The Kogi State Government on Sunday, April 2, 2017 confirmed a case of Lassa fever in Angwan Kura Community in the old market area of Lokoja, the state capital.
Kogi State has confirmed a case of Lassa fever
Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, disclosed this in a statement.
Audu said a patient (male), who is a resident of Angwan Kura, Lokoja, reported at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, with signs and symptoms suggestive of haemorrhagic fever.
Audu said: “This is to inform the general public that there has been a confirmed case of Lassa fever in Lokoja, Kogi State.
“The confirmation was done after a patient (male) who is a resident of Angwan Kura, Lokoja reported at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the Federal Medical Centre Lokoja, with signs and symptoms suggestive of haemorrhagic fever.
“The State Epidemiologists immediately responded by sending the patient’s blood sample to the designated Laboratory at Federal Specialist Hospital Irrua, Edo State for analysis, which came back positive for Lasser fever.”
The commissioner said the patient was eventually transferred to the Federal Specialist Hospital in Irrua, Edo State, for optimal care.
Audu added: “The State Rapid Response Team was summoned by the commissioner and provisions were made for source/contact tracing and prophylactic treatment for medical personnel who had contact with the patient before transfer.
“All these have been concluded as all those who have had contact with the patient are currently being closely monitored.
“It is important to note that it was discovered that the patient had travelled to Illorin, Kwara State where he had stayed for two weeks, he only developed symptoms of haemorrhagic fever two days after his return.
“We are, therefore, uncertain whether he contracted the virus in Ilorin or here in Lokoja.
“All hands are on deck to prevent further spread of the disease as jingles and other means of public enlightenment are currently ongoing.
“Any suspected case of Lassa Fever or any one with useful information related to this subject matter should call this designated 08030607102.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says between August 2015 and May 17, 2016, it was notified of 273 cases of Lassa fever, including 149 deaths in Nigeria.
Of these, the WHO added, 165 cases and 89 deaths have been confirmed through laboratory testing.
The task of ensuring that science responds to popular needs of society should be the major challenge that scientists have to overcome. While that task is met regularly, the issue of presenting science in a way that citizens can easily grasp can be daunting. Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), the ecological think tank, hosted media practitioners in Benin City recently at a training focusing on Biosafety and agricultural modern biotechnology in particular. The journalists came from print and electronic media houses based in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Benin City.
Nnimmo Bassey of HOMEF at the Media Training on Biosafety in Benin City, Edo State. He says research has shown that GMOs do not necessarily yield higher than normal crops
The training offered an opportunity for the sharing of information on the issues of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and biosafety with particular focus on sifting the myths from the facts as well as taking a critical look at the National Biosafety Management Agency Act of 2015. Journalists were urged to help increase awareness and, in so doing, ensure the political forces and commercial interests behind any risky approaches to food production in Nigeria and in Africa operate with a sense of responsibility.
The subject of GMOs is a very important one as it deals with our food and directly affects our wellbeing, the gathering observed.
After some welcome words from Nnimmo Bassey, director of HOMEF, the stage was set for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour to speak of the basics of GMOs. He explained what GMOs are and underscored the fact that crops are genetically modified to make them herbicide resistant or to act as pesticides. Both Bassey and Rhodes-Vivour stressed that claims that GMOs offer higher yields, more profits to farmers or are more nutritious are mostly mere propaganda.
On health impacts of GMOs, animal studies of The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) were cited showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies also show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and toxic insecticide produced by GM corn have been found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses. It was also noted that the percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses jumped from 7% to 13% in just nine years after the introduction of GMOs in 1990s; food allergies skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, reproductive disorders, digestive problems, and others are on the rise.
GMOs cross pollinate and pollen grains have been known to travel several kilometers thereby contaminating non-GMO varieties. It is impossible to fully clean up our gene pool once contaminated. GMOs reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are ultimately antithetical to sustainable agriculture. Self-propagating GMO pollution will outlast the effects of global warming and nuclear waste. The potential health impact is very huge, and has inter-generational implications.
Most GM crops are engineered to be “herbicide tolerant”. Monsanto, for example, sells Roundup Ready crops, designed to survive applications of their Roundup herbicide. With the rise of “superweeds,” that are resistant to the herbicide, farmers are sometimes forced to use even more toxic herbicides every year. Not only does this create environmental harm, GM foods contain higher residues of toxic herbicides. Roundup, for example, is suspected to be linked to sterility, hormone disruption, birth defects, and cancer.
By mixing genes from totally unrelated species, genetic engineering unleashes a host of unpredictable side effects. Moreover, irrespective of the type of genes that are inserted, the very process of creating a GM plant can result in massive collateral damage that produces new toxins, allergens, carcinogens, and nutritional deficiencies.
Why are GMOs being promoted in Nigeria?
The National Biosafety Management Act came into being on April 18, 2015 after the Bill was signed into law by the former president, Goodluck Jonathan. The Act established the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) that has the “responsibility for providing regulatory framework, institutional and administrative mechanism for safety measures in the application of modern biotechnology in Nigeria with the view to preventing any adverse effect on human health, animals, plants and environment.”
Mariann Orovwuje, who spoke on Nigerian Biosafety Act, said the Act in itself is defective. Among many issues, Biosafety Act does not take into cognizance the concerns of local farmers and critical stakeholders, she stated. Some of the problematic areas of the Act include the following:
The Act does not make public participation obligatory when applications to introduce GMOs are being considered.
It does not specify clearly how large-scale field trials would be contained and regulated to avoid contamination of surroundings or farms.
Farmer organisations are not represented on the Governing Board. The Board has GMO promoters and vested interests.
The Act does not state criteria for risk assessment nor does it stipulate that such assessments must be carried out in Nigeria and not offshore. This is important because the effect of the GMO on non-target organisms has to be measured with non-target organisms that exist in Nigeria and are ecologically important.
Strict liability and provisions for redress are not included in the Act.
The Act does not ensure the implementation of the precautionary principle that entitles our government to decide against approval or for restriction in cases of incomplete or controversial knowledge. This is the essential feature of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB), driven by the interests of African negotiators and should be implemented in Nigeria.
No provision for mandatory labeling.
The constitution of the Board of NBMA makes the agency open to conflict of interests. It is populated with GMO promoters and this inhibits its role as an unbiased Biosafety umpire.
Institutions that are created to protect our environment and biosafety are actually hand-in-gloves with corporations that are trying to flood our country with exotic and risky products and merchandise. Our governments have been largely complacent about the covert activities of the biotechnology industry to undermine food sovereignty in Nigeria
According to Nnimmo Bassey (Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation), “It was wrong of us to have established a biotechnology promotion agency (NBDA) when there was no regulatory body (NBM) in place. The forces behind proliferation of GMOs in Nigeria are those of control and technology fostering dependency on the multinational corporations.”
One of the journalists shared this thought: “Genetic engineering of food is a seed for the re-colonisation of African countries and other developing nations. What the promoters of GMOs are trying to do is force down our throat a food programme that will not only destroy our natural habitat but could cause severe harm to our health.”
What is the way out?
There is inadequate information and awareness of the public on food sovereignty issues thus shutting out critical stakeholders, deepening public ignorance and inhibiting contributions to solutions. Sustainable food security is only way possible under the umbrella of food sovereignty – ensuring that right of the people to produce food that is healthy, culturally appropriate and produced using ecological sound methods.
According to Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, “The movement to protect our food system is one that requires collective efforts. We must all take up responsibility to ensure we keep our environment free of contamination and protect our biodiversity. There is need for us to strengthen subsistence agriculture by providing adequate storage facilities, good access roads to markets, providing subsidies on farming implements, better access to farmlands and education of the public on the advantages of local food production.”
Akinbode Oluwafemi of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), who spoke on the role of the media in promoting biosafety, noted that the media plays an important role in publicising basic information and findings from domestic and foreign research in order to raise public awareness and promote public participation in biosafety issues.
According to him, the public requires such information to understand GMOs, assert their right to a safe and healthy food and to be able to make informed choices with regard to food.
The sessions were highly interactive and information documentaries were screened to buttress the points shared. Participants acknowledged that they were empowered by the training and would endeavor to promote public awareness on the issues of biosafety.
One left the session reinforced in the conviction that GM crops and foods should not be allowed into Nigeria because they would not only create health challenges, destroy our natural ecosystem but also lead to the neo-colonisation of Nigeria and Africa.
By Joyce Ebebeinwe (Project Officer, Health of Mother Earth Foundation – HOMEF)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on Friday, March 31, 2017 signed a $200 million loan to finance installation of millions of energy-efficient lights in streets and homes as well as energy-efficient water pumps across India that will lead to energy savings of around 3,800 gigawatt-hours annually.
Solar panels
ADB funds will be provided to Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL), a joint venture between four public sector bodies, alongside another $200 million of its own, to finance energy service utilities, which often have trouble accessing commercial finance for energy-saving projects. EESL will make loans available for installing light-emitting diode (LED) streetlights by municipalities and LED bulbs, tube lights, and electric fans by households and institutions, and for installing energy-efficient water pumps.
“The installation of energy-efficient equipment will give significant energy savings, expected to be 30% from agricultural water pumps, about 80% from households and institutions LED lighting, and about 50% from LED streetlights,” said L. B. Sondjaja, Deputy Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission who signed the loan on behalf of ADB.
“The project is suitably aligned with the goals of the Government of India’s National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE) that aims to expand market for energy-efficient technologies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance who signed the loan agreement for the Government of India. “Several initiatives to enhance energy efficiency in energy intensive businesses have already been launched by the government under NMEEE with an aim to unlock the market for energy efficiency projects that is estimated at over $1 billion.”
The project agreement was signed by S. Gopal, Chief General Manager (Finance) on behalf of EESL.
The ADB and EESL funds will be used for subprojects across Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Maharasthra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and other eligible states. The entire $400 million project will install 1.5 million LED street lamps, 42 million LED household lamps, ceiling fans and LED tube lights, and 225,000 new pumps.
The $200 million ADB loan is from ADB’s ordinary capital resources (OCR) and will have a 20-year term, including a grace period of 5 years, at an annual interest rate determined in accordance with ADB’s London interbank offered rate (LIBOR)-based lending facility.
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region.
AAS-AESA and partners’ investment will increase Africa’s population of postdoctoral researchers with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York
AAS’ Interim Executive Director and AESA Director, Dr Tom Kariuki
The African Academy of Sciences and the NEPAD Agency’s Alliance for Accelerating Excellence in Science in Africa (AESA) and its partners have announced a $2 million programme, which will train postdoctoral researchers to support globally competitive research in African universities and contribute to the creation of knowledge-based economies on the continent.
The investment, enabled by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York, will build on the foundation of the Science Initiative Group (SIG)’s Regional Initiative in Science and Education (RISE), which has for a decade prepared PhD- and masters-level scientists and engineers in sub-Saharan Africa through competitively selected, university-based research and teaching networks.
The new AESA-RISE Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme responds to an urgent need to increase the number of researchers in Africa.
Africa has only 169 researchers per million inhabitants, compared to 428 in Chile and 4,107 in the UK, resulting in it contributing only 2.6% of global scientific output. Africa’s few high-quality postdoctoral training programmes are insufficient to meet the demand; compounding the problem, there is limited funding for postdoctoral training, and the faculty who would otherwise conduct postdoctoral training and research are unavailable due to heavy teaching loads driven by high student enrollment rates in African universities.
The organisers believe that a postdoctoral fellowship is a necessary part of the training that enables a scientist to develop into a fully successful research and academic leader and a critical addition to the educational ecosystem.
The new AESA-RISE Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is being implemented in partnership with seven African, US and European higher education institutions, to:
Increase the number of postdoctoral researchers in Africa and build a critical mass of world class researchers by providing funding for training and research that will help to retain them on the continent so they can make an essential contribution to the development of knowledge-based economies.
Provide a quality and structured postdoctoral training programme to nurture the next generation of researchers to independently lead research and innovation programmes and to emerge as future mentors and supervisors.
Provide access to quality research facilities and mentors from Africa and abroad through its partnerships with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), the Cambridge-Africa Programme at the University of Cambridge, the Africa Oxford Initiative, the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), the International Science Programme at Uppsala University in Sweden, the University of Basel in Switzerland in the framework of the Swiss – African Research Cooperation (SARECO) and the US-based Science Initiative Group, which implemented RISE.
Promote the production, reproduction and transition of knowledge from research laboratories to lecture halls as well as to the halls of government, in order to create an enduring infrastructure for globally competitive African universities that attract international students and researchers. The ultimate goal is to produce policies, products and practices that impact lives and livelihoods on the continent.
“The AESA-RISE Postdoctoral programme will make an important contribution to improving the continent’s scientific capacity by developing world class researchers and supporting them to work in environments that will enable them to produce knowledge to help Africa to meet its developmental needs,” said AAS’ Interim Executive Director and AESA Director Dr Tom Kariuki.
The first phase will run for three years but AESA and partners are leveraging for more funding to extend the programme and to maximise impact.
Since its creation in 2015, AESA is said to have been dedicated to the development of Africa’s research leadership. Today’s investment builds on this work and leverages partnerships to ensure its success.
An initiative of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, the AESA is an agenda setting and funding platform established to address Africa’s health and development challenges.
The RISE prepares PhD- and MSc-level scientists and engineers in sub-Saharan Africa through competitively selected, university-based research and teaching networks. RISE was implemented by the Science Initiative Group based at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
The AIMS is a pan-African network of centres of excellence for postgraduate education, research and outreach in mathematical sciences seeking to promote mathematics and science in Africa.
ARUA, a partnership of research universities in Africa, was launched in early 2015 as a response to the growing challenges faced by African universities and to build indigenous research excellence to enable the continent to take control of its future and assert itself as a powerful global force.
The Africa Oxford Initiative aims to support the work of universities and institutions across Africa and to facilitate the development of equitable and extensive collaborations between Oxford and African Institutions.
“If young English players want to reach their full potentials, then playing more of European football is the ultimate.”
Pep Guardiola offers a word of advice to young English footballers
This advice came from the Manchester City Manager, Pep Guardiola, over the weekend, adding that players like Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, John Stones and Dele Alli are as good as any developing players anywhere in the world.
The Manchester City Manager is of the view that it is only by playing regularly at major continental stadiums, such as the Nou Camp, the Bernabeu and the Allianz Arena that England’s best young players can develop the right mental attitude to win major tournaments.
However, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach has hinted that the Premier League needs to be more flexible with its schedule in order to give those players the chance to progress as far in the Champions League as possible.
“From my experience in Spain and Germany and now in England, you can not imagine how good the young players here, but they have to play overseas for the needed experience,” he concluded.
Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has revealed that one of his greatest fears in his management career is retiring from the job he has been doing for the past 34 years.
Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger
He said emphatically that “retirement equals death”, if he does so at the end of the season, after 20 years with Arsenal.
At 67, Wenger said point blank that he will not retire. His words: “Retiring is for young people. For old people retirement is dying. My desire to manage the club has not faded over the past two decades.
“Of course, I’m as hungry as l was when I arrived the club. I carry a bit more pressure on my shoulder than 20 years ago, but the hunger is exactly the same.
“When you see what the club was then and what it is today…. when I arrived there were 70 people working for the club, we are 700 today. And I’ll tell you straight away, I don’t have any shares.”
Answering to question about fears when meeting tougher opponents, Wenger said that he does not fear any club, but “l hate defeat, as my next game is about hope and desire”.
The Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI) in Ebonyi State is seeking to partner with its host community in the bid to ensure rapid development of the area
Vice Chancellor, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba. He has underscored the need for a rapid development of the host community
The institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, made the call on Friday, March 31, 2017 during an interactive meeting between management staffers who are from Ikwo, the university’s host community.
He reiterated the importance of synergy in developing FUNAI and advised members of the host community to be more engaging and partner with the university in order to develop the Ikwo land.
Enumerating the benefits of siting the university on Ikwo land, the Vice Chancellor noted: “This University is a blessing to Ikwo. You can’t quantify the benefits of having this university in this community.”
The Vice Chancellor added that the multiplier effects of situating the university at Ikwo includes admission and employment opportunities for the indigenes and infrastructural and social development for the community with its financial derivatives on the local economy, adding that Ikwo was a good place to situate the university because of its vast land mass, hospitality and agrarian nature.
He further noted that though growth and expansion in the university’s academic activities and increase in the population of students may lead to some social disequilibrium in the community, yet they should not lose the sight that the benefits outweighs the problems. He called on the Ikwo people including its elite to join hands with the University Management in developing the community.
The staffers, who seem elated for the bottom-up leadership style of the Vice Chancellor as exemplified by the meeting, expressed their unalloyed support to the vision of the university, adding that the institution presents limitless opportunities for the members of the host community.
They also thanked the Vice Chancellor for appointing many sons and daughters of the community into various sensitive positions in the university, saying: “We have never had it so good.”
The highpoint of the meeting was the decision by the university staff from the host community to form the “FUNAI Ikwo Staff Community Relations Committee”, that would continuously liaise with the University Management and the host community to ensure peaceful coexistence and cordial relationships in the university environment and for uninterrupted development of the institution.
Twenty-eight beneficiaries of the Shell Nigeria LiveWIRE programme are now retooling to get a good share of the $800,000 growth fund for 2017 provided by Grofin Investment.
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli.
Grofin is a business development financier supporting viable, growth-oriented small enterprises in the Niger Delta through the Aspire Small Business Funds (ASBF) supported by The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
To brighten their chances of securing sufficient financial support from Grofin and other lending institutions, SPDC has completed a one-day Business Scale-up and Linkage workshop for the beneficiaries drawn from Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States.
“This is part of the mentoring element of Shell LiveWIRE. Our aim is to continuously contribute to creating sustainable employment, economic growth and social development through the provision of business development assistance to youths particularly in the Niger Delta,” said SPDC General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli.
Speaking at the workshop, SPDC Social Performance/Social Investment Manager, Gloria Udoh, charged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the mentoring and linkage opportunities to move their enterprises to higher levels.
“This is an opportunity to sharpen your presentation, marketing and business relationship skills; understand how to grow your business; and learn how to make a successful pitch to access the Grofin SME loans and other business support facilities,” she said.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Stella Nnaji described the workshop as “filled with so much energy, motivation and opportunities”. She expressed gratitude to SPDC and its joint venture partners for the LiveWIRE programme which she said was making a world of difference in the growth of small and medium scale businesses in the Niger Delta.
The Shell LiveWIRE is a flagship enterprise development programme designed to help young people explore the option of starting their own business as a real and viable career option. It provides training, finance, and business mentorship for young entrepreneurs.
It was launched in Nigeria in 2003 has produced thousands of Niger Delta entrepreneurs most of whom are now employers of labour. Some of the beneficiaries are also given the opportunity to play in SPDC’s supply chain as vendors and are provided with access to growth capital.
Flooding and mudslides in Mocoa, Colombia, sent torrents of water and debris crashing onto houses in the early hours of Saturday morning, killing 254 people, injuring hundreds and sending terrified residents, some in their pyjamas, scrambling to evacuate.
Rescue effort following the Columbia landslide
Heavy rains caused several rivers to overflow, pushing sediment and rocks on to buildings and roads in the capital of southwestern Putumayo province and immobilising cars in several feet of mud.
“It was a torrential rainstorm, it got really strong between 11pm and 1am,” said local resident Mario Usale, 42, who was looking for his father-in-law in the debris. “My mother-in-law was also missing, but we found her alive two kilometers away. She has head injuries, but she was conscious.”
President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, flew to Mocoa, which has a population 345,000, to oversee rescue efforts on the city outskirts and speak with affected families. “We will do everything possible to help them,” Santos said after confirming the death toll. “It breaks my heart.”
The army said in a statement that 254 people were killed, 400 people had been injured and 200 were missing. More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers were called in to help dig people out in 17 affected neighborhoods.
Even in a country where heavy rains, a mountainous landscape and informal construction of homes combine to make mud and landslides a common occurrence, the scale of the Mocoa disaster was daunting compared to recent tragedies, such as a 2015 landslide that killed nearly 80 people in Salgar, Antioquia.
Colombia’s deadliest landslide, the 1985 Armero disaster, left more than 20,000 dead. “It’s a big area,” Mocoa mayor José Antonio Castro, who lost his house, told Caracol radio on Saturday. “A big portion of the many houses were just taken by the avalanche.”
He said people were warned ahead of time and many were able to get out, but several streets and two bridges had been destroyed.
Weather authorities said light rains were expected in the area on Saturday night and Sunday.
Photos posted on Twitter by the air force showed streets filled with mud and damaged houses, while videos on social media showed residents searching for survivors in the debris and struggling to move through waist-high water during the night.
“We have sent a team of 150 people to make our response effective and machinery began work immediately,” Carlos Ivan Marquez, head of the response unit, said in a statement. “We will be with the governor and the mayor giving all necessary attention.”
Early on Saturday evening, Santos declared a state of emergency in the city, to allow rescue operations to be mobilised in the region. “We will do everything possible to help them,” he said. “It breaks my heart.”
More than 1,100 soldiers and police officers have been called in to find and rescue survivors. Hundreds remain unaccounted for.
