09072020 - Day 3: More posers for Magu

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14 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 COVID-19: Bola-Ige’s daughter er, , others seek review of law against suicide attempt …say more cases are recorded during coronavirus pandemic By Ebunoluwa Sessou Late Bola-Ige’s daughter, Mrs. Funso Adegbola, Head of Department, Clinical Psychology Department, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Tayo Ajirotutu, and United States based Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist, Dr. Stella Bassey-Okoronkwo among others have disclosed that more cases of suicide are recorded during COVID-19 urging view of law punishing those who attempt suicide. While calling for more awareness on mental illness in Nigeria, they maintained that to forestall occurrences of suicide attempt, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, there is need to educate people even as suicide incidents continue to rise on a daily basis. They also urged government at all levels to ensure schools have either psychologist, counselor or mental health practitioner on their staff list adding that religious bodies should also create a mental health unit manned by mental health experts at their religious centers in order to reduce the rate of suicide in the country. Speaking at the inaugural virtual meeting of a nongovernmental organization, Suicide Is No Solution, SINS, with the theme: Talking Suicide 1.0: Causes, Signs and Prevention", the experts called for the review of the law punishing individuals who attempt suicide stressing that such individuals needed care and support instead of prosecution. While maintain that there should be adequate training for counselors in schools and religious organisations to manage the youth especially those with depression signs that could lead to suicide. A lawyer andFounder and Chief Executive Officer, The Vale College, Ibadan, Mrs. Funso Adegbola, advocated that the section of the law that stipulates prosecution for attempted suicide should be repealed, calling on psychiatrists association, health professionals, Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, and interest groups to join hands to ensure that the law is repealed. She stated that individuals who attempted suicide should Ibiyemi Faturoti Suicide on the move Mrs. Funso Adegbola go for mental rehabilitation and not prison, stressing that shortage of psychiatrists in Nigeria should be addressed as their services are needed and mental health professionals should be less stigmatized. Also, Head of Department, Clinical Psychology Department, Federal Neuro- Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Dr. Tayo Ajirotutu, lamented that although suicide has been on for decades especially in the past four years in Nigeria but has escalated during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Calling for more education and enlightenment on suicide among Nigerians, the psychiatrist noted that with SINS initiative, individuals with suicidal tendencies and signs are expected to seek intervention through experts, urging religious organisations and schools to train counselors on required skills to counsel people with depression. According to him “Suicide begins with thoughts and behaviors and it is the second leading cause of death especially among the youths. The signs include someone either talking about killing himself, feeling of hopelessness, loneliness and rejection or having no reason to live and low self-esteem. Financial factors, traumatic reasons, prolonged stress, relationship and education issues, inability to meet targets, issues at work, home or religious organisations are other causes of suicide.” Ajirotutu warned that the issue of suicide cannot be confidential as family members and mental health experts must be involved, saying “If you want to kill yourself, identify why you want to, and look for another way out rather than taking your own life.” he said. In her own submission, a United States based Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist, Dr. Stella Bassey-Okoronkwo called for more awareness on mental illness in Nigeria, saying suicide incidents have continued to rise especially during COVID 19. Bassey-Okoronkwo stressed that mental health awareness is such that people with such illness must be given the right counseling and recommendation. According to her, “People struggling with depression, drug abuse, alcohol use disorders and anxiety have higher incidence of contemplating suicide in the USA. "We lose over 800,000 people yearly globally to suicide and we lose a lot more during late spring and early summers in the USA", she said. The SINS Project Lead, Mrs. Idy Toye-Arulogun, said the meeting was to increase the awareness level and better understanding of suicide amongst Nigerians with a view to reducing and eliminating to the barest minimum, the incidence in the country, saying that the meeting has helped to educate SINS volunteers and people on the causes, signs, and prevention of suicide. Sharing her experience, Mrs, Ajoke Okonu, who contemplated suicide at the age of 16, said she starting fighting the thoughts since she was 4 years old. But, as much as she would loved to take her own life, her mother's love kept holding her back. “I wanted to take my life as a result of my parent’s broken marriage. I was physically abused, molested and when I could no longer hold it, I held the knife in the kitchen several times but my mother’s love held me back. I did not commit the crime for the love of my mother", she said. In her own submission, the Co-Founder, LePhare Consultants, Mrs. Ibiyemi Faturoti, urged anyone contemplating suicide to know that there is someone out there that cares and who is ready to help, noting that suicide should not be considered as an option during life’s struggles. LASG takes over welfare of COVID-19 underage mother, , child By Olasunkanmi Akoni also extolled the professionalism of the hospital LAGOS State Ministry of for saving both the mother and Youth and Social child and for the quality Development and Lagos healthcare delivery provided State Health Management for the duo. Agency, LASHMA, are He therefore, urged parents collaborating to support a-16- to always take good care of year old mother, identified as their children especially the Aishat who delivered a baby girl female folks who are very and later tested positive for susceptible and vulnerable to COVID-19. different vices in the society. The gesture followed a video Speaking on the incident, the that went viral on the social Permanent Secretary, Mrs. media last week about the plight Yewande Fadulugba restated of the underage mother and the commitment of the baby who are currently in ministry and the state Gbagada Isolation centre. government to the safety of According to the every child in Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and regardless of tribe, location or Social Development, Mr Segun status. Dawodu, the mother and child She urged residents to will be placed in an appropriate always call the attention of the shelter where adequate care will Ministry to social welfare be given to them. issues or get in touch with the While commending the Ministry through its Child welfare team who took Aisha to Protection Help line on Government Hospital where she 09077333426 and delivered her baby, Dawodu 08172457792. Idy Toye-Arulogun Also, the Acting General Manager, LASHMA, Dr. Emmanuella Zamba, said that the agency would also enroll both the mother and child at any of the Lagos State Health Scheme, LSHS, and facilities of their choice closer to the residence provided by the ministry. Zamba said that the cost of registration and medical care would be taken care by the LASHMA, adding that both mother and child are free to access medical care immediately the mother is tested negative and discharged from Gbagada Isolation Center. Zamba called on interested individuals to reach the agency via 0800- ASKLASHMA or 09013991981 and pay insurance premiums for the vulnerable in the state, revealing that a family plan is N40, 000 while individual plan is 8,500 per annum.
Vanguard, THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 — 15 13 students get N16m from NSE By Ebunoluwa Sessou IN its readiness to strategically bring more Nigerians to read and practice engineering advocacy and to grow the practice of the profession in all its ramifications, Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, gave scholarships worth 16 Million to 13 best overall students that sat for the 2020 UTME Examination. The Scholarship which will cover tuition fees is expected to be created with a trust fund account for five years and will be warehoused and managed by an independent committee. In his address the President of NSE, Engr. Babagana Mohammed FNSE, at the unveiling of 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination Best Brains in Engineering ceremony held at NEC Building in Lagos recently, disclosed that scholarship is in twin criteria of selection. First were outrightly best overall performers in terms of scores recorded by students at the 2020 UTME examination. And Geopolitical Merit Consideration which is cash backed scheme with modalities clearly spelt out. He explained that the five years scholarship was given to the students to choose their preferred local universities. His words: “The society is at the vanguard of the drive to create the talents and workforce that will transform the nation. Saying, “We must light up tomorrow today. “If we fail to take affirmative action’s to support, inspire, promote and indeed remove the barriers to knowledge and skill driven society, we would not consider ourselves successful. We must therefore intervene when and where we should. “In fact with more of these direct collaborative, non - governmental, motivated interventions and schemes, we will lay the foundation for a tech savvy generation that will be capable of competing with and besting their peers from other parts of the globe. “It is our sacred responsibility to position the Engineering profession and future workforce to be in a position to play a critical role in our evolving Society where technical skills and creativity will be highly sought after. “The seeds for Nigerian and indeed African technological transformation and breakthrough need to be planted and nurtured today. “Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is Engineering that changes the World. “The Engineer has been, and is, a maker of history. Scientists study the World as it is, Engineers create the World that has never been. The way to succeed is to double our failure rate. “We are all aware of our challenges today. They are all easy to see because we do not lack sight. What we lack and need , is the foresight and the power to envision what tomorrow will look like and steps and measures that are required to mitigate the drawbacks in order to advance our nation. “We also plan to launch a mentoring program called “Bridging the Gap “with this set of students as the first beneficiaries. They will be assigned mentors that will ensure that they stay focused and disciplined throughout the duration of their studies. “This scheme will be launched next month. The specific date will be announced later. This scholarship and mentorship scheme marks a clear departure from the past. It is an attempt by the engineering profession to have a handshake with the society through parents, guardians and pupils", he explained. He however enjoined Nigerians especially the professionals in engineering to support the scheme with their time, talent and substance whenever it is needed. L-R: President, The Nigerian Society of Engineering (NSE), Engr. Babagana Mohammed; UTME Best Candidates, Master Osom Akan Awesome (scored 353); Miss Ojuba Mezisashe (359), Master David Nwobi (363); and Miss Agnes Egoagwuagwu (365); during the unveiling of 2020 UTME Examination Best Engineering Candidates, held at National Engineering Centre Building, recently NEVER has there been a time in history when women’s rights have been so radically glorified than now. Rights laws and groups dedicated to the female cause in various parts of the world have done greatly in amplifying the voices of vulnerable women in our generation. Even in Nigeria, abused women don’t lack needed attention from numerous rights groups, except, of course, the abuser is a fellow woman! Violence on Women by Women This situation is not obscure especially in a typical Nigerian home where two “mighty” females exist: “Oga Madam” and the Maid. You can always tell who the maid is from a distance. She’s oftentimes a relative or a paid domestic staff usually between the ages of 5 to 18 (and above). She’s the most unkempt in the house whose sole duty is keeping the house tidy. She’s the early riser who spends her free time doing chores she was paid to do. Her efforts are never good enough and her mistakes are always deliberate before the eyes of Madam. She has no human rights; only privileges and would most times pass for a scape goat, a punching bag and even a sex slave. Recent cases have revealed the torture now inflicted on maids qualify for scenes found in horror movies. Of the numerous cases was that of a 10 year-old girl who was allegedly bathed in steaming hot water, pressed with a hot iron by her madam and left with untreated burns after she was accused of beating up her children. In 2019, an 11 year- old from Awka, Anambra State was allegedly assaulted and fed with human dungs and cockroaches by her madam Professionalism, structure, key ingredients for employing a Nanny — Expert Opinion Maid brutality in Nigeria: Crimes on women by women By Okiemute Abraham before she was rescued by an activist. The lockdown did worse to a 19 year-old Benue maid, Joy Adole, who was allegedly tortured to death by a Lagos couple and hung to the ceiling after they claimed she stole a pack of noodles. Most recently was the case of 10 year-old Nneoma Nnadi who escaped death by its whiskers in Enugu after she was tortured by her guardian with a pressing iron, had pepper inserted into her private part, had nails driven into her head twice and was locked up in a toilet. Women, We Need To Talk! The percentage of violence on women by women in Nigeria is gradually gaining a disturbing momentum. Even though these cases resurrect on very rare occasions, it still doesn’t negate the fact that there are thousands of Joys and Nneomas scattered around the country presently, fighting for their lives and hoping to leave their misery alive. What is even more disturbing and ironical is the fact that these same women who have their rights heavily guarded choose to conveniently deny others theirs. A typical scenario of the biblical unmerciful servant who was forgiven of a greater debt but chose to harass his own debtor. The world is way past the barbaric era of slavery and even though hiring a domestic staff in Nigeria is not unlawful (unless the person is below 18 years) no human has the right to dehumanize another. Is your help a burden? Relieve him/her of their duties. Do you have anger management issues? Don’t hire a help or be ready to face the wrath of the law. Overall, the Golden Rule: Do not do unto others what you would rather not have them do to you. PROFESSIONALISM and structure are key ingredients to consider when employing a Nanny and it is also a critical part of child development and work in partnership with parents to help children thrive. Founder, the Nanny Academy, Amara Agbim during the institute’s tenth anniversary celebration disclosed this saying; most trained Nannies understand the value of contracts and the need to respect them. To achieve this level of professionalism, deep training which penetrates to achieve a mindset shift is preferred over sandwich training packages. Giving insight to this, Agbim identified some challenges facing the growth and development of this essential social service industry. She said it is wrong for employers to think that individuals take to the profession due to lack of gainful employment or any other work to do. By Ebunoluwa Sessou According to her, “Children are not always easy to handle so we should do away with thinking that It is an unfortunate truth that most nannies work in childcare because they couldn’t find a “real” job. It is not true that they take to the role because they’re looking for something simple and don’t strive for anything more out of laziness”, she said. Speaking on why malpractices should not be allowed to discourage professionalism, a recruitment manager, Robert Half, Chichi Okiche said, “With a trained Nanny, you do not have to worry that they will take the place of parents. “A trained Nanny understands that parents are the primary caregivers of their children and are available just to help assist parents to provide a nurturing environment for children. As long as parents are able to create the time to bond with their children despite being away at work or even being a stay at home Mum, children will always know who their parents are and love them for it”, she said. Amara Agbim
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09072020 - Day 3: More posers for Magu

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