GOCOP 2019 confab gets NLNG applause - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: 

The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) has applauded the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), saying that the 2019 conference theme is very paramount to the organisation, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Nigeria LNG Limited, Sophia Horsfall gave this commendation in her goodwill message at the third annual conference of GoCOP held at Sheraton Ikeja, Lagos.

"I thank you for your warm welcome and for the constant support you offer Nigeria LNG Limited. We value your partnership with us in communicating our messages to our various stakeholders. Thank you once again.

"The theme for this conference: “Economy, Security and National Development: The Way Forward,” is most relevant at this time considering the prevailing socio-economic issues in Nigeria. I commend you for bringing various thought leaders together to discuss how to use your vantage position to address a theme that is very paramount to all of us irrespective of industries and sectors," she said.

In addition, she noted that Nigeria LNG Limited as a critical player in nation's economy appreciated the theme, saying,2019, is very remarkable one for the company as it marks 30 years of incorporation as a business entity and 20 years of safe and reliable operations. 

"Over the last 30 years, we have observed various obstacles to the economy, security and development of Nigeria. Some of these have challenged us as a company operating within the country. Nevertheless, we are proud to have been able to navigate through all the complexities to remain a Nigerian success story and a model for other organisations," she said.

Pointing out that the tough truth is that the same cannot be said of most other companies doing business in Nigeria.

"The challenges of national development are real and detrimental to many businesses, families and individuals in Nigeria," she said, stressing that the good news is that "we can find solutions to these problems if we ponder, rub minds, outline collective goals and work together as a nation."

NLNG, she said, believes this is what this conference is all about., just as she declared that "Today, building blocks can be erected to create strong pillars for a safe, strong, innovative, productive and leading country."

For NLNG, she said, as Nigeria turns 59 and as Nigeria LNG turns 30 this year, there could not have been a better time than now for a conference like this. 

"I congratulate all the members of the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers for putting this conference together and for being an important association working towards ensuring Nigeria realizes her full potential. I urge you to sustain this conference as an annual event for the benefit of us all. I wish you success," she said.

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

Pix: GOCOP president in a handshake with Sophia Horsfall while deputy president, GOCOP Maureen Chigbo watches with interest.

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Applause for Lagos: As more women embrace family planning

NaijaAgroNet:

It was an applause time for the centre of excellence, Lagos as more women have embraced the state family planning programmes, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Investigations by NaijaAgroNet, showed that some Lagos women gave this indication in chat at the weekend, highlighting the fact that they have overcome the myths, challenges and misconceptions surrounding family planning uptake and the likely side effects.

This follows recent reports that the uptake of family planning method in Lagos State has been on the rise, dispelling the myth and misconception on family planning thereof.

Amongst the most common of these myths are perceptions that family planning causes excessive bleeding and infertility. However, a soaring number of women have overcome these challenges.

A few of them who shared their experiences with NaijaAgroNet, explained how they overcame the myths, challenges and misconceptions surrounding family planning uptake and the side effects.

One of the women, Mrs Fatiyasat Abdul, (real name withheld) a 34 year old trader and a mother of three had little knowledge of Family planning when she got married over a decade ago.

Abdul said she belonged to the group of Nigerian women that believe it is God that gives children and provides for their upkeep, hence no faith in family planning.

This perception, however, changed when Fatimah Abdul was pregnant with her second child five years after marriage, when a health provider educated her about family planning and its benefits.

Mrs Abdul narrated her experience in Lagos, pointing out how her initial excitement about the advantages of family planning was dampened by friends who discouraged her about it, claiming that family planning will make her bleed, become infertile and then develop fibroids.

“My friends in the market place discouraged me, saying family planning will make me not to have children again, and blood will be gushing out of my body without stopping. That actually discouraged me.”

However, Abdul remarked that if not for her husband who encouraged her to go back to the hospital after she had her second child, she probably would not have continued the family planning.

“I was always afraid to do it because of what my friends told me. That was why I had to stop after six months of using the injectable. I was able to space my children because my husband used the withdrawal method. But when I finally gave birth to my last child, I went to the family planning unit of Lagos Island Maternity Hospital. They educated me on the benefits of family planning along with the side effects which can be managed.

“It was at that point I realized that what my friends at the market place were saying was all lies and I also realized that my husband struggles to pay the school fees of our children and he could be helped if we embrace family planning,” she said.

And for Betty Samson, a 42-year old beautician and a mother of two said she heard about family planning over the radio and was able to do injectable, when she travelled to South Africa, after her first child.

Unfortunately, she experienced some complications as she was bleeding continuously after her menstruation. When she went back to the clinic to report her experience, the provider asked her to continue.

When the bleeding continued, she stopped the use. After 10 years, she has conquered her fears and decided to go back to using a family planning method but this time, an implant.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA2020) identified that Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in the state has increased drastically in recent time.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Two years without wild polio virus attracts PMB applause

NaijaAgroNet:

Nigerian President, Alhaji Muhammadu Buhari, has applauded the attainment of two straight years without wild polio virus in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

President Buhari was reacting to the milestone recently achieved under the auspices of the Presidential Task Force on Polio Eradication, declaring, “This is a historic moment that has brought Africa and the world the closest it has ever been to eradicating this devastating disease. But our job is not yet done.”

“We must protect the gains we have made and stay on course to tackle the challenges that remain in eliminating polio for good.” He added that the Federal Government will “continue to provide the needed oversight and resources to achieve polio eradication in 2017,” he said.

A press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet signed by the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado J.G. Muhammad quoted the Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, as assured that the Federal Government is committed to building resilience by “getting people out of their comfort zones to further enhance the quality of polio campaigns, reach children in difficult areas and continue to improve routine immunization.”

Muhammad also said that efforts are ongoing to close the remaining surveillance gaps in the programme, including “increasing environmental surveillance sites and community informants across the country.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) acting representative for Nigeria, Dr. Rex Mapazanje, said the National Laboratories in Nigeria have been vigilant in monitoring for polio cases, stressing “We must continue to be on alert for any sign of the virus through heightened surveillance, particularly in the vulnerable populations including insurgency-hit areas of northeast Nigeria and the adjoining areas of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.”

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative in Nigeria, Jean Gough, pointed out that achieving a polio-free Africa will bring Nigeria closer than ever to a polio-free world, but that success should not be taken for granted.

“We must continue to work together with all partners, in particular with the traditional institutions at all levels, to ensure we reach every child so we can relegate this paralysing disease to history forever,” he said.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a public-private partnership leading the effort to eradicate polio, applauded the commitment of tens of thousands of people – including Nigerian officials at all levels, UN and NGO partners, health workers, and  community leaders and volunteers in keeping polio out of Nigeria for the past two years.

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Pix: President Mohammadu Buhari of Nigeria.