₦airaland Forum

Closure of land borders by the Nigerian Government seems to be yielding positive results as it has reportedly saved the local poultry industry more than N50 billion since its commencement.

Although the border closure has been widely criticised by many people who believe it has increased the hardship of Nigerians, it has also received accolades from some. One of the people who supported the move is the former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Prof Biyi Daramola, who said the impact of cheap farm produce import coming through Benin Republic had reduced because of the closure.

The move, which happens to violate the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Trade Liberalisation treaty is no doubt helping to boost local production.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Nigeria consumes 2 million tons of poultry yearly, 70% of which is imported from abroad. However, according to Daramola, the closure has helped to reduce the high consumption of imported poultry.

OTHER SECTORS BORDER CLOSURE HAS HELPED
Apart from poultry farmers, beneficiaries of the restriction of rice and frozen foods into the country among others include rice farmers and butchers.

Rice farmers have gained from the policy because rice is generally consumed by Nigerians almost all the time, in fact, some Nigerians cannot do without it. Therefore, rice farmers are arguably the greatest beneficiaries of the border closure as local rice is what people now turn to. Despite the present state of the rice (dirt), Nigerians are left with no choice as it is the only rice available due to the closure.

As a result of this, local farmers can be said to be in their prime as demand for their produce is on the high side.

Meanwhile, the closure, according to Daramola, has affected the country’s small businesses selling products across the sub-region, as they can no longer access such markets. He made known that trade across countries is now hindered because goods cannot be easily moved across borders anymore.

SOURCE (abridged): https://nairametrics.com/2019/11/04/poultry-industry-saves-n50-billion-due-to-border-closure/

Commuters and drivers plying various roads in the South-East have lamented the high level of intimidation and extortion by soldiers at checkpoints.

Some of them, who spoke to PUNCH Metro, said the worst was that anybody making calls close to the checkpoints were having their phones seized, smashed on the road or required to pay between N500 and N1,500 to retrieve the phones. In some cases, commuters and drivers of such vehicles are detained for hours before they are released after much pleading.

A commuter, who identified himself as Victor Okonkwo, who witnessed the atrocities of the soldiers recently, narrated his experience to our correspondent on Monday. He said, “On Tuesday, October 22, 2019, I was returning from Owerri in a Sienna car and there were seven passengers in the vehicle. When we got to the Ihe community, one of the passengers received a call and he was on that call till we got to a military checkpoint near the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital.

“The man got the shock of his life when a soldier spotted him and seized his phone for answering a call while passing by the checkpoint. He paid N500 to retrieve his phone after we had spent over an hour begging the soldiers. There were more than 10 mobile phones seized from other commuters by the soldiers, while the owners were there begging for leniency.”

Okonkwo stated that he had experienced the cruelty of the soldiers in 2014 at the same checkpoint, even as he said he heard that soldiers at other checkpoints around Enugu State boundaries were committing similar atrocities.

He said, “I was coming back from Owerri in a bus with other passengers. On getting to the military checkpoint near the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, a lady’s phone was seized and smashed on the road for answering a call while passing through the checkpoint. There was a similar incident, when a passenger’s phone was seized by soldiers for also answering a call; it took the intervention of the driver and some commuters before the phone was returned to the owner.

“This is what commuters experience on a daily basis in the hands of soldiers at the checkpoints.”

Checks by PUNCH Metro revealed that the soldiers had devised other means of collecting money from drivers and commuters at the checkpoints, as they now commission young men from the communities, who act as fronts to collect money on their behalf.

A source, who witnessed an incident a few months ago, narrated how a young man was shot dead by soldiers in the Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State. According to the source, a drama played out on the day of the incident when a military officer spotted the man collecting money at the checkpoint on behalf of the soldiers.

When accosted, the soldiers denied ever knowing the young man. “One of the officers immediately ordered one of the soldiers to shoot the tax collector for denting their image and he was instantly shot dead. My greatest surprise is that till today, those soldiers have not been held accountable for the gruesome murder of the young man. Many of such cases have gone the same way without anyone being held accountable.”

It is the same story at almost all the military checkpoints in the boundaries of Enugu-Ebonyi, Enugu-Nsukka, Enugu-Obollo-Afor, and the Enugu-Awka-Onitsha Expressway. Extortion, intimidation and outright corporal punishment are the hallmark of the checkpoints. “Are we in a war situation that somebody receiving phone calls cannot pass by military checkpoints in the South-East without harassment and intimidation and our so-called leaders are not talking?” a commuter asked.

When the Nigerian Army Human Rights Desk was contacted, there was no response as the phone rang out. When the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, Col. Aliyu Yusuf, was contacted, he said in a text message, “Good afternoon, inform the affected persons to call and give details for further necessary action immediately.”

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/south-east-commuters-lament-harassment-extortion-by-soldiers/

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The Federal Government has said all diversions around construction zones on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be opened to motorists from December 15, 2019. Director of the Federal Highways, South-West, Mr Funso Adebiyi, made this known on Monday during his interaction with truck drivers in Ogere, Ogun State.

He said the decision was to ensure free flow of traffic during the Christmas period, adding that work would resume after the season. “We are going to open the entire road by the time Christmas approaches to enhance traffic flow,” he said.

Adebiyi said about 65 kilometres of the road had been completed; 20 kilometres on Section 1 from the Old Toll Gate to Sagamu interchange being handled by Julius Berger and 45 kilometres on Section 2, from the interchange to Ibadan being handled by the RCC.

The director also ordered truck drivers to either relocate or move backwards by at least 50 metres from the construction zone. According to him, the activities of the truck drivers have made the reconstruction of some sections of the road almost impossible.

Addressing stakeholders including truck owners/drivers’ associations, law enforcement agencies and traditional rulers, Adebiyi said the appeal to the truck drivers became necessary as the Federal Government believed that it would be more effective than applying force.

“Government can use force but when we relate as brothers, it is better for us,” he said. He stated that the RCC had suspended work around Ogere due to the presence of articulated vehicles parked illegally on the highway.

He said, “We started work from Ibadan and got to Ogere and your trucks are parked there. We had to suspend work but the truck drivers are there illegally. This entire country is like a construction zone right now but if we do not have access to the site to do this work, the South-West loses out because the money will be channelled into other things.”

Adebiyi said the construction around the Ogun/Oyo axis had been challenging due to recklessness of drivers, adding that two engineers recently lost their lives on one of the sites. He said the contractor on that section of the road would work on the access road to the truck parks around Ogere to enable drivers to move their vehicles away from the road.

The Ogun Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Clement Oladele, said the corps was ready to apply force if the truck drivers failed to obey the directives.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/fg-to-open-lagos-ibadan-road-diversions-dec-15-orders-relocation-of-trucks-at-ogere/

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US politician, Fred Green has publicly announced the cancellation of a planned baby shower with his girlfriend after being told that the baby they are expecting isn't his. The development came two weeks after the politician took to Instagram to announce that he is expecting a baby boy with his girlfriend.

He wrote "Some moments you wait your whole life for, this is that moment. I’m going to be a Daddyyyy!!! 12/18/19"

However serving an update on same platform, the US Politician said he got to know the baby isn't his after paying for the baby shower and sending out invites. Fred Green admitted that he is hurt and prays he heals with time.

He wrote "On April 25, 2019 The girl I was dating told me I was going to be a Father. I was nervous and scared at the same time; we wasn’t sure what we was going to do. In all honesty either of us wasn’t ready for a baby. However, we decided to accept the fact that we were both grown enough to make the baby so we have to take responsibility and we decided to have the baby.

I’ve been to every doctors appointment, I’ve heard the baby’s first heat beat, I was there for the ultrasound and it really excited me. I couldn’t wait, I was overwhelmed with joy to be having my first child. On August 15th we found out it was going to be a boy! I couldn’t believe I got a boy on the first round.

I told my family and friends, 2 of my good friends and business partners immediately agreed to pay for the baby shower and started planning it right away. As of today everything has been ordered, delivered, and paid for. I announced to the world I was going to be a daddy and the love and support hasn’t stopped. I’m so thankful to have so many people excited and happy for me.

I sent out over 200 invitations, went to the store with my child's mother-to-be and did 3 different registries, got everything done and was all set for the baby shower to take place. I rearranged my house and began to prepare my life around a new baby. Here I am, excited, ready and can’t wait for my son LeAngelo to enter the world. I’ve been to every doctors appointment, planned a whole baby shower, told thousands of people I’m expecting my first child, and supported her through her whole pregnancy. Fast forward to October 25, 2019 at 10:27am she texted me and said, the BABY IS NOT MINE!!!

I’ve never been so hurt in my life, at that very moment it felt like I was shot 10 times in the heart. I couldn’t believe what I had just read through a text message. I’m hurting because I really was looking forward to being a father, I began to change my whole life around in anticipation of a new baby. Time heals all wounds and this too shall pass. I’ve received a number of gifts and I know people have already purchased gifts off of my registry. I’m sorry to inform you that the baby shower is canceled and I’m not having a baby"

SOURCE: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2019/11/us-politician-fred-green-publicly-cancels-baby-shower-after-his-girlfriend-told-him-the-baby-they-are-expecting-isnt-his-see-texts.html

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ONE CAN CONTRACT CANDIDIASIS EASILY BY KISSING – EXPERT
Medical Director, Infectious Disease Clinic, Lagos, Dr Francis Ohuabunwa, discusses candidiasis, risk factors and treatment with SIMON UTEBOR

WHAT IS CANDIDIASIS?
Candida or candidiasis or candida albicans is not a bacteria. It is a fungus. It is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast, a common member of a human gut flora. It can survive outside the human body. It is deposited in the gastrointestinal tract and in the mouth in about 40 to 60% of healthy adults.

It has a family name called saccharomycetaceae. It causes thrush – producing foamy substance in the mouth and in the throat. People with candida have foamy substances and mucous membrane in their throat or in their mouth. Sometimes, they cough out mucous membrane in a profuse manner.

WHICH TYPES OF CANDIDA ARE MORE DANGEROUS?
The invasive and systemic candidiasis is the most dangerous type. Invasive candidiasis is an infection caused by a yeast, a type of fungus, called candida. Unlike candida infections in the mouth and throat (which is also known as ‘thrush’) or vaginal ‘yeast infections,’ invasive candidiasis is a serious infection that can affect the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones, and other parts of the body.

WHICH PEOPLE ARE MORE AT RISK OF CONTRACTING CANDIDIASIS?
People that are at risk of candidiasis are those who abuse antibiotics – it depresses the immune system and the person is easily infected by a yeast infection. Also, people that have uncontrolled diabetes and pregnant women are mostly disposed to getting the infection. Similarly, people with suppressed immune system, people taking oral contraceptives or who are on hormonal therapy are also at risk, among others.

HOW DO PEOPLE KNOW THEY HAVE CANDIDA?
If you are having oral thrush in the mouth or in the throat, you have to go for diagnosis. A recurring genital or urinary tract infection, people with digestion problems – they eat but the body finds it difficult to digest or people who throw up while eating, people going to toilet frequently, etc. are some of the ways one may know the person is suffering from candida.

IS JOINT PAIN, ARTHRITIS OR RHEUMATISM ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH CANDIDA?
Many people when they have some joint pains will rush to buy analgesics without knowing the cause. That is why I always recommend and advise that you must diagnose yourself before you start taking any medication.

IS IT A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE?
Candidiasis is not mostly considered as sexually transmitted disease but people get it through sex – male and women get it through sex, but it has so many ways by which people can get affected. Because it is not bacterial infection, it is not considered to be an STD, not minding that people easily get it through sex. But people can get it through mostly exchange of hospital equipment and needles, personal contact with fluid from another person, and so on.

WHEN PEOPLE ENGAGE IN DEEP KISSING, CAN IT CAUSE CANDIDIASIS?
Yes, even if it is not a deep kiss. If you are dealing with an infected person, the thrush is present in the mouth and in the throat. Kissing is a dangerous practice. One lady patient came to our hospital recently. She told me she wanted to do blood test.

As I was discussing with her, I noticed in her mouth that she was infected either by candida or syphilis or HIV. I did not want to tell her because she was not a serious patient and I wanted the lab to tell her what she was suffering from.

WHAT DIET OR FRUIT SHOULD BE AVOIDED BY PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM CANDIDA?
Sufferers of candida should avoid wheat, mango, banana, excessive use of antibiotics, yeast (used in baking bread), and so on.

ARE YOU INVARIABLY SAYING SUFFERERS SHOULD NOT EAT BREAD?
That is why the treatment for candida is usually prolonged. People don’t know what to do and what not to do – they don’t know the dos and don’ts of candidiasis. They will be treating it and eating fruits and foods that suppress the drugs they are taking. That won’t allow the medication to function properly.

HOW IS IT TREATED?
What I recommend for treatment mostly is diet. There are medications called anti-fungal drugs and then the patient needs good food. Eat very well and drink hot water every morning. First thing in the morning before you eat, drink hot water.

Secondly, take olive oil and nuts – groundnuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, and so on. Walnut is very good. People think that it is only when they spend millions of naira that they can get cured but walnut is good.

People should eat right like taking vegetables and fruits. They are multi-medicinal agents. You cannot determine what fruits and vegetables contain because they are natural things.

WHAT IS THE NEXUS BETWEEN CANDIDA AND VAGINAL YEAST INFECTION?
It is called genital candidiasis which is a fungal infection that causes profuse discharge in the genital organs of both male and female. Candidiasis causes itching, discharge and foul smell and it is one of the reasons people’s mouth smell.

This is because the incubation – the body temperature is 37 degree centigrade. They find our body habitable for all bacterial and yeast infections. When one has slept and woken up in the morning, one notices that one has accumulated some foam in one’s mouth and when one smells it, it has a foul smell.

To check whether one’s mouth smells, one should place one’s hand in the front of one’s mouth and breathe out, it will go to your nose. You will perceive how your mouth smells. The smell is caused by fungus.

When is candidiasis said to have overgrown? When you go to a lab, you’ll notice that they’ll write overgrowth; that means it has hit the roof. They have a method of assessment. We have scanty growth, moderate growth and heavy growth. That’s how they rate it in the lab.

So when it has hit the roof, you realise that people don’t know how to monitor themselves or diagnose themselves because of not having that health background or education. When such things start happening and they go to the lab, the lab will quantify it.

IS CANDIDIASIS FATAL?
It depends on how one responds to the symptoms in the body. When anything gets out of hand, it kills. There’s no school of thought that has rated candida, to know the rate at which it kills compared to other diseases like HIV, malaria, typhoid, Hepatitis B and C and the rest.

It has not been rated but it is not good to allow any illness in the body. But due to poverty and lack of knowledge, people don’t get themselves examined medically.

WHEN CANDIDA KEEPS COMING BACK, WHAT CAN ONE DO?
It depends on who is managing it. If you are taking wrong treatment, it will keep recurring because you will not be able to know how long you should take treatment and what you should avoid and what you will do when it is out of hand.

There are some ailments you can take some tablets for and not take so seriously but there are some, like staphylococcus, candida and some other infections, that because of their stubborn nature, you will have to know how to handle them.

People are made to go to hospitals, clinics to get diagnosed and get treatment. People should not be taking anything they see on the streets; that is only getting treatment and not cure. Cure and treatment are two different words even when they are interwoven. Cure is an end to the illness, while treatment is the process towards getting the cure.

BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN, WHO ARE MORE AT RISK OF CANDIDIASIS?
Women are more at risk of getting candida because the toilet they make use of – both in public and private places. Due to the nature and position of their sex organ, they are more likely to contract it. In fact, they have yeast more than men.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR SUFFERERS OF CANDIDIASIS?
So many diseases come with similar symptoms. Hepatitis, typhoid and malaria for instance, have similar symptoms. One woman came to the clinic one day and asked: “Can’t this my typhoid be cured?” I asked her why the question. She said she had been taking medication and been to hospitals but nothing appeared to be working.

Then I noticed something was wrong so I had to diversify my diagnosis. I did some liver function tests and we discovered her liver was no longer functioning properly. So, that was what was wrong with her and not typhoid or malaria. But the symptoms she was having appeared like those of typhoid and malaria. So, I advise people to go to a proper medical laboratory and get properly diagnosed instead of doing the wrong thing.

People have candida and take medications that will not cure it. They eat what someone suffering from candida should not be eating. I advise that once in every six months, people should go and check themselves. It is supposed to be every three months but because of the state of the economy, they can do it every six months.

HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?
There’s a method called HVS – High Vaginal Swab. For throat swab, there’s a swab you can insert into somebody’s throat to collect the sample. You can culture urine through a process called urine microscopy culture sensitivity test. Clinically, I can diagnose candida even when there’s no light or medical facility to do all these things. By the time you bring out your tongue, I’ll look at the mucus and ask you some questions. I can clinically diagnose the person.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUNGUS, BACTERIA AND VIRUS IN THIS MATTER?
They are all infections that can be contracted through sexual intercourse and body fluids. But yeast infection and bacteria are not the same. Virus is a living organism that is adapted to the body which is mostly contracted through sexual intercourse and blood transfusion like HIV and the rest. Some are more dangerous. Virus is more dangerous than bacteria and bacteria is more dangerous than yeast infection and fungus.

SOURCE (abridged): https://punchng.com/one-can-contract-candidiasis-easily-by-kissing-expert/

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In 2015, Fifty, the movie directed by Biyi Bandele for Ebony Life Films, got on Netflix, the world’s largest online subscription-based streaming service. It was a big deal then, and still is a big deal today to be on that kind of massive platform (which now reaches about 149 million people in 190 countries, nearly every country in the world except China). And that was even before the advent of Netflix Nigeria in 2016. So much has happened since then.

Once in a while, an announcement of another Netflix ‘first’ in Nigeria or Africa is made. That’s how Lionheart (in which Genevieve Nnaji acted and directed) became Netflix’s first original production in Nigeria in 2018. By the way, I also include Beasts of No Nation on the list of Nollywood films because of the Nigerian connection. Although it’s directed by an American, Cary Fukunaga, and is an original Netflix film, I like to appropriate it. Not only is it based on the book of the same title by Uzodinma Iweala (and to an extent, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s song), Iweala is also one of the film’s producers.

Anyhow, 2019 has proved to be a bumper year for Nollywood on Netflix. The number of films on the platform keeps going up. Films such as The Wedding Party, The Arbitration and many others are now on the platform. In January 2019, there were about 29 Nollywood films on Netflix. Between then and now, many more films have got on, including Chief Daddy by Niyi Akinmolayan and Ishaya Bako’s Road To Yesterday. In September, Kunle Afolayan put all his films (except Omugwo which features Patience Ozokwor and Ayo Adesanya) on Netflix— Phone Swap with Nse Ikpe Etim, The Bridge, The Figurine (starring Ramsey Nouah and Omoni Oboli), The CEO starring Wale Ojo and Angelique Kidjo, and his latest, Mokalik.

October saw the addition of films like Kemi Adetiba’s King of Boys, Up North and New Money by Tope Oshin. 93, the movie on the Ebola crisis directed by Steve Gukas and starring Bimbo Akintola and Gideon Okeke; and Bling Lagosians by Bolanle Austen-Peters were also added. The list is long, so you’ll have to check it out for yourself. This is an opportunity, especially for people outside Nigeria, to catch up on films they haven’t been able to see. I’m trying to see as many as I can and I will keep you posted. So far, I’ve seen Chief Daddy, King of Boys, Mokalik, New Money, Merry Men, Bling Lagosians, Up North, among others.

Meanwhile, in typical Nigerian style, not everyone is happy about Nollywood’s ‘rain of films’ on Netflix. A few weeks ago, I mentioned a young woman who dismissively said all the Nollywood films on Netflix were trash— that is not true. There are also those who initially thought Netflix would be one mountain too big for Nigerian filmmakers to scale. Now that the seeming impossible achievement is becoming an even bigger reality, they’re almost saying, ‘What’s the big deal’? It’s only fair not to change the goal post at this point.

Lest we miss the point, there’s no way that the push by Nigerian filmmakers to get on Netflix won’t have a positive impact on the technical quality of their films.

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/nollywood-harvest-on-netflix/

All investors want to buy stocks low and sell high. This, after all, is the basis for investing in anything from stocks to bonds to real estate. But to sell any stock, an investor will hope that there are willing buyers and vice versa. One provision that makes it possible is a free float.

WHAT'S A FREE-FLOAT?
A free-float basically means the number of outstanding shares of a company that is liquid and tradeable on the stock exchange. These are shares that have been dematerialized and exist on the stock exchange for investors to buy or sell. According to listing rules, stocks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) must have a free float requirement of about 20% of their issued and fully paid-up shares. This provision is same for companies listed on the Main and Premium Boards.

FREE FLOAT DEFAULTERS
According to data from the NSE about 22 companies fail its free float requirements. This means if you find yourself owning these shares you may find it difficult to sell. Worst still if you are looking to buy these stocks you might not find a seller. Stocks that fail free float requirements are mostly illiquid and are often associated with issues such as late filing of results, limited investor participation, less coverage of their results by stockbrokers, fund managers, and research organisations.

See attached the comprehensive list of the affected companies.

SOURCE (abridged): https://nairametrics.com/2019/10/27/dont-get-stuck-buying-these-stocks/

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AN information technology design that acts as ramparts against escalating payroll fraud, and has produced amazing results since its introduction, is vehemently being opposed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. ASUU’s reasoning is self-serving, pedestrian and indefensible. The Federal Government should, therefore, not budge, as this has nothing to do with the concept of university autonomy.

Rightly, the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System aims to enrol its workers on a single platform for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies that draw personnel cost from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. So far, it has saved the country billions of naira by eliminating thousands of ghost workers.

Between 2016 and 2017 alone, the Federal Government was able to save N208.4 bn in personnel costs. Government had earlier given October 31 as deadline for all public sector workers to be enrolled on the IPPIS, to avoid their salaries being stopped as President Muhammadu Buhari hinted when he presented the 2020 budget proposals to the National Assembly. Many states also bedevilled by the vice have opted for the policy.

ASUU has been so agitated that the zonal mobilisation of its members for a showdown with the Federal Government had begun before it was eventually suspended. According to the union, the IPPIS implementation violates university autonomy. The South-West Coordinator of ASUU, Ade Adejumo, said IPPIS was so rigid “a platform that (it) discountenances the peculiarities of the university system” in replacement, recruitment of academics, mobility of academic staff for visiting, adjunct, part time and sabbatical offers.

This is a red-herring, a deceit for the unwary. The union is only trying to be clever by half. The process it spurns enthrones openness, accountability and transparency, which, undoubtedly, will expose many lecturers and professors who have visiting contract appointments in more than one university to the detriment of high academic standards in the country. Nigeria is not the only country where universities have the so-called peculiarities dubiously being canvassed to discredit the IPPIS.

If stopping its members going against official regulation on visiting teaching appointment is not ASUU’s grouse with the policy, several meetings the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation held with the body of vice-chancellors, registrars, bursars, National Universities Commission, ASUU and non-academic unions on how the IPPIS operates and explanations on accommodating the so-called peculiarities would have allayed its fears.

According to an OAGF two-page advertorial in newspapers, “Visiting lecturers are entitled to 50% of their salary in the visiting institutions, but only limited to one institution as approved by the NUC, NBTE and NCCE, their regulatory body.” Amid this controversy, the VC, Bayero University, Kano, Muhammad Bello, says the policy of his university allows a lecturer to visit up to two universities if the distance is not more than 200 km from his main place of work; but limited to one institution if the distance is more than 200 km.

He, however, added, “lecturers are human and the services they provide require their time and effort, and it is not possible for one to be teaching in many universities and still give his best.” Further, those on sabbatical, will collect “100% of their salary in the institution where the sabbatical is taking place in addition to full salary being paid in their host institution,” the OAGF said. Casual workers, consultancy services and NYSC members issues, the OAGF emphasised, were outside the realm of the payroll as they had nothing to do with full time job.

It is curious that academics who should know better are opposing innovation and cutting-edge technology to fight corruption at its roots. In a similar way, ASUU had said in 2015 that implementation of Treasury Single Account in universities was a clear violation of university autonomy. Autonomy should be balanced with accountability and transparency. Where universities are spending public money, Ferdinand von Prondzynski argues in The World University Rankings, they must account for the expenditure.

The university teachers should face the truth: lecturers’ academic role in universities other than where they are originally employed, which transcends official guidelines for adjunct, visiting and sabbatical positions, is unethical. It is a scam that should be condemned. Much fuss has been made about the Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2003, which ASUU stresses, vests in the governing councils the exercise of powers in the laws and statues of each university to advance its autonomy logic. But what really is the value of autonomy of a Nigerian university that relies wholly on government for funding, paying salaries, gratuities and pensions, research grants and building physical infrastructure? Logging on to IPPIS does not erode autonomy.

Universities with autonomy, which are truly self-governing institutions, have financial autonomy besides their academic independence. Government only gives them grants. Harvard University is a typical example of this model. Its 2019 financial report states, “The university’s net assets increased by $2.3 billion to $49.3 billion at June 30, 2019 due to investment returns on endowment, generous contributions and a disciplined focus on financial management.”

In Nigeria, government pays the piper and, therefore, should call the tune. A report by this paper last year revealed that 62,000 personnel were being probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, out of which 30,000 were on government payroll, but not on the nominal roll of any ministry, department or agency. Intriguingly, the IPPIS revealed that out of the oft-stated 371,800 personnel of the Nigerian Police, 80,115 were “ghost workers;” and 12,024 civil servants anomalously did not collect their salaries through commercial banks.

Certainly, the universities cannot be immune to these financial vices. Even in their core areas, they have abused standards, one of which is the role of ASUU members in dubious accreditation of courses in new universities. Indeed, values and tradition of the ivory tower have been eroded. This is why universities admit beyond their carrying capacities and students pay their way to get good degrees they can hardly defend. Trafficking in sex-for-marks is unabashedly in vogue, just as some academics collect grants from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for higher degrees abroad only to embezzle such funds.

Evidence from several visitation panel reports strongly indicates that universities stink in many ways. It is enough reason the government should not permit ASUU’s quest for a carte blanche in universities’ financial management under any guise. The minimum wage consequential adjustment has increased the federal monthly wage bill to N611 billion. Therefore, every kobo of it has to be accounted for. But the Federal Government should ensure that any framework of accountability does not in any way undermine the traditional responsibilities of the university system to the wider society.

SOURCE (abridged): https://punchng.com/ASUU-cant-be-exempted-from-the-ippis/

In this report, AFEEZ HANAFI writes about weak birth registration procedures in Nigeria and how they may aid child trafficking

The waiting section of Ojodu Primary Health Centre on Gbadamosi Street, Lagos State, was rowdy that Tuesday morning. At about 10am, visitors had filled up the available seats at the section. A right corner into the entrance is where a female official of the National Population Commission (NPC) uses as a birth registration centre. On her table were booklets and some other stationery. She had no workstation to facilitate the birth registration process.

Our correspondent approached the commission’s official in the guise of a father wanting a birth certificate for his newborn without presenting the child or any hospital record as the procedures require. Observing due diligence in a process as critical as birth registration mattered little (if at all) to the middle-aged official. All she needed to document Hanafi Abeeb Adeshina, a fictitious child’s name presented to her, is a sum of N1,000 for a registration that is supposed to be free according to the commission.

She boldly turned down a N500 negotiation. “We did free registration three months ago. We have stopped it for now,” the official replied swiftly when Sunday PUNCH queried her for demanding money. She also turned a deaf ear to the request for a receipt. Within 10 minutes, this correspondent filled a form indicating the child’s birth date, parents’ names and address among other false details and was issued an original birth certificate for the imaginary child. Dated October 8, 2019, the certificate was duly stamped and signed by the registrar.

A birth certificate is a permanent vital record documenting the existence of a child before the law and establishes the child’s family ties. Ideally, it is used for national planning and is a requirement in school enrollment, processing of passport, employment into an organisation, etc. Unfortunately, the poor registration process is the order of the day in almost all the NPC accredited birth registration centres including hospitals and local government areas.

At the NPC office inside the secretariat of Ikeja Local Government Area where our correspondent visited same day (October , the scenario was worse. One of the registrars at the centre issued a birth certificate for a non-existent 2-year-old girl, Afeez Fatima Bolatito, after collecting N2,000. Even though our correspondent told him the child was born in Ilorin, Kwara State, he assured that she could be registered. Officially in Nigeria, children cannot be registered in an area outside their place of birth.

The NPC official inside the council claimed registration is free but said the money was meant for processing two affidavits for which he initially demanded N3,000. One of the affidavits according to the stout dark-complexioned man is to show that no certificate had previously been issued to the child and the other is meant to state Lagos as her birth place. Invariably, he encouraged our correspondent to engage in perjury, a serious criminal offence punishable under the law with a fine or jail term or both upon conviction.

“We can’t issue a birth certificate for a child born in Ilorin. We can only state that she was born in Lagos. You will need an affidavit to show that she had not been issued a certificate before. An affidavit is N1,500 but the certificate is free. We’ll do the affidavit for you right here,” he said crisply. About 15 minutes into the transaction, he issued the birth certificate without preparing the affidavits. “I will do so later and put them in the file,” he retorted when this reporter requested to see the documents.

At the Lagos NPC centres in Agboyi-Ketu Primary Health Centre, Kosofe Local Government Area and Ifako Primary Health Centre under Ifako-Ijaiye LGA visited by our correspondent, all that the two registrars demanded were verbal details of the child and a sum of N1,000 for issuance of a birth certificate.

BIRTH REGISTRATION PROCEDURES
After a child is delivered in a hospital, the institution issues a certificate for the child as proof. The certificate is then taken to any NPC registration centre and submitted for issuance of a birth certificate. To obtain a birth certificate for a child born at a place other than hospital, the parent or guardian is required to go to the local government where the child was born and get an affidavit as proof of birth. The affidavit is submitted at any NPC office and a birth certificate issued to the child.

The two NPC officials encountered by our correspondent did not ask for these essential documents even though they were respectively told that the “two children” were born at home and hospital. In response to some of the frequently asked questions on its website, the NPC gives reasons for birth registration to include, “securing the child’s identity, nationality and name; for easy access to health care and good education; to help in national planning and to obtain a job in the public sector.”

Sadly, poor registration mechanism aids documentation of fictitious (or even stolen) children, thereby making a mess of these objectives. NPC also states that parents must “go to the registration centre with the child or evidence of birth,” noting that “mother, father or any adult relatives or caregivers,” can take the child for registration.” It maintains that the child must be presented at the point of registration “unless it is impossible to do so.”

POOR BIRTH REGISTRATION AND CHILD TRAFFICKING: A NEXUS
Child trafficking has reached an alarming rate with several kids caught up in the deplorable web and subjected to hard labour, abuse and dehumanising treatment. In broader terms, it encompasses selling of children either stolen or with their parents’ consent. Although statistics of child trafficking in Nigeria could not be obtained from authorities in the country, the International Labour Organisation estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked each year.

In 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that the percentage of child victims had risen within three years from 20% to 27%. “Every year 300,000 children are taken from all around the world and sold by human traffickers as slaves,” it added. In Nigeria, children, especially newborns, are increasingly becoming victims of trafficking and reduced to objects of transactions. Tens of children have been abducted and sold at ridiculous amounts ranging from N100,000 to N1m.

While security agents were able to rescue some – perhaps many years after– from their buyers who adopted them as biological children, a number of others have remained missing, leaving their parents in perpetual anguish and trauma.

Few weeks ago, Kano State Police Command rescued 9 children after busting a syndicate which specialised in abducting children from Kano and sold them in Anambra. The news caused uproar and President Muhammadu Buhari gave an order for investigation. Kano State Government also set up a panel of investigation into the crime as more than 47 other children suspected to have been abducted in a similar manner are still missing.

Piling onto this disturbing figure are two siblings, Chinasa, 3 years and Chikamso Okpara, 18 months old, stolen on May 14, 2016 by an apprentice known only as Rose in a stylist shop run by their mother on Cemetery Street, Ajegunle, in Lagos. The children are now 7 and 5 years old respectively, yet their whereabouts remain unknown, their mother, Ijeoma, told Sunday PUNCH during the week. She sounded depressed.

Given the poor, shoddy procedures for birth registration in Nigeria, a child buyer can easily obtain a birth certificate in the name of a stolen child and claim to be the biological and legitimate parent of such child. Invariably, the certificate, which can be issued within 15 minutes without presenting any proof from the hospital or relevant authorities, ultimately becomes a viable means for an illegal adopter to legalise the hitherto criminal act.

In August 2019, the Ogun State Police Command rescued 7-year-old Joshua Otubo in Anambra State from one Mrs Blessing Ozor who bought him for N1.05m. Otubo and his siblings (Deborah, 6, and 3-year-old Abraham who are still missing) were abducted from their parents’ rented apartment in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, on March 4, 2018 by a co-tenant known only as Mary.

Meanwhile, advocates for human and child rights, who spoke to our correspondent, sad there was need for thorough and data-based birth registration process to protect children. Coordinator, Advocate for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network of Nigeria, Mr Ebenezer Omejalile, said a situation whereby anybody can walk into an NPC office and get the certificate, “is an abuse of birth registration and can encourage child trafficking. Even if a child is born at home, there should be evidence because the baby has to be taken to a hospital or health centre for further attention,” he added.

Omejalile lamented that birth registrars working at the local government secretariats did not have computers to work with and called for their capacity building.

The National General Secretary, Network of Civil Society Organisation Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour, Mr Fela Bright, said it was unfortunate that the officials disregarded the procedures for pecuniary purpose. He said, “The moment they see money, everything about them is gone. Some people get appointment without knowing what they are supposed to be doing and when you call their attention to it, they tell you to go to blazes. That kind of nonchalant attitude will definitely aid child trafficking. Someone who buys a child can easily get the child registered as theirs without being caught.”

Bright, who is also the Project Officer and West Africa representative of Africa Region of International Federation of Social Workers, called for active engagement of trained social workers in the commission and other government establishments such as schools for adequate protection of child rights.

In her submission, the Director, Office of the Public Defender of Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi, faulted the current birth registration process, noting that it foreclosed deeper investigation into whether the person requesting a birth certificate for a child is their biological parent or not.

She added, “Worse still, sometimes you don’t have to take your child to the centre to get the certificate. So, that process does not protect children. The process of registration of birth should be detailed enough to prevent this kind of practice. Of course, to a great extent, there is a connection between the process and its encouragement of child trafficking.”

BABY FACTORIES ON THE PROWL
Whereas some parents are victims of child abductors, desperate quest for illegal means of survival has also driven many people into child selling. Several others, including rape victims and teenage mothers, who hide their pregnancies from parents have ended up in illegal orphanages that operate baby factories.

A 2006 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation report stated that the south-eastern parts of Abia, Anambra and Imo states have most of such homes. The police describe a baby factory as a well-organised crime, sometimes with medical doctors involved in running the factory operated like a maternity home while the babies produced are sold out.

One of such illegal orphanages was discovered in 2013 at Umuozuo, Osisioma Local Government Area, in Aba, Abia State with 32 pregnant ladies rescued. According to the police, a male child was sold for N450,000 while a female attracted N400, 000 at the clandestine facility. A teenage mother was paid N100,000 if she was delivered of a boy, as against N90,000 paid mother of a girl child.

On September 19, 2019, Lagos State Police Command bust 4 of such illicit homes in Ikotun and Abaranje, Lagos suburbs, and rescued 19 pregnant women and four babies. Three teenagers, Joy, 15, Happiness, 17 and Favour, 17, who are rape victims, formed part of the figure.

Echi Uche, 32, from Okigwe in Imo State, said she intended to sell the baby after delivery so she could use the proceeds to take care of her three children. “A friend, Chinyere, told me her brother’s wife in Lagos had no child and that she wanted to adopt one. We agreed I would go to Lagos and when I gave birth, the woman would take the child and settle me. They didn’t tell me the amount I would be paid, but I wanted to use the money to take care of my children,” she said.

A quack nurse taking the delivery of the babies at one of the factories, Mrs Sherifat Ipaye, and a caregiver, Happiness Ukwuoma, were also arrested by the police. Ukwuoma, who worked for the owner of the baby factory (one Oluchi), said three babies had been sold within the 3 months she was engaged by Oluchi on a monthly pay of N20,000. Oluchi is still at large.

COMPLEX ADOPTION PROCEDURES & CULTURE FUELLING CHILD BUYING
OPD director, Adeyemi, opined that the complexity of adoption procedures coupled with subtle resentment for adopters in Nigerian culture discouraged many people from toeing the line of the law, thereby indulging in child buying.

“Cultural issue is the greatest issue impeding adoption in Nigeria. Many people are worried the society won’t see the child as theirs and that adoption is an admission of not being fertile to have children. Some people will prefer to do adoption secretly, particularly if it is a baby. Some people can go as far as packing themselves with different stages of pregnancy kits and travel out of the country or to somewhere else and when delivery time is approaching, they will return with a baby to pass as theirs. In some cases, they buy the babies.

“Adoption process is a bit cumbersome but it should be so because we are talking about life. One has to be sure that the person seeking adoption is really sincere.”

Lagos Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Mr Daniel Atokolo, also stated that “excessive bureaucracies” surrounding the adoption process could be attributed to child buying.

COLLABORATION & DIGITAL REGISTRATION THE WAY OUT
A pediatrician and Head, Medical Centre of Federal College of Education, Akoka, Lagos, Dr Rotimi Adesanya, decried the practice of issuing birth certificate to a child without evidence of birth from the hospital where such child was born. He said the NPC needed to liaise with ministries of health nationwide to have a comprehensive list of hospitals registered with them.

To address instances whereby hospital birth certificates are forged, the medical doctor called for the application of digital operations that allow the use of biometrics. “This way if a child is born, biometrics will be carried out at the hospital and the process is repeated at the point of registration at the NPC office. That way, we can drastically reduce the chance of parents registering children that are not theirs,” he added.

Also speaking on the issue, a human rights lawyer, Mr Jiti Ogunye, said the process and procedures for child registration ought to be reworked. According to him, it looms danger if there are no “Standard Operative Practices” for child registration other than assumed parents presenting themselves at an NPC office with documents of the child presumably obtained in a hospital.

He stated, “One, it will not be possible for the registrar of birth to truly authenticate the claim of an assumed parent that he or she is the true parent of the child. Even if documents are acquired from the hospital, there is no interface between the NPC and the hospital or maternity to authenticate the document. Even if we have that kind of authentication, people still take children to trado-medical centres for delivery. Thus what we should be doing now is reworking the system in such a way that we will take the advantage of digital information age. NPC offices should be able to go to a portal to verify whether the information of the child had been transmitted to it.

“We must move the procedure from the parent showing up at offices to register children to a procedure by which NPC offices are able to interface and liaise with hospitals all over the country no matter their number. And for facilities such as trado-medical centres outside the coverage of the Internet, we can have procedures for this interface.”

A lawyer and Social commentator, Mr Liborous Oshoma, said chances of registering stolen or trafficked children at the NPC centres were high and called for concern. He said, “This can be curtailed with due diligence. Abroad, from the hospital where the child is registered, the hospital has access to the central database like we have National Identification Number in Nigeria. They give the child a name immediately and it is with the name that the child’s details are inputted in the certificate. They then request a social security number for the child. We can replicate the same thing here. All we need to do is proper monitoring.”

He noted that adoption procedures were stringent to deter criminally-minded people, adding that it could be simplified through electronic means rather than manual processes.

“Also everyone is operating orphanages which can be checked through a central database. We need to put structures in place. The Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Women Affairs and Ministry of Health need to collaborate,” he added.

WE'LL TACKLE LAPSES, SAYS NPC
Director, Public Affairs of the Commission, Mr Mohammed Isah, confirmed the breach of procedures for birth registration narrated to him by our correspondent, noting that “the commission is aware of all the issues and is taking proactive measures. The last survey we conducted, National Health and Demographic Survey of the country, it was discovered that over 60% of women that live in rural areas have their birth at home. It will be difficult for those parents to obtain birth certificate in the hospital for their children. And there is no how we could not have registered their children because they gave birth at home.

“We recently discussed the issue of money for birth registration with the acting chairman and the commission is taking a proactive approach towards solving this issue once and for all. It is not permissible to collect a kobo from any parent who wants to register their child. The certificate is absolutely free and we are urging parents to resist giving anything to anybody if they are asked to do so.”

To prevent exploitation of the deficient procedures for registering stolen children, Isah said the commission would soon go digital. He added, “The only solution is digitalising and automating birth registration. We have got some funds to start the process and hopefully it will begin by next month. By the time we acquire tablets and other necessary materials, we will not be using hardware anymore.

“That will help to checkmate all the ugly scenarios you mentioned. You are absolutely right. People can even use the advantage of the manual process to register twice. One may register in Lagos and go to Kano to do another registration because the mechanisms to check are not properly put in place.”

SOURCE (abridged): https://punchng.com/govt-centres-where-fake-babies-get-original-birth-certs-for-n1000/

Men of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps on Friday botched a robbery attack on passengers of a BRT bus, arresting two suspects – Kenechukwu Chukwuka and Adam Isiak. The suspects, six of whom are still at large, reportedly boarded the bus from Tollgate, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Ogun State, en route to Oshodi around 7.30am.

It was gathered that the assailants suddenly brought out weapons on reaching Ijaiye area and started beating up the passengers. The driver quickly drove to a halt and raised the alarm which caught the attention of passersby and LNSC (Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps) officials around.

Spokesperson for the corps, Mr Adewale Afolabi, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, said the robbery was thwarted. He said one of the arrested suspects, Chukwuka, confessed to being a member of the aiye confraternity.

He stated, “Today, Friday, at 7.45am, Mr Samuel Abiodun and some other passengers were attacked by eight boys inside a BRT bus going from Tollgate to Oshodi with planks and other weapons. Two of the suspects, Kenechukwu Chukwuka, 26, who is a native of Enugu State, and 23-year-old Adam Isiaka, a native of Lagos State, were apprehended by LNSC officers.

“However, six other suspects escaped and are still at large. Chukwuka and Isiaka both work at Ladipo Market. Chukwuka confessed to being a member of aiye confraternity holding meetings at Ajao Estate .The case has been transferred to the Ijaiye-Ojokoro Police Division, for further investigation and possible prosecution.”

Chief Security Officer, Primero Company Limited, Mr Cletus Okodolor, which operates BRT in the state, said the bus wasn’t the company’s, adding that he was not aware of such incident. He said, “Our own BRT buses shuttle between Ikorodu and TBS (Tafawa Balewa Square), Lagos Island. It could be one of the news ones given to other transporters.”

SOURCE: https://punchng.com/robbers-attack-passengers-on-brt-bus-in-daylight/

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