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Health / Re: Ebola Virus Hits Lagos by TheGudnews: 5:09pm On Jul 24, 2014

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Health / Re: Ebola Virus Hits Lagos by TheGudnews: 4:55pm On Jul 24, 2014
Saw this article on Sahara Reporters few weeks ago warning about a possible outbreak of the ebola virus. I don't think many people took it seriously then, now it's happening. Smh sad http://saharareporters.com/article/what-nigeria-doing-prevent-outbreak-ebola-virus

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Politics / Before Boko Haram Acquire Rockets! By Sahara Reporters by TheGudnews: 9:40am On Jul 15, 2014
We all know what they did with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) made of gas cylinders and nails, but how can Nigeria’s military stop them when they start launching rockets into our skies?

The growing sophistication of terrorists around the world is a concern for governments everywhere, not least the federal government of Nigeria. Recently, a conflict broke out in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas following the militants’ resolve to fire rockets into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Since Tuesday when the skirmishes began, hundreds of rockets have landed on both sides of the divide, with the death toll crossing the 160 mark, according to several reputable international news outlets. Over 1000 people have been injured in the process, most of them on the Palestinian side.

The Israeli military, despite its sophistication and hard-hitting counter measures in the disputed Strip, was not able to stop the missiles from hitting and ravaging various parts of the country. Even with their famed “Iron Dome” air defence system that intercepts short-range missile midair, Hamas rockets have been reaching deeper and deeper into Israeli territory, posing further threat to the Jewish nation's security.

Nigeria, as we all know, does not have an Iron Dome or anything that comes close to it. Our military is chronically under-equipped and outmatched in comparison to many others. Despite their commendably gallant efforts in keeping Boko Haram at bay with everything at their disposal, it may not be enough to win the war. In a situation where, as I earlier stated, Boko Haram becomes more subtle and – let's say – steps up from planting gas cylinders and other improvised explosive devices in crowded motor parks to developing and actually launching rockets that can strike choice targets at close range, how equipped is our military to adequately address it? Are they just going to sit back, fold their arms and watch helplessly as missiles rain down on the roofs of Nigerians? Should they even wait for it to start happening at all?

For starters, the making of rockets is no longer the “rocket science” that it used to be. The ones deployed to devastating effects by Hamas in the Gaza Strip were homemade, pieced together with regular, locally sourced materials. Here in Nigeria, there was a story of two Imo State boys of secondary school age who developed a projectile that flew across the sky for five kilometers before landing in an occupied compound to the consternation of the residents of the community. The contraption which apparently overshot its target was later found to be a rocket built by the talented boys in a daring practical physics experiment.

And it's not just about rockets. It's part of the much bigger picture. Tuesday's blast near a fuel station in Lagos was claimed by the sect and some alleged Boko Haram members were apprehended by security forces in Imo State, Abia State and Enugu State last month. This is while the country is still reeling from the abduction over 200 Chibok schoolgirls nearly 100 days ago.

The dangers are real and if left unabated will surely spiral out of control into an Iraq-style and Taliban-esque insurrection. It is not something that can be tackled by just wishing it away or pretending that it's not there. While not trying to teach the military its job, it must be one or two steps ahead of the terrorists at every turn. This brings to the fore the need for our servicemen to do all things possible and necessary to stifle the insurgency now, check its expansion and reduce its influence to the barest minimum. Now is the best time to act.

Source: Sahara Reporters

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Politics / Re: What Is Nigeria Doing To Prevent An Outbreak Of The Ebola Virus? by TheGudnews: 9:22am On Jul 14, 2014
Illuminatus: Probably, nothing. Possibly, not enough.
They will not start acting until it becomes an epidemic. We prefer to engage in APC vs PDP wars than to think about something that will improve our lives.

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Politics / Re: What The International Media Do Not Or Do Not Want To Know About Nigeria by TheGudnews: 9:19am On Jul 14, 2014
Adekagood: GEJ is been rubbished by the "we will make the Country ungovernable for him" elements. I thumb GEJ. Bt pls don't talk abt Power Sector hr, it's comatos!!!
Politics / Re: What The International Media Do Not Or Do Not Want To Know About Nigeria by TheGudnews: 8:46am On Jul 14, 2014
Abagworo: I personally do not believe that anyone is making Nigeria ungovernable for Jonathan as much of the troubles in the country are rooted to his mistakes. A very clear example is the NGF elections which is of little or no use to him but he chose to interfere and create enemies for himself. Another is the crisis in Rivers State which was unnecessary and "reasonless" but has today created a potential 2015 war in a hitherto peaceful State and region. If I were Jonathan I wouldn't fight Governors planning to be President or VP but rather plan how to win the heart of the people. Boko Haram is a problem created by poverty and religious extremism that needs to be tackled and not politicised because if they succeed in making it a PDP vs APC battle then we are in serious trouble.
There was a time the NGF got so powerful under Amaechi and it became a threat to the presidency. Remember that this NGF is an unconstitutional body.

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Politics / Re: What Is Nigeria Doing To Prevent An Outbreak Of The Ebola Virus? by TheGudnews: 8:42am On Jul 14, 2014
Facts about the Ebola virus disease (EVD) by the WHO:
Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
EVD outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%
EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. No licensed specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.

Genus Ebolavirus is 1 of 3 members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus), along with genus Marburgvirus and genus Cuevavirus. Genus Ebolavirus comprises 5 distinct species:
Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV)
Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV)
Reston ebolavirus (RESTV)
Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV)
Taï Forest ebolavirus (TAFV).

BDBV, EBOV, and SUDV have been associated with large EVD outbreaks in Africa, whereas RESTV and TAFV have not. The RESTV species, found in Philippines and the People’s Republic of China, can infect humans, but no illness or death in humans from this species has been reported to date.

Symptoms:
EVD is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Laboratory findings include low white blood cell and platelet counts and elevated liver enzymes.

http://saharareporters.com/article/what-nigeria-doing-prevent-outbreak-ebola-virus
Politics / What Is Nigeria Doing To Prevent An Outbreak Of The Ebola Virus? by TheGudnews: 8:41am On Jul 14, 2014
This article was written two weeks ago on Sahara Reporters, but as usual, Nigerians did not pay attention to it because we always like to wait till the eleventh hour to do something. That is the problem with Nigeria and Nigerians.
erstwhile little-known scourge, the Ebola virus disease has spread like wildfire through the western parts of the West African sub-region since the first case was reported early this year.

According to Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and the World Health Organization (WHO), over 400 lives have been lost in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since January 2013, making it the deadliest and largest ever outbreak of the disease since records began.

The scary part of the picture is that the disease has no known cure. The ravaging nature of this family of viruses (which first appeared in Central Africa in 1976) has made it difficult to be studied by scientists. As a result, experiments with it can only be carried out in biosafety level 4 laboratories where the world's deadliest disease agents are studied.

The viruses that give rise to the EVD, known as the filovirus, are somewhat very transmissible. Anything from a prolonged exposure to the bodily fluids such as sweat, urine, blood, mucous and faeces to the excrement of a carrier leads to contagion of the disease. Carriers can be both humans and animals. Fruits that have come in contact with infected animals, especially bats, can also serve as reservoirs for the viruses.

Despite concerted efforts by experts to check the spread of the disease, the number of reported cases has continued to rise over the past few weeks. Observation of the trend of the outbreak reveals that around 60% of the over 600 infected persons have so far lost their lives. But the fatality rate can be much higher, currently put at 90%. It has been designated a regional disaster worthy of drastic measures.

This now begs the question of the readiness of the Nigerian government - and people - in ensuring that it doesn't cross the borders of the country. In a country of more than 170 million people, most of them living in squalid, crammed full conditions with a high level of interstate movement, an outbreak of such a disease is best left to the imagination.

History is a witness to our laissez faire approach to matters of utmost urgency. Too many times have we waited until the eleventh hour to tackle the problems before us. This time around, it mustn't be business as usual.

Given the highly contagious nature of the disease, all hands must be on deck to see to it that it doesn't make it into the country or take us by surprise. There have been reported cases of doctors, nurses and other patients fleeing from hospitals in Guinea because of the high number of Ebola virus disease-related deaths over there. Schools have also be shut there, churches and mosques empty, commercial activities brought to a standstill and social interaction almost nonexistent.

It's everyone's duty to protect himself or herself and his or her community. Constant hand washing after contact with people is encouraged. The incubation period of the disease can be as little as 48 hours and as long as 21 days. Therefore, someone can be infected with disease, but not yet display any symptom.

The consumption of wild animals sold in local markets, popularly called "bush meat", should be avoided at all costs. Pigs, monkeys, bats and other wild animals are proven carriers and reservoirs of the Ebola virus.

The government and health workers should not be taught their jobs. In rural clinics, the practice of the reuse of needles should be discouraged. At airports, screening of travellers from neighbouring West African countries for any sign of the disease should be taken more seriously. Travellers to any part of the sub-region, especially the hot spots of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia must be on red alert.

These, along with other precautionary measures, will go a long way in insulating Nigeria from the epidemic. Prevention is easier and cheaper than remedy, and it must be the priority of the government, health workers and everyone at this point in time.

http://saharareporters.com/article/what-nigeria-doing-prevent-outbreak-ebola-virus
Politics / Re: What The International Media Do Not Or Do Not Want To Know About Nigeria by TheGudnews: 10:52pm On Jul 13, 2014
myads890: well, nigeria remains in shambles and every single nigerian is responsible

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Politics / What The International Media Do Not Or Do Not Want To Know About Nigeria by TheGudnews: 3:07pm On Jul 13, 2014
Nigeria’s President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, though not fully exonerated from the scandalous saga for not responding to it in time, should be cut some slack. For a president governing over 170 million people of more than 250 ethnic nationalities and two major religious groups united in an unhappy matrimony, a crisis is the last thing needed. The miraculous emergence of President Jonathan in 2010 did not go down well with some of the country’s elites while as some power brokers did not anoint him. Ever since, they’ve sworn – on record – to make the country ungovernable for him throughout his tenure.

What is at stake here is not just the position itself, but more of what comes with it. Power in Nigeria means a license to loot and siphon the country’s abundant natural resources, chief of which is petroleum. This uncouth behaviour dates back to the 1970s when crude oil was discovered in commercial quantities in Nigeria; since then, the money accrued from the sale of this "black curse" to foreign companies and countries has been concentrated in the hands of few super-rich, mostly politicians and corporate executives. This was, and still, while the masses live in penury and abject poverty.

According to most figures, Nigeria is host to some of the poorest and most economically disadvantaged people in the world. This same country plays host to some of the richest people in the world whom you may not find on the Forbes List. These thieving elites and economic cabal live a more luxurious life than some of the world’s richest billionaires, residing in palatial houses scattered all over the Earth’s continents minus Antarctica. Such mansions will make the most flamboyant of American celebrities drool. And they don’t pay tax for it, and if and when they do, it comes back to them like a vicious cycle.

When President Jonathan came, he came with a "new deal." He promised to change the country for the better and stifle those cabals holding the country by the jugular since the 1970s. Of course, it didn’t go down well with them. They hatched up a very wicked plan, true to their open threat of making the West African giant ungovernable for him. To get back at him, they used the masses against themselves. Since he came into power, the spate of bombing in the country soared to the high heavens and the otherwise relatively unknown, ragtag, underground armed insurgency now known as Boko Haram found the patrons it had been looking for.

It is easy to blame a leader when things go wrong, but the unrelenting criticisms in the media do not speak well of him or reflect the realities on ground. Since the beginning of his administration, he has been engaged in some people-friendly initiatives. It was during his tenure that the country went from being the "sick man" of the African economy to the largest economy in Africa and a regional powerhouse. Since 2010, the economy has grown at the rate of about 6.8. The rail system, which is the cheapest form of long-distance transportation for the average Nigerian and one that had been comatose since the early eighties, was revitalized in his tenure. The countries fitful power supply has also improved and become more stable.

All this is really happening, but his detractors won’t let the world hear of it. The picture of our president that has been painted in the international media is what they really want, all in a bid of making sure that their promises do not go unfulfilled. No one is calling President Jonathan a saint, but he’s definitely not the hideous devil and clueless clown his political rivals and detractors want the world to see him as.

http://news.naij.com/69361.html

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Sports / . by TheGudnews: 9:34pm On Jul 11, 2014
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