Edo Govt Hands over Father, Sons to Police for Defiling 9-Yrs-Old

Rebecca Ejifoma

The alleged perpetrators and rapists

The Edo State government has handed over 70 years old Mr Francis Ezomo and his two sons – Nosa and Festus Ezomo – to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl, who is a relative of his wife.

Mr. Francis was arrested alongside his sons, Nosa Ezomo 26 years old and Festus Ezomo aged 29 for defiling the little girl, who is their mother’s relative.

The Acting Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Basic Education, Dr Joan Osa Oviawe, told journalists after the suspects were handed over to the Police at Government House, Benin City, that the victim’s headmistress reported the case to her office.

Lagos Police Arrests Two for Sex Trafficking, Rescues Teenage Victims

Rebecca Ejifoma

The four teenage victims

The Lagos State Police Command and Federal SARS Operatives have arrested two men for conspiracy, human trafficking and running of a prostitution ring using teenage girls in Collabor Hotel at Ige Street, Iyana Ipaja Lagos.

The suspects and coordinators of the prostitution ring – Thomas Emmanuel aged 29 and Okoh John aged 34 – were on March 10 this year arrested alongside the four teenage girls when the Operatives stormed the location.

Edo: Obaseki Takes Responsibility of 5-Year-Old Victim’s Cancer Treatment

...Clears medical bills of accident victim

Rebecca Ejifoma

Obaseki with one of the Press Bus accident victims, Mrs. Mary Okoro, receiving treatment at UBTH

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, pledged to take responsibility of five years old Freeman Okoro's cancer treatment as he offset medical bills of other persons who suffered various degrees of injuries in a road accident involving a bus attached to the Governor’s Press Unit and two vehicles, in Ugbowo area of Benin City.

The governor took this bold step during his visit to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, where he learnt that one of the victims of the Press Bus, Okoro, who had come for chemotherapy session at UBTH before the unfortunate incident.

UNICEF Advocates for Adequate Nutrition, Exclusive Breastfeeding for Malnutrition in Yoruba Land

Rebecca Ejifoma

Following the sordid rate of 1.5million children suffering from stunting in Southwest Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for genuine exclusive breastfeeding for babies from age zero to six months to knock off malnutrition, stunting and wasting among children between ages zero and five.

This was disclosed at a two-day Media Dialogue on Child Nutrition on the theme, ‘Overcoming Stunting in South-west Nigeria' holding today February 27 to 28 organised by the Ogun Ministry of Information and Strategy in collaboration with UNICEF on Tuesday in Ibadan, Oyo state.

She said malnutrition had resulted in stunting among children in Southwest and in Nigeria. With a total of over 1.5million (19.4per cent) of children in S'West are stunted, South south and Southeast are better than Southwest.

Lagos, UNICEF Urge Mothers to Immunise Children Under Five Years

Rebecca Ejifoma

Determined to reduce Nigeria’s high under-five years old deaths, mothers have been urged to immunise their children against measles as the Lagos State 2018 Measles Vaccination Campaign from March 15 to 29.

The vaccination campaign, which will run from March 15 to 29 this year in all health facilities in Lagos and designated posts in communities, aims to reach 3.6 million children between ages nine months and five years.

Experts Urge Government to Take up Treatments, Dialysis to Save Lives

Rebecca Ejifoma

Beneficiaries undergoing free screening on World Dialysis Day at Healing Stripe Hospital, VI Lagos

Medical experts and nephrologists have urged the federal government to come up with a policy to help patients who require dialyses by taking up treatments such as dialysis and transplants as other African countries do in order to keep Nigerians from dying.

The experts made this clarion call at the World Kidney Day on March 8 organised by Healing Stripe Hospital on free screening and dialysis and health awareness talk for women and girls held at the hospital premises at Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to a Consultant Nephrologists, Dr. Adewunmi Adebowale, “It is time government came up with a policy or whatever they could do to help patients who require dialyses.” Adding, he said other countries already practice free or subsidised dialysis. “Some African countries subsidise dialysis. In Ghana, the first five dialysis is free. That's how much they can afford. In Côte de' voire, all dialyses are free. Government pays for or subsidise it including Tanzania and Pakistan.”

GE Partners Amref Health to Strengthen Maternal Healthcare Systems in Africa

...to reach 3.5 million expectant women, mothers and new-borns

Rebecca Ejifoma

GE Healthcare and Amref Health Africa today announced a framework agreement that aims to develop a range of in-country health care service collaborations across reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, non-communicable diseases, water, sanitation and hygiene and safe surgery.

With plans of 20 programmes, from 13 currently, GE aims to reach 3.5 million expectant women, mothers and new-borns and train over 3,000 primary healthcare workers by 2020, together with partners including Amref.

Police Arrests Woman for Injuries on Maid with Heated Iron, Hot Water as Punishment

Rebecca Ejifoma

     

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal, has ordered for the arrest of one Nkeiruka Ngwu for mentally and physically inflicting grievous wounds on her 10 year old housemaid using heated iron and hot water.

36 years old Nkeiruka of 47 Ogundana Street, Allen Avenue Ikeja, met her water loo on Wednesday March 7 this year after she allegedly used a well-heated clothes iron to cause grievous injury on  the victim's hands and legs. Also, she was accused of  pouring hot water on little Chioma which scalded her skin.

In a media release the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, SP Chike Oti, issued on March 10, concerned mothers who saw the injuries on the child called the CP's attention after a previous warning to the suspect.

ERA/FoEN Urges FG to Enforce Single Stick Ban of Cigarette

Rebecca Ejifoma

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has called on the federal government to immediately commence enforcement of the ban on sale of cigarettes in single sticks following a new Africa-wide report which shows that sale in single sticks is a tactic by tobacco corporations to reach kids because of their ready availability and cheapness.

The report, Sale of Single Sticks of Cigarettes in Africa, released in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday March 7 this year by the Africa Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), identified the British American Tobacco (BAT), Philip Morris International (PMI), and Imperial Brands as the main perpetrators of the practice in 10 African countries surveyed.

African Women Take Lead to End FGM, Child Marriage with Big Sister Movement

Rebecca Ejifoma

With statistics showing that 6000 girls in Africa are mutilated daily, 200 million women living with the effects of Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage (FGM/C) and 30 million girls at risk over the next decades, African women take the lead to end these harmful aged practices in the continent through the strategic launch of the Big Sister Movement.

The BIG SISTER MOVEMENT (BSM) is the largest grassroots coalition of Local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) led by women survivors of FGM/C’s from The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia. It aims to give back the testimonies and scope of actions to survivors, to enable them to tell their own stories, advocate and find grassroots solutions to the issue of FGM/C in Africa.

UCLG Africa Celebrates Women, Advocates for Gender Equality

There are issues we should all be ashamed of. Think of your mother, sister or daughter being harassed by someone in the workplace, school, public space, public transport, or simply in the street. Unfortunately, this happens time and again on our continent, and the horrific statistics of women that lose their lives after being beaten by their husbands; women who are badly wounded following a dispute with parents or relatives; not to mention the many migrant women that suffer all kinds of humiliations including rape, human trafficking, and other undignified treatment.

In a media release the Secretary General - (UCLG) United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi - issued, the United Nations has set, ‘Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives', as the theme for the 2018 International Woman Day observed March 8 annually. It compels all everyone not to turn a blind eye on, and be deaf to such unacceptable situations of violence against women.

Merck Foundation Partners First Lady of Niger in Launch of Mark Foundation

Rebecca Ejifoma

Prof. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Executive
Board of E.Merck KG and the Chairman of Merck Foundation
 Board of Trustees, Her Excellency, the First Lady of
Niger, H.E. Mrs. Aissata Issoufou Mahamadou
and Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation

Merck has launched its Foundation in Niger in partnership with the First Lady of Niger and their Ministry of Health builds healthcare capacity  in the country with special focus on cancer, diabetes and infertility.

During the launch, Merck Foundation, a non-profit organisation and a subsidiary of Merck KGaA Germany, marked ‘International women’s Day’ in Niger to empower infertile women through ‘Merck More Than a Mother' campaign.

The Chairman of the Executive Board of E.Merck KG and Chairman of Merck Foundation Board of Trustees, Prof. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, said: “We are very proud to launch our Merck Foundation in partnership with the First Lady of Niger and Ministry of Health to build healthcare capacity, improve access to Cancer and Diabetes care and to empower infertile women in the country.”

African Development Bank Governors: Africa’s Population Explosion is a Ticking Time Bomb

Rebecca Ejifoma

Following projection that Africa will have over 840 million youths by 2050 with the continent having the youngest population on earth, the African Development Bank and its East and North African Governors have stressed the need for urgent measures to match the continent’s growing population and youth unemployment, which they likened to a “ticking time bomb”.

This was disclosed at the end of a two-day consultation at the headquarters of the Bank in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where the Bank and the Governors discussed strategies for closing Africa’s $170 billion infrastructure investment gap.
President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina expressed: “ The good news is that the solution is within our reach and will require investments.

Disturbing Statistic of Stunted Children in Yoruba Lands, Edo, a Call for Reawakening

Rebecca Ejifoma

Nutrition Specialists and Health experts with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have released disturbing estimates on malnutrition and stunting among children from age zero to five in all Southwestern states – Yoruba lands and Edo state in Nigeria.

States in the Southwest include: Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo.

According to the breakdown of statistic, Edo state result shows there are  117,635 stunted children out of 864,964 of its under-five population. Ekiti has 666,762 under-five children and 146,013 are stunted in growth while Ogun state has 1,063,071 children of under-five age and 277,472 of them are stunted.