Nigerian government set to honor late Lagos doctor, as Association of meat sellers lament drastic decline in sales since Ebola outbreak!

Dr Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, will in the next few days be honoured by President Goodluck Jonathan, for her commitment to the service of humanity, and ensuring that Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) did not spread beyond what it is now, a commitment which led to her untimely death.

The Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed this when the Association of Private Medical Practitioners visited him in Abuja, on Friday.

However, Nigeria has now recorded two more cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) from secondary contacts to the index case.

While applauding the efforts of private medical practitioners, Chukwu said the roles of the First Consultant Hospital and the late Dr Adadevoh were very crucial in ensuring that the virus did not spread as in other countries.

He said the role of private medical practitioners have become sacrosanct, saying, "Particularly now that public medical practitioners, doctors, are on strike.

"You have lost one of your colleague, Dr Adadevoh; we mourn her and all Nigerians who lost their lives to Ebola. We will ensure that her bravery, courage and patriotism do not go unnoticed,

Chukwu told the private medical practitioners led by Dr Frank Odake: "Very soon, you will hear about her honour. Very soon, the number one citizen will say something about it."

The minister who earlier briefed journalists on the update of the EVD said: "Nigeria has now recorded the first two cases of Ebola Virus Disease in secondary contacts of the index case, the Liberian-American.

"The two patients are spouses of primary contacts of the Liberian-American. They are among the secondary contacts who have been under surveillance.

"This now brings to four, the total number of Ebola Virus Disease patients currently under treatment at the isolation ward.

"This also means that the total number of cases of Ebola Virus Disease so far reported in the country is 14. The number of deaths still remains five, while the number of those successfully managed and discharged also stands at five.

"The Federal Government, working with the Lagos State Government and other partners, will continue to maintain vigilance, continue to strengthen our containment activities, and wishes to reassure the Nigerian public and the global community that we will not relent in our efforts until the very last case of the Ebola Virus Disease is seen in Nigeria."

Meanwhile, following the assertion by medical practitioners that Ebola could be caught through consumption of bushmeat, there has been and outcry by bush meat sellers that the pronouncement is gradually running them out of business.

It was gathered that the Association of Meat Sellers during the week staged a protest in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, debunking the claims by the medical practitioners.

Saturday Independent traced the bushmeat sellers to their depot at Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, where their leader, Chief (Mrs) Risikat Odeyemi, 67, who has been in the business for 50 years, expressed reservation over the doctors' claim.

She said members of her association had become idle since the unfortunate report, and to confirm her claim, not a single customer came to inquire about bushmeat all through the time our reporter was with the group.

This, according to her, was unusual, saying that before the report, customers used to park vehicles and wait for them to prepare the meat for them to buy.

President Jonathan's Germany Visit clouded in mystery!

As the health status of President Goodluck Jonathan continued to be shrouded in mystery, after a Nigerian newspaper, LEADERSHIP Weekend reported that President Jonathan was flown out of the country to Germany on account of failing health. 

It was gathered that his aides preferred to maintain silence over the issue, when their reactions were requested.

It was reported that, the president actually took ill and left for Germany  on Friday to seek medical attention, after performing the closing ceremony of the National Conference on Thursday. 

Performing his official duties, Presidential Spokesman Abati had issued a statement saying the President would be making a private visit to Germany as from Friday and would be accompanied by some of his principal aides.

News reported that the President, on arrival in Germany, headed for a private hospital for medical check-up. It could not however be confirmed if he went to the same hospital he had visited with his wife in 2013, when the first lady faced some health challenges.

Before his sudden departure for Germany, President Jonathan was billed to host members of the just-concluded National Conference to a dinner at the Presidential Villa, but the programme was cancelled at the dying minute.

Although no official reason was given for the cancellation, it was gathered that the development was connected with the President's state of health.

An authoritative source in the Presidency reportedly said despite assurances that the President would return soon from his trip, it was not likely as his health situation was not too good. adding that there was uneasy calm and anxiety in the Presidential Villa on Friday over his state of health.

Nigeria's Economy waxing strong despite challenges!

Amidst the current security and Ebola virus challenges facing the country, the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, NIPC has said the nation's economy still thrives after all.

Information received says the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mrs. Saratu Umar stated this in a keynote address entitled: Translating Nigeria's Foreign Direct Investment, FDI Benefits into a reality, at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG in Abuja.

In her address, Umar stated that the country's economy has shown a strong resilience in spite of the security concerns while stressing that the NIPC is reviewing the Pioneer Incentives currently being granted to investors to cover only critical activities.

She assured that NIPC is ever poised and positioned to give a hand-holding support to investors (both local and foreign) that have decided to make the country their preferred investment destination, adding that the Commission is putting various strategies in place to make it more pro-active to investors' needs and demands.

She further explained that NIPC is a private sector company within the Government as such, it has a big role to play in the economic growth and advancement of Nigeria. She said: "NIPC is one of the strong vehicles to drive investment into the economy and it is being re-engineered for better service delivery".

Umar noted that the economy being the largest in Africa, is consistently among the top three investment destinations on the continent,

While speaking on the various measures being implemented by government to sustain the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment into the country, Umar said: "Government remains committed to transparent, fair and peaceful electoral process as the country is now on the threshold of her fifth democratic transition process, and is building efficient socio-economic infrastructure and strengthening the financial and insurance sector."

She  added that government has continued to sustain the simplification and streamlining of business entry procedures as the One-Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) of NIPC is providing platform for coordinated service delivery and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) is committed to 24 hours incorporation of businesses across the country.

In ensuring a globally competitive business regulatory framework, she stated that "Government is committed to setting a rule- based regulatory framework across all the sectors that is devoid of discretion and a national competition and Consumer Protection Policy is at advanced stages of adoption."

In translating the FDI benefits into reality, the NIPC boss maintained that it has continued to contribute immensely to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and National Product; enhance export potential; promote Import Substitution Industrialization; facilitate skills enhancement and human capital development; improve international image; facilitate technology acquisition transfer; increase capital stock; enhance market development and increased tax generation.

Nigerians warned against female suicide bombers dressed in Catholic Nun's stolen Attires!

News has it that the Department of State of State Service, DSS has raised the alarm that at least 13 pieces of Reverend Sisters' regalia of the Catholic Church have been stolen from a shop in Kano state purportedly for suicide bombing.

A statement from the deputy director, information of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar, made available to the press advised Nigerians to look out for persons, especially female suicide bombers who may disguise in the attire.

The statement reads in parts, "On 20th August, 2014, about 0400 hours, some yet to be identified persons broke into a tailoring shop located at No.55 Odutola Street, Sabon Gari, Kano, and stole about thirteen (13) pieces of Reverend Sisters' regalia of the Catholic Church. With the recent trend in female suicide bombings in the country, the removal of these regalia may be the handiwork of terrorists' elements that may want to perpetrate acts of terror using such garments.

"Consequently, this Service has taken necessary pre-emptive measures to thwart the exploitation of distinct religious wears for terrorist purposes. We also wish to draw public attention to this development and call on all citizens to be more circumspect and exercise greater vigilance with users of such peculiar attires.

"We enjoin all and sundry to continue to cooperate with law enforcement agencies through the provision of useful information on suspicious activities within their immediate environment. This Service will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders as we strive to keep our country safe."

Source: Leadership Newspaper

Doctors Suspend Strike!

Weeks after doctors embarked on an indefinite strike, following the expiration of two weeks' ultimatum to the federal government to accede to their 24-point demand, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) directed its members across the country in federal hospitals to resume duty at their working posts with effect from Monday the 25th August, at 8am.

According to news, the NMA's demands included a N100,000 monthly hazard allowance for doctors, the payment of clinical duty allowance for honorary consultants and the appointment of a deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee in teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres, and discontinuation of recognition of non-medical doctors as directors and consultants.

But a source said that it took the intervention of the Senate President, David Mark, who personally swore on his honour to meet their demands before the doctors could be persuaded to suspend their strike.

However, the association has urged the Federal Government to reciprocate its goodwill by ensuring that resident doctors whose appointments were terminated are reinstated immediately without any punitive measures.

"Delegates demand immediate withdrawal of the government circular (Reference No. C3132/v/46 of 13th August 2014) suspending the residency training programme and sacking of over 16,000 resident doctors, who constitute about 70 per cent of doctors.

The President of the NMA, Dr Kayode Obembe, in a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, said that during the association's delegates' meeting to consider the updates of the strike action, last Saturday, it considered the fact, among others, that Nigeria is currently faced with health challenges and threats posed by the outbreak of the Ebola virus, and also the interventions of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President, National Assembly and other well-meaning Nigerians.

He told journalists that suspending the strike would help to redress their injustice as most of their demands had already been met while some were still under negotiation.

On the contentious title of "consultant", Obembe said: "The area that deals with clinical governance, we have been able to discuss with government. Various circulars -- for example the circular that says that only doctors who are registrable with the Nigerian Medical Council can have the title of a consultant."

He added that the association has been able to ensure that the post of deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, was reinstated, saying, "We can also tell you publicly that the government has assured us that there is no effort to repeal or to redress the bill establishing the position of chief medical directors. Those are the areas of clinical governance."

Furthermore, the NMA president noted: "In the areas of injustice, where injustices are being meted to our members, we have been able to extract from the government that the relativity which we have been mentioning -- there is far commitment now, the arrears of relativity will be paid, they have started paying; two months of salary arrears have been paid. This is the beginning of redress of injustice which we have been encountering for the past 22 years.

"As we know before, the arrears must be calculated for 22 years; we just said they should calculate for six months. That shows how patriotic and magnanimous the doctors are.

"We have also been able to extract from the government the need to review the hazard allowance. In the faces of Ebola, hazard allowance was only N5,000 for a doctor; government has realized that this was indeed injustice and they have realized that they have to do something about it. They have assured us that at least 20 or 30 per cent of salary will now go for hazard allowance.

"We have achieved something. That is the reason why we now said with the outbreak of Ebola and the lives of the people, we should subject all the others -- you know we have 24-point demands. All others, we shall continue on the negotiation table while we face the challenge of Ebola and other diseases that are ravaging the country."

Ebola outbreak traced to toddler's contact with infected fruit bat

The largest-ever outbreak of Ebola was triggered by a toddler's chance contact with a single infected bat, a team of international researchers have concluded after a major investigation of the origins of the deadly disease now ravaging Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

A group of 17 European and African tropical disease researchers, ecologists and anthropologists spent three weeks talking to people and capturing bats and other animals near the village of Meliandoua in remote eastern Guinea, where the present epidemic surfaced in December 2013.

They discovered that the disease was passed from colony to colony of migratory fruit bats until it reached Guinea. Their research is expected to be published in a major journal in the next few weeks.

Early studies suggested that a new strain of Ebola had emerged in West Africa but, according to epidemiologist Fabian Leendertz, it is likely the virus in Guinea is closely related to the one known as Zaire ebolavirus, identified more than 10 years ago in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Source: Leadership Newspaper

NASA and NOAA satellites detects triple tropical tempests romping through the Eastern Pacific Ocean!

NASA and NOAA satellites are studying the triple tropical tempests that are now romping through the Eastern Pacific Ocean. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured Tropical Storm Karina, Tropical Storm Lowell and newly formed Tropical Storm Marie on August 22.

NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured all three storms in an infrared image at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT), and Tropical Lowell clearly dwarfs Karina to its west, and Marie to the east. The infrared image was created at NASA/NOAA's GOES Project at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Source: NASA

Nicki Minaj's Anaconda attracts over 41M views on youtube!

Nicki Minaj's Anaconda attracts over 41M views on youtube...