Author: PositiveNaija

ICAO Commends Nigeria on Preventing Ebola

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has commended Nigeria for preventing Ebola Virus Disease from spreading in the country when the Liberian, the late Patrick Sawyer arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos with the disease.

This was made known by the head of the team of the programme, the Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA), Mr. Micheil Vredeenburgh during a two-day visit to inspect the health facilities and train health personnel at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

They said Nigeria’s effort was a clear indication that the country was making progress in the implementation of the WHO International Health Regulations at her points of entry.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ebola was first reported in Nigeria in July 2014 when a Liberia-American man, Patrick Sawyer, tested positive to the virus after arriving in the country through the MMIA, Lagos.

Twenty persons contacted the virus while eight casualties were recorded before Nigeria eventually overcame the problem and the WHO declared Nigeria Ebola-free on October 20, 2014.

Michael Vreedenburgh, CAPSCA Programme Global Coordinator at the ICAO Headquarters, said the people and government of Nigeria must be given credit for the successful containment of the virus.

Vreedenburgh said the voluntary technical visit was a follow up to CAPSCA’s visits to the country in 2009 and 2011.

According to him, the aim of the visit is to assess the preparedness of the aviation sector, taking into account the priorities established by the WHO to contain outbreak of communicable diseases.

He said:

“Public health remains an area of great concern because outbreaks can occur for any reason, anywhere and at anytime.

“In addition, the visit will promote and facilitate communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration between the public health sectors in the handling of public health event.”

In his remark, Dr. Harry Opata, Disease Surveillance Response, WHO/Africa Regional Office, said the organisation was keen for countries to implement its international health regulations which came into effect in 2007.

Opata said:

“I would like to congratulate Nigeria for the quick containment of the Ebola Virus Disease last year.”

ECA Rates Nigeria High In Road Safety [2015]

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has adjudged Nigeria as one of the best three performers among 23 countries in accomplishing activities of the African Road Safety Action plan.

This is according to a mid-term review report from the Third African Road Safety Conference organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), which took place in Addis Ababa.

According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy, while reacting to Nigeria’s ranking and her accomplishment, he stated that the Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, appreciated the Federal Government’s efforts in ensuring the enduring road safety culture is continually imbibed; he also showered encomium on the resilience of the officers and men of the Corps.

The African Road Safety Action Plan, which owes its roots to the 2011 UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, placed priority on understanding of road safety institutional arrangements, road safety management and related activities, achievements, opportunities and challenges in African countries.

Kazeem revealed that the report from the conference stated that 40 percent of member countries are in the process of implementing more road safety management activities.

It listed Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa as the leading countries with clear prospects of accomplishing the activities of the African Road Safety Action Plan.

He added: “Performance of the Plan is measured based on road safety management, mobility, vehicles, road users, and post-crash response.”

It noted that varying results have thus far defined the afore-listed performance indicators, given that some countries record high rates of successes in some areas, but record low performances in others.

However, he stated that the report observed progress has so far been made.

It also advised that the importation of safer and newer vehicles and improved traffic education in schools are sure steps to reducing Road Traffic Crashes.

The conference was organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in collaboration with African Union Commission, Sub-Sahara African Transport Policy Programme, Global Road Safety Facility of the World Bank, African Development Bank and the International Road Federation.

Anesi Ikhianosime & Osine Ikhianosime Create Mobile Web Browsing App ‘Crocodile Browser Lite’

Anesi Ikhianosime and Osine Ikhianosime have created a mobile web browsing app known as ‘Crocodile Browser Lite’.

Continue reading Anesi Ikhianosime & Osine Ikhianosime Create Mobile Web Browsing App ‘Crocodile Browser Lite’

UNIMAID Advances Herb Research On Cancer Therapy

A team of seven Nigerian scientists from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), has made progress in a groundbreaking research into the use of local herbs for cancer therapy.

The team, led by Professor of Pharmacology at the university, Isa Marte Hussaini, is currently exploring different Nigerian plants for the cancer therapy research.

Already, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID) have applauded the research, promising to work with the scientists to conduct pre-clinical trials.

Prof. Hussaini, who presented the study to the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), said eight out of the 54 plants so far identified showed more promise than the current drugs used in the treatment of cancer.

He highlighted how three of the plants showed impressive anti-cancer activities against both breast cancer and brain tumour. According to him:

“We are working to develop effective cancer therapy using Nigerian medicinal plants. We have characterised and identified some plants. We have tested them and they are very effective. Eight out of the 54 that we have are better than even the current drugs that are used in the treatment of cancer. We are trying to identify some of those active compounds that are responsible for this anti-cancer activity. Afterwards, in partnership with NAFDAC or NIPRID, we will do animal and even pre-clinical studies.

The team is made up of medical doctors, surgeons, pharmaceutical chemists and pharmacognosists, and then medicinal herbalist – a consultant. I am a pharmacologist. We have several papers that we have published. We have some papers ready for publication.”

 

Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina Emerge AfDB President

Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina has emerged the 8th elected President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). He was elected to the position on May 28, 2015 by the Bank’s Board of Governors at its Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

He took office at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan on September 1, 2015 and will serve an initial five-year term.

Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, 58, is a distinguished development economist and agricultural development expert with 25 years of international experience. He is the first Nigerian to serve as President of the Bank Group.

Dr. Adesina served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2011 to 2015, during which time he implemented bold policy reforms in the fertilizer sector and pursued innovative agricultural investment programs to expand opportunities for the private sector.

He was previously Vice-President (Policy and Partnerships) of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). He was also Associate Director (Food Security) at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, where he worked for a decade (1998-2008) in senior leadership positions, including as Regional Office Director and Representative for Southern Africa.

Adesina was Principal Economist and Social Science Research Coordinator for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Principal Economist and Coordinator of the West Africa Rice Economics Task Force at the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA) and an Assistant Principal Economist at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). From 2008 to 2010, Adesina was the President of the African Association of Agricultural Economists.

Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina has received a number of global awards for his leadership and work in agriculture. In 2010, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals, along with Bill Gates, the Spanish Prime Minister and the President of Rwanda. He was named Person of the Year by Forbes Africa magazine in 2013.

Adesina earned a first-class honours Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ife, Nigeria in 1981. In 1988 he completed a PhD in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University in the United States, where he won the Outstanding PhD Thesis Award for his research work. He also won the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Social Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 1988, which launched his international career in global agricultural development.

Born on February 6, 1960, Adesina speaks fluent French and English.