in the periodic system, and she was the first to discover methods for extracting pure radium salts and metal. Curie, who first coined the term ‘radioactivity,’ was key in developing methods for quantitatively measuring radioactivity and for discovering its effect on living cells. She was twice awarded the Nobel Prize, first in 1903 in Physics and then again in 1911 in the field of Chemistry. She was the first person ever to be awarded two Nobel Prizes, and along with Linus Pauling. In addition, she was the first woman in history to earn a Ph.D. at a French university. She was in general remembered for her scientific brilliance and for her diligence and perseverance in the face of tremendous discrimination and hardship.

Governor Amaechi, seated between the founder of the Rainbow Book Club (RBC), Mrs. Koko Kalango, and Rivers State’s Commissioner for Education, Dame Alice Lawrence-Nemi  highlighted at least two important lessons from the book.

Firstly, that poverty should not inhibit any person from achieving his or her life goals and secondly, that hard work is important as a way to success.

The 50-minute session ended with the governor emphasising to the students the need for them to take full advantage of the opportunities they are being given with free education, since some students in other states do not enjoy the same privilege.

When asked what he did before he became governor, he replied, “I was a hustler.”  He said he did a variety of jobs but remained on the right side of the law.

Amaechi also claimed that his main interest is reading, and that he has two libraries at home. He said he was currently reading a book,Why Nations Fail by James A. Robinson and Daron Acemoglu, but recommended A Swamp Full of Dollars, a book on the Niger Delta,by Michael Peel to the students.

The post I read books on Curie’s story on my birthday –Amaechi appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.

Do you know that half of the world menstruates? On any given day, more than 800 million women between the ages of 15 and 49 are estimated to be menstruating yet talking about menstruation remains a taboo in many cultures.

Menstruation is the periodic discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina of females. It begins with the onset of menarche that hitherto was about 12 years, but which reproductive health experts say has now dropped to nine years or even before sexual maturity and stops at or near menopause (commonly considered the end of a female’s reproductive life).

The regularity of menstruation period gives rise to commonly used euphemisms such as “my period” and “monthly flow”.

Despite the fact that almost every woman and girls of reproductive age in the world menstruates various parts of the world still view menstruation with stigma and we find mothers who have female children unable to talk or discuss issues around a normal biological process with these girls.

Opening discussions on issues around sexual health in schools have even been viewed as unacceptable among parents thus furthering the taboo that exist in the society as a whole.

“This is a fact that is very disturbing to reproductive health experts across the world” says Deputy Medical Director ASCON Clinic, Badagry, Dr Ajoke Ashiru.

According to Dr Ashiru, “the trend of inability to discuss topics around menstruation is mostly due to the feeling of shyness exhibited by any young girl who is just starting the process.

Oftentimes, the young girl thinks it is too personal and should be treated as so. It is now that medical experts have taken it so seriously and are educating mothers at every given opportunity so that they in turn give time to talk to their girls and moreover, as a mother and an expert, I think schools should play key role with teachers talking to the young ones during classes, faith based organisations should also take topics on it and call on experts to address among young people.

“It is about time that the myths surrounding reproductive health issues such as basic as menstrual flow should be broken in our homes and society so that everyone understands why we are having so many problems on reproduction today and it is when both boys and girls know about how their bodies function through all ages that the society can produce healthy adults and citizens”, she added

UNESCO estimates one in 10 African girls miss school during their periods, leading to a higher dropout rate.

It is as a result of the disturbing pattern that a group of partners came under a coalition to declare the first ever Menstrual Hygiene Day last Wednesday, May 28 with the view to start a global conversation that would help all girls grow into healthy women who can advocate for their reproductive health and rights.

The coalition of organisations includes Watersaid, WASH United, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Save the Children.

According to Coordinator of WaterAids Regional Learning Centre for Sanitation Clarisse Baghnyan, “We need to make a shift in our thinking and attitude and bring an end to the stigma that still surrounds menstruation.

“For the sake of our girls and women, it’s time to start talking about this issue. The myths and taboos around periods can and do take a heavy toll on the health of our girls and women, especially in developing countries such as Nigeria.

“We must ensure that our girls have decent and separate toilet facilities in schools otherwise their health is put at risk and they are likely to miss or drop out of school rather than face the humiliation of finding somewhere private to change.

“By talking about periods, we can help normalise this natural process and help girls and women live healthier and more dignified lives.”

The post Why discuss menstruation? appeared first on Daily Independent, Nigerian Newspaper.