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Two pieces of literary works - Williams Stevenson’s thriller, Ninety Minutes at Entebbe and the film, The Last King of Scotland (2006) – plot the graph of the gradual emergence of despots. They were both x-rays of Ugandan despot, Idi Amin Dada of Uganda. Stevenson’s was an account of the June 27, 1976 hijack of an Air France Flight 139, hijacked by terrorists and flown to the Entebbe Airport, Uganda and the July 4, 1976 reprisal codenamed Operation Thunderbolt, by a hundred Israeli commandos who, within 90 minutes, killed Ugandan guerillas and freed 103 hostages.

The Entebbe crisis was one of the first indicators of the huge scandal that Idi was to the African continent. He had given the terrorists ample support, making it the first time in history that a national leader would unabashedly back terrorists.

The Last King of Scotland on its own was a historical drama adapted from a 1998 novel written by Giles Foden with the same title. Screenwriters, Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock adapted it from a story of a Scottish medic who left Scotland to Uganda and was recruited as physician to Dada, the character of which was acted by Forest Whitaker. The film also speaks of Dada’s cruelty, how he gradually morphed into sadism due to the disposition of the Ugandan system and the machinery of state that was either too lax or too condescending to embrace a tyrant.

The world was to see more of Dada. Born in 1925 of the Kakwe tribe, northwest Uganda, though half educated, his towering height of 6 feet 4 inches egged him on. The British military in Uganda as an army of occupation at this time particularly felt intrigued by Amin’s sheer hippopotamus height and size. When he thus joined theKing’s African Rifles in 1945 as an assistant cook, he rose through the ranks. He was a key force in quelling the 1952-1956 famed Mau-Mau rebellion and as he was commissioned in 1961, he garnered reputation for cruelty and bravery in equal proportion. Gradually, he began to unfold, until 1971 when he overthrew President Milton Obote and unleashed one of the cruelest regimes in African history, speculated to have murdered 300,000 Ugandans. He eliminated tribal members different from his in the army, opposition members, activists and the clergy and had a uniquely horrendous pattern of feeding his victims’ fleshes to the crocodiles in the Nile river. In 1978, however, invading Tanzanian Army stormed Uganda and Dada fled into exile in Saudi Arabia and died in 2003 of organ failure.  The author, Festus Adedayo

I went into this famous low moment of the African continent to demonstrate that despots are made by the system and not necessarily themselves. So when last Thursday, the story sieved in that the police in the Katsina home state of President Muhammadu Buhari had arrested a 70-year old man who had “insulted” Buhari and the state governor, Aminu Masari, the story of Dada sieved into my subconscious, jarring my nerves. Lawan Isa, according to the state police spokesperson, Gambo Isa, of Gafai Quarters, Katsina town, was arrested in the company of two others - Bahajaje Abu, 30, and Hamza Abubakar, 27 - having “conspired and insulted President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Aminu Masari.” Isa said that Izala had made a “confessional statement” wherein he had given explanation of how he tongue-lashed the two Katsina-born public officials because his cows were rustled, with the shepherd who tended the cows being killed by suspected armed bandits.

In the confessional statement, he was quoted to have said: “I’m tormented with what happened in the village. While on my way back I met Bahajaje Abu (man who filmed the incident) asking me about the government, I told him that I withdrew my support because of what happened with my cows, I am now left with nothing, that is how I became emotional and started the insult.” Their arrest was said to have been ordered by the Katsina State Police Commissioner, Sanusi Buba.

Many analysts had submitted that Nigeria was too arid and hostile to despotism to allow an Idi Amin Dada to reincarnate on her soil. However, 1994 proved these pundits wrong as Nigeria minted a sadistic variant of the “Butcher of Uganda” in the goggled Sani Abacha. Journalists and opposition to his rule generally disappeared without trace and he relished inflicting pain on those who had hurt his ego. Ever since, the country has had a breather from naked despotism.

Studies of the sociology and psychology of despotism reveal that this sadism of the ruler begins to creep in when he begins to harbour a feeling of personal invincibility, becomes too egotistic and develops a skin that is easily bruised by public criticisms. While it could even be countenanced in a maximum rule like that of Abacha, despotism is an anathema to democracy and vilification of citizens for criticizing public officials is alien to the constitution. The major tenet of democratic rule is to query the efficacy or the subsistence of the claim of victory of opinion by a side. What democracy proposes is a beautiful tapestry that is woven of opinions which consist of different shapes, colors and contours. Thus, when you begin to see a democratic rule that is allergic to public criticisms, harangues holders of opinions that differ from its and preaches a monolithic viewpoint, then, as the holy writ says, know ye that autumn is nigh.

While claiming to be at home with public criticisms, Nigeria under Buhari has advertised its fascination with manacles. Last year, Abubakar Idris, known as Abu Hanifa Dadiyata, a social media personality, was said to have been abducted on Friday, August 2, by heavily armed men in the midnight as he was about to drive into his Barnawa, Kaduna residence. At about midnight, while driving into his residence at Barnawa, Dadiyata, said to be a social media influencer who was loyal to the Kwankwasiyya movement, was apprehended. He was said to be critical of the Buhari government and the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of Nasir el-Rufai. Even as his whereabouts is enveloped in nocturnes, there are claims that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) masterminded the Gestapo-like abduction. Whether Dadiyata is alive or had been silently butchered is yet unknown.

Cross River State’s Ben Ayade had ordered the arrest of Agba Jalingo, publisher of CrossRiverWatch, an online newspaper. He was arrested at 2pm on August 22, 2019, by men of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) of the Nigerian police at his residence in Lagos. They were reported to have earlier invaded the Lagos bakery of his wife, Violet where, according to the reports, they “seized the phones of all staff present and ordered them to show to them Jalingo’s residence.” On August 30, Jalingo was charged with treason, terrorism, cultism and public disturbance in an Abuja Federal High Court and for “working with the #RevolutionNow movement”— brainchild of human rights activist and Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore. He was also alleged to be planning to “’undemocratically’ force the government of Ayade to end through violent means.” He had reportedly criticized Ayade of manifest corruption.

The fate of many of those who have fallen prey to the intolerance of Nigerian government, either at the state or federal level, is indescribable. They are allegedly, according to an Amnesty International report, “tortured and pressured to write confessional statements, which were used to prosecute them in court.” AI also claimed that they are slammed “indiscriminate charges such as ‘defamation’, ‘terrorism’ and ‘cyberstalking’… ‘kidnapping’, criminal trespass and theft of state documents (while) many of the journalists were prosecuted under the Cybercrime Act and Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013, alongside other laws.”

While the Buhari government cleverly distances self from the tortuous paths of citizens freely expressing their views in the states and who were ostensibly suffocating under the tyranny of their state governments, citing federal bar from so doing by the constitution, it bears own fang in further cruel manner. It is interesting that when Buhari wanted to slam a lockdown on Lagos and Ogun State recently, a contravention of the tone and tenor of federalism, he didn’t think twice about it but cites same jejune provision when it comes to intervening in the release of unjustifiably imprisoned victims of his fellow Idi Amin Dadas in the states. Same last year, the Buhari government filed charges against Sowore for hatching a protest against it and “insulting” Buhari. Though no chains are around Sowore’s feet as he walks Abuja free, according to the tyrannical tone of his bail, he is clearly manacled and in jail.

The most recent victims of government’s intolerance and naked despotism are Gambo Isa, Bahajaje Abu, and Hamza Abubakar, who had the effrontery of “insulting” the Fuhrer and an Idi Amin Dada still in his diapers, Muhammadu Buhari and his minion, Masari. The police are ostensibly abetting this naked display of crude power-mongering.

If one may ask, since when did it become a crime or an offence to insult a holder of political office? For eating the people’s food free, collecting fat salaries, riding in posh cars purchased from our collective patrimony, living free in mansions that belong to the Nigerian state and for rapaciously bleeding our national purse, holders of political offices are deemed to have lost their privacy and right to be peeved by public singe of their actions. If such scrutiny is defamatory, public officials have the right to go to the court. Today, the Cybercrime Act and Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act 2013 have become fecund façade that government hides to unleash pristine and brutish intolerance on its citizens. To charge three Nigerian citizens for breach of the provisions of Cyber Crime Act, simply because they told Buhari and Masari that their alleged acts of not taking care of their interests was obtuse, a duty they both swore on oath to undertake at their swearing-in, is reminiscent of the cruelty and inhumaneness of Idi Amin Dada. Or, what do you think? 

Eighty gun salutes for the GOC, Ibadan Media Division

There are two General Officers Commanding (GOCs) in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State. While the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, based in Ibadan, has been an active division since the Nigerian civil war, with a current GOC, the other GOC is Mr. Felix Adenaike. As I wrote Adenaike’s name, I was tempted to prefix it with “Chief,” a crime whose punishment, many of those who are close to Adenaike know, is summary anger of the media chief. The Ibadan media GOC was 80 years old on April 22.

Adenaike, one of the surviving grandfathers of Nigerian journalism, was given the sobriquet of GOC on account of his no-nonsense managerial tendencies while he held forte as Daily Sketch’s General Manager/ CEO and Editor-in-Chief and Editor-in-Chief of the Nigerian Tribune. He was a disciplinarian whose life was discipline personified. He strictly pursued and stuck with the hallowed principles of journalism and couldn’t suffer fools gladly. Anyone who fell prey to his fine tooth-comb with which he scrutinized the newspapers under him for infractions sang the acrid song that Judas sang on his way to Aceldama. He couldn’t stand willful obstruction of the ethics of journalism or chivalrous murder of the god of grammar in the newspapers under his charge.

The next time you meet Adenaike, the first thing you will notice is that he will willfully regale you with the fine days of journalism and the dross on our hands today. He is one of the two surviving members of the tripod, that comprised himself, Peter Ajayi (may God rest his soul) and Segun Osoba, who Chief Obafemi Awolowo named The Three Musketeers, a deference to the trinity of their professionalism. 

As Adenaike clocks 80 years on earth, help say eighty hearty cheers to the General Officer Commanding of the Nigerian Media, Ibadan Command.

The rebirth of Ayinla Omowura

My book on the late Yoruba Apala music maestro, Ayinla Wahidi Yusuff, popularly known as Ayinla Omowura, will be out on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Entitled Ayinla Omowura: Life and Times of an Apala Legend, it is a 536-page book which documents the life and music of this famed musician, undoubtedly one of the most profound and original Yoruba musicians since Nigerian post-colonial history. Incidentally, that day marks the 40 years of his stab on the head with a glass mug in a beer parlour in Abeokuta, Ogun State, precisely on May 6, 1980.

The book is not a hagiography on Omowura. I documented his profound musicality, his famed violence, drug usage and rascality, as well as his unexampled voice and musical talent. The book reveals a lot about the late musician who has refused to die in the hearts of the people of Southwest Nigeria and on the West Coast. My friends, those who admire my writing, lovers of culture in general, should endeavor to have a copy of the book which incidentally is my first attempt at intruding into the world of book authors. This weekend on my social media handles, I will announce bookstores where the book can be bought. I assure you, it will be worth your while.

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Festus Adedayo Disable advertisements : 
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A pregnant cashier at the Ketu/Ikorodu branch of Access Bank affected by the bank’s mass retrenchment of staff, collapsed on Saturday after hearing of her dismissal, SaharaReporters has gathered.

The cashier simply identified as Taiwo, is about three months pregnant.

The bank had announced plans to sack its workers as a result of the negative impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. SaharaReporters gathered that many of the bank’s staff received their sack letters via email over the weekend with shock and grief.

A colleague of the lady, who collapsed, spoke with SaharaReporters on the phone.

He said, “Her name is Taiwo. When she got the news today, she collapsed. There were two of them affected by the mass retrenchment from Ketu/Ikorodu Road branch, as of now.  We will get to know more on Monday about others who were affected. The Taiwo lady is about two or three months pregnant.

“When she heard the news, she collapsed. It was friends and family around her that rushed her to the hospital.” See Also Jobs My Fiancee Broke Into Tears, Sacked Access Bank Cashier Billed To Wed In June Says 0 Comments 1 Hour Ago

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A cashier at a Lagos branch of Access Bank, who lost his job on Thursday, has shared his ordeal with SaharaReporters.

The bank had announced plans to sack its workers as a result of the negative impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. 

Group Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, had said that apart from the mass sacking, which would affect about 75 per cent of the bank's workforce, he would take the lead in having the largest pay cut of 40 per cent. 

“I will be the first to take the hit and I’m gonna take the largest pay cut, which would be as much as 40 per cent. 

“The rest we would have to cascade right through the institution. Everybody may have to make some adjustments of some sort,” he had said.

SaharaReporters gathered that many of the bank’s staff received their sack letters via email on Thursday with shock and grief.

“My fiancee broke down in tears when she heard the news,” the sacked cashier told SaharaReporters on the phone. 

“We are billed to get married next month. Where do I start now? This is unfair.

“The sack letter came in on Thursday but I didn’t know. I was doing my job on Friday when someone asked me if I had been laid off. I said no. She asked me to check my email. Behold, the email. I was shocked.

“I was angry with my boss. She told me she didn’t know anything about it. There was nothing I did wrong. Throughout this period, I have been the one fixing all our ATMs that were not running. I get calls at odd hours to work. My boss told me she could not have singled me out for sack. In my branch, I heard another colleague was sacked.

"By Monday, I will hear more about those who were affected. They are still sending out the mail. I tried to console my wife that something better will come. I have ND, HND and BSc but my salary is N75,000. I am not a core staff. Core staff earn as much as N145,000. 

"Normally with my degree, I am not supposed to be getting that low but I just have to accept that so as not to be unemployed. There was no prior notice. There was no warning. It’s not that I was not working diligently. This is unfair.

“This same bank donated millions of naira to fight COVID-19. This same bank gave Singer Naira Marley millions of naira to perform for customers and staff. Naira Marley even tweeted it but we that are working day and night, see what we got now," he added. 

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Dear Dr. Kayode Fayemi,

Exactly 12:31pm on Tuesday 21st April, my Mum went to be with the Lord at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) Ado-Ekiti accident and emergency department. For us as a family, we have found strength in the assurance of her eternal rest, and so we rather rejoice for a life well spent on earth, and her transition into eternal life. Even as we rejoice, I personally find the need to address issues around her passing particularly as it relates to our health system and most importantly, share some insight that will strengthen our health system in Ekiti State, particularly during public health emergencies — like the one we are currently experiencing.

I am the last child of my family, and the only health professional — a pharmacist, hence my close follow up on the well-being of my mum. My mum is both diabetic and hypertensive and she adheres strictly to her therapy. Few days before her passing, her blood glucose began to fluctuate from 33, 45 (I advised her to take glucose), and then on the following day it went on high to 254, 180, and on the morning of her passing, it was 358. That very morning as I was informed of her high blood glucose, I immediately informed one of my senior colleague who is a director in one of the state government health agencies. He helped rushed my mum to the hospital. This should be between 10:30am to 11am. I am based in Ibadan, and the lockdown made it impossible for me to travel to Ekiti even as of when she began to make her complaints. John Oluwadero with Governor Fayemi John Oluwadero

On getting to the hospital, my mum who at that time had stopped talking, and expressing difficulty in breathing was denied admission at the accident and emergency department, because she was not putting on nose mask. The health workers had fears that her emergency is probably COVID related. My senior colleague, however, explained to them that her case is a diabetic emergency, and he has been monitoring her treatment over the years. My mum was left in the car outside the A and E for about 50 minutes before she was finally attended to. Upon her admission, a patient who at this time was gasping for breath was only provided IV fluid, and when her breathing worsened, they brought an empty oxygen cylinder which could not last for 2 minutes. It was after this she died. 

Less than 10 minutes to her death, my eldest brother who was with her at that time recorded a video of her gasping for her breath and sent to me. At that time, it was the most annoying video I have ever seen in my life, but after her death, it became the most precious video in my life right now. I can’t understand why a patient gasping so heavily for her breath as I saw in the video will not be on oxygen. From the video, I knew she might probably not be able to make it. I look forward to showing you this video or probably send it to your mail.

Why I am addressing this letter to you?

Deborah Bolanle Oluwadero passed on at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital

As a Pharmacist who previously worked at EKSUTH as an Intern Pharmacist (2016), I can boldly say that the death of my mum was as a result of our weak health system in Nigeria, and negligence by health workers on duty. I am intentionally writing you not only because you are the governor of Ekiti State, where the health facility my mum died is located, but most importantly because you are the chairperson of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. There is an urgent need for a frank conversation on our health system in Nigeria that I seriously hope you will help ignite among your colleagues in their respective states. 

Our health system is WEAK! It is a big shame that in the 21st century, a teaching hospital will not have oxygen supply readily available in less than 2 minutes of hospital admission. It is a big shame on our health system for health workers in a tertiary hospital to not be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) amidst this coronavirus pandemic. And, most importantly, it is a big shame on those health workers on duty to assume all shortness of breath during emergencies to be COVID related.

I am also writing to you, sir, because you are not new to me and my family. You have in time past brought joy to my mum. God has used you to make her roll off the floor, appreciating God’s faithfulness on the life of her last child. In 2013, I was privileged to be sponsored by your honour to attend the First Commonwealth Conference on Education and Training of Youth Workers at the University of Pretoria South Africa. This was my first international travel and the launch of my engagement in international development. 

Following my participation at the conference as an undergraduate student at the University of Ibadan, I got appointed to serve as the pioneer Country Representative of the Commonwealth Students’ Association (CSA). After my tenure at CSA, I also got appointed to serve as the Africa Regional Representative for the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Working Group (CYSDP), where I recently completed my tenure as the Advocacy Focal Person for the entire 53 countries of the Commonwealth. 

Through my involvement in the Commonwealth Youth Programme, I have been inducted as an Associate Fellow of Royal Commonwealth Society, and a 2016 Finalist for the Queen of England Young Leaders Award. I have also participated in high-level meetings of the Commonwealth such as Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting, Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting, Commonwealth Education Ministers Meeting, Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting, and several others. 

In recognition of my contribution to positive youth development, I was honoured as the 2018 Recipient of the Junior Chambers International JCI Ten Outstanding Young Person in Nigeria National Award (Children, Human Right and World Peace Category), a 2018 Fellow of Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town, 2019 Alumni, Ashoka/American Express Leadership Academy, and I currently lead a youth work organisation called Building Nations Initiative –BNI. Your support indeed launched me into international development.

As you can see, you have made a great impact on my life and made my mum smile during her lifetime. Once again, I am here to call for your support to make her smile from heaven by addressing our weak health system that brought about her unexpected transition into glory. My letter is not for political criticism. It is rather to ignite a change in our health system. You are the closet person I know within the political landscape of Nigeria that can lead nationwide advocacy on revamping our health system in Nigeria. I believe you have the power to ignite a change, and I strongly believe with my whole heart that you will definitely make my mother smile from heaven as you decide to take action. The only earthly justice that my mother deserves from the poor handling of her emergency at EKSUTH is an improved health system.

Identified challenges and possible solutions:

Below, I have categorized health systems challenges that contributed to the unexpected transitioning of my mum into glory. These challenges are not only peculiar to diabetes or other non-communicable diseases. They are key challenges that will strengthen our health systems particularly during public health emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic. 

Challenge I: Delay emergency response and patient stabilization 

At all times, whether in an epidemic emergency or not, frontline health workers at the accident and emergency department should be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) and must be required to use them. In a 21stcentury tertiary hospital, it shouldn’t be heard that oxygen is out of stock. It should be the goal of all tertiary hospitals to ensure that oxygen is supplied to patients in less than two minutes of its need. 

There is also a great need for our health system to be fortified with excellent ambulatory and emergency services that will be within reach in less than five minutes. In EKSUTH, there are lots of ambulances parked there that probably have not been used in years. I believe they can be revived and put to good use. 

Most importantly, there is an URGENT need for the establishment of a central ambulatory and emergency agency (with toll-free call centre) that is independent of any hospital, strategically located in every community in the state. The agency should be fortified with necessary emergency facilities and provided ambulances that have oxygen in place. A patient urgently in need of oxygen should not wait till getting admitted to the hospital before accessing it, hence ambulances must ALWAYS have oxygen in place. 

If we really want to reduce death as a result of delay emergency response and patient stabilization, we must reduce the time interval between rushing a patient to a hospital and stabilizing with oxygen. This can only be achieved when we have excellent ambulatory services in place, located in every community just as we have police Hilux in their respective checkpoints in our communities. We will reduce waiting time and increase emergency response by ensuring less than ten minutes of access of patients to ambulatory services, hence saving lives. 

In Oyo State, a friend of mine recently lost his elder sister to post-partum bleeding. There was no hospital in his village. It took them more than an hour to get someone with a car that could drive the bleeding mother to the nearest hospital which is a two and half hour drive from Ofiki to Saki. If there was a well-equipped ambulance in that village, I believe her life would have been saved.

Challenge II: Shutdown of clinics in hospitals as a result of COVID related measure

Most clinics in our hospitals are currently shutdown with only maternity and accident and emergency operating. My mum’s clinic schedule is every two weeks, and if the clinics had been running, we would have properly manage the fluctuation in her blood glucose and other complaints. I am informed of someone who recently had a surgery but couldn’t go for post-surgery check-up because of the shutdown of clinics. 

Sir, I know COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease and I am proud of your prompt response by enacting strict preventive measures immediately after our index case. However, I must clearly state that the state may currently be witnessing increased mortality among non-COVID patients as a result of COVID related measures that has led to the shutdown of clinics in hospitals. After the lockdown and the resumption of clinics in respective hospitals, I sincerely expect doctors, and health information department of all hospitals to take note and follow up on their patients that are consecutively absent from clinics, and further investigate if they are alive or not. I sincerely look forward to our public health researchers investigating the contribution of COVID related measures (to include clinic shutdown) to non-COVID related deaths among out-patients in respective clinics of our hospital. 

Recommendations

There is a need for a public health emergency policy that clearly put forward a well-researched, locally adaptable preventive measures in place towards combatting epidemics in the state. One of the key focus of such policy is to put forth measures that will ensure that our already weakened health system is not worsened as a result of any public health emergency, and as such ensure all clinics are operating irrespective of the ongoing public health intervention for the epidemic. I am able to share some policy consideration that may be of relevance should the state government be interested in instituting a public health emergency policy. 

Challenge III: Weakened health system due to preventable NCD burden. 

The Department of Medicine of EKSUTH once conducted a study on “the pattern and outcome of medical admissions in Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital – A 5 Year Review”. The study which was published in the American Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences 2015, 5 (2); 92-98, reviewed medical records of adult admissions between January 2008 and December 2012. 

According to the study, Non-communicable diseases 2315 (64.6%) constituted the majority of admitted cases during the period under review. The major non-communicable diseases (NCD) were stroke (21%), diabetes mellitus (18%), hypertension (13%), and heart failure (11%) while the main cases of communicable diseases (CD) admitted were HIV/AIDS (21%), pulmonary tuberculosis (16%) and malaria (13%). 

In 2004, I lost my Dad to diabetes, and in 2020 I lost my mother to diabetes as well. As a pharmacist, and someone made orphaned as a result of diabetes, I have come to realize that the prevention of non-communicable diseases offers better health outcomes than the management. 

NCDs are getting to become diseases burden on our health system. Five common risk factors for NCDs are obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, excess alcohol intake and tobacco. These are all preventable through early lifestyle modification.  Promoting an active lifestyle and a healthy diet are cost-effective ways to prevent NCDs. According to WHO, 25% of adults above age 18 in Nigeria are physically inactive. This is partly due to insufficient participation in physical activities during leisure time, lack of regular exercise or walking for commuting, increase in sedentary behaviour during occupational and domestic activities, lack of recreational facilities in communities, the prevalence of violence on the street, and high-density traffic. 

Physical inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality (6% of deaths globally). Moreover, physical inactivity is estimated to be the main cause of approximately 21–25% of breast and colon cancers, 27% of diabetes and approximately 30% of ischaemic heart disease burden.

By addressing physical inactivity and unhealthy diet among young adults in Nigeria. Over 60% of our adult population would have been prevented from non-communicable diseases later on in life, hence reducing disease burden on our weak health system. 

As the advocacy focal person for the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace working group, I implemented a nationwide advocacy, in favour of the Nigeria Sports Bill, on promoting sports and physical activity at the community level for positive health outcomes. The bill never made it to a third public hearing before the dissolution of the last national assembly. If we continue to play politics with physical activity, tobacco-free society, and healthy nutrition in Nigeria, we are only broadening diseases burden that will worsen or totally collapse our weak health system.

With the lifestyle currently lived by young people, there may be an increase in prevalence of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria. Considering our weak health system which is deteriorating by the day, if adequate preventive measures and investment are not put in place on preventing non-communicable diseases, our health system may gradually and eventually collapsed within the next ten years. 

As a family, we are currently working on establishing a memorial foundation — Joseph and Deborah Oluwadero Foundation, in honour of our parents, who lost their lives to diabetes. The foundation shall primarily be focused on the prevention of non-communicable diseases, and award of scholarship to support the education of children of indigent missionaries. As we make plans for this foundation, we look forward to Ekiti State Government paying the gratuity of our deceased mother to support the work of the foundation.

Conclusion:

This Open letter will be my second attempt of making policy recommendation to your excellency. In June 2019, I had an appreciation visit to your honour for your support to my youth work engagement. During this visit, I shared a concept note on promoting youth work in Ekiti State, and I was directed to submit it to the secretary to the state government which I did on Wednesday 3rd July 2019. After several follow up, I have since given up on the proposal. 

Sir, my desire to see the implementation of the policy recommendation aforementioned in this open letter is not what I can easily give up on like I did with the previous proposal. I believe your decision to act on the issues raised in this letter will not only make my mother smile from heaven, I strongly believe it will be her well-deserved justice that will vindicate her unexpected transition into glory as a result of poor management of her emergency owing to negligence by health workers, lack of personal protective equipment PPE and oxygen at EKSUTH accident and emergency. 

As a true lover of Ekiti people and a very compassionate leader, I believe you will read this letter and act accordingly. I am available to provide a deeper insight into issues raised in this letter. 

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing your actions.

Thank you. 

Pharm. John Oluwadero

The last child of late Deborah Bolanle Oluwadero. 

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Niger State has recorded its third case of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The state Commissioner for Health and Hospital Services, Dr Muhammad Makusidi, made this known on Friday.

Makusidi explained that the COVID-19 patient, who was 30 years old, was a driver from Kano State and was driving through Minna towards Kano when he was intercepted for flouting the Niger State COVID-19 movement restriction order.  Google

The commissioner said the driver was tried by the mobile court and quarantined, after which his sample was taken to Abuja for testing and it returned positive.

He said the patient, who is presently at the quarantine centre in Minna, will immediately be moved to the isolation centre at the Minna General Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the state government has intercepted three vehicles carrying 43 passengers heading to Kuta in Shiroro Local Government Area. 

It was gathered that they were tried at the mobile court and repatriated back to their state.
 

PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Niger State has recorded its third case of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The state Commissioner for Health and Hospital Services, Dr Muhammad Makusidi, made this known on Friday.

Makusidi explained that the COVID-19 patient, who was 30 years old, was a driver from Kano State and was driving through Minna towards Kano when he was intercepted for flouting the Niger State COVID-19 movement restriction order.  Google

The commissioner said the driver was tried by the mobile court and quarantined, after which his sample was taken to Abuja for testing and it returned positive.

He said the patient, who is presently at the quarantine centre in Minna, will immediately be moved to the isolation centre at the Minna General Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, the state government has intercepted three vehicles carrying 43 passengers heading to Kuta in Shiroro Local Government Area. 

It was gathered that they were tried at the mobile court and repatriated back to their state.
 

PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/3cm22nJ