Discovery: Immune cells preventing diabetes, hypertension

NaijaAgroNet:

Scientists at The University of Manchester, Lund University and University of Salford have discovered that immune cells which are reduced in number by obesity could be a new target to treat diseases such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension that affect overweight people, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Latest collaborative study, NaijaAgroNet gathered, between the three universities, published in the journal Scientific Reports, showed that the researchers from immunology and cardiovascular backgrounds investigated a type of immune cell called eosinophils.

Eosinophils, experts say, are present in a layer of fat tissue called the PeriVascular Adipose Tissue (PVAT), which surrounds blood vessels and helps to maintain normal blood vessel function by reducing artery contraction.

Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the current research by the researchers found that eosinophils were considerably reduced in the PVAT in obesity in mice, and that the PVAT function was severely impaired, contributing to type 2 diabetes and hypertension. “This is not something that has previously been observed,” the study noted.

The lead researcher on the Wellcome Trust-funded study, Dr Sheena Cruickshank, said that this type of immune cell is present in many parts of the body and was once thought to just act in parasitic infections and allergies, but it’s fast becoming clear that they have a significant effect on lots of aspects of health and immunity.

“Our study showed that in fact the secretions from eosinophils have a profound effect on how the blood vessels operate and when they are missing, as in obesity, serious health problems can start to develop,” she said.

The role of the eosinophils, she said, also opens up new opportunities to investigate treatments for type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

She stressed that PVAT from fat that lack eosinophils could quickly be rescued by addition of eosinophils, demonstrating that there is the potential for a treatment based on restoring this function.

NaijaAgroNet equally reports that the researchers observed that the eosinophils influenced the release of nitric oxide and a protein called adiponectin, which control healthy PVAT function. This appears to be a unique function of these immune cells. The researchers are particularly excited by how quickly the eosinophils could restore PVAT function, showing just how potent they may be.

“These immune cells have been traditionally overlooked but this study shows for the first time that they have a direct role to play in processes in the body beyond the immune system. They seem to be incredibly important in a number of processes and this presents us with an exciting new area to investigate for a whole range of illnesses,” she said.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Nigeria’s steady progress in agriculture, a potential history

Commentary@NaijaAgroNet: 

Viewed from the historian’s perspective, a significant advance in a nation’s fortunes can seem to occur almost overnight and be driven by destiny. The reality of course is quite different.  Meaningful change is most often the long-term product of a series of small, connected, deliberate actions whose importance may not be immediately apparent.

One of those low-key events that one day could be endowed with historical significance took place in Nigeria last month, when senior officials from the national government and the African Union Commission, joined by agriculture experts from across the continent, gathered in Abuja to consolidate Nigeria’s National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP). Similar blueprints are being drawn-up across sub-Saharan Africa to ensure countries stay focused on the African Union’s Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and their commitments, re-enforced in the 2014 Malabo Declaration, to place African farmers and agriculture businesses at the center of the continent’s economic development. 

If there is anywhere in Africa where a surge of agriculture investments could change the fortunes of an entire country, it is here. Moreover, success in Nigeria would send a strong signal to the rest of the continent that agriculture offers our most promising path to sustainable and equitable economic growth.

Agriculture’s emergence as Nigeria’s number one economic opportunity comes as falling oil prices are taking their toll on this oil-rich country. Nigeria urgently needs a more stable foundation for providing income and employment for a fast growing population that, by 2050, is likely to be larger than that of the United States.

Agriculture already accounts for 70 per cent of employment in Nigeria, but only 40 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), an indicator that the sector is underperforming. Every year, Nigerians still spend billions of dollars on food imports, a huge economic opportunity forfeited to farmers and food companies outside of the country.

Part of the reason for the shortfall is that Nigeria has 84 million hectares of land suitable for farming, but less than half of this  area is planted with crops and most of the farming is accomplished with inefficient, outdated methods and without basic inputs. Irrigation, which is becoming more important as climate change disrupts rainfall patterns across the country, is available on only 220,000 hectares, when there are enough water resources in the country to supply three million.

But if the recent meeting is any indication, agriculture may finally be getting the attention it deserves in Nigeria. Under the leadership of Chief Audu Ogbeh and his predecessor, Dr.  Akinwumi Adesina, who went on to become president of the African Development Bank, over the last few years, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has pushed through several ambitious initiatives.

For example, Nigeria is the world’s largest cassava producer. And there are now a number of new income opportunities for poor smallholder farmers and local agriculture entrepreneurs around producing and processing this hardy root crop. Cassava is now being processed into high quality flour that can be used as a substitute for expensive wheat imports. It’s providing a source of fish feed for Nigeria’s rapidly growing aquaculture industry. Cassava can also provide an industrial starch with surprising usefulness in areas like paperboard and plywood manufacturing.

Similar efforts are underway to bring jobs to rural areas by attracting investments in maize, rice, sorghum and livestock production. For example, the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has generated US$273 million in loans for some 454 projects. They include a new rail-shipping venture that is connecting struggling livestock producers in the north to consumer markets in the south.

Despite the promising progress, agriculture in Nigeria still needs far more investment. For example, a lack of storage and processing options causes many poor farmers to lose nearly half of their harvest to rot or pests.  Also, while fertilizer usage is up and local seed production is rising, many farmers in Nigeria still lack access to improved crop varieties and basic inputs. 

That’s why it’s so critical to develop a new agriculture investment plan that shows Nigeria is committed to ensuring agriculture can flourish as a business. Numerous studies have shown that, along with increasing food security, economic growth driven by the agriculture sector is far more effective at pulling people out of poverty than growth in any other sector.

If Nigeria ultimately realizes its ambitions for agriculture, historians of the future may point to an investment meeting that occurred in Abuja in February of 2017 as the juncture when farming and food production became an engine of opportunity for Nigeria and helped rally similar efforts across the continent. And those falling oil prices that capture the headlines of today? Maybe they will be relegated to a footnote.

*Contributed by Kehinde Makinde is the country lead for Nigeria at the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

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Pix: Dr. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA president

Oily diets: How technologies can reduce health risks

Commentary@NaijaAgroNet:

It is a well-known fact that too many fats and oils in your diet can increase one’s risk for a number of potential health challenges including obesity, heart disease or cancer.

In continuation with its knowledge-sharing series, Yudala – the largest online and offline retail chain examines these health risks and identifies how new technology is helping a lot of people reduce the risks associated with excess oil in food.

Oils in the food we eat – or what is often referred to as dietary lipids – play a very important role in maintaining general body health. This is true especially for the oils that provide essential fatty acids.

Fats and oils provide energy, absorb certain nutrients and maintain core body temperature. Furthermore, they serve as a back-up source of energy to fuel one’s workout when carbohydrates are not available.

However, large amounts of fats and oils in our diet can prove detrimental to health. In addition, the types of fats and oils you take in each day can ultimately affect your health status. Three areas of particular concern in regard to this are obesity, cardiovascular disease and several types of cancer.

Food-based fats and oils are predominantly triglycerides, that is, three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. The chemical structure of the fatty acids determine whether the fat is monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated or trans.

The more saturated a fat is, the worse it can be for your health. However, eating too much of any kind of fat can still be bad for you, as they can lead

Obesity

Obesity often refers to a state in which your percentage of body fat is abnormally high. When you consume more calories than you can readily burn, the body stores the excess as adipose tissue or fat. If this situation extends over a period of time, you can become overweight and eventually obese. Dietary fat supplies more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates. It is, therefore, easier to become obese when you eat large amounts of fats and oils. Obesity itself can be dangerous to your health, as it is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, cancer, gall bladder disease and hypertension.

Heart Disease

Fatty foods often contain cholesterol. Admittedly, we all require some cholesterol in the body for optimal health. Nevertheless, too much of it can cause problems. Excess cholesterol in your blood can lead to heart disease as this type of fat can get deposited along the walls of your arteries. As cholesterol builds up in the blood vessels, there is less room for blood to pass and this makes the heart to pump blood harder. Saturated fats, often found in the same foods with cholesterol, increase your levels of Low Density Lipo-protein (LDL) or what is commonly known as bad cholesterol, while unsaturated fats have the opposite effect. The more saturated fats and cholesterol you consume, the greater your risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

Cancer

Excess oil consumption of oils has been identified as a risk factor for breast cancer, colon cancer or lung cancer. Although the exact mechanism of this relationship is still under investigation, diets that derive more than 30 percent of daily calories from lipids, particularly those containing high levels of saturated fats, might increase your cancer risk.

The foregoing makes the coming of new technologies such as Air-Fryers which address this particular issue a welcome development for many.

A revolutionary kitchen appliance, the Air Fryer uses heated hot air technology to not only fry food but grill, roast and bake them as well using less than 1 tablespoon of oil. Widely considered as the healthiest cooking appliance, Air Fryers have the ability to deliver perfect results, i.e. the appropriate amount crunchiness and crispness without using a lot of oil.

The hot air technology in Air Fryers work in such a way that food is not only cooked without oil, it also expels excess oil from the food itself. Meat ingredients, for instance, end up with less of their original fat inside the food. This technology makes sure the hot air released from the appliance is equally distributed to each and every part of the food. So, the meal prepared by a fryer will be perfectly cooked and allow you to eat a healthy delicious meal. Interestingly, Air Fryers can also heat up frozen meals or reheat left-over foods to its original

If you are looking for an air fryer, then you need to first set up your budget and keep important factors in mind before making a purchase such as the features, specifications, price, and other important aspects before finalizing any model.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends minimizing or completely eliminating trans fats from the foods you eat in order to reduce your cancer risk.

Getting an Air Fryer today may be a brilliant step in achieving this…

*Contributed by Gideon Ayogu/GEE 

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NBC appeals judgement over benzoic acid in Fanta, Sprite

NaijaAgroNet:

The  Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) has gone to the Appeal Court over the recent Lagos High Court judgement over an alleged poisonous benzoic and ascorbic acids as ingredients in Fanta and Sprite, especially when used with Vitamin C, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Sources at NBC, told NaijaAgroNet that the judgement delivered on February 15, 2017 in a suit involving Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited & Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo v. Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) & National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Lagos High Court dismissed all claims against NBC and held that the company had not breached its duty of care to consumers and that there was no proven case of negligence against it.

Also, in the same judgement, NaijaAgroNet gathered, the court had directed NAFDAC to mandate NBC to include a warning on its bottles of Fanta and Sprite that its contents cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same become poisonous if taken with Vitamin C.

This order, NBC said, was premised on the fact that the products contain the preservative, benzoic acid.

“NBC has since appealed this order,” our source said.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Poisonous Fanta, Sprite: Court berates NAFDAC, Nigerian Bottling Company, awards N2m damages to Fijabi

NaijaAgroNet:

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere suburb area of Lagos State, has berated and ordered the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to compel the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Plc to ensure a written warning on Fanta and Sprite bottles indicating that both soft drinks are poisonous when taken with Ascorbic Acid, also popularly known as Vitamin C in Nigeria, reports NaijaAgroNet.

A copy of the judgement making a round and available to NaijaAgroNet, the court held that NAFDAC failed Nigerians by declaring, as fit for human consumption, products discovered by tests in the United Kingdom as turning poisonous when mixed with ascorbic acid.

Delivering the landmark judgement in Lagos, Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, awarded a cost of N2 million only against NAFDAC, as outcome of a suit filed by a Lagos-based businessman, Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo, and his company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, against NBC Plc and NAFDAC.                      

 Adebo had urged the court to declare that NBC was negligent to its consumers by bottling Fanta and Sprite with excessive levels of benzoic acid and sunset additives, in addition to ordering NAFDAC to carry out routine laboratory tests on all the soft drinks and related products NBC bottles to ensure their safety for consumption.

In the amended statement of claims filed before the court by Mr. Abiodun Onidare on behalf of Mr. Adebo and his company,  it was alleged that in March 2007, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Company bought large quantities of Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Fanta Lemon, Fanta Pineapple and soda water from NBC for export to and subsequent retail in the United Kingdom.

But when the consignment arrived in the United Kingdom, health authorities in that country, precisely the Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council's Trading Standard, Department of Environment and Economy Directorate, raised fundamental health issues on the contents and composition of Fanta and Sprite.

Findings by the United Kingdom health authorities were also corroborated by other agencies in European Union countries, which found the products to contain excessive levels of sunset yellow and benzoic acid, which are known to be carcinogenic.

On account of the irregularities and carcinogenic substances present in the drinks, Mr. Adebo and his company could not sell the Fanta and Sprite. This caused huge losses for the company, as the products were seized and destroyed by the United Kingdom health authorities.

The claimants equally alleged that NAFDAC did not carry out requisite tests to determine the safety of the drinks for human consumption. They averred that being registered as exporters with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, they could legally export NBC products to any part of the world and that the bottling company was aware that the products purchased were meant for export.

In addition to other reliefs, Mr. Adebo and his company sought the sum of N15,119,619.37 as special damages and N1,622,000 being the money NBC admitted receiving from the claimants.

In its amended statement of defense, filed before the court by Mr. T. O. Busari, NBC admitted supplying the products, but contended that they are meant for local distribution and consumption, as it does not produce for export. It argued that Coca-Cola is manufactured and bottled by various Coca-Cola franchise holders in most countries of the world, including the United Kingdom.

The company denied that it was negligent, as it has stringent quality control procedures to ensure that its products are safe for end-user consumption.

NBC also rejected the allegation that the damages claimed by the businessman and his firm were caused by negligence or any fault on its part.  It argued that the levels of the chemical components in its soft drinks are safe for consumption in Nigeria and that the claimants are not entitled to the recovery of damages arising from their illegal exportation of products meant for local distribution.

NBC further contended that the claims made by Mr. Adebo and his company were speculative, frivolous and vexatious and should be dismissed with substantial cost. NAFDAC did not file any defense.

To prove his case, Mr. Adebo personally testified. While being led in evidence by Mr. Onidare, he tendered 12 exhibits. NBC's Sales Operation Manager, Mr. Micheal Nwosu China, and its Head of Central Laboratory, Mr. Abiodun Adeola Falana, both testified on the bottling company's behalf and also tendered 12 exhibits.

In her judgment, Justice Oyebanji said: “It is imperative to state that the knowledge of the Nigeria Bottling Company that the products were to be exported is immaterial to its being fit for human consumption. The court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that soft drinks manufactured by Nigeria bottling company ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of color or creed. 

“It is manifest that NAFDAC has been grossly irresponsible in its regulatory duties to the consumers of Fanta and Sprite manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company. In my respective view, NAFDAC has failed the citizens of this great nation by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption products, which in the United Kingdom failed sample test for human consumption, and which become poisonous in the presence of Ascorbic Acid ordinarily known as Vitamin C, which can be freely taken by the unsuspecting public with the company's Fanta or Sprite.                                             

“As earlier stated, the court is in absolute agreement with the learned counsel for the claimants that consumable products ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of race, colour or creed.”

Justice Oyebanji also held that by its certification as satisfactory, Fanta and Sprite, without any written warning on the products that it cannot be taken with Vitamin C, NAFDAC would have caused great harm to the health of unsuspecting Nigerians.                                       

“The court, in the light of the damning evidence before it showing that NAFDAC has failed to live up to expectation, cannot close its eyes to the grievous implication of allowing the status quo to continue as it is.

“For the reasons herein adumbrated in this judgment, the court hereby orders as follows:

“That NAFDAC shall forthwith mandate Nigeria bottling company to, within 90 days hereof, include on all the bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks manufactured by the company, a written warning that the content of the said bottles of Fanta and Sprite soft drinks cannot be taken with Vitamin C as same becomes poisonous if taken with Vitamin C.

“In consideration of the fact that this case was filed in 2008 and that it has been in court for nine years, costs of N2 million is awarded against NAFDAC. Interest shall be paid on the costs awarded at the rate of 10% per annum until liquidation of the said sum,” ruled Justice Oyebanji.

Isaac Oyimah with additional reports from Sahara Reporters/GEE

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Water, fundamental for food security in North Africa, Near East

NaijaAgroNet:

Access to water is a fundamental need for food security, human health and agriculture, and its looming scarcity in the North Africa and Middle East region, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said in Cairo, that this is a huge challenge requiring an "urgent and massive response."

Accessible fresh water in the region, he said, has fallen by two-thirds in the past 40 years.

“It now amounts to 10 times less per capita availability than the worldwide average, underscoring the need for a significant overhaul of farming systems, he said.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that a recent study by FAO showed that higher temperatures may shorten growing seasons in the region by 18 days and reduce agricultural yields a further 27 per cent to 55 per cent less by the end of this century.

The rising sea level in the Nile Delta, FAO said, is exposing Egypt to the danger of losing substantial parts of the most productive agriculture land due to salinization.

"Competition between water-usage sectors will only intensify in the future between agriculture, energy, industrial production and household needs," he said.

Graziano da Silva attended a high-level meeting covering FAO's collaboration with Egypt on the ‘1.5 million feddan initiative', the government's plan to reclaim eventually up to two million hectares of desert land for agricultural and other uses.

He expressed his strong support to the Egyptian Authorities and committed to back programmes aiming at addressing water scarcity and promoting climate resilient agriculture.

The Director-General's visit to Egypt included meetings with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Investment and International Cooperation, as well as the Secretary General of the League of Arab States.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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In 21st century: Nor Wanting, Nor Wasting

Gender ICT@NaijaAgroNet: 

“When I fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread, how many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?" "Twelve," they said. Mark 8:19 NLT

Is poverty a curse that makes men mad?

Here’s a true story, as told me by a second hand witness. Two Nigerians ordered oversized plates of food they didn’t need from an expensive restaurant somewhere in Germany. The waiters thought this was unusual amounts of food but what the heck, if they were this hungry. Surprises awaited them.

Moments later, maybe to impress the white man, the men took just a few nibbles from their plates, shoved the food away and motioned the waiter for their bill.

“You have to finish the food, Sirs,” the bewildered waiter politely told them.

“No, we’re okay, no problem,” they answered, laughing.

“But you have to eat the food, you cannot throw this amount of food away” insisted the restaurateur.

The two men looked each other in the face, muttering, in Warri accent, “Shooooow?”

“Look” they said with rising temper, “the money is ours, not yours! We’re paying you for the food! What’s your problem?”

“We understand, Sirs,” said the restaurateur calmly, “But when you throw this food away, it is a spite on our people and our economy.

“You see, someone grew the tomatoes and vegetables, someone raised the cow and the fish, someone manufactured the oils and the other dozen ingredients, someone transported the ingredients to the grocery, someone cut the veggies, prepared the meal, served them, someone went to school to learn the best cooking there is, someone taught them, interviewed, employed them.

“You see, Sirs … it took the labor of love, knowledge and skills of thousands of our German people to serve you those two plates of food. It’s not about your money, it’s about the thousands of people who made it possible. It is a sin against our economy.”

••• While all this was going, one of the waiters had already called the police. Story short, they were forced to go with the take-away pack of the food they wanted thrown into the dustbin.

Listen, friends! To load up your plate from a buffet, and leave half of it uneaten is not a sign of big-manism. It’s a clinical symptom of poverty. Of mental illness.

••• What does poverty have to do with wastefulness? Everything! Some people are poor mostly because they are wasteful! The poor waste time, waste ideas, waste opportunities, waste talent, waste relationships, waste money!

••• Again, I read a story from my social feed the other day. One post-NYSC girl went to this other girl to beg for N50,000 to start a business. Meanwhile, she had N75,000 made up hair on her head! Of course the wiser one asked her, girl-to-girl, “Sister, your hair is N75k, how come you didn’t use the money to start your business?”

We do the same thing as a country. Senator Ben Bruce narrated how our government used N250,000,000.00 ($500,000) to build a gatehouse for the Vice President’s residence. I have been to the high and low places in America and the UK. There’s no place you’ll see a gatehouse built with $500,000. And yet, we want those countries to give us a loan - to build more gatehouses? Is poverty a curse?

••• That's why Nelson Mandela said, “Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice.” We can never cure poverty by giving the poor handouts, and giving graduates N5,000 a month. We must pull down the demonic “Nigerian system” that makes this place “a land that swallows its inhabitants.”

Wastefulness is immoral. God abhors the wasteful. We are stewards of God’s resources. He did not appoint us to waste His resources.

If you are wasteful, you are immoral. God abhors immorality.

Think about it for a moment. According to the United Nations, four people die of hunger every second! Aren’t you immoral when you leave uneaten food on your plate to be thrown away?

••• One in nine Indians, mostly children, will go to bed hungry today. India is 1.3 billion people - do the math. In our own back yard, according to the 2015 World Hunger Report, nearly 13 million Nigerians will go to bed hungry tonight. Today, if you count 10 people on the street, 2 or 3 likely haven’t had breakfast.

So, aren’t you immoral when your kitchen sink is half-filled with wasted breakfast cereals, milk, pap and fried eggs you and your obese children didn’t finish up? What you flush down your drains everyday could literally save dozens of lives from death by starvation.

••• In my house, you can eat as much as you want but don’t leave anything on the plate. My children learnt early that they’d better not throw food away. I recall the day I insisted that one of them eat the food he had thrown away from the dustbin!

••• Walter Chalmers Smith, Scottish minister, (1824-1908), God bless his resting soul, left us with the classic hymn, ‘Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise.’ This hymn always enriches my quiet times and meditations. The hymn is replete with lines that attempt to capture our Unknowable. If you struggle with knowing God, as I do, a regular dosage of this hymn is refreshing.

The second verse begins with:

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting …

••• The God of the Universe does not want. Yet, He does not waste! He owns everything, but He wastes nothing. After He fed the 5,000, He instructed that the leftovers be picked up and accounted for. Not just for camp sanitation. I believe He gave the poor takeaway packs. Wow! He says that not one bird falls from the sky without His notice! Nor wanting, nor wasting!

••• I know a few billionaires and many millionaires, in dollars. I’m not talking about our political thieves; I mean real entrepreneurs. There are quite a few shocking truths about people who have created wealth through sheer entrepreneurial genius, persistence and hard work. One is their spiritual sensitivity. I have consulted for a billionaire who would not leave his house until he has prayed and praised God for at least 4 - 5 hours daily. Yes, daily!

The most shocking truth about these billionaires, perhaps, is their thriftiness. They never want but they don't waste. Like God Himself. They will not give you one cent if you do not convince them about the value you will create from it. Everything must be accounted for. They keep receipts. They weigh their financial decisions meticulously.

••• Are you wasteful? For instance, do you have clothes in your wardrobe that you have not worn in 12 months? I heard a woman talk about clothes she has not worn in 3 - 4 years! I know folks who have so many cars that one hardly would clock 20,000km in 5years!

Or you’re a single guy, just graduated and got a job in the city. What did you rent a 3-bedroom flat for? Three bedrooms? And what are you doing inside a gas-guzzling SUV? Are you certain you can afford it now?

Do you leave the lights in your room on even when no one is there? That NEPA slams their crazy "estimated bill" on you is not an excuse for waste.

Foolish girl! You earn 50k a month but you have an 80k phone and  you just ordered an aso-ebi of N100k! Why won't you deserve poverty?

You keep looking for more money. Is it possible that the Shepherd of Psalm 23 has already provided but your wastefulness blinds you?

Do you know how much cash flow you can free up in your life if you adjusted your lifestyle of wastefulness? No man ever escaped poverty who didn’t learn the wisdom of thrift.

••• Do you ask God for long life? Good. How do you use your 24 daily hours? Can you account for the past 365 days? If you haven’t used 24 hours productively, why should He give you 24 years?

May God open our eyes to see the damage that our wastefulness inflicts on our destinies… and may we have the wisdom and humility to become like God - nor wanting, nor wasting.

*Contributed by Ogbo Awoke Ogbo, a Motivational Speaker,  from Lagos, as part of Incisive Meditation series.

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Opeke canvasses women inspiring support beyond work place

NaijaAgroNet:

The chief executive officer, Main One, Mrs. Funke Opeke has canvassed for the role of women in technology and business to involve inspiring beyond the workplace, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking at the 5th annual Women of Impact Conference (WOI) organized by Cisco in Lagos in commemoration of the International Women’s Day, with the theme, “It’s Time. Collaborate. Lead. Inspire” Opeke wanted the role of women in technology and businesses to involve inspiring not just women within a given organization, but also the men and women outside their professional environment.

“It is great to see companies like Cisco taking the role of women in the work place seriously and they are a few of the strongest advocates for women and what they have to offer in their businesses and this is inspiring” she said.

Cisco, Opeke noted, is very good at leveraging diverse people, views and technology in order to solve the most complex of challenges in the society.

Also speaking, the General Manager, Cisco Nigeria, Mr. Olakunle Oloruntimehin, said that they cherish innovation and promotes diversity.

“We believe that a company can highly hinder its innovation if it does not promote diversity,”  Oloruntimehin said.

The Information Technology (IT) industry, he said, represents huge potential for women, but they must take risks, overcome obstacles, and blaze new trails to be successful. Cisco has always been at the forefront of efforts to hire, nurture, promote and support women, especially in technical fields and leadership roles. Cisco prides itself in its commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Collaboration.

“In fact, Cisco has five very powerful women forming part of the Executive Leadership team. Their contribution has been part of Cisco’s success story,” Mr. Oloruntimehin submitted.

Equally invited to speak was Ms. Temi Giwa-Tubosun Nigerian-American health manager and founder/CEO of Life Bank, a social enterprise using technology and smart logistics to match blood to patients.

She was named in 2014 by the BBC as one of the 100 Women changing the world. Giwa-tubosun said, “I do my work each day thinking about women and what I can do to impact their lives and not a lot of IT and networking organizations in Nigeria celebrate women or even recognize international women’s day, but Cisco has continually shown its commitment to women and the value they provide in the technology industry.”

 Uj. Dominic/GEE

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Hope rises for asthma children: Bug-proof bedcovers reduce flare-ups

NaijaAgroNet:

Scientists have discovered that bedcovers which form a barrier to house dust mites appear to reduce asthma flare-ups in children, according to new research conducted in Manchester, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The researchers led by Dr Clare Murray, clinical senior lecturer at The University of Manchester and consultant respiratory paediatrician at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said mite allergy is one of the most common asthma triggers, and in partnership with viral infection could greatly increase hospital admission risk.

Dr Murray said, children were enrolled aged 3-17 years who had tested positive for mite allergy, and suffered an asthma flare-up or exacerbation that required being treated in accident and emergency or as a hospital inpatient.

She explained that after encasing their mattresses, duvets and pillows with mite-proof covers or placebo covers, the children were followed for a year, stressing that “Neither the children, the investigators nor their health care professionals knew which set of covers the children received.”

The findings, NaijaAgroNet reports, demonstrated that children sleeping with the mite-proof covers compared to the placebo arm of the trial, just as they were less likely to have a severe asthma exacerbation that resulted in an accident and emergency visit or hospital admission (29.3 percent vs. 41.5 percent).

In addition, the study showed that incidence had a 45 per cent reduced risk of having an asthma exacerbation that resulted in an accident and emergency visit or hospitalisation and the requirement for systemic corticosteroids.

Equally, the result showed a significantly longer time to their first exacerbation that resulted in an accident and emergency visit or hospitalisation and the requirement for systemic corticosteroids.

“Asthma exacerbations are among the most common reasons for hospitalizing children living in the developed world,” said Dr Murray. “It’s a frightening experience for children and their parents, and a single exacerbation can increase the annual cost of treating asthma by three-fold.”

Dr. Murray added that viral infections, especially those causing the common cold, are a major risk factor for asthma exacerbations in children sensitised and exposed to allergens. “Other studies have shown that these two risk factors act synergistically to increase the likelihood of hospital admission by nearly 20-fold,” Dr Murray said. “We have no means of protecting people from cold viruses, but our study indicates that allergen avoidance may be a cost-effective intervention.”

The authors estimated the cost of the bedcovers would be about £130 for a single bed.  “This simple measure may reduce asthmatic exacerbations that lead to accident and emergency visits or hospitalisation, particularly in younger children who are allergic only to dust mites,” Dr Murray said.

The mite-proof covers did not significantly reduce the number of children whose exacerbation was treated outside the hospital with only an oral corticosteroid. The authors said it was not clear why this was the case. “It may be that the bedcovers did not prevent the exacerbation, but did reduce its severity,” Dr Murray explained.

Limitations of the study, which is believed to be the first to study the effect of mite-proof bedcovers and asthma exacerbations, include the fact that the exacerbations and oral corticosteroid use were reported by parents or guardians, not physicians, and the researchers had no information about viruses or other exacerbation triggers.

Although the study was not large enough to conclusively define the subgroups that benefitted the most from the intervention, the authors wrote that their results suggested that younger children testing positive for only house dust mite allergy and living in non-smoking households were more likely to benefit from the mite impermeable bed covers.

The study was funded by The JP Moulton Charitable Foundation. Infrastructure support was provided by the North West Lung Centre Charity.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE 

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Rural women empowerment, fundamental for achieving 2030 agenda – UN agencies

NaijaAgroNet:

The trio of United Nations (UN) agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP) have said that rural women empowerment is fundamental for achieving the 2030 agenca, reports NaijaAgroNet.

As said by the leaders of these organisations, the world that women and girls play a crucial role in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, the goal of eradicating hunger and extreme poverty become more realistic.

The leaders of these agencies made this joint statement in commemoration of International Women's Day by reinforcing their commitments to step up efforts to invest in the capacities of rural women as key agents of change in building a world without hunger.

"Women play a critical role in agriculture and food systems - not just as farmers, but also as food producers, traders and managers," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva on the occasion of the Day. "However, women still face major constraints in rural labour markets and in agricultural value chains. They are more likely to be in poorly paid jobs, without legal or social protection. This limits women's capacity to advance their skills, earn incomes and access employment opportunities." 

Graziano da Silva noted that the future of global food security depends on unleashing women's potential. "Achieving gender equality and empowering women are crucial ingredients in the fight against extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition which is strongly recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said.

IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze said, "We need to face the fact that we will never overcome poverty and hunger without empowering rural women."

For him, there are ample evidence from around the world that greater empowerment of women in rural and urban areas leads to higher economic growth and a better quality of life for women and men alike. 

“Despite progress, it is still the case today that rural women's double burden of farm labour and unpaid domestic work prevents them from participating fully and fairly in income-generating activities. Improving rural women's access to technologies that save time and labour is essential to reducing their workloads. Transforming gender relations within the family is also crucial to empowering women and enabling them to make decisions about their lives," he said.

WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said, "Empowering women economically is one of the key steps to realizing gender equality and achieving Zero Hunger. The changing world of work - as patterns of economic activity shift - provides the opportunity to achieve these goals.

"Ensuring women have adequate access to land, tools, fertilizers and credit improves their lives and the lives of their families; potentially freeing millions from hunger. We also know that school meals are a powerful incentive to keep girls in class, boosting their chances of completing school and finding employment. Enabling women to seize these opportunities will transform lives and help bring the Sustainable Development Goals within reach," she said.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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