Monday, 4 July 2022
Giant African Snails Force US Town Into Quarantine - TOP NEWSWORLD NEWS
THE reappearance of an invasive snail species forced state officials to enact a quarantine order last week for residents of Florida’s Pasco County, an area north of Tampa along the gulf coast.
Authorities took action after confirming that a notoriously destructive breed of mollusc, known as the giant African land snail, was identified by a community gardener in the city of Port Richey.
A division of Florida’s department of agriculture that manages pest control began to survey the region for additional snail sightings once the quarantine mandate was in place, according to the agency.
The control unit started to treat the land with baited pesticide on Tuesday. Florida’s agriculture department has called the giant African snail “one of the most damaging” mollusc subtypes in the world.
Its unusually large size and ability to procreate in vast quantities allows the creature to infiltrate surrounding areas quickly, posing threats to vegetation and infrastructure because of its appetite for at least 500 different plants as well as paint and stucco.
At four months old, a single snail can lay thousands of eggs at a time and each can grow to be 8 inches long as an adult.
The snails are mobile — experts warn that they “cling to vehicles and machinery,” plus trash, to “move long distances” — and resilient, with the capacity to survive for a year while “inactive” and buried in soil to shield itself from unfavorable weather.
They also present serious health risks to humans, as the snails carry a parasite called rat lungworm that can cause meningitis.
People are advised to wear protective gear, like gloves, when handling them.
Giant African land snails have wreaked havoc on parts of Florida before. Although they are not native inhabitants of the state, officials have traced infestations dating back to the 1960s to escaped house pets and illegal importations by religious groups, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
BBQ Cooking: Does Grilling Cause Cancer?
By SCITECHDAILY.COM
What are the health ramifications, especially related to cancer, of BBQ grilling meat over an open flame?
Barbecue is sometimes promoted as a healthier style of cooking. When compared to cooking methods like frying which have long been considered extremely unhealthy, grilling appears to be less fatty. Along with reducing fat intake, barbecue may limit exposure to dangerous compounds created when cooking oil is heated. Usually, barbecuing takes place outdoors, which means it won’t normally affect indoor air quality. Even with all those benefits, there are some serious concerns about cooking foods — especially meat — over an open flame. The main concern is cancer.
How Barbecue Might Increase Cancer Risk
When meat is heated over an open flame, there is the potential for two sets of carcinogenic compounds to form. Creatine is an organic acid in meat prized by bodybuilders and that may have various health benefits and one major downside. The downside is that it turns into cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs) when heated. The other carcinogenic compound shows up when the fat from cooking meat drips down onto hot coals. The burning fat rises as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the smoke and sticks to the meat.
At this point, it is important to note that neither of the above chemicals has been proven to cause cancer in humans. They have caused cancer in lab animals at higher doses than humans are likely to consume. There is also an association between grilled meat intake and a precursor of colon cancer known as colorectal adenoma.
How to Lower the Cancer Risk of Barbecued Meat
The first step that some experts suggest is to avoid charcoal as a cooking fuel given the risk of PAHs being created. Given that there is no proof of charcoal being more likely to cause cancer than any other cooking fuel, grill cooks may want to try one of two other suggested methods for lowering cancer risk:
Marination
Marinating meat is good for more than just tenderness and flavor. Marination appears to lower the cancer risk from grilled meats. Researchers found that marinating meat for at least 20 minutes before grilling lowered the concentration of carcinogenic compounds by 72 percent according to one study. One contributing factor to the health benefits of marinades may be the presence of herbs that contain powerful antioxidants.
Microwaving
By microwaving meat before grilling it, it is possible to release some of the fat. The fat is what causes the barbecue flare-ups and generates the PAHs. Microwaving also lessens the time the meat has to spend over the flame. Less time means less exposure to carcinogens.
Leaner Cuts
The cancer risk from consuming grilled meat may be reduced with leaner cuts. There isn’t as much fat in the leaner meat, so there will be less to melt and drip onto the coals and produce the PAHs.
Clean The Grill
The accumulation of charred gunk on grill grates may lead to some of the compounds being transferred to food. The danger can be limited by a thorough cleaning of grates with each cooking session.
Line the Grill
Protecting meat from carcinogens in burning fat makes it safer to eat. A cook can reduce the amount of fat that gets to the coals by lining grill grates with foil. To ensure that the meat does get some flavor benefits from the smoke and for better ventilation, the cook can poke some holes in the foil.
Whether or not cooking over an open flame increases cancer risk, it makes sense to be aware of the danger and take precautions just in case. The simple steps above may help to keep exposure low.
PT State of the Race: Peter Obi’s illiberal supporters and Atiku’s tight rope - By Bisi Abidoye
Peter Obi’s presidential aspiration appears to have been appropriated by a social media lynch mob who are attacking his opponents in packs and tyrannising those who do not share their views.
On Thursday, the senior pastor of Covenant Christian Centre, Poju Oyemade, tweeted a message on faith, which he concluded by urging youths not to waste their enthusiasm on a “poorly planned project.”
Oyemade’s tweets
He wrote in the tweets: “Faith is not just blind belief or hoping for a miracle. Faith sees. Faith has her eyes opened and possesses the evidence upon which it builds its belief. Faith prepares long, sometimes for years just as Joseph did for the years of famine. Faith counts the cost before embarking.
“Without having real evidence upon which you are acting nor preparation for the task, recognising real obstacles that lie ahead and making concrete plans, one is just being delusional about the outcome. The enthusiasm of
the youth must not be wasted on poorly planned projects.
“Noah spent months/years planning for the flood & he was operating in faith. Jesus said no man goes to battle without taking stock first nor lays the foundation of a tower without counting the cost first lest he will be
mocked. Our faith is intelligent; it doesn’t live in denial.”
As the host of The Platform, a forum which brings together resource persons to discuss national issues, Mr Oyemade is never shy of political commentaries. Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has appeared in the forum a couple of times to propagate his political ideas. The cleric appeared to be enamoured of the politician.
Although Mr Oyemade’s tweets of Thursday made no direct reference to politics, Mr Obi’s supporters descended on the clergyman moments after the tweets appeared. They held the message as a criticism of their campaign for Mr Obi. Young people, many of them having no contact with the candidate or his party, have been the mainstay of Mr Obi’s campaign thus far.
Their vitriol was, as usual, relentless. Even after Mr Oyemade took down the tweets, the supporters continued to drag him on social media, as they gloated over the capitulation of yet another “enemy” of Mr Obi.
Commenting on the development, Sam Amadi, a lawyer and regular political commentator, wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday: “Pastor Poju was right about the need for rigor and not rhetoric to solve national problems. But thay have cancelled him.”
It is a pattern that has become recurrent and thus disturbing, as the 2023 polls approach.
Like Oyemade, like Mbaka
Two weeks earlier, the chaplain of the Adoration Ministry in Enugu, Ejike Mbaka, was hounded by the same group of supporters after a foot-in-the-mouth remark the cleric made that Mr Obi would fail in his presidential ambition because he is “stingy.”
Within days of the statement, thousands of Mr Obi’s supporters who were also followers of the Reverend Father bragged that they had unfriended him on his social media accounts. Their attacks persisted even after the Catholic Diocese of Enugu dissociated itself from Mr Mbaka’s utterances, before eventually suspending him from all activities of the church. Mr Mbaka later apologised for his statement.
Pandora Papers
This newspaper too has felt the intolerance of the supporters. Shortly after the party primaries, PREMIUM TIMES had reshared some of its previous investigative reports that indicted three of the leading presidential candidates of corruption.
The reports had earlier been published between September 2020 and October 2021 on the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, his counterpart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Mr Obi.
None of the politicians challenged the findings of the reports, so they were reshared to offer readers glimpses of their past and characters.
Although the three publications were shared within hours of each other, the supporters of Mr Obi were the most vicious in attacking this newspaper over a consortium of international journalists’ findings in the Pandora Papers that he registered secret companies outside Nigeria. The supporters baselessly alleged that the report was done out of bias or inducement.
But their attacks have not been for only those who criticise them or their candidates. They also go after Nigerians for merely expressing support for different candidates. Although this is not peculiar to Mr Obi’s
supporters, they have taken it to a new low.
A day before turning on Mr Oyemade, they had ignited a controversy by their attacks on some actors who had declared their support for Mr Tinubu.
The actors made their position known in a video clip shared by one of them, Yinka Quadri, that features them taking turns to endorse Mr Tinubu’s candidacy.
In this instance, Mr Obi’s supporters accused the actors of giving their support to the APC candidate because he is Yoruba like them or trading it for money.
In the controversy that followed on Twitter, a commentator, @ManLikeIcey, wrote: “Psquare are free to support Peter Obi, it’s their right. Yoruba actors/actresses are free to support Tinubu, it’s their right. You’re equally allowed to support your preferred candidate, it’s your right. Don’t bully people for their constitutional right.”
Lynch mob
Mr Obi’s presidential aspiration appears to have been appropriated by a social media lynch mob who are attacking his opponents in packs and tyrannising those who do not share their views.
Reno Omokri, a former aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan and campaigner for PDP’s Mr Abubakar, last month cried out about the incessant verbal abuse he receives from the supporters of Mr Obi.
“In my life, I have never been insulted the way @PeterObi supporters insult me. Yet, this same Peter lobbied me when he wanted to be Atiku’s running mate in 2019. I supported him over others. Yet, he watches as his people
insult Atiku and I. Nobody knows tomorrow.”
Obi’s call for restraint
To be fair to Mr Obi, he had repeatedly admonished his supporters to stop insulting or attacking his opponents and their supporters. For instance, rather than joining issues with Mr Mbaka over his remarks on him, the candidate urged his supporters to cease the attacks, saying he would meet the cleric over his misgivings.
Yet, the illiberalism of his supporters bodes ill for his own ambition and Nigerians’ efforts at building a democratic culture.
Following the attacks on the actors supporting Mr Tinubu last week, some commentators quickly observed the contradiction in attacking the actors when entertainers and other celebrities who are Igbos like Mr Obi had also been campaigning for him without apology. They also remarked that many of his campaigners on social media are of the same ethnic stock.
Identity politics
Nigerians have been trying to escape from the trap of identity politics, since it was acknowledged as a big factor in the collapse of the First Republics. In the transition to the Second Republic, the military government tried to ensure that the political parties are national in outlook, although the success of the effort was modest.
In the short-lived Third Republic, the military government of Ibrahim Babangida imposed two parties on the country in a futile effort to rebuild Nigerian politics on ideological foundations.
Identity politics have also proved very inflammable and lethal in some countries, including Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and defunct Yugoslavia
However, despite the liberal nature of the laws guiding party formation in Nigeria, politicians have realised that a candidate cannot win the presidency without broad national support, regardless of the level of support the candidate draws from their own part of the country.
Party structures
Mr Oyemade might well have been alluding to Mr Obi’s supporters in his controversial tweet of Friday. But given his relationship with the candidate and concerns about political development in the country, he might have been giving honest advice through his admonition.
Many observers genuinely see the frenzied campaign of his supporters as a sail that will take Mr Obi nowhere, until his party builds a structure across the country on which it can compete with the two major parties in a national election. He apparently recognises this too as he has been in talks with other parties for an alliance that may help them cover the country.
The APC and PDP have party executives in perhaps each of the about 10,000 wards in Nigeria. These officials will mobilise party members and voters in their campaigns across the 774 local government areas of the country and monitor the process in the 178, 000 polling units on election days. Without structure in a constituency or area, the party is invisible, however heavy its work may be on social media.
In last month’s governorship election in Ekiti, the LP was not visible for this reason and returned with an appalling 285 votes from across the 16 LGAS of the state. This is in spite of some of Mr Obi’s most ardent
supporters being from the state.
This may also be the case in the July 16 governorship election in Osun where the LP candidate, Lasun Yusuff, refused to have anything to do with Mr Obi’s social media mobilisers because the presidential candidate himself had not reached out to him.
So if Mr Oyemade intended his message to be applied to the current politics, he probably was advising Mr Obi and his backers to spare time and energy in the eight months before the general elections for building the structures their party needs to harness Mr Obi’s seeming popularity and save the hope and enthusiasm of his youthful supporters from ending into a mirage in February 2023.
Above scrutiny
Another implication of intolerance of opposing views is that it scares people away from frank discussion of the personalities, records and ideas of the candidates. As can be seen in the case involving publications by this newspaper on three candidates as earlier cited in this piece, overbearing supporters want to place their candidates above scrutiny.
Aside from denying the electorate the robust information they need to make informed decisions, it bears with it the danger of shrinking the political space and denuding pluralism. Democracy thrives on pluralism and that is the reason it strives for harmony by accommodating different tunes.
In the final analysis, Mr Obi’s supporters cannot win broad support for him by merely sanctifying him in the sea of their own adoration and demonising everyone else. Other supporters also think the candidates they support are the best but they have no right to force those views on others.
Akin Fadeyi, the founder of “Corruption, Not in My Country” advocacy group, in a comment on Thursday, after a supporter of Mr Obi attacked him over a comment he made on the candidate, said: “Those of you who have constituted yourself into E-THUGS for politicians, you’re not better than ballot-snatching political thugs you always repudiate. Some of them are actually better than some of you. Just take this to the Bank: Powerful and resourceful brains don’t make noise and you can never win converts for a candidate you’re building enemies for.”
Nigerians know that none of their politicians is a saint and after 19 years in active politics, eight of them as a state governor, it is Mr Obi’s past record in government as well as his ideas and promises that voters will use in assessing his candidature. He will be placed under scrutiny by those who take him seriously and all of them will not deliver the same verdict.
Atiku walking a tight rope
Atiku Abubakar’s ecstasy over his victory at the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ebbed over cracks in his party since he picked Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate.
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom confirmed in an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday that the advisory committee the party’s leadership and Mr Abubakar set up for guidance on the pick, by 13-4 votes, recommended Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike for the slot.
Mr Wike, who was already aggrieved with the manner in which Mr Abubakar defeated him at the primary, has refused to take his latter disappointment with equanimity.
It is a big concern for the PDP and its presidential candidates, realising that they cannot risk Mr Wike’s wrath going to the elections, for many reasons.
Rivers and PDP
The governor’s Rivers State has always given the PDP some of its largest blocks of votes since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, largely compensating for the opposition’s usual victories in Lagos and Kano, the two states with the highest numbers of registered voters. Losing the state or a large portion of its votes may be suicidal to the PDP in its quest to end its eight years out of power.
Mr Wike also has influence in other South-south states, especially in Cross River State. Since that state’s governor, Ben Ayade, fled to the APC, Mr Wike has taken its PDP chapter under his wings. Cutting off his support will affect the campaigns of the party where the PDP is in the opposition for the first time in its life.
Wike’s backers
It has also been established in recent weeks that Mr Wike’s broad support at the primary was not a fluke. At least five other governors are in his camp. They are united in their current disaffection with their parties, which has further strengthened Mr Wike’s hands in the confrontation with the party’s national leadership.
Mr Abubakar is an inadvertent victim in the furore over the choice of his sidekick. He had to choose whom he considers best to work with. And many leaders of the party, especially in the North, do not think highly of Mr Wike as a candidate for the high offices of president and deputy.
This was one of the reasons that roused them into action when they realised the Rivers’ governor could bully his way into nomination at the convention. It was the reason that Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal, succumbed to the pressure on him to step down at the last moment for Mr Abubakar, even though the two had never been friends.
Ironically, Mr Wike had backed Mr Tambuwal to the hilt at the previous convention that he hosted in Port Harcourt and could not have expected the Sokoto governor to deliver the stab that killed his own bid in Abuja.
Mr Abubakar rubbed salt on Mr Wike’s hurt when, in announcing his running mate, he said he picked Mr Okowa from among those recommended because the Delta governor is suitable to be president.
To be fair to Mr Abubakar too, he would have also drawn the wrath of Mr Okowa and others who helped him win the ticket, had he picked Mr Wike.
Infidelity to principle
Mr Abubakar is also a victim of his party’s infidelity to principle. In this case, however, maybe he does not deserve much sympathy.
Since he first returned to the PDP after the fiasco of his presidential run in 2007, he had been among the vocal advocates of zoning, the basis for their demand that President Jonathan should not run in 2011.
They asked Mr Jonathan, who became president in 2010 after the death of President Umaru Yar’adua, to stand aside so that the northern wing of the party could complete its abbreviated turn in that office. Eventually, a compromise was reached by the power brokers in the party for Mr Jonathan to run for a single term, his own South-south region having never produced the president or vice president.
However, in 2015, after the president had developed his own sense of entitlement to a second term, Mr Abubakar was among the rebels who sabotaged his reelection by defecting to the newly formed APC.
When he returned again to the PDP ahead of the 2019 elections, Mr Abubakar also campaigned on the zoning principle, as a result of which southern members left the field to their northern colleagues in the presidential primary. Mr Abubakar was reported to have promised his southern supporters that he would serve only one term and hand the baton over to the south in 2023.
But having failed in his election bid again in 2019, Mr Abubakar, who appeared to have retired from politics after relocating to Dubai following that defeat, returned home – this time to lead the charge against the zoning principle.
He got his way again but may pay a heavy price in 2023 unless he manages to fill the cracks in his party.
Some southern leaders of the party like former Ekiti governor, Ayodele Fayose, are implacable over the perceived dubiety of their northern colleagues. Mr Fayose on Wednesday vowed to support only a southern candidate next year, despite being a member of the ad hoc committee that recommended to the party to throw the presidential primary open, so that the best candidate could emerge.
Lopsidedness in hierarchy
Another facet of the crisis is how to resolve the albeit foreseen consequence of the party’s presidential ticket going to the North after the national chairman emerged last year from the same region.
When Iyorchia Ayu was elected as the chairman, it was on the understanding that the south would produce the presidential candidate. But it was also proposed that in the event the ticket again went to the North, Mr Ayu would give up his chair. Mr Wike and his camp are demanding that as the minimum condition for sheathing their swords.
But Mr Abubakar is more comfortable with Mr Ayu, a political associate since the Third Republic, remaining on the chair. He can ill afford to have behind him during the election a chairman whose loyalty may be to another person or cause.
Mr Abubakar has urged Mr Ayu to be allowed to remain until after the elections. It is not clear how he would persuade Mr Wike and his camp. But unless one of the sides backs down, Mr Abubakar risks retiring as the most persistent candidate who never won the Nigerian presidency.
Friday, 6 May 2022
What Buhari told Igbo leaders about Nnamdi Kanu, insecurity – Presidency.
‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options..."
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday told Igbo leaders that he would not order the release of Nnamdi Kanu and would allow the courts to decide the faith of the separatist.
Mr Buhari said this at a meeting with Igbo leaders in Ebonyi State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the meeting with the Igbo leaders was part of Mr Buhari’s itinerary during his ongoing official visit to Ebonyi State.
Details of the meeting were contained in a statement by Mr Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina.
Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the president said:
‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.”
Read the full statement by Mr Adesina below.
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abakiliki pledged that the Federal Government would deploy its strength to protect innocent and hardworking Nigerians from terrorists and those causing break down of law and order in the South East region.
Speaking at a meeting with South-East leaders, during his two-day State visit to Ebonyi, the president expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, reiterating his directive to security agencies to ‘‘flush out’’ those perpetrating violence in the land.
‘‘I must register my deep and grave concern with regards to the deteriorating state of security affairs in this region.
‘‘In the last 48 hours, I have been informed of the latest in the round of brutal actions carried out by gun-wielding terrorists, who prey on innocent and hardworking citizens, unfortunately, these barbaric acts were visited upon those who have committed their lives to protect their fellow citizens,’’ he said.
The president paid tribute to members of the Nigerian armed forces who recently lost their lives in the region.
Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the president said:
‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.
‘‘My worry is for our hardworking and innocent civilians, for whom life is already tough and would like to earn a decent and honest living.
‘‘There are many that fit this profile and the government owes them that obligation to protect lives and property.
‘‘I will once again repeat, no one has the right to carry an AK-47, and anyone seen in any part of the country doing so and is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to our peaceful coexistence and should be treated as such,’’ he said.
On infrastructure, the president highlighted some of his government’s achievements in the region, dismissing those peddling false narratives of lack of care and consideration for the people of the South-east by this administration
The president said he was proud of the reconstruction of the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International airport and ongoing work upgrade of the International Terminal Building, assuring Ndigbo that the N200 billion Second Niger Bridge and 10km six-lane expressway in Onitsha and Asaba will be completed before the end of the year.
He added that the 5.5 million dollars Diagnostic Centre in Umuahia is already operational.
In his remarks, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi said President Buhari would be remembered as a man who did not use the plight of the people of the South-east to play politics but came to their rescue severally.
The Governor urged Southern leaders to work towards finding a political solution in resolving some challenging issues, warning that the region is at ‘‘crossroads.’’
‘‘On this issue of a political solution, I have never believed in IPOB’s method of operation. I disagree with them but we have gotten ourselves to a very terrible and pitiable solution.
‘‘Some of us warned that we will get to this situation and some were playing politics with it.
“Mr President, we are at crossroads. I have been to you and I have begged you for a political solution. Surprisingly and graciously you granted that. You said our people should initiate that and at the forefront is Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer.”
The governor, therefore, urged the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo to meet with elder statesman, Mbazuluike Amaechi, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-east, the Chairman of South-east Traditional Rulers Council, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer and few others to initiate the political solution.
On the 2023 elections, the governor said he believed strongly in the demand for the presidency to be zoned to the South-east region on the basis of fairness, equity, justice and morality.
Mr Umahi, who is also a presidential aspirant, commended some leaders from outside the region for expressing their support for the next president of Nigeria to emerge from the South East.
The Chairman of South-east Traditional Rulers, Charles Mkpuma and CAN Chairman, South-east, Abraham Nwali, also spoke in favour of the President of Nigeria of South-east extraction come 2023.
The leaders while expressing support for a united Nigeria, appealed to the president to grant pardon and release the IPOB leader, urging other agitators to cease all forms of hostilities.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
What Buhari told Igbo leaders about Nnamdi Kanu, insecurity – Presidency
‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options..."
ByPremium Times May 6, 2022 3 min read
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday told Igbo leaders that he would not order the release of Nnamdi Kanu and would allow the courts to decide the faith of the separatist.
Mr Buhari said this at a meeting with Igbo leaders in Ebonyi State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the meeting with the Igbo leaders was part of Mr Buhari’s itinerary during his ongoing official visit to Ebonyi State.
Details of the meeting were contained in a statement by Mr Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina.
Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the president said:
‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.”
Read the full statement by Mr Adesina below.
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abakiliki pledged that the Federal Government would deploy its strength to protect innocent and hardworking Nigerians from terrorists and those causing break down of law and order in the South East region.
Speaking at a meeting with South-East leaders, during his two-day State visit to Ebonyi, the president expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, reiterating his directive to security agencies to ‘‘flush out’’ those perpetrating violence in the land.
‘‘I must register my deep and grave concern with regards to the deteriorating state of security affairs in this region.
‘‘In the last 48 hours, I have been informed of the latest in the round of brutal actions carried out by gun-wielding terrorists, who prey on innocent and hardworking citizens, unfortunately, these barbaric acts were visited upon those who have committed their lives to protect their fellow citizens,’’ he said.
The president paid tribute to members of the Nigerian armed forces who recently lost their lives in the region.
Responding to appeals by traditional, religious and political leaders in the region for the release of the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, the president said:
‘‘I have listened carefully to the various appeals from the elders to the traditional leaders regarding a wide range of options, and as I have said previously this matter remains in the full purview of the courts where it will be properly adjudicated.
‘‘My worry is for our hardworking and innocent civilians, for whom life is already tough and would like to earn a decent and honest living.
‘‘There are many that fit this profile and the government owes them that obligation to protect lives and property.
‘‘I will once again repeat, no one has the right to carry an AK-47, and anyone seen in any part of the country doing so and is not a law enforcement officer is a threat to our peaceful coexistence and should be treated as such,’’ he said.
On infrastructure, the president highlighted some of his government’s achievements in the region, dismissing those peddling false narratives of lack of care and consideration for the people of the South-east by this administration
The president said he was proud of the reconstruction of the runway of the Akanu Ibiam International airport and ongoing work upgrade of the International Terminal Building, assuring Ndigbo that the N200 billion Second Niger Bridge and 10km six-lane expressway in Onitsha and Asaba will be completed before the end of the year.
He added that the 5.5 million dollars Diagnostic Centre in Umuahia is already operational.
In his remarks, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi said President Buhari would be remembered as a man who did not use the plight of the people of the South-east to play politics but came to their rescue severally.
The Governor urged Southern leaders to work towards finding a political solution in resolving some challenging issues, warning that the region is at ‘‘crossroads.’’
‘‘On this issue of a political solution, I have never believed in IPOB’s method of operation. I disagree with them but we have gotten ourselves to a very terrible and pitiable solution.
‘‘Some of us warned that we will get to this situation and some were playing politics with it.
“Mr President, we are at crossroads. I have been to you and I have begged you for a political solution. Surprisingly and graciously you granted that. You said our people should initiate that and at the forefront is Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer.”
The governor, therefore, urged the President of Ohaneze Ndigbo to meet with elder statesman, Mbazuluike Amaechi, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-east, the Chairman of South-east Traditional Rulers Council, Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer and few others to initiate the political solution.
On the 2023 elections, the governor said he believed strongly in the demand for the presidency to be zoned to the South-east region on the basis of fairness, equity, justice and morality.
Mr Umahi, who is also a presidential aspirant, commended some leaders from outside the region for expressing their support for the next president of Nigeria to emerge from the South East.
The Chairman of South-east Traditional Rulers, Charles Mkpuma and CAN Chairman, South-east, Abraham Nwali, also spoke in favour of the President of Nigeria of South-east extraction come 2023.
The leaders while expressing support for a united Nigeria, appealed to the president to grant pardon and release the IPOB leader, urging other agitators to cease all forms of hostilities.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
Nigerian airline operators shut down operations from Monday By Kazie Uko
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has announced imminent shutdown of operations from Monday due to the high cost of aviation fuel.
The cost of aviation fuel, also known as Jet-A1, had steadily risen from N190/litre in January this year to N607/litre in March. The product now reportedly sells for about N700/litre.
In a letter sent to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, by its President, Abdulmunaf Yunusa Sarina, the AON expressed its unwillingness to pass the cost down to its customers, who, according to it, were already experiencing a lot of difficulties.
The letter read: “It is with a great sense of responsibility and patriotism that the Airline Operators of Nigeria have carried on deploying and subsidising their services to our highly esteemed Nigerian flying public in the last four months despite the steady and astronomical hike in the price of Jet-A1 and other operating costs.
“Overtime, aviation fuel price has risen from N190 per litre to N700 currently. No airline in the world can absorb this kind of sudden shock from such an astronomical rise over a short period.
“While aviation fuel worldwide is said to cost about 40 per cent of an airline’s operating cost globally, the present hike has shut up Nigeria’s operating cost to about 95 per cent.
“In the face of this, airlines have engaged the Federal Government, the National Assembly, NNPC and Oil Marketers with the view to bringing the cost of Jet-A1 down which has currently made the unit cost per seat for a one-hour flight in Nigeria today to an average of N120,000.
READ: One-way ticket for local air travel may hit N120,000
“The latter cannot be fully passed to passengers who are already experiencing a lot of difficulties.
“While AON appreciates the efforts of the current government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure air transport in Nigeria grows, unfortunately, the cost of aviation fuel has continued to rise unabated thereby creating huge pressure on the sustainability of operations and financial viability of the airlines. This is unsustainable and the airlines can no longer absorb the pressure.
“To this end therefore, the Airline Operators of Nigeria, hereby, wishes to regrettably inform the general public that member airlines will discontinue operations nationwide with effect from Monday May 9, 2022, until further notice.
“AON uses this medium to humbly state that we regret any inconveniences this very difficult decision might cause and appeal to travellers to kindly reconsider their travel itinerary and make alternative arrangements.”
Tuesday, 29 March 2022
How NIPRISAN Is Improving Access To Sickle Cell Treatment In Nigeria’ By Ojoma Akor
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said while the country has not got to the peak in terms of sickle cell disease management, it is no longer where it used to be following the development of NIPRISAN.
NIPRISAN is a drug developed by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID) for the management of sickle cell disorders.
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He stated this in Abuja during the presentation of the award of ‘NIPRID Champion for Eradication of Sickle Cell Disease’ to President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health is committed to reducing the burden of the disease by implementing policies which would improve access to healthcare services for affected individuals.
This will consequently reduce under five mortalities caused by sickle cell disease, he added.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, said a great opportunity exists for the country to stimulate its economy through pharmaceutical manufacturing, using the numerous natural resources.
While saying medicines’ security should not be left for government alone, he added that there is a need for philanthropists, development partners, and other relevant stakeholders to engage NIPRD, and sponsor some critical research activities to expedite access to essential medicines.
The Director General of NIPRID, Dr Obi Adigwe, said Nigeria has the largest population of persons affected with sickle cell disorder, and also has a high mortality rate for children less than five years.
Dr Adigwe said the mandate of the institute towards developing a cure and improving the quality of healthcare led to a fact-finding mission to champion the eradication of sickle cell disease in the African sub-region.
He said, “The outcome of this was the breakthrough with NIPRISAN, an anti-sickling medicine extracted from four local herbs in Nigeria which were found to be efficacious in the management of the disease.”
He said President Buhari’s administration helped to resolve the challenges of the production of NIPRISAN in commercial quantities, adding, “NIPRD became partners with a local pharmaceutical manufacturing company to begin production and commercialisation of NIPRISAN with the name NICLOVIX.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said his government would continue to do its best to ensure priority is placed on the local production of medicines by providing the appropriate support for NIPRD.
“It is our best desire to see that these contributions to research and development in the country subsequently eradicate sickle cell disease and promote healthcare for the Nigerian people,” he said.
He said the production of NICLOVIX by manufacturers in the country has substantially increased access to the drug for people with sickle cell disease within and outside Nigeria.
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