Play ‘boosts children’s development and happiness’

by Agency Reporter

Children Playing

Play helps boost children’s language development, problem solving, risk management and independent learning skills, a study reaffirms.

The report, for the Children’s Play Policy Forum, found play improved children’s physical and mental health, as well as their emotional well-being.

It also found playtime in the school playground could enhance academic skills and attitudes and behaviour.

Wednesday’s report is published to coincide with the UK Playday.

Now in its 27th year, the aim of Playday is to give children, parents and communities an opportunity to highlight the positive impact of play.

Community spirit

The report – the Play Return – reviews a wide range of research into the importance of play in supporting children develop essential skills and knowledge as they grow up.

How much exercise should children take?

Health professionals recommend that children aged five to 18 get at least one hour of aerobic activity a day. This should include a mix of moderate-intensity activities (working hard enough to raise the heart rate and break a sweat and vigorous-intensity activities (breathing hard and fast, the heart rate going up quite a bit).

As part of this 60 or more minutes, children should also do activities that strengthen their muscles and bones.

Children under five, who can walk unaided, should be physically active every day for at least three hours, spread throughout the day, indoors or out.

Source: NHS Choices

Parents associated playing in playgrounds with family well-being and those who lived near playgrounds and visited them often reported higher levels of family happiness.

The study also said play and youth facilities in public spaces had led to reductions in levels of anti-social behaviour and vandalism.

The report also found families and communities benefited from play initiatives and wanted action to improve them.

It said play initiatives often generated high levels of volunteering support and a sense of community spirit.

Culled from the BBC News

Insurgency: Cleric seeks compulsory education for pupils

by Mudiaga Affe

The General Overseer of the Charismatic Renewal Worldwide, Dr. Cosmos Ikechukwu, has called on the Federal Government to make primary and secondary education compulsory for pupils.

This, he said, would help to check the rising tide of suicide bombings in the northern part of the country.

Ikechukwu stated this shortly after the dedication of the Cathedral of Destiny in Calabar, Cross River State on Thursday.

The cleric, who decried the state of suicide bombings in the country, said a good orientation via compulsory and qualitative education could reverse the trend.

“The recent teenage suicide bombings paint the most pathetic picture in the country. It has become necessary for the Federal Government to evolve deliberate policy of mandatory and unconditional education for all children in Nigeria. This is so because an enlightened mind cannot easily be manipulated to commit such heinous crimes as suicide bombing.”

The state governor, Liyel Imoke, noted that the church had always insisted on standard teachings of Christian doctrines.

Imoke, represented by his Special Adviser on Religious Matters, Pastor Eyo Okpo-Ene, added that such doctrines would help restore the lost values in the society.

@punchng.com

Maximising the emerging middle class’ potential

by Oluwafemi Oyefeso

Oluwafemi Oyefeso

I recently read an interesting report from the McKinsey Global Institute and it presented some thought-provoking data on the enormous potential that are inherent in the Nigerian market.

Nigeria has been termed by some analysts as a rhinoceros held down and waiting to burst loose; and from all the statistics given by MGI, this cannot be far from the truth.

According to the report, the Nigerian consumer market is worth nearly $400bn per year and based on this, the expanding consuming class could reach $1.4tn a year by 2030. Also, it indicated that “food (including beverages) and non-food consumer goods will account for $1tn of the total, and by 2020, more than half of African households (128 million) are expected to be in the consuming classes, expanding markets for everything from mobile phones to refrigerators to soft drinks”

The report also disclosed that Nigeria and other developing economies had large and growing working-age populations, which could be drivers of growth. “Nigeria already has the ninth-largest working-age population in the world; and by 2030, the number of Nigerians of working age (15 to 64) is expected to be 50 per cent higher than today,” it stated.

The report posited that by 2030, Nigeria’s economy could more than triple in size, growing to over $1.6tn from $510bn in 2013, or by about 7.1 per cent per year. Such growth will make Nigeria one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2030, larger than the Netherlands, Thailand or Malaysia.

From the analyses above, the country and the consuming class provide huge potential for discerning investors and people with the right mindset and grit to be able to overcome the challenges within the operating environment of Nigeria. However, despite the interesting statistics, navigating this terrain requires a differentiated strategy to gain traction and effectively take charge of this market and its potential.

Below are some key points I got from the McKinsey Global Institute’s report:

Customer experience is key

To properly take advantage of this market, differentiation from below par service is very crucial, as a large portion of our economy is service oriented. Firms that want to stand out can do so by leveraging on the experience customers get when they patronise them, as a positive experience sells itself any day. Customers are loyal and promote brands that treat them well. Some international companies have been able to differentiate themselves solely on this strategy. The positive experience customers get will make companies stand out from the clutter and get them word of mouth referrals, causing organic growth and adding more value to the bottom line.

According to an expert, Josh Linkner, only 26 per cent of companies have a well-developed strategy in place for improving customer experience, leaving a huge opportunity to leave 74 per cent of competition in the dust.

No one size fits all

Nigeria is a country with a diverse and homogenous background with over 500 ethnic groups. Proper segmentation is very key to properly capture the pockets of these distinct entities. Companies that intend to cover the landmass of this topography need to develop messages that will appeal to a diverse and varied audience. Different ethnic groups and tribes have their peculiar idiosyncrasies and traits that differentiate them. To properly capture this audience, these traits have to be worked upon and crafted into advertising and media messages, which captivate and engage the audience and make them consider a purchase.

Hitting the market at the right time

To further buttress the above point, I like to take the example of the e-commerce companies. What better time to hit the market. The e-commerce companies have been able to effectively leverage the market by taking advantage of the nature of the upwardly mobile sector of the population who have some disposable income to play with and are time starved. Selling convenience has become the buzzword. These companies have also been able to seize the moment, created by the strength of the banking sector and debit cards, bridging the gap between the producers and consumers. At the same time, these companies build up their own logistics and distribution chains. The market scenario without the e-commerce companies would have meant that shopping malls will be more crowded and more traffic on the streets. With mobile and Internet penetration gradually increasing, this has enabled customers to do their transactions on their phones, including comparing prices and looking through product reviews.

The downside of this e-commerce companies are the potential threats they pose to the brick and mortar business and commercial real estate in the near future. With the rate of patronage they get, the traditional brick and mortar stores might end up being distribution and fulfilment centres, utilised by the e-commerce companies.

With these new developments, there is no better time for digital and Internet savvy entrepreneurs to bring in more innovation than now. There are numerous openings for blue ocean strategies in the health, retail, agriculture, media and transport sectors. The agriculture industry in particular provides so many opportunities for enterprising individuals to unlock more value from the value chains and add more value to products, which can be sold as refined products, thereby commanding higher prices.

@punchng.com

Guide your children well, VC urges parents

by Charles Abah

Some children doing exercise
| credits: google.com

The Vice-Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Michael Ajisafe, has urged parents to guide their children, especially in making the right choice of schools at the tertiary level.

Ajisafe made the call at llishan-Remo, Ogun State during the 19th graduation of the Babcock University High School.

The VC, represented by the Registrar of the Afe Babalola University, Mrs. Christy Oluborode, said the call was important, as it would enable the children to consolidate on the foundation they received at the secondary school level.

Ajisafe also urged the graduating pupils to strive to work harder and contribute to building a stronger and better Nigeria.

He said, “I urge you not to be lazy youths, academic copycats, and disobedient children. I want you to be obedient and hardworking children, who are loyal to their parents and the authorities. I want you to put to good use the knowledge that this school has impacted on you and contribute to making a better Nigeria.

The Principal of the school, Mr. Timothy Adetayo, said the graduating 189 pupils received rounded education from the institution.

Adetayo, who urged the Federal Government not to fix WASSCE and NECO examinations on Saturday, noted the development was a major challenge for members of the Seventh- day Adventist church.

According to him, Saturday is a day of worship for members of the church.

He, therefore, appealed to the government to fix all examinations between Monday and Friday to avoid disrupting the day of worship of members of the church.

Also, the chairperson of the Babcock University Schools Management Board, Dr. Janet Ola, said the graduating pupils had received the best of education and training in line with Adventist philosophy.

According to her, the training will empower them to better members of the Nigerian society.

@punchng.com

How organic web traffic can stunt business growth

by Adeniyi Adegboye

Adegboye Adeniyi
| credits: File copy

I am a great believer in email marketing. I have in the past written about the dos and don’ts of email marketing and believe that every forward-looking business should start mastering email marketing to grow their business.

But at the core, as a Search Engine Optimisation enthusiast I want to share with you how much effect organic traffic can have on a business growth.

To help us understand this effect we will take a look at two recent case studies and the impact of organic search on their business, then discuss how you can build your own ranking and what to avoid.

Case study of eBay

Earlier in the month eBay, while discussing its report for Q2, said it was expecting a reduction in earning over $200m due in part to a significant seven per cent drop in GMV (growth merchandise volume).

This drop is believed to be associated with a change in ranking or what is called a drop in ranking suffered earlier in the month of May.

Case study of French Blogger

Have you ever suffered from a negative review lately? French blogger Doudet recently wrote a review of her experience in a restaurant. Somehow her review ended up on the first page of Google.

The effect was so bad that the owner of the restaurant has to get a court order to force the blogger to take down the review because the review was negatively affecting their business.

These two case studies show the impact online traffic can have on a business. If you need to promote your business online, then you need to start actively engaging in using the power of the web to get more people to your website.

Let’s take a look at an example to illustrate this. If you do a keyword research for “online shopping”, you will discover that over 1,300 people actively searched for this keyword on a monthly basis over the last 12 months. If you combine this with other variations of the keyword, you will begin to see how many isitors will visit your site on a monthly basis.

Imagine a website at position number four on the first page. You can expect a minimum of 10 per cent of that traffic to your website – all other factors being considered”.

That is how huge the impact of organic traffic is and why people will use all sorts of techniques to increase their ranking because in theory, the higher your ranking, the more your traffic.

Four things that can positively affect your traffic

Having understood the impact organic traffic can have let us take a brief look at certain factors that can positively affect your traffic.

Build for your visitors

One major mistake businesses make when designing a website is to build based on the latest technique or style. At every particular point you need to remember that your visitors are the reasons why you created your website in the first place. You want them to find you. You want them to be able to access your website on any devices (mobile responsive) and at the have a great experience while doing so (low bounce rate).

Optimise your website or go nowhere

Even if you have the most beautiful website or the largest market, if you do not pay attention to your organic traffic by implementing standard practices and living according to the rules, your business might take a hard hit. This is because Google spider does not understand any other language. All it understands is user intent based on keyword, meta description and HTML tags. Therefore, you need to build not for your visitors but also for Google bots.

Be social

Learn to build a quality social media follower. If you don’t know how to do it, pay someone to build your social media profile. While social media do not affect directly affect ranking in such a way that we want yet, the amount of traffic you can drive to your website when you correctly use social media is often worth the price. Remember, these platforms are here to stay. Your potential customers are on it. Use it to your advantage.

Build relationships to get links

One way to increase your organic traffic is to increase your Google ranking. The higher your website is ranked the more traffic it gets. Unfortunately webmasters give links, not website. If you do not cultivate these relationships earlier in the day, when the time comes to get a link, you might find it extremely difficult and time-consuming. Links are the liif-blood of higher ranking and links will not disappear anytime soon. If you need to get links, then start building relationships with other webmaster, bloggers in your fields and even journalists. At the end of the day, these are people who will write about you and link from their website to yours.

@punchng.com

Chibok girls deserve continued attention – American lawmakers, others

by Temitayo Famutimi

| credits: File copy

Campaigners demanding the rescue of the over 200 abducted Chibok girls have lamented that the online advocacy was dwindling.

According to them, the online #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which attracted global attention and grabbed international headlines before now, is gradually dwindling.

Expressing concerns over the development, American Congresswoman, Sheila Jackson-Lee, said there was a need for people around the world who value girl-child education to continue to rally support for the schoolgirls who have been in Boko Haram custody for over 115 days.

Writing on her Twitter page, Jackson-Lee, who represents the Texas’ 18th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives, stated that it would be quite thoughtful and compassionate for all campaigners to keep up the with the support to find the girls.

“Do not let the world forget until every girl is found,” she advocated, adding, “We will not forget them and we will not rest until they are returned.”

Another American lawmaker, Frederica Wislon, who had been in the forefront of the campaign, stated that since the Chibok girls were still with the insurgents, all those who gave the online advocacy a push from the outset should not begin to “stand idly by.”

The Congresswoman from Florida argued that it was high time the Federal Government rescued the students as girl child education was a lifeline to any nation’s development.

“We can’t allow this story to fade from the headlines. Attacking and abducting schoolgirls is unconscionable. When we educate girls, we change the world and educated girls lead to empowered societies,” she added in a series of messages on her Twitter page.

A member of the Abuja #BringBackOurGirls coalition, Amina Atoyebi, also lamented that most people “are tired” of campaigning for the girls’ rescue.

She appealed to Nigerians both home and abroad not to relent in speaking up for the schoolgirls in captivity, adding that doing so would go a long way in sympathising with their parents and loved ones.

Atoyebi, however, described as “utterly ridiculous” for the Federal Government to be allegedly vague on the efforts being made to rescue the girls in captivity.

“This is utterly ridiculous! Almost four months since the girls were abducted. The sad truth is that the Chibok girls’ lives will be totally different from what it was before the abductions. Most people are tired about the #BringBackOurGirls issue. We must not move on just like that. Let us speak up for them.

“But what is the Nigerian Government doing to bring back these girls? They are being vague and don’t want to be held accountable. I don’t think that the relatives of any kidnapped politician was in captivity for up to four months. What is worse than any bad government is a people whose humanity and consciences have been eroded. After 100 days, it is natural that the numbers will dwindle forcampaign. A lot can happen in 100 days.”

Asking Nigerians and well-meaning individuals in different parts of the world to rally round the Chibok girls, an online activist, Jeff Okoroafor, asked, “If in 115 days no one cared to ask your whereabouts, how would you feel? That is exactly how the Chibok girls are constantly feeling today.”

Okoroafor argued that the majority of the girls would feel “distressed, ostracised and forgotten”, 115 days since their abduction from their school dormitory.

He added that the thought of what those girls were going through was depressing and unimaginable.

“One hundred and fifteen days since their abduction, where is the government? Where is this nation’s leadership? Without being told, the abducted Chibok Girls are being battered by their captors. We pray that the government act urgently to rescue them,” the online activist added on Twitter.

But an online commentator, Victor Asemota, queried the effectiveness of the online campaign in securing the safe release of the girls.

“I still have not seen scientific proof that the hashtag campaign led to meaningful change for good. If you have it, then please share with me,” Asemota argued.

But another social commentator, Henry Okelue, disagreed with Asemota over the effectiveness of the #BringBackOurGirls online campaign.

According to Okelue, the online campaign had been successful in drawing the attention and concern from people around the globe to the girls’ plight.

“When Nigeria’s history is updated, the campaign will find a place of pride and posterity will remember it for good,” Okelue said on Twitter.

@punchng.com

 

 

Air Algerie AH5017 black box tape unintelligible

by Agency Reporter

The cockpit voice recorder from the Air Algerie flight that crashed in Mali in July is damaged and unintelligible, French investigators say.

They said the team was unable to extract information from one of the two black boxes found in the wreckage, BBC reports.

Flight AH5017 went down en route to Algeria near the Malian town of Gossi, killing all 118 people aboard.

France took a leading role in the investigation after 54 of its citizens were killed in the crash.

French officials have said they believe bad weather was the likely cause of the crash on 24 July but have not ruled out other possible explanations.

The voice recorder used magnetic audio tape – common to older aircraft – but this was found broken and had to be repaired, Remi Jouty, president of France’s BEA air accident investigator, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.

“There is sound on the tape but it is unintelligible,” he said.

“The device seemed to be recording but we don’t yet know why it did not work, except that this was not a result of the crash itself,” Jouty said, adding that it may have been caused by a “simple technical problem”.

The system of using magnetic tape has since been replaced by digital technology in modern aircraft.

Jouty also said it seemed likely that the plane had broken up on impact instead of in the air, based on the strong concentration of debris in one area on the ground.

“When we look at the trajectory, this leads us to believe that the plane did not break up into several pieces while in flight,” he said. “This does not exclude that damage was caused during the flight.”

Meanwhile, the French army says investigators have left the site after transporting all useable DNA material to French laboratories, according to the BBC’s Alex Duval Smith in Mali.

The Malian army is guarding the site, which includes a container full of the passengers’ personal effects, she says.

Shortly before losing contact, the pilots of flight AH5017 had asked permission to change route due to bad weather after taking off from Burkina Faso.

‘Singles should stop playing games’

by Agency Reporter

AKINWANDE

Co-founder of Singles Connect, Mr. Bode Akinwande, has advised singles to desist from playing games.

Of course, the games that Akinwande has in mind is neither football nor table tennis. Rather, he wants them to steer clear of casual romance games that many singles are particularly fond of playing.

The Singles Connect boss made the call in Lagos on Saturday when the group held an interaction with singles – amid comedy, talk show and networking.

At the event held at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, he said integrity and trust were important ingredients for lasting relationships.

Singles Connect prides itself as a unique, decent and endearing forum established with an aim to promote executive/working class and mature singles from age of 28years and above with a better way of connecting and building lasting relationships.

At the event tagged “No More Games, the host said, “Integrity is vital to building a healthy and lasting relationship. A lot of relationships have ended due to perpetual lying by either of the partners or both of them,   thereby tampering and eliminating trust, which is one of the bedrocks of a relationship.”

Noting that sincerity boosted the lifespan of a relationship, he said it was by observing the principles they could attract partners they so desired.

Akinwande added, “We believe at Singles Connect that within six months to two years, the parties should know much about themselves before it can lead to marriage. But we also know that courtships should not be too short so that people can know more their partners before they give the final commitment.”

US braces for twin hurricanes

by Aljazeera

Hawaiians are bracing for two hurricanes, with advancing Iselle packing high winds and heavy surf and Julio gathering steam behind it.
Hurricane Iselle was forecast to make landfall on Hawaii’s Big Island on Thursday night before passing south of the archipelago’s smaller islands on Friday, US officials said.
Wind shook palm trees on Big Island and caused white caps to form off the coast as Iselle approached rated a Category 1 hurricane, even with the eye of the storm still about 150km east of the town of Hilo on Thursday afternoon.
Hurricane Julio was gaining momentum further east, and was expected to pass near Hawaii by late Saturday or early Sunday, said Ray Tanabe, acting director of the National Weather Service in the Pacific region.
State officials warned of the potential for flash floods, mudslides and power outages, and Governor Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation, freeing up funds and other resources, in anticipation of the storms’ arrival.
Hawaii residents were stocking up on basics as authorities in Honolulu advised them to prepare seven-day disaster supply kits.
Shoppers waited in lines at supermarkets with carts full of bottled water, batteries and nonperishable food.
As they prepared, Hawaiians also had to contend with a magnitude 4.5 earthquake that struck the Big Island 19km west of Waimea on Thursday morning, according to the US Geological Survey.

Nollywood actor pleads with gays to leave him alone

by Agency Reporter

okoye

Nollywood actor, Augustine Okoye, has cried out to homosexuals in the country to let him be in a statement released online. The actor who explained that he only played a gay role in a Nollywood movie just to prove a point that he could act any role, says he has been having sleepless nights because of the role..

“For the fact that I recently played a role in a gay movie does not make me one. I am straight, I took the role because I want to prove to directors and producers that I can take any role and give my best in it . Please, gay should stop harassing me because I am not a gay,” he begged.

Ebola virus: Liberia apologises to Nigeria

by Niyi Odebode, Fidelis Soriwei, Sunday Aborisade and Adelani Adepegba

Patrick Sawyer

The Liberian Government on Thursday apologised to Nigeria over the importation of the deadly Ebola Virus   by a Liberian-born American, Patrick Sawyer.

Sawyer arrived Lagos on July 20 from Lome but died five days after he was admitted into a hospital in Obalende when he showed Ebola virus symptons.

The Liberian-born American came into contact with 59 people in both the Murtala Mohammed International Airport and the hospital. Eight of the hospital contacts were quarantined at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba. One of them, a matron, who died on Tuesday became the first Nigerian casualty. Five others, including a female medical doctor, had as of Wednesday, tested positive to the virus.

The Liberian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nurudeem Mohammed, told journalists in Abuja that President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, was deeply sorry that Sawyer brought the virus to Nigeria.

He said that the deceased   was under surveillance in Liberia but that he   sneaked into Lagos.

Mohammed said, “The Liberian President President has personally called to apologise on the unfortunate development.

“She specifically said her country had declared a state of emergency over the Ebola epidermic in Liberia.

‘She equally apologised that Sawyer ignored medical advice and escaped out of Liberia.”

However, hopes that the United States   may send Zmapp, the experimental drug for Ebola virus treatment,   appear dashed going by US President Barack Obama’s declaration that it was too early   for West African countries hit by the outbreak to have it.

Obama made the US position known at a news conference at the end of an African summit on Wednesday. While he spoke at the event, the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, told journalists in Abuja that he had written the US Centre for Disease Control requesting for ZMapp.

On Thursday, Chukwu also told journalists   that he had yet to receive a response from the centre.

But Obama, according to The Independent of London, said he lacked enough information to give the green light on distributing the drug, insisting the world must “let science guide us” on its use.

“I don’t think all the information is in on whether this drug is helpful,” the US President said, adding that “Ebola   virus both currently and in the past is controllable if you have a strong public health infrastructure in place.”

He said, “We’re focusing on the public health approach right now, but I will continue to seek information about what we’re learning about all the drugs going forward.”

The Cable News Network also reported on Thursday that Obama said,   “The countries affected(by the virus) are the first to admit that what has   happened   is that their public health systems have been overwhelmed. They weren’t able to identify and then isolate cases quickly enough.

“As a consequence, it spread more rapidly than has been typical with the periodic Ebola outbreaks that occurred previously.”

But Chukwu told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that he was not aware that the US had turned down   requests for the experimental drug.

The minister, who   inaugurated   Defence Identification Centre at the Mogadishu Cantonment Abuja,   said he was optimistic that Nigeria would get positive response from the US.

Chukwu explained that the seeming delay   might be as a result of issues relating to the production and supply of the drugs.

He stated also that the data of the drugs were still being collected since it had been used on human beings.

Chukwu however added that for now, nobody was sure of the efficacy of the drug and whether its side effects   would outweigh its benefits or not.

He said, “Well, we are waiting for a response from them (US); we have made the request but of course, we believe that they will respond to us.

“But we also know that; one, this is an experimental drug, some of the data required are now being collected because it is now being used   on people.

“We are not completely sure yet of its efficacy; we are not yet completely sure if the side effects would outweigh its benefits, and then secondly, since it is an experimental drug, it means it has not been produced in commercial quantity.

“So obviously, given the demand all over the world, may be, they are having challenges about the supply.”

Chukwu   commended the military for establishing   the first Defence Identification Centre in Sub -Saharan Africa, which according to him, is in consonance with best practices in combat casualty identification.

He said the centre would be useful in the storage of the DNA samples of serving military personnel, identification of crash victims and victims of terror attacks.

Also at the event attended by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau, and all the service chiefs and heads of security agencies in the country, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, urged military and security personnel to utilise the centre by providing their blood samples.

Badeh said the centre would make it possible for all fallen military personnel to be identified and given a proper burial.

It was gathered that the military leadership decided to establish the centre   after 46 soldiers of the 234 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Monguno, burnt to death     in an accident.

According to him, the 46 soldiers were buried   to the chagrin of their families who complained that   their corpses were not   identified.

Don’t close borders against Nigerians

At another function where the Health Minister met with representatives of embassies and international agencies   in Nigeria, Chukwu pleaded that foreign   borders should not be closed against Nigerians.

He said it would be wrong for any country to do so since Nigeria had not closed its own borders.

He said, “We are prepared to treat every infected person . Representatives of the various foreign countries in Nigeria should advise their home countries against closing their borders against Nigerians because everything is being done to contain the spread of the disease.

“We will be destroying the whole world totally if every country should close down their borders. But if you think closing down your own borders will help you, go ahead and do it.

“We have not closed down our land borders because we are weighing all possibilities. The ministry of health will not be the last to advise the Federal Government to close the borders if we are convinced that doing so is necessary.

“Unless we are sure that all our land borders are fully secured, closing the border in Nigeria will be counter-productive because we still have many porous borders which foreigners would explore without being screened.”

He commended the international community, the World Bank, the ECOWAS and the private sector for supporting Nigeria’s efforts   at combating the disease

Chukwu also said Nigeria would not allow foreigners     infected with the Ebola virus   to travel out for treatment.

He said that WHO had   noted that about 1, 700 persons had been infected with the   virus and that more than 900 of them   had died since the outbreak of the disease.

The minister said, “This was the figure released yesterday (Wednesday) and it could have been more today.

“If the incubation period of the virus had shifted a little bit, the Liberian- born American , Mr Patrick Sawyer, who imported the disease would have after participating in the ECOWAS summit in Calabar, Cross River State, returned to the US where it would have manifested.

“This means that currently, the whole world is in danger. For Nigeria, it is a national emergency but for the whole world, it is a global emergency. Everyone, every nation and every individual is at risk.

“Clearly, a victim is condemned to prison by the disease but he or she is not condemned to death. The victim is in prison because he is quarantined when suspected to have the virus and isolated when he has the disease. It is not condemnation to death.

“So, having Ebola virus is not a death sentence. People can survive it and an international research is still ongoing to make sure that any carrier of the virus survives.

“It is true that we are in possession of the manifest of the passengers that flew in the same aircraft with Sawyer from Lome to Lagos but the problem is that the seats in the aircraft were free so we have to go after all the 48 passengers.

“All those who landed with him in Lagos were immediately placed under surveillance alongside all the airport staff and hospital personnel who had direct contact with them.

“At the moment, one or two of the passengers are hiding . Some of the primary contacts, against our advice, had even left Lagos and travelled to other cities.

“We have put in place the infrared tarmac detectors gadgets to screen outgoing and incoming passengers at the Lagos and Abuja airports. We are also screening in   49 land borders, 13 airports, and 18 sea borders.

“Currently Nigeria has diagnosed seven Ebola virus victims. The figure included the late Sawyer. There are six Nigerians and one of them unfortunately died on Tuesday. Others are under investigation.”

The minister added that medical personnel were the only people allowed to wear protective gloves in the hospitals.

He called on non-medical personnel   at the borders to stop wearing protective gloves.

He said the Federal Government was ready to work with the Saudi Arabia authorities on how to ensure that pilgrims were well screened before being allowed to participate in the Holy pilgrimage.

Chukwu, who lamented the deteriorating state of health workers who had contracted Ebola, urged the international community to assist Nigeria in combating the menace.

He also announced that “there will be introduction of life insurance scheme for the health workers that will be recruited so that it would go a long way in helping the family of the doctor when issue of Ebola arises.”

The minister added, “The issue of Ebola is affecting our health workers but we are assuring them that government is doing everything possible to protect them; the health workers the ministry is going to recruit will have life insurance so that when anything happens, the family of the doctor will not suffer the loss.”

ECOWAS closes Lagos office

The VicePresident of ECOWAS, Dr. Toga McIntosh, said the sub regional organisation was in support of all strategies being employed by Nigeria to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.

McIntosh disclosed that the regional body had closed down its Lagos office pending when health officers would declare it fit for reopening.

He confirmed that ECOWAS invited Sawyer to its annual retreat in Calabar alongside other ECOWAS ambassadors, national officers, unit heads, and heads of ECOWAS institutions.

He said, “Our protocol officers, including the driver that went to meet Sawyer at the airport are among those under surveillance and are under careful observation. We are monitoring them very closely.

“Also, we have suspended all our activities for a while. In our Lagos office where we initially hosted the late Sawyer, we are collaborating with the Lagos State Government to fully fumigate the entire premises because the vehicle which was used to take him to the hospital is in the compound.

“He had interacted with people used the toilets and other facilities.

At the moment we have closed down our office pending when the health officers will declare it fit for reopening.

Also, the Officer in charge of the WHO in Nigeria, Dr. Rex Mpazanje, said Ebola virus in Nigeria had been contained at the primary contact level.

He commended Nigeria for declaring an epidemic when the case was discovered.

However, the Liberian Ambassador to Liberia, Prof. Al-Hassan Conteh, said the attention of the embassy had been drawn to several cases of harassment of Liberians in Lagos and other places in Nigeria.

He said, “I think that as we combat this disease, it is important to carry out a campaign that association is not concession. The fact that   the index case came from Liberia, does not mean that all Liberians in Nigeria are infected with the Ebola virus.”

@punchng.com

Ogun writes Adeboye on protection against Ebola disease

by Samuel Awoyinfa

Ogun-State-Commissioner-of-Health-Dr-Olaokun-Soyinka

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, on Thursday said the state government had written a letter to the authorities of the Redeemed Christian Church of God to take precautionary measure against the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease during the RCCG annual convention which started on Monday.

Soyinka said this in Abeokuta, the state capital, while addressing a press conference on the preventive measures being taken by the state.

The commissioner said the letter was sent to the RCCG authorities last Friday, and that the government requested the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, to pass the information to the congregation about Ebola in order to guard against its spread.

He said, “We wrote a letter and sent a team to the Redeemed Christian Church of God, because they are having their annual convention. We asked them to make sure they are vigilant.

“We wrote them last week Friday and reminded them of the dreaded Ebola virus and we commended them for what they have been doing. We asked Pastor Enoch Adeboye to pass the general information on Ebola to the congregation.”

Soyinka further said the state governor, Ibikunle Amosun, had instructed the health ministry to interact with Muslim and Christian leaders and any other groups that have large crowd.

While he explained that the state had started training programme for health officials in local government areas, he noted that the state was already collaborating with Federal Government agencies in the border areas to prevent carriers of the virus from entering the state.

@punchng.com

Obama authorises air strikes on Iraq

by bbc

US President Barack Obama says he has authorised air strikes against Islamic militants in northern Iraq but will not send US troops back to the country.
He said Islamic State (IS) fighters would be targeted to prevent the slaughter of religious minorities or if they threaten US interests.
No strikes have been made yet but the US has made humanitarian air drops to Iraqis under threat from the militants.
IS has seized Qaraqosh, Iraq’s biggest Christian town, forcing locals to flee.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday evening after meetings with his national security advisers, Mr. Obama said US military aircraft had dropped food and water to members of the Yazidi religious minority community who were trapped on Mount Sinjar by the IS fighters.
Officials had warned that the Yazidis faced starvation and dehydration if they remained on the mountain, and slaughter at the hands of the IS if they fled.

Fashola cancels new LASU fees, restores N25, 000 tuition

by Emeka Obi

Governor Babatunde Fashola

The Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday bowed to pressure from academic unions and students of Lagos State University, Ojo, by reversing the increase in school fees.

Fashola, who made the announcement at LASU’s convocation in Ojo, Lagos, ordered the fees to be reversed to N25, 000.

Three years ago, the state government increased the tuition to between N180,000 and N350,000.

The governor, who arrived the venue of the convocation at about 10.40am, was greeted with a series of protests from members of the Students’ Union Government, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non Academic Staff Union.

The PUNCH had reported on Thursday that SSANU-LASU had planned to disrupt the second leg of the convocation ceremony.

The union was protesting – among other things – the payment of their salaries for the months of June and July 2014.

The university authorities, in a bid to scuttle the planned demonstration and ensure a hitch-free convocation, used security operatives to arrest some of the union executives and members.

While some of the union members were arrested at about 9.16am, some others were manhandled, even as others had their phones seized. Journalists and passers-by were also harassed.

Following the arrest of their officials, other members of the union took their protest to the Vice Chancellor’s office.

Efforts by a renowned industrialist and Chancellor of the institution, Chief Molade Okoya-Thomas, to stop the protest proved abortive.

The protesters also attempted to prevent the VC and his entourage from leaving his office to the convocation venue.

This prompted security operative to shoot into the air to disperse the protesters.

The protest however, took another dimension as some students and the non-academic staff members joined the agitation on sighting the governor’s convoy.

Some security officials, who tried to confront the protesters, were prevented by the governor, who alighted from his vehicle to address the union leaders.

He assured them that their grievances would be looked into.

The students, in their solidarity, chants, “PDP! Power! APC! Ole (thief).”

They displayed placards with various inscriptions such as, “Further reduction of LASU school fees; Stop the reduction in our bursary; Open registration portal.”

The atmosphere, however, took a different dimension when the governor announced the reversal of the tuition to N25, 000.

The students erupted in wild jubilation and their solidarity song changed to praise – to “APC, Change!”

However, the government gesture did not stop the SSANU members from continuing their protest.

The union members started chanting “Obafunwa must go!”

The Students’ Union President, Nurudeen Yusuf, thanked the governor for the gesture.

He said, “We thank God for everything, even though our people betrayed us by paying their fees contrary to the union’s directives.

“We would have got to this point long ago, but for their betrayal.

“Anyway, we do not blame them because they were afraid.”

@punchng.com

Osun: Zero hour beckons

by Tunde Odesola

Omisore and Aregbesola

In this piece, TUNDE ODESOLA examines the variables that may determine Osun governorship election on Saturday

Next Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State is on all lips for various reasons which include the ridiculous and the altruistic. The election, like the bulbous aquatic creature, octopus, could be hinged on eight legs. What do the Osun election and the octopus have in common? The octopus has eight legs just as Osun governorship election is taking place in the eighth month of the year. Considered as the world’s most intelligent invertebrate, the octopus has a wide range of techniques through which it thwarts attackers. In like manner, the Independent National Electoral Commission has devised some strategies to thwart plans by unscrupulous politicians to rig the election as INEC chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday vowed that the Osun election cannot be rigged. The virtue of the octopus was brought to the fore at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa when Paul, the Octopus, made stunning accurate predictions that brought him global attention as an animal oracle.

Unlike Paul the Octopus, proffering an accurate prediction for the all-important election would be a Herculean task but a little journey down history lane and a look at emerging political issues could open a window into where the pendulum might likely swing on August 9. The eight legs of the octopus include:

The real battle

Although Osun is the epicentre of the election battle, the battleground is Nigeria and the ultimate prize is the Presidency. The election is about Jonathan and Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the likely presidential candidate of the APC. The election is about the North seeking to reinvent itself in a reordered Nigerian polity, where it is fast losing hold on power. Jonathan, however, seems to be having an edge with the gale of impeachments hitting APC-controlled states, the North-East insurgency diminishing the possibility of conducting elections in the region and the recent victory of the PDP in Ekiti.

South-West perception

The Jonathan presidency is largely perceived by the Yoruba as anti-South-West with the lopsidedness in federal appointments against the people of the region. Only, the post of the Chief of Staff, a non-constitutional and non-executive role, is the highest a Yoruba ever got in the Jonathan presidency. Leaders like PDP Board of Trustee member, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, have dismissed the insinuation that the president had treated the Yoruba with disdain, insisting that the President has appointed some Yoruba persons into important offices. Speaking during his defection on Tuesday, Oyinlola lamented that Jonathan did not appoint a Yoruba into any of the top posts in the country. He also said, “Omisore is greedy. I don’t know who killed Bola Ige o. The person nominated by Omisore to replace me as national secretary of the PDP was with him in prison (when he was standing trial for Ige’s murder); the person he nominated as minister of police affairs, (Jelili Adesiyan), was with him in prison too. The person who is being nominated to run for Osun-Central senatorial district post (Kunle Alao) was also with him in jail. The state chairman of the party, (Gani Olaoluwa) was also with him in jail? It is only his deputy governorship candidate (Adejare Bello) that did not go to jail with them. Are we saying that if you don’t go to jail you can’t lead? The inability of the Jonathan administration to solve the problems of insurgency and insecurity has become an albatross for the PDP.

Osun political history

Historically, the emergence of Isiaka Adeleke in January 2, 1992 as the first executive governor of Osun State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, a party peopled by self-styled progressives, and the ascension of Bisi Akande to power as governor in May 29, 1999 on the ticket of the Alliance for Democracy set the political foot of Osun on ‘progressive lane.’ But when Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former Military Administrator of Lagos State, whose father was an ardent Action Group supporter, emerged governor in May 29, 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, the political landscape of Osun was set to be dominated by the ‘conservatives,’ an appellation, by which the PDP is largely called. However, there is an insignificant line of difference between the ideologies of the PDP and the All Progressives Congress as defection by politicians from both political parties is as easy as stepping through a door. Actions by politicians of the two leading parties depict lookalike Siamese twins.

When a Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan sacked the Oyinlola administration in November 2010 and proclaimed Rauf Aregbesola as governor, the statewide thunderous jubilation and excitement that greeted the sacking showed that the electorate was done with the PDP. The mass appeal of the APC as a political brand in Osun came to the fore during the 2011 general elections when the party, operating under the name of Action Congress of Nigeria, swept all elective posts even as its presidential candidate, Nuhu Ribadu, thumped the eventual winner, President Goodluck Jonathan, in the state. Osun was the only state in the South-West where the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss won in the federation.

In the 2011 Osun-Central senatorial election, the candidate of the ACN, Sola Adeyeye, defeated Oyinlola by 80, 526 votes, scoring 129, 527 votes against the former governor’s 49, 001 votes. The candidate of the PDP in Osun-East senatorial election, Iyiola Omisore scored 51, 315 votes while ACN candidate, Jide Omoworare, scored 119, 852 votes, leaving a marginal difference of 68,537. Like Oyinlola, Isiaka Adeleke conceded defeat in the Osun-West senatorial race as he congratulated ACN candidate in the election, Mudashiru Hussain, who defeated him by 44,881 votes with Adeleke scoring 77,090 votes and Hussain scoring 121,971 votes. Displaying a rare sense of sportsmanship, however, Oyinlola, Isiaka and Omisore accepted the result of the election and congratulated the winners.

Emerging variables

Certainly, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since 2011. The PDP, whose members were booed on the streets after the ouster of the Oyinlola administration, has come on powerfully onto the political scene. The APC no longer maintains a vice-like grip on Osun politics as a result of some of its policies and the resurgence of the opposition under the leadership of Omisore, who has spent resources and time to build and maintain the party’s structure. Omisore said that the APC had opened a campaign of calumny against him by continuously labelling him as the killer of the slain Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, despite being discharged and acquitted by a law court because the party knows that it stood no chance against his popularity and acceptability.

The demolition of several buildings in the capital city, Osogbo, did not go down well with the people of Osogbo, whose support for Aregbesola was colossal. Also, the religious chaos caused by the wearing of the ‘hijab,’ a face covering by Muslim students in Christian secondary schools and the attendant resistance by Christian faithful left the public image of the government with a black eye. Similarly, the merging of public schools and the evolution of a single uniform for all public schoolchildren drew the ire of a large number of Osun people, who saw the policies as bad and ineffective. Some groups protested the school merger, saying it would erode the heritage built by proprietors and old students of such schools. The infrastructural achievements of the Aregbesola administration in the three geopolitical zones of the state cannot be overlooked, however.

The peopling of the state executive cabinet with members, who are relatively not known to the masses, is another reason why people are not happy with the administration just as a good number of such members do not connect with the electorate as local politicians would. This coupled with the global economic meltdown and the attendant shrinking of federal allocation has made the masses to call on Aregbesola to stop ‘tarring roads’ and embark on ‘tarring stomachs.’

Massive deployment of military men for the election has not gone down well with the people of the state, who detest the siege mentality foisted by the soldiers. The deployment may be counter-productive for the ruling party, whom many see as being behind the action. Aregbesola is being seen as a victim of PDP-led Federal Government highhandedness and he has been gaining voters’ sympathy on this account.

OYES

The establishment of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme and the employment of 40, 000 youths as volunteers is seen as a deft stroke by Aregbesola to not only engage youths but also to increase his support base. The PDP criticised the scheme, which it described as servitude, promising to make Osun youths gainfully employed if elected into office.

Obasanjo, Oyinlola, Adeleke, Akinbade factors

Although former President Olusegun Obasanjo is still in the PDP, his political loyalists are in the APC. The National Chairman, South-West APC, Segun Oni, who is a former Governor of Ekiti State, is an Obasanjo loyalist. The same thing goes for Oyinlola, who accused Jonathan of not trusting him despite his loyal service to the PDP. Investigation shows that the PDP wields considerable influence in Odo-Otin, prior to Oyinlola’s defection. His defection is likely to affect the fortunes the PDP in Odo-Otin, in particular. Known for his control of Ede and Egbedore councils in particular, the defection of Adeleke was a big minus for the PDP, whose leaders he accused of beating him up and threatening to kill him. Also, the defection of a former Secretary to Osun State Government under Oyinlola, Fatai Akinbade, to Labour Party has been a big talking point of the election because Akinbade is seen essentially as a grass-roots politician with numerous supporters.

The PDP is wont to say it is not missing any of its past leaders who had defected. Specifically, Omisore said, “Aregbesola lost this election over a year ago. The PDP is winning the election. If they (defectors) were with us before and we lost, maybe it is time we changed our tactics so that we could win. You can’t continue to give the same drug to a patient that is not getting well.” The state Chairman of Osun PDP, Gani Olaoluwa, and the party’s Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Diran Odeyemi, said the party will not miss any member who defected just as he described Oyinlola as a “political traitor, who is never consistent.”

APC, Tinubu factors

The APC has been lampooned by the PDP as a party that thrives on the imposition of candidates and also of being under the iron-grip of its national leader, Bola Tinubu. If the Osun election was held four months ago, it would have been a close call between the two leading parties. But the APC, in the last few weeks, has been able to settle areas of disaffection among the populace which include payment of salary arrears, payment of pensions and compensation to people whose buildings were demolished in the urban renewal scheme of the government. A national leader of the PDP, Bode Goerge, called Tinubu the Emperor of Bourdillon, “whose daughter must be Iyaloja, whose wife must be a senator, whose in-law must be in the House of Reps; who must control everything. But the people are wiser now.”

Voter statistics

Both Aregbesola and Omisore hail from Osun-East senatorial district with the former hailing from Ilesa while Omisore hails from Ife. Ijesa communities have six councils which include Oriade, Obokun, Ilesa-West, Ilesa-East, Atakumosa-East and Atakumosa-West with a voter population of 241, 807 while Ife communities with Ife-Central, Ife-East, Ife-North and Ife-South having a voter population of 266, 891. However, the massive support of Aregbesola in Osogbo local government councils with 182, 250 voter population cannot be overlooked.

When addressing a stakeholders’ forum, which included Aregbesola in Osogbo, on Tuesday, Jega expressed satisfaction that 70.13 per cent of the voter population had collected the Permanent Voter Cards translating into 986, 117 voters. He assured that INEC will conduct credible election in Osun.

Pray, who among the 20 candidates in the election would Octopus Paul have picked if he were still alive? May be Paul would have been able to tell if the election would be greeted by violence and bloodshed.

@punchng.com