WOMEN OF AFRICA

GOD EXALTS PEOPLE TO ASSIST THE POOR – IKURU

2011-06-07T15:15:00.005+01:00

Rivers State Deputy Governor, Engr. Tele Ikuru, says God uplifts certain people to exalted positions on trust in order for them to assist the majority of the people.

Engr. Ikuru said this today when the Old Boys Association (1985 set) of the Kalabari National College (KNC), Buguma, fondly called “KANACOL ‘85” visited him in Government House, Port Harcourt.

Emphasizing the fact that challenges are easily overcome when shared with others, the Deputy Governor noted that this process of sharing challenges enabled the 1985 set of the college to excel, reiterating that his position is not only to serve himself and immediate family but is given him by God on trust for the benefit of his community, friends, State and nation.

“I am not the most brilliant, handsome or worthy but by the grace of God Almighty who has placed me here on trust to serve my nation, State and friends,” he said, assuring that he would continue to assist the people whenever he is called upon to do so.

Earlier, president of the association, Mr. Iwoyeofori Wokoma, said that the major challenge facing the association is on how to restore the fame of the college, lamenting the lack of adequate teachers, infrastructure and other amenities, while appealing for assistance.

Mr. Wokoma also pointed out that some of their colleagues are yet to be gainfully employed and as such unable to with life challenges, calling on the government to initiate people-oriented policies that would generate employment for majority of the people.

IGNATIUS AJURU UOE MATRICULATES 1,350,..VC tasks students on national dev

2011-06-06T23:26:00.005+01:00

Acting Vice Chancellor of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, Professor Rosemund Green-Osahogulu, has called on students to study hard and deservingly obtain high flying credentials which would enable them make meaningful contributions to national development.

Prof. Green-Osahogulu stated this at the university’s 2010/2011 Matriculation Ceremony on Thursday, June 2, 2011 where 1,350 new students were admitted for the 2010/2011 Academic Session.

While 1,252 of the matriculants are into programmes leading to the award of Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) degree, 99 are on National Certificate of Education (NCE) programmes.

The Vice Chancellor noted that the new dawn in the country needs critical intellectual input to ensure progress in different sectors of the national life and students of tertiary institutions, pointing out that the university is being repositioned to positively impact the human capital development efforts of the Rivers State government.

She, however, warned students of the institution to focus on their studies or be shown the way out as “the university management will not hesitate to expel students who fail to cope with the high academic and moral standards for which the institution has been noted for over the years”.

She enjoined them to eschew “despicable criminal manifestations as stealing, lesbianism, homosexualism, alcoholism, drug abuse, indecent dressing and every other dishonourable act,” emphasizing that “this university is determined to enforce the highest acceptable moral and ethical standards obtainable in civilized societies worldwide”.

Prof. Green-Osahogulu stated that “individuals or groups choosing to constitute an intolerable nuisance ad security risk to the university community would be handed over to the law enforcement agencies,” advising them to resist all persuasions or intimidations capable of putting them on collision with constituted authority within or outside the campus”.

The Professor of Science Education commended parents and guardians of the matriculants, encouraging them to “pursue this noble decision of yours to a fulfilling end,” assuring that the institution would continue to create an enabling environment for teaching and learning as well as other extra-curricular activities that will enhance the students wellbeing.

Earlier, the university’s Choir and Orchestra performed to the delight of the audience with inspiring renditions of both classical and contemporary Christian songs.

SEMINITARI, DAWARI GEORGE, 4 OTHERS SWORN IN AS RIVERS COMMISSIONERS

2009-10-08T16:11:00.006+01:00

Mrs. Ibim Seminitari, award winning seasoned female journalist and communications expert, and Dr Dawari George, immediate past chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Rivers State, were among six new Commissioners sworn-in yesterday by Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Governor of Rivers State at Government House, Port Harcourt.

Swearing-in Mrs. Ibim Seminetari, who until her new appointment was the Publisher of the weekly magazine, Business Eye, and Dr. Dawari George, and four former Commissioners who were in the last dissolved cabinet, the Governor Amaechi charged them to render selfless services and be transparent in their dealings with the people.

“The only reason why you were appointed is for service, and it must not conflict with any other interest”, Governor Amaechi said, and explained that government office is not a place where people come to share money but to deliver services. Use public money for public purposes not for private use”, he declared.

According to him, “the state lacks basic infrastructure, therefore we all require concerted efforts to develop it. It is not time for funfair, but time to serve, and make the people of Rivers State happy”, the Governor said.

The State Chief Executive said the state has the potentials to be a model in the country and urged the new Commissioners to discharge their duties creditably.

He warned that he would not hesitate to remove any one found wanting in the discharge of his duties, emphasizing that they should not give him the opportunity to dissolve the cabinet another time.

Governor Amaechi cautioned the Commissioners to make open the processes of contract awards to the public, and maintain an open door policy to enable the people have access to their offices.

One of the Commissioners, Mrs Ibim Seminetari, who spoke with newsmen after the swearing-in, said her vision is in line with the commitment of the State Governor to ensure the development and progress of the state.

This brings the number of Commissioners in the state to 26.

MRS. AMAECHI CHARGES LGA CHAIRPERSON ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

2009-10-08T16:06:00.003+01:00

Wife of Rivers State Governor Dame Judith Amaechi has charged wives of Chairmen of the twenty three local government areas to initiate sustainable programmes capable of eradicating poverty among the rural populace.

Dame Judith Amaechi stated this during a meeting with wives of Chairmen of the twenty three local government areas c of Rivers State at government house Port Harcourt.

According to a statement by Dike Bekwele, her media assistant, Mrs. Amaechi stated that the improvised situation among the rural populace is very worrisome adding that the government programmes would be a success if it impact positively on the lives of the people.

“The poverty situation within the rural community requires urgent and drastic action, we must tackle it on all fronts, and bring government to the door steps of the rural dwellers”.

The Rivers Governor’s wife who recently empowered women through public transportation challenged the chairpersons to initiate similar programmes that have capacity of sustaining rural economy of the people.

“Please it is on record that we have ladies driving cabs, while some have become entrepreneurs after our soap making training programmes. You can replicate this effort in your locality or initiate suitable programmes that can sustain the economy of the people”.

The governor’s wife said she wants the rural dwellers to benefit in the ESI Lady cabbies, because most female drivers today have become economically independent and can cater for their family.

“I have directed that some forms for the ESI lady cabbies be distributed at the rural areas to enable them benefit from it. Please it must not be politicized, let the qualified and capable hands benefit, while I charge you to initiate your ideas in this regard and complement your husbands effort”.

The governor’s wife warned that she will not support chairpersons who are insensitive to the plight of the rural populace.

2007-08-17T20:37:00.000+01:00

AIDS and Nigeria’s Rural Youth

2007-08-14T17:27:00.000+01:00

It is no longer news that Nigeria’s sero-prevalence rate stands at 5.8% and that it is growing. While new cases of infection are drastically reduced in urban and semi-urban localities due to increasing awareness, it is spreading like wildfire in the rural areas. More and more new cases of infection are popping up especially amongst the youth population.
Even these new cases are a trickle of available data given the fact that obtaining adequate and accurate information on the rate at which AIDS is spreading in Nigeria’s rural communities is such a difficult issue. This is because the rural areas are not only hard to reach but the terrain is tedious and even the local people are not willing to volunteer information relevant to the AIDS issue. This can be attributed to the lack of adequate grasp, on the part of the locals, of the issues surrounding the AIDS question.
Looking at the rural communities with special focus on the Niger Delta, one can appreciate why new cases of infection are happening all the time. Nigeria has a dual topography. One aspect of it is mainly dry land while the other is riverine riddled with creeks, rivers, rivulets, swamps, and mangrove forests. While the upland is a bit elaborate and easy to access and susceptible to development, the riverine areas are a difficult terrain, densely populated and steeped in demographic incongruities.
The focus of this article is the impact AIDS is having on the riverine communities spread across the southern fringes of Nigeria better known as the Niger Delta. There are approximately a 100 communities running from Ondo State in the South-West of the country to Akwa Ibom State in the South-South. These communities reflect different ethnic nationalities (Ijaw, Ilaje, Yoruba, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ikwerre, Etche, Ogoni, Andoni, Efik, Ibibio, etc), speak diverse languages and sublanguages and subscribe to varied social experiences.
For many of these communities their means of livelihood is derived from fishing, farming, trading, and art works. The terrain is laced with difficulties ranging from inadequate means of transportation, uncharted forests rife with wild animals, mosquitoes, and others. This is where about 70% of youths in the Niger Delta live. Without adequate education, without social amenities, plagued by ignorance and poverty, enmeshed in infection-predisposing factors, and exposed to obnoxious belief systems and practices, it is not a matter of conjecture why these constitute the majority of AIDS victims.
Beyond these overarching factors, there are other minor yet serious ones that facilitate the rise in the rate of HIV infection. One of these is sexual networking among adolescent boys and girls where a group of adolescents network to share or have sex with a particular individual of the opposite sex. A group of boys take turns to have intercourse with a particular girl or a group of girls take turns to have it with a particular boy. And this is done without recourse to the risks associated with such abnormality. Many times the girl involved becomes pregnant without knowing the actual boy who did it since everyone of them had her. On the other hand, some or all of the girls who engaged in that orgy of sex could become pregnant for the same boy and this obviously translates into major alterations in the lives of both the girls and the boy or boys in question.
Another factor is the proliferation of sexual partners by a particular individual. A girl goes on having several male friends with whom she has sex on a regular basis or even at random as the occasion demands, so to speak. Or it could be a young man who strings along with several girls, having sex with them whenever he deems necessary.
These are situations that precipitate infection with HIV and the rapid spread of the virus in the rural areas. And this goes on amongst the youth population. One basic fact about this is that each individual in such network suddenly becomes a lethal carrier unleashed on society, howbeit covertly.
With the prevailing socio-economic environment in the rural areas many youths are predisposed to fall for unwholesome indulgences. Many girls come from poor homes and sometimes are under intense pressure to accede to have sex with one or more men to make ends meet or have their needs met. Almost always, these amorous relationships do not accommodate safeguards against HIV infection. Partners hardly make informed decisions regarding prevention against infection and pregnancy. In some areas, not only are condoms not available, majority of the people are ignorant about its uses or advantages.
So girls just go on having sex with men either on the premarital or extramarital basis or even in cases of early or forced marriages. And given that positive masculinity is foreign to many communities in this country, the young girls have to bear the brunt of pain inflicted by their partners during intercourse, lacerations to the vaginal walls, infection with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, premature delivery, incontinences arising from compromise of the yet immature birth canal, stigma associated with one or more of the above. All these depict the trauma, dilemma and challenges the Nigerian youth in rural communities have to grapple with.
The process of redressing these unfortunate circumstances is no doubt Herculean. Yet a lot can still be done. First, there is need for information and behavioral change communication targeted at the youths in the rural areas. This can be done through awareness creation and sensitization in the hard to reach localities. This is to acquaint them with issues such as abstinence, positive sexuality, early sex debut, partner reduction, Bonne (good/real) fidelity, dangers of premarital/extramarital sex, correct and consistent condom use, routes of transmission, etc.
This information can be utilized to motivate change and build awareness on critical issues. This change is necessary with regards to beliefs, values and attitudes that predispose and facilitate infection among young people; attitudes towards the infected and affected by AIDS (de-stigmatization/stigma-reduction); negative to positive sexuality and openness to discussions about sexuality; and changes in values, beliefs, and attitudes towards women.
Motivation can also be effected in the aspect of inducing change from irresponsible to responsible or positive masculinity – making men understand and appreciate what it entails to be a man and a father.
Added to the aforementioned is the advocating of the rights of adolescents and children with special focus on that of young girls. Issues affecting women and children with regard to HIV/AIDS needs to be appreciated and given the necessary impetus. This is consequent upon available data suggesting that more women (especially the youths) are being infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.
Considering the difficult terrain, monetary cost involved and the logistics of it all, it would no doubt call for concerted efforts incorporating the government, corporate bodies, civil society organizations, private individuals, and other stakeholders to make the outreach to youths dwelling in the rural areas a dream come true.

Stigma: Metaphor of Death for AIDS Victims

2007-08-14T17:15:00.000+01:00

Imagine a girl walks into a classroom, greets her teacher and the class, and begins to walk to her seat, only to be called back by her teacher and asked before the whole class if her mother who is HIV- positive has begun treatment. She replies that her mother has begun. The teacher asks her to move her things from her present seat to another, where from henceforth she would be sitting alone. As the students go out for lunch-break, other students begin to rain questions on her and some even go the extent of avoiding her all because she has a mother who is HIV- positive.
She tries to cope for a few days with the taunting and coldness being meted out to her, and when she could no longer cope, she stops coming to school. Since she is unable to let her parents in on what is bothering her due to their lack of consideration, she devises alternatives to school. She wanders to strange and lonely places to while away the time. After school hours she would come home with other teenagers as if she was coming from school. With time, her parents get to know and mete out some harsh treatment to her without reaching down into her emotional being to unravel what is ailing her. She feels her family doesn’t understand and do not care about her feelings and leaves home. While she wanders along she meets some man who listens to her tales and offers her some succour and shelter. He takes the time to listen again and again to her stories and with time she begins to feel comfortable in his company and relaxes her vigilance. Soon one thing leads to another and they have sex. Soon the rate of intercourse increases between them. With time she begins to experience some symptoms she can’t explain. They go for a test. The medical authorities as a matter of policy test her for HIV, pregnancy, etc. It is discovered that she is pregnant. Not only that, she is HIV-positive.
Unsettled by such development, the guy makes off leaving her to wallow in her misery. Suddenly, she finds herself in a dilemma which she was not prepared to handle. Several options play out in her mental spectrum and the most promising of all is to end it all. With no one to provide her with needed counseling and support, she commits suicide and there ends the tragic chapter of one of Nigeria’s youth by just an ounce of thoughtlessness manifested in a stint of stigmatization.
It is common knowledge that AIDS kills. Not only AIDS, tuberculosis, measles, malaria, diabetes, cardiac arrest, sickle cell anaemia, cholera, diarrhea, and a host of other medical abnormalities. Apart from these medical monsters, there are many other things that kill or reduce life to something a little above death. But when viewed from another perspective it cannot be said that this medical absurdities kills faster than stigma associated by society to certain medical conditions.
Stigmatization – the act or policy of labeling and/or branding a person or group of persons as socially unacceptable due to a medical condition, religious or other belief, racial identity, or other reasons – is a major cause of death for many Nigerian youths who are infected by AIDS. It is important to state as clearly as possible that for one to be infected AIDS or has AIDS does not make him or her less than a human. He retains his/her dignity as human person. He is still flesh and blood like the rest of us. Most times, it is bias, bigotry and prejudice which are a spill over of the absurdities of our socio-cultural and socio-religious belief systems, values, attitudes.
Some hold though erroneously that AIDS can only be contacted through sex and this the perverted aspects of it, viz – premarital, extramarital gay, etc. Since these are held as anathema both in our cultural ethos and religious circles, it becomes evident why AIDS victims should in the same vein be accorded anathema status.
Another aspect of this anomaly is the belief that AIDS is divine retribution meted out to the wayward. Nothing can be further from the truth. Some subscribe to this fallacious purview and manifest it in the stigmatization of anyone who is infected by the virus. Sometimes this stretches into the public domain, where people in authority use dictions and language that not just suggestive of stigmatization but very offensive at face value.
The young people of this nation are the most affected by this stigmatization issue. For the infected, they are stigmatized and treated as outcasts. They are looked upon as morally debased individuals who could not control their sexual urge and have consequently contacted HIV/AIDS as a just recompense of their dissolute lifestyle. This smacks of crass ignorance, as there various routes of transmission of the virus. Besides sexual intercourse, AIDS can be contacted through the use of any piercing instrument, through transfusion of unscreened blood, and from mother to child during childbirth, delivery, and/or breastfeeding in the first three months.
For the affected such as people affected by AIDS (PABAs) and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) it is an all-inclusive branding where the children, relatives and other family members of the infected are labeled as social outcasts for no other crime but that one of their own is infected with HIV. in schools, workplaces, organization, and other places, they are subjected to harsh and unpleasant treatments and attitudes. this needs not be so.
It is important for everyone to appreciate the fact that just a single act of thoughtlessness and lack of consideration can go a long way to precipitate disastrous catastrophes which could engulf the rest of us. there is need for all to understand that it is a member of the human family that the stigma is being directed at. no one deserves to be associated with any form of stigma, not even AIDS victims. they deserve the best of our cordiality, care and consideration. where we do not treat them as such we are only fast-tracking their early death.
The statistics are there for all to scrutinize and ascertain for themselves what havoc stigmatization is wreaking on youths who are infected by AIDS. Even when a person is infected with HIV, it would take some months for the virus to completely undermine the individuals immune system and result in full blown AIDS. at the stage where it has metamorphosed into AIDS it would still take about 10 years for the person to die. and this is depending on a lot of factors – how strong the individual’s immune system is, the person’s hygiene regime, the antiretrovirals at his/her disposal, the emotional reservoir he/she can draw from at such critical period, and many other factors.
Given the above and looking at available medical data, it is a fact that there are even other deadlier diseases that kills faster than AIDS. Cholera, diphtheria, diarrhea, and malaria kills faster than AIDS. So it is unnecessary and inhuman stigmatizing AIDS victims, especially the youths.

OVCs: Mitigating the Trauma

2007-08-11T18:37:00.000+01:00

As the AIDS discourse gathers momentum across the African continent, we find a unique population emerging and gaining numbers. This is the population of those negatively impacted by the AIDS pandemic. Sadly, Africa claims the lion share of this unfortunate group with 13.2 million orphans - children who, before the age of 15 have lost either their mother or both parents to AIDS – which constitute 95% of total AIDS-generated orphans worldwide. This population is comprised of individuals whose parents (one or both) have become, not just victims but casualties of AIDS. By this I mean they have died as a result of HIV/AIDS infection.
As these are lost to death courtesy of AIDS, left behind are a host of individuals whose lives are automatically altered by such an unfortunate development. They include both nuclear and extended family members who have to adjust to accommodate the loss of a family member to AIDS.
Apart from other relatives, there are the children of those demised through AIDS who constitute the nucleus of those we refer to as PABAs or People Affected By AIDS. These, almost always, are children and youths who are very tender in age and are still at the stage of understanding themselves and their surrounding environment.
These suddenly become orphans and must now have to adjust to the harsh realities of life without a parent, without a breadwinner and without the protective social umbrella they have enjoyed all along while their parents were alive. It is due to these that they are referred to as vulnerable children.
Imagine a child who suddenly has to fend for himself because the little resources the family had has been exhausted on the treatment of the now dead parent or guardian. Imagine a little girl who suddenly has to cater to needs of her siblings while she is yet to appreciate her personality and all that goes with it. Imagine a little boy who now has adulthood foisted on him and now has to shirk his youth and assume responsibilities of a man due to the loss of his parents. These images, you will agree with me, do not give one cause for comfort!
Ordinarily, the challenges orphans have to grapple with in our society are overwhelming, but these challenges appreciate in the case of AIDS-generated orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). Wherever they turn, children who have lost a mother or both parents to AIDS face a future even more difficult than that of other orphans. Not only do they find it difficult mixing up with the larger society, they also find it a huge challenge meeting their basic needs. This is consequent upon their being discriminated against by social institutions, work setups, and even ignorant family members who believe they share the plague of AIDS with their dead parents. Stigmatization, no doubt, is a monster that stares orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) in the face and trains tears in their eyes.
In Africa as a whole, AIDS is generating orphans so quickly that family structures can no longer cope with the strain. Traditional safety nets are unraveling as more and more young adults die of this disease. Families and communities can barely fend for themselves, let alone take care of orphans and moreso orphans whose parents have depleted the collective resources of the family or community in the quest to salvage their lives.
Life in the Nigeria on a good day is a hard life without basic social amenities, adequate means of livelihood, institutional failure, corruption and a pervading pessimistic outlook on life. Hope has long taken flight and has been replaced in the present with despair in many communities across the country. Thus coping with the additional strain of catering to AIDS orphans, for both individual families and communities, is a Herculean task.
With discrimination and stigmatization at their doorstep, it becomes evident what a harsh life these youths and children orphaned and rendered vulnerable by AIDS must now contend with. It is to say the least a sorry state of affairs these young ones find themselves enmeshed.
These circumstances foisted on this peculiar population having impacted negatively on them place them with very difficult and unpleasant options. For the boys, cultism, hooliganism, violence, armed robbery and other sordid vices suddenly become very attractive. The girls on the other hand, having more constraints to grapple with in their young lives than the boys, somehow either fall for sexual predators, child/women traffickers or go outrightly and deliberately into full-scale and unfettered prostitution or other forms of criminal activities all in the name of survival. However, for those who dare to be different and won’t concede to dissolute conduct, they have to suffer for real or work very hard and be paid a pittance to make ends meet. Not to talk of the discrimination and stigmatization that will attend their attempt at making life go on.
So having heard it all, what is to be done with these unique individuals whose destiny is at the mercy of society. What should be the impact mitigation interventions offerable to them? First, I deem we can form a consensus on the fact that whichever way the lives of these children and youths turn will impact severely on all of us. If they become responsible adults tomorrow the society will benefit. But where they turn out to be criminals and social liabilities everyone of us will have to grapple with what they can do either as armed robbers, street urchins or militants. Consequently, it becomes obvious that we (governments, corporate bodies, civil society organizations (CSOs) and individuals) are all stakeholders in the circumstances and destiny of AIDS orphans.
There is need for all concerned to take a more than cursory look at the circumstances OVCs find themselves. A lot needs to be done about these children and youths in the area of providing them with social safety nets. More than ever before these young ones need a means of livelihood. Initiating skills acquisition and computer literacy programmes, entrepreneurship and wealth creation initiatives and financing of small and medium scale enterprises can suffice. In the interim, government can avail them of subsidies in the areas of food, medical treatment and housing.
They need a soft landing with respect to their educational aspirations. Corporate bodies, government agencies, philanthropists, foundations, community development committees (CDCs), women groups, and other stakeholders can put together scholarships for these kids in order not to circumvent their educational development. The society at large needs to be sensitized and given a re-orientation on the negative impact stigmatization can have on OVCs on the short and long term basis. It is also important that these children are not left to live on the streets or be exposed to the dangers of homelessness because no one would offer them a roof over their heads. These young ones can fall prey to ritual murderers, rapists, hoodlums, and other angels of the night. And this needs not be allowed to be. All aspects of our society need to rise to the rescue of these kids.

A GATHERING OF EAGLES!

2007-08-08T17:17:00.000+01:00

When a crucial moments meet, it is not a matter of conjecture what next an action should be, or how necessary or urgent such action should be. I say this with regards to the annual interregnum in the academic calendar of the Nigerian education system at the primary and secondary levels. From the end of July to the beginning of September, Nigerian kids go home to have some reprieve from schoolwork, reappraise their performance in the just concluded session and prepare for the next academic session. Some kids will anticipate going on to the next class while some would inevitably repeat the previous class. Still there are those who would go from the primary to secondary level.
During this long vacation, many young people engage in various activities to while away the time. Some spend the period profitably but some choose to waste the time doing nothing significant. And yet these are the young people who form the bulk of the youth population of the great nation.
In-school youths, specifically those in secondary schools and those just out of secondary school combined with the rest who are learning one trade or the other in the workshops, constitute the huge percentage of the general population of young people in this country. This youth population added to those in tertiary institutions constitute the prospective leaders of this nation and those that will ultimately chart the course of her destiny in few years from now.
But the issue is that when one takes the youth into a collective whole and reviews their inclinations, activities and performances in recent times, it leaves one with certain trepidation. This is borne out of the turn of events in different parts of the country. Youth-related violence, examination malpractice, drug abuse, sexually-transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS, fast-eroding moral values, disrespect for constituted authority, unwholesome indulgence, and the lot are almost becoming synonymous with the character profile of our youth.
Recent events in the Niger Delta are no funny lullabies. Militancy exerted on the region by disgruntled and misguided youths has impacted negatively on the economic and social life of the nation and even the international community. The just concluded General Elections in the country saw irregularities laced with violence perpetrated by youths. Cultism and examination malpractice in our higher institution are another sad aspect of activities of our youth. Put together, these gives every conscientious Nigerian a source of concern.
Against this background and during this long vacation comes the YOUTH SUCCESS CAMP 2007, an auspicious event crafted for the youth across the nation. It is an epochal gathering tailored to meet the needs of a generation of youth who are facing and living with challenges their parents didn’t know. With the issues of poverty, new and incurable diseases, institutional failure, dearth of qualitative leadership, economic recess on a global scale, etc staring at humanity boldly in the face, there can never be a better time for such an event to come up.
This event is billed for August 21st through 25th of this year and would hold simultaneously in both the 36 state capitals and major towns in each state. The youth department of the deeper Christian life ministry is acting as convener and plans to execute this programme across the country in active collaboration with stakeholders such community leaders, civil society organizations, government agencies, traditional institutions, youth groups, professional bodies, security agencies, churches, and others. Everything possible is to be invested in the successful execution of the programme.

Across four days and eight sessions, speakers will address the physical, spiritual, academic, moral, and mental aspects of the youths. Speakers will be drawn from the academia, clergy, medical profession, security agencies, and other areas and will address issues such as HIV/AIDS, cultism, drug abuse, health, examination malpractice, academic success and morality. Leading the pack of speakers that will deliver papers across the various event venues will be Dr. William Folorunsho Kumuyi, Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, whose messages to the youth will be relayed live via satellite downlink to the various locations.
Youths have potentials yet untapped and needs a forum such this to unveil themselves, develop their talents, groom their skills and be motivated for the next level. Participants will be drawn from every strata of the youth population. Everyone is invited.
A revolution on a major scale is about to be unleashed on the moral, intellectual and social fronts. God in His infinite mercies has earmarked the Nigerian youth to birth this revolution and the Nigerian people cannot sit back and watch askance. Everyone is concerned as long as the issue is youth-related and as such none should shy away from contributing his/her resources and effort to make this event a huge success. It will be a gathering of where youths will learn to fly high and soar to heights previously unattained. A real gathering of eagles!

HIV/AIDS AND THE AFRICAN FEMALE

2007-08-05T17:04:00.000+01:00

WITH increasing and intense efforts at contemplating and executing interventions the world over with regards to checkmating the spread of HIV/AIDS and other pandemics such as tuberculosis, malaria, diabetes, and so on and so forth, it is becoming increasingly obvious that there exists a special group that could appropriately be referred to as an endangered species. This unique group is spread out across the African continent. You find them in all the countries that constitute the continent. They are the feminine gender represented here as the African female. As the HIV/AIDS pandemic makes its ravaging voyage across continents disregarding racial, gender, social and religious barriers, it has succeeded in eliciting heightened interest and interventions in the areas of medical research, and scaled-up approaches by way of prevention, care and support and capacity building. Various agencies and governments are allocating huge funds to these areas.A survey of the African continent gives one a gory depiction of the tragedy the African female is subjected to by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Liberia, Sierra Leone, Darfur region in Sudan, Somalia, Congo, South Africa, Kenya and other Southern African countries are flashpoints as per the harrowing effects of this pandemic. Statistics reveal the no-win situation in which the feminine gender finds itself. Sero-prevalence rates in various countries indicate that women are more affected by HIV/AIDS.The African female by virtue of her socio-economic situation finds herself more prone to be infected than the male. She is bothered for sex at the point of seeking employment. There is workplace sexual harassment. As a student, sex is demanded of her in the school for her to get her scores. Even in a normal heterosexual relationship, she is required to give vent to her professed love by mutual self-giving, which almost always translates into physical sexual acts. Socio-cultural practices such as female circumcision, tattooing, early marriages, and so on and so forth, expose her to infection. The above and the fact of the female genitalia being more or else a receptacle, and thus vulnerable, increases her chances of infection, including HIV/AIDS.Infected females are hardly able to access care and support facilities and opportunities due to stigmatisation and other hiccups placed by society. On the other hand, antiretrovirals are costly and hoarded even when they are provided and subsidised by governments, international development agencies, NGOs, and so on and so forth. Illiteracy, poverty, political insensitivity, and sundry other factors coalesce to give away the African female with regards to HIV/AIDS.Were we as a people to demonstrate some conscientiousness towards the checkmating of this pandemic, especially as it affects the women of Africa, there would be an orchestrated response in terms of providing funds for interventions, awareness creation and sensitisation, accessible care and support programmes, strategic capacity building initiatives for organisations working in this area, de-stigmatisation campaigns, enlightenment of both government officials, care-givers, NGOs and the general public. Added to this would be specialised funding for research work on unravelling a cure for this voracious pandemic in order to ultimately halt its calamitous spread around the continent.The urgency of these conscientious interventions cannot be overflogged, as the tragedy engendered by this pandemic is critically obvious. The continent is awash with the diverse ramifications of its horrendous effects and it would imply hypocritical denial and criminal neglect of facts not to admit its reality and need for an urgent response. The response needs not be sporadic or unilateral to the extent there could be a coalescing and coordination of resources for this. Corporate bodies, governments, development partners and private individuals all have a role to play to save the African female nay girl child from imminent annihilation courtesy of HIVAIDS.

WOMEN AND THE POLITICS OF EXCLUSION

2007-08-05T16:47:00.001+01:00

From the 60s when the gale of independence swept through the continent, the issue of women in politics has been advocated by many who hold the view that the women of Africa have certain essential contributions to make to the development of the continent. This proposition has been hinged on certain grounds. These have included the example of the West and Asia where women like Britain's Margaret Thatcher, Israel's Golda Meir, India's Indira Ghandi, Philippines' Benazir Bhutto, and lately Germany's Angela Merkel have showed up and have done or are doing well.
They have also pointed to the recent example of women in Nigeria under the Obasanjo administration such as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dora Akunyili, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke, and Nenadi Usman who are examples of excellence in their chosen fields. Then there is the case of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, president of Liberia. We also have Zimbabwe's Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Prize winner and a host of others. All these have been referred to in the case for the involvement of women in the leadership of states.
But we need to consider the issue of whether our men have satisfied our fundamental expectations of leadership. We have seen almost a jubilee of leadership that cannot be said to be satisfactory save one or two pop-ups of good ones like Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Togo's Gnasingbe Eyadema, Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko, Ethiopia's Haile Mariam, Nigeria's Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha, Liberia's Charles Taylor and others are men who have highlighted defects of leadership that are unprecedented. Political perennialism (sit-tightism), abuse of power, violations of human rights, mismanagement of the economy, regional conflicts, unholy alliances, neo-colonialism, underdevelopment have been sordid realities of the past four decades when we have had men on the saddle of political power.
The fact of an emerging spectrum of feminine leadership resources across the continent is no longer controvertible. Each country in Africa is producing women professionals that possess requisite leadership potentials that can catapult the continent to new heights were they given a chance. The idea of excluding women from elective positions has never and can seldom be to the advantage of the continent. In recent hugely controversial elections in Nigeria, women aspirants were "technically" excluded from the primaries of each of the political parties, hounded by thugs, intimidated one way or another, and in the end the ratio of women to men that clinched elective positions remains sadly disproportionate. The object of these machinations may be focused on the individual women but where the interest of the continent is in focus such unwholesome tactics as are used against these women would be discarded.
Nigeria's fight against corruption is still on course courtesy of that virile young crusader. Nuhu Ribadu, but can we compare the achievements of Professor Dora Akunyili in NAFDAC, Dr. Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke in the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Nigeria's Ministry of Finance, and Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili in the Education Ministry with that of the EFCC? The disparity is far apart.
The problem of corruption and abuse of power, the issues of human rights violations, unconstitutional conduct, mismanagement of state economies, etc may not be strange to leadership when it is in the hands of women but their prominence or perpetuation can be guaranteed to be alien to the corridors of power. Gender equality presupposes giving a chance to a marginalised gender (in this case women) to perform and then be asked questions later on their performance.
The saddle of leadership is long overdue to be ceded to the feminine gender at least for a while. Were we to eschew prejudice, bias, chauvinism, subjectivism and all other less than wholesome oddities of the human nature it would be obvious in no time how much progress would be made by this great continent in the areas of good governance, infrastructural development, rule of law, economic stability and progress, health, education, etc.
Making concessions for the feminine gender to have a shot at leadership does not erode the headship or leadership of men over them nor does it make a woman not to be a woman. The husbands of such women as I have enumerated here are still the heads of their families and have not lost in any way their authority over their wives. That emotional insecurity that is transferred to the political turf as regards women is unnecessary and should be dumped in the trash-can of history and let the continent move forward. Let the women of Africa have a chance at leadership.

Getting a Nigerian Wife

2007-08-05T16:17:00.000+01:00

Have you ever thought of getting a Nigerian girl for a wife? You are not alone and you are not mistaken in that regard. You might be a foreigner living or working in Nigeria. Or it might be you are in your home country over there in US, UK, Asia, Australia or in the Caribbean. On the other hand, you might be an African either from Ghana, Kenya, Cameroun or South Africa. Or maybe you are a Nigerian guy, at home or in the Diaspora, contemplating marriage. Whichever category you belong, whatever nationality, race or background, I can tell you it’s an amazing experience to be married to a Nigerian girl. And this for good reason.
It is something I know that Nigerian girls are some of the best girls in the world in very many respects. For those of you guys who have got the opportunity of working in Nigeria or visiting the country, you must be conversant with the social life of Nigerians, especially the good natured mannerisms displayed by these girls. You know, sometimes, there are instances of some men who come to Nigeria to work only to bid their spouses goodbye effectively putting an end to their marital relationship due to the "sweetness" of their affair with a Naija girl. As much as I don’t support such conduct, I think it speaks volumes of what a Nigerian girl represents in terms of fascinating a man’s mind.
Generally speaking, an average Nigerian girl is groomed from birth to be everything a man would expect of a woman and a wife. She is taught to cook, to wash, to keep house and to do a lot of other things that home-keeping requires. They become very proficient with as many dishes and cuisines as possible. From native Nigerian dishes to African and continental dishes, she is horned in the preparation and presentation to her guests. She is taught table manners, etiquette, home-making and men management, so to speak. Hardly you find a Nigerian girl that doesn’t know what it takes to keep her man at home and comfortable. This is something you find in every part of Nigeria.
From the girls in the riverine communities of the Niger Delta to the Fulani cattle- rearers daughters in Sokoto. Go from Obudu Ranch in Ogoja to the River Niger in Onitsha; go on to Enugu in the Eastern heartland to the streets of Port Harcourt; continue your trip to the West and meet the Yoruba ladies in Lagos, follow them to Ibadan, then move from Ilorin into Kogi and into the Middle-belt and meet the women of Idoma, Langtang, Gboko and Makurdi and trace your path into Kano, Kaduna and arrive in Dutse: you would have had a refreshing feel of what feminine beauty abounds in the Heart of Africa – Nigeria. You would then agree with me that Nigeria isn’t the giant of Africa for nothing. She has what it takes to retain that title at least with regards to feminine gems.
Whether they are clad in native Nigerian attires or Western costumes they exude such beauty that would make any man’s head spin. Individually and collectively, Nigerian girls know how to adorn themselves and bring out the best of that beauty the feminine folk possess. It doesn’t matter where you meet them, be it in a typical rural community in Igbo land, in the busy streets of New York, in the snow-fleeced shores of Reykjavik or at the busy markets of Dubai, you will never miss out on what I’m telling you about Nigerian girls’ knack for fashion. Infact, their fashion consciousness is unrivalled. Have you checked the runways recently?
Their suits are superb. Talk of their wrappers (Hollandies, Akwete, Brocade, Jacquard, Ankara, etc), blouses (plain or beaded), skirts (long, short, straight, pleated, or whatever style), cardigans, lingerie or any other clothes they put on is always right on them. Have you checked on their jewellery – bangles, earrings, necklaces, rings, trinkets, pendants, etc? You would be stunned to see how snug their footwear – high-heeled or low-heeled shoes, moccasin, sandals, etc and even their perfumes are always superb on them. You won’t regret putting your money on them because for sure they’ll so radiate so much beauty that you’ll wonder if you shouldn’t have done more.
What can we say of the self-confidence and unassuming mien of an average Naija girl. She knows how to switch modes of attitudes to please you at all costs. A Nigerian girl is never the type to shift grounds when she knows there’s nothing to lose.
Lest I forget, Nigerian girls hardly get sick, so you won’t have to bother about being hooked with a sickler. Even HIV finds them tough to handle. Remember I’m not asking you to go play with them without a condom. Never leave your condom at home, especially if you met her at Allen Avenue or any other red light district in Nigeria or elsewhere. I can’t vouch for what happens or does not happen. All I know is that you’ll have a good time.
From the foregoing you can see why I am optimistic about guys from every part of the world shopping for wives from Nigeria. Naija girls already have the background information, knowledge and expertise to cater to any man’s need, be it culinary, marital, sexual or circumstances. They can fit in to your life for good and make you happy real good.
Now that we’ve got through the fundamental issues about the suitability and marketability of a Nigerian girl let me state that they are not for sale or trafficking. It is not only a crime against the sovereignty and dignity of Nigeria as a nation and her people but also a crime against humanity for anyone to engage Nigerian girls or any girl for that matter (underaged or overaged) in human trafficking, prostitution, drug deals or whatever else that is unconscionable.
So how do you go about getting a Nigerian girl for a wife? Well, not much. Just a few easy steps:
You can walk into any Nigerian mission in any country and request for information regarding Nigerian girls and you can walk out with enough contact information for as many ladies as you would want to stake your luck on.
You could also go to any Internet dating sites (Date.com, adultfriendfinder.com, etc), get registered and check in your preferences (for Nigerian ladies) and you can be inundated with as many profiles of members from Nigeria. You’ll find a bevy of beauties waiting for you to reach out to them and change your life for good.
Still you could use any of the messenger facilities (Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, etc) on the Internet to connect with and chat with as many ladies as you can find. Who knows you could be on to something real good, like a lifetime experience.
You could be invited to Nigeria to come take one of these jewels to your home country. Or if you prefer to stay around, you stand the opportunity of benefiting from lots of privileges available to foreigners. In many communities in Nigeria, it is customary to allocate land to a daughter of the soil for her spouse who is a foreigner to develop for residential and/or commercial purposes. You also stand the opportunity of being privileged to be made a title citizen of the community where you reside and do business or even be awarded a national honour. The advantages of marrying a Nigerian girl are limitless, no inexhaustible.
I am personally inviting all you guys – American, British, French, Spanish, Dutch, Asian, etc – to take the next flight to Nigeria and you’ll never regret your quest. Get a Nigerian girl now!