The Gospel According To Chukwunwikezarramu Okumephuna

Africa’s Maternal Care: Draw-back To World Health!

2010-06-07T13:57:00.000+01:00

Complications and deaths associated with pregnancy are assuming alarming dimensions in Africa and not a few people are agitated by this situation. Pregnancy which normally brings joy to couples is gradually becoming a nightmare to many. Reports show that the average maternal mortality ratio in the African region has jumped from 870 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 1000 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2001 and to 1500 per 100,000 live births in 2004. Of the estimated 529,000 maternal deaths that occur globally every year, 48% occur in Africa, a region that constitutes only 12% of the world population and 17% of all births in the world. Poor women in the region are especially vulnerable. In many countries in the African region between 25% and 33% of all deaths of women of reproductive age are as a result of complications of pregnancy or childbirth whereas in industrialised countries the risk of maternal death is very low. The estimate is just 1%.

Recent statistics also show that 80% out of every 100 would-be mothers are afraid of pregnancy and childbirth while another huge 95 cannot bear the horror of childbirth. The statistics also revealed that for every 100 childbirth, at least 65% of women came out with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of fear and stress before the childbirth. The statistical report in question therefore lamented that more than 15 years following the launching of the Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI), the maternal and prenatal mortality levels in Africa have sadly continued to rise instead of declining. High fertility rate and low contraceptive use in Africa contributes to this high risk. The lifetime risk of maternal death in the African region is estimated at 1:16 compared to 1:3500 in North America, 1:2400 in Europe, 1:160 in Latin America and the Caribbean and 1:100 in Asia. For every maternal death there are at least thirty women who suffer short or long term disabilities, says the African Regional Reproductive Health Task Road Map for Accelerating the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals Related to Maternal and New-born Health in Africa.

Approximately 13% of all maternal deaths occur among adolescents mainly as a result of complications of unsafe abortion. The majority of the disabilities especially obstetric fistulas are also more prevalent in the adolescent age group. Averagely, in Africa a woman has had her first pregnancy by the age of 19. Fourteen million adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in the world give birth annually, the majority-12.8 million-in developing countries which includes Africa. In spite of this, little attention is paid to married or pregnant adolescents when it has been proved that compared with women in their twenties, adolescents are twice more likely to die during childbirth and those that are 14 years and younger are five times more likely to die. The new-borns of adolescents also have a higher incidence of low birth weight and neonatal mortality. There is no doubt then that Africa has the highest new-born mortality rate estimated at a ratio of 45 deaths per 1000 live births compared with 34 in Asia, 17 in Latin America and five in developed countries. Given ineffective and gross under-reporting system and wide variations within the continent, these figures are without doubt much higher. However the Road Map quoted earlier was vocal in indirectly attributing the high maternal deaths at the moment in the continent to the three co-joined epidemics of HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. This is in addition to other factors that are peculiar to each country.

“Increasing numbers of maternal deaths in the region are due to indirect causes such as HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. Many pregnant women in Africa are being diagnosed with HIV. In regions of Southern, Eastern and Central Africa, 20-30% of all pregnant women are infected. HIV infection transmission rates from mother to child range from 25% to 40% in some countries. Tuberculosis kills over 1 million women from the age range of 18-45 years annually of which 600,000 of these deaths occur in the African region. Malaria is a major cause of maternal anaemia, low birth and neonatal death”, says the Road Map

In Nigeria the story is the same. In fact stakeholders in the health sector are of the opinion that the maternal and prenatal mortality has reached an embarrassing situation. Nigeria’s maternal mortality statistics have been cited as one of the highest in the world. While the maternal mortality ratio of 704 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births was obtained from a 1999 National Survey, a similar survey three years later indicated a figure of 948 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In the year 2004, it was 1,500 deaths per 100,000 live births. Analysis of the 1999 national survey revealed that there are wide geographical disparities with respect to maternal mortality incidence within the six geo-political regions of Nigeria with the rate in the North-East zone (1,549 deaths per 100,000 live births) almost ten times that of the South-West zone (165 deaths per 100,000 live births). That of North-West was 1,025 while South-East recorded 165. It identified the leading medical causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria as haemorrhage (23%), sepsis (17%), unsafe abortion (11%), anaemia (11%), malaria (11%), eclampsia (11%) and obstructed labour (11%) and added regrettably that effective medical approaches that would have managed each of these conditions currently do not exist.

“There is a dire and urgent need to effectively address the high maternal mortality situation in Nigeria in the interest of human development, social justice and poverty alleviation”, the report noted.

The number five of the Millennium Development Goals aims at reducing by 2015 maternal mortality rate by three-quarter. Maternal mortality has also been included as one of the key issues to be addressed under the new Nigerian national development initiative known as the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS). From the pictures we are getting from the Nigeria health sector, it seems that the dream would never come true. In terms of Primary Health Care services only 49.8 percent of PHC facilities in Nigeria provide antenatal care services while 42.9 and 43.9 percent respectively provide delivery and postnatal services. Meanwhile only a third of PHC facilities in the country which is about 34.6% provide treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

“In respect of obstetric care services, less than a fifth (18.5%) of facilities offering maternal health care services in Nigeria met standards for Essential Obstetric Care (EOC) nationally. In the public sector, only 4.2 percent of facilities met the EOC criteria (1.2% for basic EOC and 3.9 for comprehensive EOC) while 32.8 percent of private sector facilities met the criteria (5.3% for basic EOC and 27.5% for comprehensive EOC)”, says a report from the Community Development and Population Activities Department of the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health.

It also noted that among the 12 states involved in national EOC study, only one state which is Lagos, met the availability criterion of four basic EOC per 500,000 population and noted that on the whole, the proportion of pregnant women that delivered in EOC facilities was estimated at 5.9 percent. This indicates a high level of unmet need for EOC services. Approximately 15 percent of pregnant women are generally expected to develop complications, which require EOC services. The report titled the Maternal Mortality Situation and Determinants in Nigeria observed that a NEEDS assessment survey of the Primary Health Care system indicated that 5.9% of 679 PHC facilities sampled nationally did not have any of the 26 equipment described as minimum equipment package for use in a generic PHC facility. Also none of the sampled facilities had all the 26 equipment in the list even as it revealed that less than a quarter of government-owned hospitals sampled in all the geo-political zones of the country lack equipment as basic as Sphygmomanometer. It described the nation’s health facilities as poor in terms of medical supplies and related logistics and very poor the technical competence of its health workers in the area of various service delivery activities. However it noted that the poor funding of the sector is a major contributing factor to the poor quality service discovered and advised that reduction in maternal mortality should begin from the Primary Health Care sector which is the first point of call for the rural dwellers who are the major victims of the maternal mortality rate.

The report noted that efforts deployed since the launching of the Safe Motherhood Initiative seem not to have yielded the expected results due to the many challenges confronting the Maternal and New-born Health (MNH) programmes in the region.

“Most of the countries in the African region are poor and highly indebted. This limits the allocation of resources to health and in particular MNH programmes. The growing poverty especially amongst women is a great obstacle limiting women’s access to highly needed services. The situation is further aggravated by dwindling donor resources. Besides, numerous man-made and natural disasters in the region, such as civil conflicts, disease outbreaks and floods that rapidly destroy infrastructures, disrupt services and divert resources erodes gains made in the past”, said the Road Map for Accelerating the Attainment of the MDGs.

The Road Map also noted that some of the reasons for failure to significantly reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in the region include:

• Lack of national commitment and financial support

• Poor co-ordination amongst partners

• Inadequate male involvement coupled with low status of women with poor decision making power

• Growing poverty particularly among women

• Lack of access to, availability and use of quality skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate postnatal period

• Focus on ineffective interventions such as the risk approach

• Poorly functioning health systems with weak referral system, especially during obstetric and neonatal emergencies

• Weak national human resource development and management, including the continuing brain drain of skilled personnel within and outside Africa and from public to private

• Negative impact of the HIV pandemic on human and financial resources for MNH care

• Poor logistic for management of drugs, family planning commodities and equipment

• Unclear policies concerning practice regulation and

• Harmful socio-cultural beliefs and practices.

Giving a note of warning the Road Map added that if nothing is done to effectively address the above challenges, there will be at least 2.5 million maternal deaths and 49.0 million maternal disabilities resulting in 7.5 million child deaths over the next ten years.

Nigeria therefore has a great lesson to learn from this. For instance, local councils which are supposed to be the first point of call for these pregnant women, indeed the seat of Primary Health Care, are not helping matters. The health sector is characterised by low sector funding, poor staff motivation, which is a major reason for the huge migration of health workers to Europe and America and the highest brain drain recorded by the sector. For instance, at the federal level, budgetary allocation for health has varied between 1.5 percent and 3.1 percent of total government budget between 1985 to date; short of the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended level of 5 percent of national budgets. Budgetary allocations at state level vary considerably. At the council level a recent analysis of their expenditure showed that budgetary allocation to the health sector was between 12.94 and 12.6 percent in 1998 and 1999 respectively. The pattern of health expenditure at this level of government is very much skewed towards personnel cost, with the result that very little amount is actually available for the health activities and infrastructure development. This leads to undue dependence on donor funding.

In the same way lack of budgetary release and tampering with the council allocations by the state governors is a rampant occurrence, thus making it impossible for meaningful planning and execution of programmes to take place at the local level without undue dependence on donor funding with its attendant complications. Interventions are highly needed in reducing the number of pregnancies, the number of complications and the likelihood that a complication will result in death. According to Eyitayo Lambo, a professor and former Nigerian Minister for Health, “Effective knowledge and tools exist to reduce suffering and deaths. In order to make a real difference, the interventions must reach mothers and children who need them. Experience has shown that known interventions are affordable and can be delivered. For maternal deaths to be reduced dramatically, women need access to quality obstetric care, with at least three key elements viz skilled care at birth, emergency obstetric care in case of complications and a functioning referral system which ensures access to emergency care, if needed. Another key solution is helping women to avoid unwanted pregnancies and births since only pregnant women die of pregnancy-related complications”.

Finally it is worth noting that the well being of societies is directly linked to the health and survival of mothers and their children. When mothers and children live in a healthy atmosphere and thrive, the society in which they live prospers.

The End.

*The original of this article titled 'Africa's Maternal Care As Draw-back To World Health' was first published by the Guardian Newspapers of Nigeria on Thursday April 7, 2005.

The Ever Grim Story of Brain Drain

2010-05-18T18:52:00.001+01:00

Latest statistics on emigration of health workers from Africa, particularly Nigeria, to other continents is, indeed, grim. A report from the World Health Organisation noted that in Africa alone, where health needs and problems are greatest, around 23,000 qualified academic professionals emigrate annually to Europe and North America in search of better life opportunities. The report also revealed that as many as 18,000 nurses from a particular African country work abroad, while in another African country, an entire graduating nursing class was recruited by a European country immediately after graduation. That is obviously not good news for Africa. Presently, there are an estimated 750,000 health workers in the African continent who serve 682 million people. By Comparison, the ratio is 10 to 15 times higher in Europe and North America. To achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the minimum level of Health Workforce Density according to WHO should at least be 2.5 health workers per 1,000 people. Out of 46 countries sampled in Africa, only 6 have a workforce density of up to 2.5 per 1000 population.

Mohammed Yaro Budah, a pharmacist and Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PFN) captured the scenario: "I dare say that the health sector has suffered the greatest brain drain compared to other sectors. This has led to a dearth of specialists in the various fields."

Indeed, Africa's Health Workforce Density averages 0.8 workers per 1000 population; significantly lower than the other regions of the world and the world median density of 5 per 1,000 populations, observed the High Level Forum on Millennium Development Goals that met in Abuja in December of 2004. From the North to the South and the East to the West of Africa, the problem is the same. It is said that roughly 50% of the total population of doctors in Ghana are practising in the USA alone; while between 70 and 100 doctors emigrate from South Africa every year. The story is the same in Nigeria. Having the highest population in the continent, Nigeria alone looses more health workers compared to other African countries. Some estimates put the number of Nigerian doctors outside at one out of every five black doctors in the United Kingdom. In the US it is about one out of every 10. The story is also not different in other European and American countries. The migration is already causing a lot of havoc to the country and the growth of its health sector. Indeed, without urgent action, there is a big risk that the financial support to Africa through the new Global Health Fund to combat AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria may suffer setbacks because of this trend. In the recent years, there has been a sharp reduction in the number of newly registered doctors from 1750 in the year 2000 to 800 in 2002, a 60% reduction with dire consequences for the health sector. By 2002, Nigeria had a nurse population ratio of 1 to 20,700 people compared with the WHO recommended 1 to 1,000. Even the distribution of qualified medical doctors in the nation’s health sector is frightening. About 8% of doctors in Nigeria work in private hospitals, 9% are resident doctors, 10% in public hospitals, 55% are not in the profession, while about 18% work abroad.

A 2003 statistics of registered nurses in the UK showed that Nigerian nurses topped the list. In the United States of America, the Nigerian doctors registered with the American Medical Association by specialty for the same year were 15% paediatricians, 12% general practitioners, 10% surgeons, 7% psychiatrists, 6% obstetricians and gynaecologists, 3% pathologists and 47% for other branches of medicine. Stakeholders in the health sector have noted that the main reasons for this migration of health workers to Europe and North America include poor remuneration, poor working conditions, inadequate incentive systems compounded by outdated regulations and management approaches. Furthermore, "challenges like political, social or economic crisis are undermining optimal utilisation of available health workforce. Structural adjustment policies have had major effects on development of human resources for health as some conditions for loans led to the lay-off of personnel including health staff, freezing of positions and non-recruitment of new personnel in the civil service", said the WHO.

Consequent upon the above reasons, the migration of health workers to Europe and North America is today a major health disaster in Africa. For instance, it is alarming and pathetic that Malawi, a small poor African country has more of its doctors practising in Manchester, England, than in all of Malawi. Other examples abound, noted the High Level Forum. The future is even grimmer, said the Forum. It noted that "there are ‘demand’ issues which encourage the exodus of African health workers to wealthy countries. The investment in health in the western world is predicted to increase ten-folds in the next 50 years. It is estimated that England will need 25,000 doctors and 250,000 nurses more than it did in 1997 by 2008. It is also estimated that a further one million nurses will be needed over the next ten years to meet the shortfall in the United States.

"There are also 'supply' issues which encourage African health workers to look for more promising work opportunities abroad. The biggest would have to be the low level of compensation provided to most health workers in Africa. Cost of living adjusted wages indicates that a registered nurse makes about $489 a month in Malawi. By comparison, monthly pay for a nurse in the UK's National Health Service is about $2576. In Ghana and Zambia, the average monthly salary for a doctor is just over $400," says the Forum.

The World Health Assembly through resolutions WHA 48.8 in 1996, WHA 49.1 in 1996 and WHA 54.12 in 2001, urged member states to undertake co-ordinated health systems reforms, including reforms in medical education and practice. It also suggests government-to-government agreements to set up health-personnel exchange programmes as a mechanism for managing their migration and to establish mechanisms to mitigate the adverse impact on developing countries of the loss of health personnel through migration. Receiving countries were also urged to support the strengthening of health systems especially in human resources development in the countries of origin. Similarly, at the Sixth Ordinary Session of the OAU Conference of African Ministers of Health held in October 1999 in Cairo, Egypt, the issue of brain drain and its impact on the health sector was extensively debated. The conference stressed the need to carry out research on the scope of the problem and its repercussion on the health budget even as it called upon member states to ensure better utilisation of human resources in the health sector. Also, the Abuja Declaration and the Abuja Framework Plan of Action on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and other related infectious diseases in Africa adopted in 2001, called for acceleration of human resources development in the continent and the improvement of conditions of service of health personnel through the use of incentives to prevent brain drain and promote the return of health professionals.

How far these resolutions can go in the light of economic realities of the African countries remains to be seen. A Nigerian born American computer guru, Philip Emeagwali in a speech on how to reverse the problem of brain drain in Africa painted the picture graphically: "I also speak from my family experiences. After contributing 25 years to Nigerian society as nurse, my father retired on a $25 per month pension. By comparison, my four sisters each earn $25 per hour as nurses in the United States. If my father had had the opportunity my sisters had, he certainly would have immigrated to the United States as a young nurse. The 'brain drain' explains in part why affluent Africans fly to London for their medical treatment”. Continuing, Emeagwali opined that, "Because a significant percentage of African doctors and nurses practice in the US hospitals, we can reasonably conclude that African medical schools are de facto serving the American people, not Africans." He therefore advised African governments to ensure that those with skills are encouraged and rewarded to stay, work and raise their families in Africa. At the long run he pointed out, it would ensure large middle class families thereby reducing the conditions that give rise to civil war and corruption and ultimately promote revitalisation and renaissance. "It will be impossible to achieve a renaissance without the contributions of the talented," he affirmed.

The contributions of the African practitioners to the economy of Europe and the Americas are enormous. According to the WHO report cited at the outset, a typical Nigerian health professional in the US contributes about $150,000 per year to the US economy in terms of human cost. Today it is widely believed that Africa's insufficient health workforce will continue to be a major handicap in attaining the Millennium Development Goals for reducing poverty and diseases. Recently the Minister of Health, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, raised an alarm that African health development faces a double-edged crisis 'namely that its health systems are fragile and its human capacity is inadequate'. He noted that while Africa has 25 per cent of the global burden of disease, its share of the global health workforce is just 1.3 per cent thereby limiting its ability to deliver qualitative health care especially in the public sector. Lambo observed that the situation calls for more drastic actions by government and the people. But as Emeagwali posited earlier, there might be an urgent need for the United Nations to impose what he called 'Brain Gain Tax' on all the benefiting countries in Europe and North America. He said: "I believe controlling emigration will be very difficult. Instead, I recommend the United Nations impose a 'Brain Gain Tax' upon those nations benefiting from the 'Brain Drain'. Each year, the United States creates a brain drain by issuing 135,000 HI-B visas to 'outstanding researchers' and persons with 'extraordinary ability'. The US Internal Revenue Services (IRS), allows US taxpayers to make voluntary contributions to election funds. Similarly, it could allow immigrants to voluntarily pay taxes to their country of birth instead of to the United States."

However, the war to reverse the ugly trend may not end up in vain. The WHO regional office in Africa believes that a lot can still be done. It is of the opinion that the tide can be reversed with improved systems performance, better remuneration packages, adequate work incentives, better training of health workforce, prompt and constant payment of their salaries and arrears and others. It also recommended that countries should urgently develop retention strategies to prevent the brain drain especially in the area of ensuring peace and security for their work and creation of an enabling environment for the provision of health services. "Countries should value their health workers and demonstrate this by paying them a salary in keeping with what is expected of them. Countries should, in addition, tap into the skills, expertise and resources of their nationals in the Diaspora. Moral and ethical considerations in the recruitment by developed countries of health workers from developing countries should be put on the international agenda," the office said.

The right atmosphere to make these professionals abide in Nigeria, for instance, is still an issue, some say. "A great number of Nigerian health professionals abound in the Diaspora who has acquired great knowledge and skills and many are willing to return home to share and invest in healthcare delivery once the enabling environment is provided", said Mohammed Yaro Budah.

Perhaps, some day, given the right conditions, the brain drain will turn to brain gain.

*This article won an Honourable Mention Award-World Level-under the Category of the International Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2007 edition of the UCIP Awards.

In Defence Of The Right Of The Girl Child To A Quality Education

2010-05-05T16:32:00.003+01:00

"There can be no significant or sustainable transformation in societies and no significant reduction in poverty until girls receive the quality basic education they need to take their rightful place as equal partners in development”

Carol Bellamy, Former Executive Director, UNICEF.

Despite the wide clamour for delay of early marriage amongst the girl child and an increased commitment towards girl child education, latest findings by various organisations indicates that the sub-Saharan Africa is yet to come to terms with the need to delay early marriage of the girl child and channelling of resources towards their proper education. Though it has become a household cliché in the sub-Saharan Africa that the education of the girl child is akin to educating the whole world and therefore the surest investment any country can make to safeguard its future, records from different countries in the sub-Sahara Africa shows that the education of the boy child is by far more valued than that of her girl child counterpart. It was therefore not a surprising statement when British Department for International Development (DFID) came up with a shocking revelation which says that going by the available statistics and progress reports of different countries, no fewer than 75 countries would meet up with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal target of gender parity in primary and secondary school enrolments by 2015.

The numbers two and three of the Millennium Development Goals seeks to achieve universal primary education and to promote gender equality and empower women by eliminating gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levels by 2015. Also an existing partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Children Fund Nigeria called Strategy for Acceleration of Girls’ Education in Nigeria (SAGEN) seeks to achieve gender parity in access, retention and completion of Basic Education. SAGEN also intends to expand and improve comprehensive early girl childhood care and education, ensuring that by 2015 all children particularly girls have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality as well as eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education and ensuring gender equality in education by 2015.

According to DFID, one-third of these countries that are not likely to meet up with the Goal are in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria is on top of the list. DFID is also of the opinion that at least 40 percent of all countries in the world are at risk of not making the target at primary, secondary or both levels of education by 2015. The reason sub-Saharan African countries could not meet up with the Goals has been attributed to some cultural and traditional beliefs prevalent in the region. In some parts of sub Sahara Africa, it is traditional and customary for the girl child to marry early-before age 18-so that the money could be used for the education of the boy child, support the dwindling business fortune of the family or to send the boy child abroad to search for greener pastures. As a result of this unfortunate situation, experts have predicted that about 82 million girls in developing countries who are now aged 10 to 17 will be married before their 18th birthday. Girl child marriage is still the norm in some countries where majority of girls marry before age 18. Some of these countries include Nepal where about 60 per cent marry before age 18, 76 per cent in Niger Republic, 50 per cent in India and 80 per cent in Nigeria. In Nigeria about four million girls of school age are not enrolled in school.

The statistics of girl child school dropout rate as a result of early marriage round the world is heart breaking. In sub-Sahara Africa about 40 countries had about 23 million of their girls out of school. 22 million girls who are out of school in South and West Asia are concentrated in India and Pakistan. In Niger Republic less than one-third of all school aged girls are enrolled in primary school while in Rwanda four out of every five girls are enrolled in primary school. A recent publication of DFID revealed that about 58 million girls worldwide are not in school whereas their male counterpart recorded just about 45 million. Part of the reason for this situation, it noted is the high rate of early marriage amongst the girl child. The United Nations Children Fund affirming that girls and boys have the same right to a quality education however regretted that the gender gap amongst them quickly demonstrates that more girls than boys are kept out of school. UNICEF in its 1990 Year Report noted that of 20 percent of the world’s primary school-aged children who were out of school, two-thirds of them are girls. Even though the numbers of children out of school were brought down to about 120 million worldwide by the year 2000, most of these, about 70 million were girls. In Nigeria, a 12 percent gender difference in primary Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) was recorded in 2001 compared to 7% in 1990. Also, of about 3.9 million primary school-aged children that are out of school, 71 percent are girls. “Today there are more children than ever in the world’s primary schools but the majority of those who are not are still girls”, UNICEF said.

The Nigerian scenario is very peculiar with girls more likely to be in the school in the southern part than in the northern part. Part of the reason is because of the high prevalence of early marriage and poverty in the north compared to the south. A girl child in the north is by far more likely to be married off before age 18 than her counterpart in the south. This has resulted in great imbalance in the life of women in the two regions. An average married woman in the south has at least a basic education. She is married at a later age and has fewer children. She sends her kids to school and is likely to have more access to reproductive health care, lives a healthy life and has a very high potential of reproducing healthy and educated children. Her counterpart in the north is less likely to achieve that. She is married before age 15 with little or no education. She has more children and has more chances of dying as a result of complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Her children are not likely to benefit from basic education because she herself never received one and therefore cannot know or cherish the importance of education. She is also more likely to live unhealthy life due to the accumulation of stresses of pregnancy and childbirth and would eventually reproduce unhealthy and uneducated children. This is in compliance with the fact that poverty begets poverty; and the cycle continues.

The former President of Nigerian, Olusegun Obasanjo in an address to commemorate the 2005 Children’s Day, blamed the diverse nature of Nigerian society and its different socio-cultural beliefs as being a cog in the wheel of streamlining the opportunities of the girl child. “The girl child is often faced with discriminations from the early stages of her life. She is assigned roles in the home that are gender discriminatory, and further confronted with social and cultural obstacles to her future life such as early marriage and genital mutilation”, he said. “In many cases, girls that are educated are carefully and deliberately guided away from professions that are male dominated. The result is that many girls and women slip into the margins of national development activities”, he added.

According to experts other factors responsible for early marriage and drop out of the girl child from the school especially in the northern part of the country has been traced to poverty, parental desire to ensure sexual relationship within marriage, a lack of educational or employment opportunities for girls, the sense that girls’ main value is as wives and mothers and dowry systems. Findings also suggest that the most important and biggest factor discouraging parents from sending girls to school is the fear of high rate of physical and sexual harassment women face in some societies. As a result some parents would rather keep their children at home or just marry them off at a young age rather than have them defiled. “This aptly describes the situation in northern Nigeria, where for religious and cultural reasons, girls are not allowed to go to school at all or at most not beyond the elementary”, said a woman from the region who does not want her name in the press.

Also in some cultures parents still believe that women education ends in the kitchen and since it ends in the kitchen it would be pointless sending them to school in the first place. In relation to that they also believe that educating a girl is not important and very useless since a man would later come to marry her off with her education. As a result they would prefer sending their male child to school leaving the girl child as ‘burden’ that would eventually be disposed of. UNICEF quoted a 15 year old Indian girl as saying: “I had never been to school before because my father didn’t think girls should be educated. Even my mother thought the same; she never went to school either. My brothers went to school because they would become ‘working hands’. My father said I would just get married”. One writer put it this way: “In relation to the above point is the weak position of women in the society. Girls have very limited control over their futures that they are often forced to drop out of school for one reason or the other or forced into early marriage. To put it succinctly, girls are made to “make sacrifices” for other family members at their own peril”.

The issue of security is also another reason the girl child is denied access to basic education. In times of emergency, the girl child is more likely to be withdrawn from the school than her male counterpart. During these emergencies they are naturally prone to sexual abuse and unequal access to schooling especially in countries without security or in conflict. According to DFID, 37 million children that are not in primary school globally of which majority are girls, reside in fragile states. The war torn Sudan has one of the lowest girls’ enrolment rates in the world. Worried by this ugly scenario and the dwindling enrolment of the girl child in the school, experts believe that young girls in the developing world who are denied education due to early marriage and other factors are denied much of what their young colleagues elsewhere take for granted. These include good education, good health and access to basic healthcare and economic opportunities and the right to associate with their peer.

DFID was of the opinion that education makes an enormous difference to a woman’s chances of finding a well paid job, raising a healthy family and preventing the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS. “Women with at least a basic education are much less likely to be poor proving that girls with one extra year of schooling beyond the average can boost their eventual wages by 10 to 20 per cent. Also, an infant born to an educated woman is much likely to survive until adulthood”, said UNICEF. It has also been established that in the sub-Saharan Africa children of mothers who receive at least five years of primary education are 40 per cent more likely to live beyond age five while an educated woman is 50 per cent more likely to have her children immunised against childhood diseases. For instance an interview conducted by the Guardian Newspapers of Nigeria in Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State during the state National Immunisation Days Campaign revealed that majority of mothers who came to immunise their wards and children are literate. One of the mothers Hajia Fatima Abubakar said that it has been her tradition to immunise all her children at the appropriate time. She told the Guardian that being a literate woman she knows the importance of immunisation to children. “Though am not a graduate, am educated enough to know the importance of immunisation. Every reasonable mother knows the importance of immunisation in fighting the childhood killer diseases. Because of my children happy future, I owe them a duty to immunise them today. I think it is only illiterate mothers who will believe any story they hear and refuse to immunise their children”, she said.

Stakeholders have also passed a verdict that it is no more in doubt that early marriage almost inevitably disrupts education of the girl child and reduces her chances for future independence through work. They were of the opinion that married girls are rarely found in schools and girls who are not in school rarely have much contact with their peers or people outside their families. The implication is that she will lack the necessary interaction and experience that will carry her to the future as a mother. The consequences of early marriage for adolescent girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights are significant. Their exposure to Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV and AIDS is very high compared with their counterparts who are educated and married later. Young uneducated married girls are generally unable to negotiate the use of contraceptives or to refuse sexual relations and are more likely to be married to older men with more sexual experience who are more likely than single men to be HIV positive. Indeed recent research sponsored by the United Nations Children Fund indicates that young uneducated married girls are more likely to be HIV positive than their educated unmarried counterparts.

It is also an established fact that young uneducated married girls often cannot seek health care without the permission of their husbands or other family members, generally cannot pay for health care independently and may experience periods of depression. Husbands and families also apply pressure on young wives to have a child soon after marriage thereby increasing their risk of maternal death or injury and hampering efforts to prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV and AIDS through regular use of the contraceptives. Experts are therefore unanimous in their conclusion that such early childbirth often goes hand in hand with high rates of poverty, lower levels of education, less mobility and fewer attended births which has been linked to high maternal mortality rate amongst young mothers.

In addition, young uneducated girls’ relative lack of power is often linked to violence in marriage which is associated with unwanted pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Young brides have very little ability to leave abusive partners and many live in isolation with little chance to secure social or legal support to remedy their situation. While on tour of the three southern states of Edo, Delta and Akwa Ibom, the former Nigerian Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Inna Maryam Ciroma told the stakeholders in the states that quality education targeted at girls and women, could be the most powerful weapon in the nations quest for socio-economic development and fight against poverty. The contribution of girls' education, she told Obong Victor Attah, the former Governor of Akwa Ibom State could as well directly lead to sustainable development saying that it has been established that educating girls and women is the single most important investment that yields maximum returns for development of any nation. She also told James Ibori, the former Governor of Delta State that educated women are more likely to become better income generators thereby increasing their economic power. She was strongly of the opinion that education of girls goes with decrease in maternal and infant mortality rates while children of educated women have a higher probability of getting good education, which increases their knowledge towards socio-political development of society. Ciroma also addressing Lucky Igbinedion, the former Governor of Edo State posited that the positive gains of educating the girl child are enormous and therefore opined that it was because of the enormity of the gains that world leaders at the Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal agreed to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education and achieve gender equality in education by 2015.

“It is also within the same context that, two out of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end world poverty, have laid emphasis on Education for All and especially the girl-child”, she said.

Playing God With The Rights Of The Girl Child

2010-05-04T10:51:00.001+01:00

Almost two decades after the passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and six years after its domestication in Nigeria, some of the federating states especially the northern states are still reluctant to pass the Convention into law. In the north of Nigeria where the Convention received the stiffest opposition on the grounds of religion, the atmosphere is still looking gloomy for the future of the children especially for the girl child. Nigeria is a federation of 30 states and one Federal Capital Territory and by the provisions of the terms of the federation the states are allowed to review the Convention and adapt it to their cultural and religious milieu or to reject it entirely. The Nigerian population is basically divided along two lines of the north and south. The north is predominately Islam hence the huge success of the boycott called by the Council of Ulamas there against the legalisation of the Convention in the region. The reason behind this is religious. Recently some Council of Ulamas-Muslim scholars well versed in Islam and Sharia legal system-in the north asked their governments to boycott the Convention citing some provisions that they claimed ran contrary to Islamic faith and the Sharia legal system as their reason.

Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or interferes with the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. Contrary to these provisions, children in the north are engaged in works that are exploitative and hazardous. It is estimated that about 8 million Nigerian children are trapped in child labour and child trafficking. This situation has worsened as poverty continues to deepen. Lately the Nigerian government committed huge human and financial resources on education and awareness programme to persuade the states to pass the Convention into law to safeguard the future and the welfare of the children. The efforts made so far proved abortive and the more the campaign gathers momentum, the more it is opposed.

One of the specific provisions in the Convention responsible for this huge negative reaction is that which prohibits the marriage of girls below the age of 18, a trend very common in the north that girls as young as 13 are forced in the name of religion to marry men old enough to be their fathers. Amongst some of the northern Muslims, it is erroneously believed that if a girl does not marry earlier than 18, she will not be able to have more than two children. They also hold the view that those girls who marry after the age of 18 are certain to reach their menopause early. The only safeguard against this early menopause is early marriage. This view is contrary to recent medical studies and findings that put the menopausal age on the average from 45 and above and with recent developments in the field of gynaecology, the claim is unfounded. Those who hold this belief also conjecture that it is a ploy to introduce western standards with the ultimate aim of reducing the Muslim population.

Due to high rate poverty and illiteracy, it is very easy for beliefs like these to sink deeply into the bone marrows of the unsuspecting people. Families are usually poor and an early marriage could be a step out of poverty and the north being a patriarchal and Muslim stronghold, the girl child has no stake in her future. She is expected to obey the dictates of the parents especially that of the father. Compounding the whole problem is the fact that sex education is a taboo not only in the north but also in the whole country. Nigeria does not allow the teaching of sex education in the schools. Beside the ban on sex education, the religious dimension of the drama is also complicating the issue the more. In Islam, the Koran is considered an active word of God; consequently the interpretations of the Koran and injunctions of the Muslim theologians like the Ulamas must be obeyed. There is no room for reasoning the Koran. It must be swallowed hook, line and sinker. Against this backdrop, the ongoing boycott of the passage of the Convention in the north, encouraged by the Council of Ulamas are viewed from a theological angle, considered very strong and fanatically obeyed.

Part of the reason why the prohibition of early marriage was introduced in the Convention and supported by the version domesticated in Nigeria is because of series of surveys that linked the high rate of Vesico-vagina Fistulae (VVF) and Recto-vagina Fistulae to early marriage and teenage pregnancy. Approximately 80% of fistulae cases reported in Nigeria are due to unrelieved obstructed labour during childbirth. Most of these cases are in the north. Obstructed labour is directly related to the custom of early marriage predominant amongst the Muslim north. These marriages as noted earlier usually take place before the age of 18 and sometimes before the onset of menstruation, as early as 11 years old. Early marriage invariably leads to early sexual contact and subsequent pregnancy at a time when a young girl is not adequately physically developed to permit the passage of a baby with relative ease. This can lead to a prolonged and obstructed labour and damage leading to the misery of fistulae.

Early marriage can also disrupt the education of the girl child which is the leading factor responsible for the high rate of poverty and illiteracy in the north. With early marriage there is a likelihood of passing on poverty to a child and since the mother herself is not literate, she is not likely to send her children to school having not known the value of education herself. This is a major contributor to the endless cycle of poverty and illiteracy predominant in the north. In the 10 years between the drafting of the domesticated version of the Convention and its enactment in 2003, it was subjected to several reviews by the Muslim Ulamas and Christian leaders. This was done to ensure not only a level playing ground but to guard against any part of the Convention violating any religious belief. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights-civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18, often need special care and protection that adults do not. They also wanted to make sure that the world is aware that children have human rights too.

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care, education, legal, civil and social services.

By agreeing to accept the obligations of the Convention by ratifying it, national governments committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. State parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.

Homophobia: A Threat To The Achievements Of Human Rights And Civilisation!

2010-05-03T17:33:00.002+01:00

Thirty-seven years after a giant move was made to remove homosexuality from a book that listed it as a mental and emotional disorder, homophobia, homophobic attacks and homophobic laws aimed at stifling the human rights of the homosexuals are sadly still on the increase. It was a very controversial move and that move nearly broke the back of the American Psychiatric Association; the body that made the move of removing it from its official manual that lists mental and emotional disorders. It was in 1973 and two years after that another controversy ensued when the American Psychological Association followed suit by passing a resolution to support the removal. In 1990, the World Health Organisation made a similar move by urging all mental health professionals to help dispel the stigma of mental illness that some people still associate with homosexual orientation. Sadly, despite all these developments many countries still consider homosexuality as a form of disorder punishable with various forms of punishment including imprisonment, persecution, torture, lynching, and death penalty. For instance, according to issue 155 of May/June 2009 edition of the 'Amnesty Magazine', "At least 25 boys and men are reported to have been killed in Baghdad this year because they were or were perceived to be gay. The killings are said to have been carried out by armed Shi'a militiamen and by members of the tribes and families of the victims".

Under Saddam Hussein's regime homosexuality was criminalised in 2001. However, there were no recorded executions or imprisonments. It is only in recent years that militias have sought and murdered gays and lesbians in Iraq. In the neighbouring Iran which is a theocratic state the story looks scarier. Homan, an Iranian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender exile group, estimated that around 4,000 people were executed for homosexuality from 1979-1990 alone. The figure for 1990-2010, though not officially released is feared to be higher. Following the Iranian revolution of 1979 a very large number were either executed or lynched without trial. Those killed reportedly included foreign visitors including gay activists from the Lavender Crescent Society in San Francisco who were taken from the airport in Tehran shortly after their arrival and summarily shot dead. In the early 1980s, an attempt to set up a gay organisation in the country led to 70 executions. In 1992, about 100 gay people were sentenced to death following one raid on one private party.

During this period, it is very common to see in the media images of gay and bisexual men hanging from trees. Executions of lesbians took place as well. The executions were carried out with impunity to the extent that additional ‘smokescreen' charges, such as rape and kidnap, were rarely made, probably because there was very little international interest or protest at these widespread killings of homosexuals. Since the world did not care much about the execution of homosexuals in those days, the tyrants in Tehran felt no need to disguise their actions and motives. If the scenario is bloodcurdling and could be understood because of the status of Iran as an Islamic and theocratic state, then what happens in the democratic Jamaica would certainly make a person to feel sick. In Jamaica, homosexuals are extra judicially beaten, lynched and often murdered. The story of a young man called Brian summarises the treatment being meted out to homosexuals in Jamaica on daily basis. These days he wears sunglasses to hide his left eye damaged, he claimed, by kicks and blows with a board from a Jamaican reggae star Buju Banton. Brian is gay and Banton is an avowed homophobe whose song ‘Boom Bye-Bye’ decrees that gays "haffi dead" (have to die). In June 2004, Brian claimed that Banton and some of his thugs burst into his house near Banton's Kingston recording studio and ferociously beat him and five other men. After complaints from international human rights groups, Banton was finally charged but couple of months later a judge dismissed the case for lack of evidence. It was a bitter decision for Brian, who lost his landscaping business after the attack. This is not an isolated case; in fact it is one amongst many. Few years back, two of the island's most prominent gay activists Brian Williamson and Steve Harvey, were murdered and a crowd celebrated over Williamson's mutilated body. This did not happen in Iran or Saudi Arabia but in Jamaica in the Caribbean. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that many anti-gay assaults have been acts of mob violence. In 2004, a teen was almost killed when his father learned he was gay and invited a group to lynch the boy at his school. Months later, witnesses accused the police of aiding and abetting another mob that stabbed and stoned a gay man to death in Montego Bay. And recently a man from Kingston, Nokia Cowan, drowned after a crowd shouting ‘batty boy’ (Jamaican word for homosexual) chased him off a pier.

"Jamaica is the worst any of us has ever seen," says Rebecca Schleifer of the US-based Human Rights Watch and author of a scathing report on the island's anti-gay hostility.

Jamaica may be the worst offender, but much of the rest of the Caribbean also has a long history of passionate homophobia. Islands like Barbados still criminalize homosexuality and some seem to be following Jamaica's more violent example. Recently two American CBS News producers were beaten with tire irons by a gay-bashing mob while on holidays in the Caribbean Island of Saint Martin. One of the victims, Ryan Smith, was airlifted to a Miami hospital, where he received an intensive care as a result of a fractured skull. Gay-rights activists attribute the scourge of homophobia in Jamaica largely to the country's increasingly thuggish reggae music scene spiced with gangsterism. Buju Banton is an epitome of this culture. One of his first hits, 1992's ‘Boom Bye-Bye’, boasts of shooting gays with Uzis and burning their skin with acid "like an old tire wheel." Another artist, Elephant Man declares in one song, "When you hear a lesbian getting raped/ it’s not our fault...Two women in bed/ that’s two Sodomites who should be dead." As if there is no end to this, yet another artist called Bounty Killer urged his fans and listeners to burn "Mister Fagoty" and make him "wince in agony."

Reggae's anti-gay rhetoric is also deep in the country's politics. Jamaica's major political parties have passed some of the world's toughest homophobic laws and regularly incorporate homophobic music in their campaigns. "The view that results," says Jamaican human-rights lawyer Philip Dayle, "is that a homosexual isn't just an undesirable but an unapprehended criminal."

In Nigeria, the biggest black nation on earth, the story is also the same. Despite having had her own fair share of the evil of homophobia in 1998, Nigeria is yet to learn a lesson. It is fast becoming the homophobic capital of Africa. Justin Fashanu was a Nigerian-English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. His transfer to Nottingham Forest in 1981 made him the first £1m black footballer. In 1990 Fashanu encountered hostility after becoming the first prominent footballer to identify himself publicly as homosexual. In May 1998 he committed suicide as a result of the ugly homophobic reception he received including public rejection by his own blood brother, John Fashanu. Despite the wide publicity the ugly incident generated, the Nigerian National Assembly recently initiated what has been described as the toughest homophobic bill in Africa; an achievement that was only recently toppled by the Ugandan Kill-The-Gay Bill. If the Nigerian homophobic bill had made it into law, it would have handed out a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment on same-sex couples, those engaging in same-sex wedding ceremonies, as well as on those who perform such services and attendees. Homosexual acts between consenting adults are already illegal in Nigeria under a penal code that dates to the British colonial period. The bill's vague and dangerous prohibition on any public or private show of a "same sex amorous relationship" which could be construed to cover having dinner with someone of the same sex would open any known or suspected gay man or lesbian to the threat of arrest at almost any time. The bill also criminalizes all forms of political organizing on behalf of gay rights. In a country with a high rate of HIV and AIDS, the ban on holding any meetings related to gay rights could make it impossible for medical workers to counsel homosexuals on safe sex practices or for specially-tailored medical care to be delivered to homosexuals. Efforts to pass the bill last year met a stumbling block partly because of strong condemnation from the United States and the European Union. It was however recently revived.

If the Nigerian scenario is too bad, in the neighbouring Senegal-the only West African country to have had democracy since independence-it is certainly barbaric and heartbreaking. To the long list of abuse meted out to suspected homosexuals in Africa, Senegal has added a new form of degradation; the desecration of their bodies after burial. In the past two years, at least four men suspected of being gay have been exhumed by angry mobs in cemeteries in Senegal. The violence is especially shocking because Senegal, unlike other countries in the region, is considered a model of democracy and tolerance. Even though homosexuality is illegal in Senegal, colonial documents indicated that the country has long had a clandestine gay community. In many towns, they were tacitly accepted, says Cheikh Ibrahima Niang, a professor of social anthropology at Senegal's largest university. In fact, the visibility of gays in Senegal may have helped to prompt the backlash against them. The latest victim of this barbarism is a young man named Madieye Diallo. Madieye Diallo's body had only been buried for a few hours when the mob descended on the weedy cemetery with shovels. They exhumed the corpse, dragged it away and dumped it in front of the home of his elderly parents. The scene of May 2, 2009 was filmed on a cell phone and the video sold at the market. It passed from phone to phone, sowing panic among gay men who say they now feel like hunted animals.

In the United Kingdom, the fight against homophobia has gone a long way but unfortunately there are still some pockets of homophobic incidents here and there including in some government quarters especially in the nation’s asylum system. “Britain’s asylum system is homophobic. The Home Office is refusing asylum to genuine lesbian and gay refugees and sending them back to countries where they are at risk of arrest, imprisonment, torture and even execution,” said Peter Tatchell of the gay human rights group OutRage! “The government seems more interested in cutting asylum numbers than in ensuring a fair, just and compassionate asylum system. It is failing gay refugees who have fled savage persecution, including death squads, vigilante attacks and attempted so-called honour killings,” he added.

The United States of America does not have a good picture ether. Despite the fact that five states have successfully legalised gay partnership in the past couple of years, homophobia regrettably, is still on the increase. It is still taking ages to repeal the controversial ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy that forbids openly gay men from serving in the United States Army. And recently, in the State of California, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints otherwise called the Mormons played a very pivotal homophobic role in the successful passage of a piece of legislation called ‘Proposition 8’. The ‘Proposition 8’ upturned the State’s Supreme Court ruling legalising gay marriage. In a letter dated June 29, 2008, Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City told the church members to work hard to pass Proposition 8 in California. Members of the Mormon Church contributed a whopping $8 million to the "Yes on 8" campaign to pass a ballot measure that removed basic civil rights from the state constitution. But the homosexual members of the church are not immuned from the stress of homophobia. The alienation felt by this group was highlighted in 2000 when one of them, 32-year old Stuart Matis committed suicide on the steps of the Mormon’s church in Los Altos, California, over the church treatment of gays, lesbians and bisexuals. This scenario echoes a similar incident in the Vatican when Alfredo Ormando, a 40-year-old gay man from Palermo, Sicily, set himself on fire in St. Peter's on Jan. 13, 1998. He died of his injuries 10 days later. In his suicide note, Ormando wrote at length of how he felt rejected by the church and the pain it had caused him. To many, he has become a symbol of what they see as the intolerance of Italian society and the Roman Catholic Church.

The story continues with no end in sight. As of December 2008, homosexuality was illegal in 80 countries and punishable by death in seven including Nigeria. In its 1994 decision in Toonen v. Australia, the UN Human Rights Committee, which is responsible for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, declared that such laws are in violation of human rights. Also the Principle 21 of the Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Says that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and that these rights may not be invoked by the State to justify laws, policies or practices which deny equal protection of the law, or discriminate, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is purely against this backdrop that the 34 member countries of the Organization of American States in 1998 unanimously approved a declaration affirming that human rights protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity.

With Panama decriminalising homosexuality in 2008 and Burundi for the first time in its history criminalising it in 2009, the world now counts 80 countries with State-sponsored homophobic laws. Seventy-two countries and three entities (Turkish-occupied North Cyprus, Gaza and Cook Islands) punish consenting adults with imprisonment, while five countries (Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen and parts of Nigeria and Somalia) punish them with death penalty. As a result of the ugly dimension homophobia is taking there was a meeting recently between the French Minister of Human Rights and Foreign Affairs Rama Yade and Louis George Tin, the founder of the International Day Against Homophobia. At the end of the meeting, Yade announced that she would be appealing at the UN for the universal decriminalization of homosexuality. The appeal was quickly taken up as an international concern. Co-sponsored by France, which then was holding the presidency of the European Union, and The Netherlands on behalf of the European Union, the declaration had been intended as a resolution but later changed to use the format of a declaration because there was not enough support for an official resolution. The declaration was read out by Ambassador Jorge Argüello of Argentina on December 18, 2008, and was the first declaration concerning gay, lesbian and bisexual rights to be read in the General Assembly of the United Nations. The declaration condemned violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also condemned killings, executions, torture, arbitrary arrest, persecution and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Puzzle Over A Strange Illness

2009-06-19T03:54:00.003+01:00

As the date for the yearly promotional examination of the students of the Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC) Bwari in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria draws near, one question that will not cease to give the authorities of the school sleepless nights is how many of such students would be available for the examinations.

Going by the notice placed on the school’s main gate, any student who fails to be part of the examinations will have himself to blame. The school located on the hilly side of Bwari-almost 45 minutes from the city centre-has been in the news for the past three weeks. No thanks to the strange illness that has afflicted the students and to which even the federal government appears incapable of finding a solution to. As a result of the severity of the disease, parents have been forced to quickly withdraw their wards, albeit temporarily to allow for proper investigation, thorough check-up and appropriate medications.

Although the Federal Ministries of Health and Education have explained the strange illness as ‘Mass Adolescent Hysteria’, parents and indeed, many Nigerians appear unimpressed with the official response to what should otherwise be an emergency situation. For example, many are left wondering why it took the authorities a long time to respond to the situation considering the fact that more than half of the students population live within the school’s premises and could have come from other parts of the country.

Not even the visits of the two ministers in the Education Ministry, Prof. Fabian Osuji and Hajia Bintu Ibrahim Musa to the school could help unravel the circumstances behind the illness.

In the early part of last month, information got round that young girls affected by the disease had joint pains and could not walk about freely as their legs shake and wobble. Though the school authorities swept the strange illness under the carpet, it became apparent that the worrying parents who were left to cater for their children could no longer keep sealed lips over the ‘alleged official negligence’ and they started trooping into the school to register their displeasure.

One of the parents pointedly accused the school management of not doing enough to contain the spread of the ailment, a charge the school’s principal, Hajia Bunmi Jamila Gold firmly denied, saying the management had taken all necessary measures to contain it. But it appears that the more officials try to cover up the story of the illness, the more it comes out. More students were being taken home by their guardians, thereby giving a lie to the official claims.

For example, when the principal conducted the Minister of State for Education round the affected students lately, she was confident that in a question of days, the ailment would be contained. She had identified it as mere fever. Perhaps, it was the same optimism that informed the submission by her visitor on the national television that she was satisfied with the steps taken so far.

According to her, “The staff and students are co-operating, so I am satisfied with the steps taken so far”. But despite the assurances by the minister that all would be well, the contrary seemed to be the case prompting another visit to the school last week of Professor Osuji to see things himself.

After he had been conducted round by the principal, Osuji told reporters that “the reports we gathered from the director of public health and chief epidemiologist, both of the Federal Ministry of Health confirmed that the sample they took from here did not indicate any viral or bacterial illness. In other words, there was no medical reason for any condition to exist. They said that what they could identify was what they described as mass hysteria among the children and such a condition could exist during examination or during conditions of stress. So in any case, they could not label any disease.

“Moreover, as the children who suffer from such syndrome get well after taking Vitamin C complex and Paractamol, we are glad that whatever it was, the condition no longer exists”.

Justifying his position, the Minister claimed he had been dealing with students for a long time and ‘I know that during examinations it does happen everywhere”. Some of the parents were quick to disagree pointing out that the students of the 10-year old institution had been preparing and taking examinations for about ten years now. Therefore this particular case must have something behind it.

Asked what he thought the ministry could do to prevent a recurrence, Osuji said, “how would you prevent a disease if it is not a disease or if it is not a medical condition? That is what is said, how can I take steps to prevent it. I am telling you that I can only work with what doctors say. If they tell us that there is an infection here, or a bacterial condition or an epidemic, we will have cause to review our reaction. We can even go as far as asking the Federal Ministry of Health to examine whatever steps necessary to prevent the recurrence”.

For now Osuji said the government was not contemplating closing down the institution as being demanded by some parents because according to him, the situation had not warranted that kind of extreme measure. He believed that closing down the school at this time could create unnecessary fear and panic in the minds of the students and their parents.

Funke Adedoyin, the Minister of State for Health also attributed the condition to ‘mass hysteria’ while speaking with newsmen in Abuja recently blaming the strange ailment on a symptomatic disorder.

She gave the medical name as ‘discriminative disorder’, claiming that it was discovered after a clinical analysis of the ailment. She however added that the result she gave was a preliminary outcome, saying the ministry would not rely solely on the result of the clinical analysis in the process of finding solutions to the problem.

According to her, the ministry was awaiting the outcome of the epidemiological analysis of the ailment before drawing conclusions on the causes of the health problem. She expressed optimism that whatever results that came out of the clinical analysis would be confirmed or supported by the result of the analysis of the ailment done outside the country.

While the final word is being awaited, an independent observation of the environment made shocking revelations.

One fact both the government and the school authorities do not seem to be addressing is the area of congestion, coupled with poor sanitary conditions in the hostels. For instance, a parent who visited one of the hostels at the peak of the crisis gave a vivid account of the state of congestion in the hostel. She cited instances where two students share the upper bunk of the bed that was ordinarily meant for a student.

This is not peculiar to the school. It is a condition that replicates itself in virtually all the 102 unity schools spread across the country. The Minister of Education while giving his yearly press briefing in Abuja recently admitted as much and blamed it on the pressure on those institutions.

The good news, however is that the government has realised the danger of young persons studying under such conditions. According to the minister, government has concluded plans to inject funds for the massive rehabilitation of all unity schools throughout the country. Specifically he announced that about N4 billion would be expended on these schools in the current session. This is in addition to the promised improvement on feeding and other overhead costs.

Parents have not completely joined the government in shouting freedom. Consequently some of them have adopted a wiser approach of temporarily withdrawing their wards from the boarding houses. A student of the college confirmed that most of her colleagues would prefer for now to be coming from home.

“We are still afraid of coming back to the dormitory. Most of us now come from home. Though my own case is different since my parents stay here in Bwari but those residing outside Bwari town find it difficult and they are being forced to come to school once in a while”, she said.

Asked if the story about poor sick bay was correct, she said, “Well I have not been there before and I don’t intend to go there since most of my friends who have been often complain of dirty environment, lack of drugs and sub-standard drugs where available”.

Mrs. Philomena Obadawe whose daughter is in the school said her daughter still goes to school from home until everything about the epidemic is rested. Though her daughter was not affected by the disease, she insisted that her girl would not return to the hostel until the situation is medically certified.

“My daughter is not affected but she is still coming from home due to the fear of recurrence of the epidemic and would continue like that until the Federal Ministry of Health confirms the situation normal”.

She would rather her daughter loses a session than losing her out rightly stressing that life of her daughter is more important.

The Chief Medical Director of Wuse General Hospital where some of the students were initially admitted, Dr. Anthony Momoh, confirmed that some of the students of FGGC Bwari were brought into the hospital. He said nine of them were admitted.

“Yes, about nine of the students were admitted here. Six were admitted initially and later another three making it nine in all”, he said.

Asked what the cause of the epidemic was, he replied that he did not know but when asked how he began to treat patients without knowing the cause of their ailment, he said, “Well, we did physiotherapy and administered drugs on them. Actually, we treated them for shaking and wobbling legs which was the major symptom of the epidemic”.

Dr. Momoh also added that the affected students were certified healed before they left the hospital, though there was no post medical examination to monitor their progress and response to the treatment. But situations on ground still indicate that it is not yet safe in FGGC Bwari as a notice posted on the school main gate reads:

• Any boarding student who is still experiencing wobbling and shaking legs is free to be coming from her home.

• Students are also reminded that promotional examination comes up on July 9, 2004

• Any student who fails to be part of this examination will have herself to blame.

Edo Kerosene Blast Victims Need Justice

2009-06-18T15:25:00.001+01:00

They were a grisly sight to behold. Eyes popping out of burnt sockets. One woman had no arms and her neck was half gone. Others had their skin burnt black.

There were more like actors in a horror movie only this time the barely claded victims were victims of the 2001 kerosene explosions in Edo State, Nigeria. The presence of the 22 badly burnt victims foisted a graveyard silence in the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja.

Most pathetic of the sights were nine children who had much of their arms and legs shrivelled by the burns. The mammary glands of some of the once beautiful women were gone. Their spokesman and a member of a non-governmental organisation Lifetag shocked his audience when he announced that only 23 million was needed to conduct plastic surgery on the victims.

The petroleum product was said to have been certified and piped as kerosene (DPK) and supplied by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Benin City. About 2000 people were affected, with more than 300 deaths and another reasonable number with varying degrees of burns beside the loss of their property.

At a press conference in Abuja over the incident, the joint body of Kerosene Fire Victims Welfare Association (KEVA), Women/Child Kerosene Fire Victims Welfare Association (WOKEVA) and Lifetag said they were prompted into making their stand known because of the ‘recent propaganda by agents of Edo State Government that it had brought a team of surgeons from the United States of America to undertake reconstructive surgery’ on the victims.

The Executive Director of Lifetag, Mr. Tony Erha, said “it’s another attempt by the Edo State government to mislead the public into believing that the plight of these victims is being looked into. It is another decoy to undermine the genuine efforts now being put in place by the public to us, where Edo State government has failed so woefully”.

He questioned the competence of Igbinedion Hospital Okada to carry out such complex operation on so many people within the given time.

He said, “If it could take a fairly burnt victim an average of three months to undergo a fairly successful surgery in the advanced world with its advanced medical facilities and expertise, how come that the Igbinedion Hospital Okada could perform such a feat given the deplorable facilities and low morale, within so short as two-week duration?”

Erha said the coalition had taken their case to court to seek justice and restitution for the neglect that they are suffering as a result of the government’s indifference.

The petition reads in part: “Unfortunately, four years after the horrific explosion, we have been neglected to our own peril, as mere palliative or nothing was given to the victims as succour, from the concerned authorities. Most of us, victims still have festering sores and bizarre disfigurement, rendered homeless; as we now live unhealthy and abnormal lives. Dying by instalments is now our unfortunate fate. Where succour is expected, there is an abundant lack of dire medical and social needs.

“To stay alive, some of the victims now resort to begging for alms under unbearable and dehumanising conditions. Victims are mostly vulnerable children and women, amongst the underclass of the Nigerian society. Most of the child victims have been thrown out of school hence their parents can no longer endure it and they are denied enrolment because of their monstrous look, which scares other pupils away.

“Even though the NNPC was variously indicted by the investigation committees into the matter, such as those of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the NNPC headquarters Abuja, the House of Representative Committee on Petroleum Resources and the judicial commission of inquiry established by Edo State government, the NNPC has not deemed it fit to adequately rehabilitate and compensate us the victims. This is more so that the NNPC itself had belatedly admitted to being the cause and/or partial cause of the explosion. It has also reneged on an earlier promise to establish a Kerosene Victims Burns Trust Fund, for the Edo victims and others in the country”.

It went on: “But the uncomplimentary actions and inactions of the agents of Edo State government, led by Luck Igbinedion, is our greatest undoing and it has thwarted our efforts to getting the adequate assuagement from the NNPC. Our prayer therefore is for you to carry out full investigations on the understated and act accordingly:

• The shocking revelation by Governor Igbinedion and those concerned top officials of his government, some years after, that a paltry charitable sum of about N15.4 million, which he admitted was all donations which had poured in, was trapped in the failed Savannah Bank Benin City branch where the Edo government said it had lodged it. This is against the background that Edo government only acted as a trustee for the explosion victims, over these funds, which ought to have been instantly deployed to ameliorate the critical conditions of the victims;

• The illicit contract of a plastic surgery exercise by Governor Igbinedion and Mr. Ovbiagele to one Miss Modupe Ozolua (a non-medical expert) with her BEARS Foundation and the Igbinedion Hospital Okada belonging to the governor and his father, Chief Gabriel Osawuru Igbinedion. This was against a genuine outcry of ours and the public;

• Contracted thus at a mind boggling N106 million for each of 50 of the entire 400 victims, who were originally meant to be given the surgery at N26 million. Obviously, by implications, the victims and Edo State are coughing into some private pockets N848 million for surgery in respect of all the 400 victims whereas N822 million would have been saved in the process;

• That some nine months after, the cost of the surgery has risen from N26 million for all the victims to N106 million to each of the 50 victims;

• That Governor Igbinedion, Mr. Ovbiagele and others turned down the safest and best cost-saving offer by the World Health Organisation, Nigeria Country Office, which offered for all the victims’ free surgery abroad. In a letter written to the victims via Access to Justice, one of the their advocates, Edo State government obviously lied that it had years back done the surgery on all the victims;

• That only a very few of the original 2001 kerosene explosion victims(for whom the fund was meant) were actually the beneficiaries of the so-called extensive surgery exercise by BEARS Foundation at Okada Hospital, which indeed turned out to be a skin grafting exercise for all those treated, who were much lesser in number than the original 50. Those who largely benefited from the scandalous exercise were victims of acid burns, natural deformities and others who are relatives of agents of the Edo government;

• Still on the surgery, we also wish to make further request that you look into our N25 million donation from NNPC which Edo State government said it has already made as part payment to Miss Ozolua(BEARS Foundation), including all that transpired in that respect.

According to them, they have lost confidence in the ability and genuineness of the state government to further handle the explosion issues. The victims urged investigation into all the monies which Edo government has so far received in respect of the surgery from the NNPC, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC) and other sources.

“Finally, we are pledging our total support to the efforts to unravel the puzzle of the explosion as we have the necessary documentary and other evidence to buttress our claims”, they said.

The solution according to the victims lies in their restitution and the willingness of the government to intervene and do what is expected given that the innocent women and children are dying in instalments.

Criminal Transmission of HIV/AIDS: The Legal Aspect

2009-06-11T01:51:00.002+01:00

For those living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, preventing others from becoming infected too could be a major source of concern. However not all HIV positive people take the precautions that they should to avoid transmitting the virus to others. Stories of people deliberately and recklessly transmitting the virus to others abound and a good number of them have also been criminally charged and imprisoned for their actions. The latest addition to the scare story is that of a famous German pop singer, Nadja Bernaissa who was arrested recently.

On April 11 2009, Nadja was arrested in Frankfurt, Germany shortly before she was due to give a solo performance, on the allegation of criminal transmission of HIV. Later appearing in the court the presiding judge ruled to have her remanded in custody on the ground that she could repeat the offence. The public prosecutor said the singer was being held because of the ‘urgent suspicion that the accused had unprotected sexual intercourse with three people in the years 2004 and 2006 without telling them beforehand that she was HIV positive’. She could face up to 10 years in prison under German law if found guilty.

This case is not a peculiar one. Couple of months earlier a court in Victoria, Australia sent a man to prison for 18 years on the ground of intentional and reckless transmission of HIV. Michael Neal, 50, of Coburg, was found guilty by a county court jury on 15 counts, including two of rape and eight of trying to infect another person with HIV. The court heard that Neal arranged ‘conversion parties’ and had unprotected sex without revealing he had HIV. County Court judge David Parsons jailed him for 18 years and nine months saying his offending behaviour continued up until his arrest despite repeated warnings from health authorities.

In Miami, Florida a man was arrested and charged for having sex with a woman without disclosing his serostatus to his partner. Miguel Barrie, 37 was charged under Florida ‘Fla. Stat. Ann. § 384.24(2)’ law which states that ‘It is unlawful for any person who has HIV, with knowledge of such infection and having been informed that he or she may communicate it to others through sexual intercourse, to have sexual intercourse with any other person, unless the other person has been informed of the presence of HIV and has consented to the sexual intercourse’.

In Nigeria, a 29 year-old man from Umuahia, Abia State was recently sentenced to two years in prison for rape and indecent assault charges after raping an eight year-old girl who subsequently tested HIV-positive. Sentencing him the presiding magistrate, Kanu Onuma, observed that the offence was committed last year, while the charge was brought to the court in April 2009. This made it hard for him to sentence the accused on the ground of rape because the law is that rape charges must be brought to court not more than two months after the offence was committed. He therefore sentenced the accused not for rape but for indecent assault and further transmitting HIV to her.

Round the world same stories abound leading many countries into making it a criminal offence for knowingly, intentionally and recklessly transmitting HIV/AIDS to others. Some of these countries went an extra mile in making it very difficult for offenders to plead ignorance. In these countries, the intentional or reckless infection of a person with the virus is considered to be illegal and those found guilty can be charged with either criminal transmission of HIV/AIDS, manslaughter, murder, attempted murder or assault. Some states have enacted laws expressly to criminalize this, as in the United States, while others charge under the existing laws, as in the United Kingdom.

For over 25 years, AIDS has ravaged the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Since the early 1980s, nearly 30 million people have died from AIDS while every effort made so far to get a cure for it has proved futile. However in the last few years a great advancement in the field of research has led to manufacturing of drugs that could enable the victims of the diseases to live healthily and as long as they could. More are still to be done because there is no cure yet.

Testing to know one’s serostatus remains the only way to know if someone is infected or not. As a result most countries have placed the responsibility of knowing their serostatus on the individual and therefore less likely to accept ignorance as a defence in the court of law. Apart from HIV/AIDS, prosecutions are also possible for the transmission of other sexually transmitted infections like hepatitis B and C.

In the United Kingdom particularly in England and Wales the law in use for prosecuting the criminal transmission of the virus is the 1861 Offences Against the Persons Act. In Scotland which has its own unique legal system charges are made under the Scottish Common Law offence of Reckless Injuring. Of course these laws do not specifically mention people living with HIV/AIDS because the virus was only discovered about 25 years ago. However recent judgements, landmark ruling and judicial interpretations especially in England and Wales are in agreement that criminal transmission of HIV/AIDS falls under the 1861 law.

Transmission generally, may fall under Sections 18, 20, 23, 24 or 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861. However, there have been several convictions for the sexual transmission of HIV in England and Wales under Section 20 of the 1861 Act which, inter alia, criminalizes the reckless inflicting of grievous bodily harm. Five of these convictions were of men accused of infecting female partners during sex (including Mohammed Dica, Kouassi Adaye, Feston Konzani, Paulo Matias: three African men, two of whom were asylum seekers and one a refugee, and a migrant from Portugal), one of a man who pleaded guilty to infecting a male partner, and one (in Wales) of a woman who pleaded guilty to infecting a male partner. Another woman, Sarah Jane Porter, was convicted of grievous bodily harm through the reckless transmission of HIV, and was sentenced to 32 months in prison. In the case of Adaye, the defendant had never received a diagnosis of being HIV-positive, but he was charged on the basis that a GP had told him he was at high risk of having HIV.

In only two of the cases were there a 'not guilty' plea, and both went to appeal. In R. v Dica, the Court of Appeal held that a person was reckless if, knowing that they were HIV-positive, he or she transmitted HIV to a person who had not been told of the infection. They acknowledged that there could be a higher standard of disclosure expected of someone in a relationship, compared with the ‘known risks’ involved in casual sex.

In R. v Konzani, the same court held that a person accused of recklessly transmitting HIV could only raise the defence of consent, including an honest belief in consent, in cases where that consent was a ‘willing’ or ‘conscious’ consent. In other words, the court distinguished between ‘willingly running the risk of transmission’ and ‘willingly consenting to the risk of transmission’. This suggests that consent will only operate as a defence-in all but the most exceptional of cases-where there has already been prior disclosure of known HIV-positive status.

Under the 1861 law, there are specifically two possible offences highlighted therein. The first is the offence of reckless transmission as outlined under Section 20 while the second is intentional transmission as outlined under section 18. Therefore the crux of the matter here is that for one to be held liable for criminal transmission of HIV/AIDS in England and Wales, the prosecutors must prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was an intention ab initio on the part of the defendant to transmit the virus intentionally and recklessly.

However since the first person in England and Wales was imprisoned for recklessly transmitting HIV/AIDS to a partner, there has not been a successful prosecution for intentional transmission and part of the reason is that in the court of law, it is often impossible to prove an intention behind any crime unless the defendant suddenly decides to provide the information. This however does not happen often. For intentional transmission to be proved it would need to be shown that the accused actually and maliciously wanted to give the other person the virus. From the nature of this offence nobody may end up being prosecuted for intentional transmission since the circumstance is not only rare but could as well be difficult to prove.

Similarly there is also a possibility of a charge of ‘attempted intentional transmission’ where even in the absence of infection someone can be convicted of trying to infect someone. Again this case has not ever been recorded within the English legal system. On the other hand a good number have been successful prosecuted for reckless transmission as noted at the outset. Under this circumstance however, the prosecutors are also expected to prove that the defendant did in fact infect the complainant, that the defendant was aware of the danger of transmission at the relevant time and that the complainant did not consent to that risk.

The requirement that the prosecutor must prove that the defendant actually infected the complainant is problematic especially in cases where the two parties involved are not faithful. Partners in an open relationship would find it absolutely difficult to prove this first requirement but for those who are faithful to each other, that could be a little easier though often very difficult too since the virus could be transmitted through other means apart from sexual transmission.

However recent advancements in HIV/AIDS studies could solve this problem through a complex scientific test known as Phylogenetic Analysis. Through this process the viruses of both the complainant and defendant are compared. If the two viruses appear to be different then this proves that there was no HIV transmission between the two parties and therefore no crime. If however they appear to be similar, it means that the HIV transmission from the accused to the complainant could possibly have taken place but it does not always prove it. It is still possible the complainant in fact transmitted HIV to the accused or that both were infected by another person or other people sharing the same type of virus.

Usually before the commencement of the court proceedings, an investigation of the past sexual contacts of both parties are ordered, to decide whether it can be proved beyond reasonable doubt that it was the accused and not someone else who infected the complainant. This could be very uncomfortable because not only will your sexual history be exposed, anyone with whom you have had sex before testing HIV positive will have to be contacted and blood samples taken to rule out the possibility that they infected you.

The process can be intrusive and distressing for both the accused and the complainant and since it could be difficult to prove that one person infected another, it may not result in a conviction. This is a very difficult situation and often difficult to prove which is why it has been rare for someone who pleads not guilty to be found guilty of this offence after all.

Besides, where the complainant can prove that he or she was infected by a partner who is HIV positive, the court would also require him or her to prove that there is also either a case of reckless transmission or intentional transmission and that he or she was forced to perform the act that led to the transmission. If the defendant did not use any form of protection during the sex that could be an advantage for the prosecutors since that could be a clear case of reckless transmission. However, a consensual protected sex may not pass as a defence before a judge if the defendant did not disclose his/her serostatus prior to the act.

The reasoning behind this is very simple. It is possible on very few occasions for someone to get HIV even when a condom is used, for example when it slips or breaks, but as long as the condom was being used with good faith in its effectiveness there is no crime. The law is not yet clear as to what to do if you have HIV and you notice that the condom has slipped or broken during sex. However the best thing to do especially for your partner and from the legal perspective is to rush to a sexual health clinic and ask for PEP (Post-exposure prophylaxis) which is a month-long course of treatment capable of halting the transmission of HIV within the first 72 hours of infection.

It is also very possible to hold a person liable for reckless transmission of HIV/AIDS even if the person is not aware he is HIV positive. Under this circumstance, the court is making a case that it is the responsibility of individuals to look after their sexual health and ensure that at all time they are aware of their serostatus since their body belongs to them. This line of argument is not far from the principle of ‘Ignoratia legis non excusiat’, which could be translated under this circumstance to mean that one’s inability to know about their sexual health or serostatus is never an excuse or a ground for leniency in the court of law. The court in this case holds the defendant culpable for being careless with his or her sexual life and as a result recklessly endangering other people’s life.

Things are much easier for the defendant if he can prove to the presiding judge that prior to the sexual act, he informed the complainant of his serostatus or doubt surrounding this. In this case the court is much likely to throw the case away in favour of the defendant since a case of either intentional or reckless transmission cannot be proved.

Nigeria And The Fiscal Threat Of Malaria

2009-06-05T01:17:00.002+01:00

Malaria has infected humans for over 50,000 years and references to the unique periodic fevers of malaria are found throughout recorded history even as far back as 2700 BC in China. The term Malaria probably got its origin from the medieval Italian mala meaning bad and aria meaning air. The combination of the two gives us Malaria which translates to ‘bad air’ in English because by the then it was thought to be as result of bad air. Malaria is also called ague or marsh fever due to its association with swamps and marshland.

It was once common in most of Europe and North America, where it is no longer endemic, though imported cases do occur. Two hundred and twenty five children die every two and half hour in Africa as a result of it. This is not in addition to those infected but eventually killed by something else. The infection is already wrecking a huge havoc in the continent leading the experts to the conclusion that Malaria today poses a greater problem to Africa compared to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Malaria causes about 250 million cases of fever and approximately one million deaths annually. The vast majority of cases occur in children under 5 years old. Pregnant women are also especially vulnerable. Despite efforts to reduce transmission and increase treatment, there has been little change. Indeed, if the prevalence of malaria stays on its present upwards course, the death rate could double in the next twenty years. Precise statistics are unknown because many cases occur in rural areas where people do not have access to hospitals or the means to afford health care. As a consequence, the majority of cases are undocumented.

This situation underscores the place and importance of Roll Back Malaria Campaign undertaken by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a few other organisations. Designed in 1998 and adopted at the Abuja Summit of 2000, the campaign is embarked upon annually to create further awareness on the need to adopt preventive methods and attitudes towards the disease. On April 25, 2000, heads of state and other senior representatives from 44 countries in Africa came together in Abuja to attend the first ever summit on Malaria.

Out of the world’s 300 million reported cases of Malaria, 255 million are said to be found in Africa. Malaria is more endemic in Nigeria than in any other country in Africa. About 60 million people in Nigeria experience malaria attacks twice a year while over 80 percent of the entire population are exposed to the disease.

Malaria a vector-borne disease is widely spread in tropical and subtropical regions. Each year, there are approximately 350–500 million cases of malaria which kills between one and three million people, the majority of whom are young children in Sub-Saharan Africa where ninety percent of malaria-related deaths occur. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, but is also a cause of poverty and a major hindrance to economic development.

It is one of the most common infectious diseases and an enormous public health problem. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Five species of the plasmodium parasite can infect humans of which the most serious forms are caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae causes milder disease in humans that is not generally fatal. A fifth species, Plasmodium knowlesi, causes malaria in Macaques but can also infect humans. This group of human-pathogenic Plasmodium species is usually referred to asmalaria parasites.

Usually, people get malaria from female Anopheles mosquito bite. Only female can transmit malaria, and they must have been infected through a previous blood meal taken on an infected person. When a mosquito bites an infected person, a small amount of blood is taken, which contains microscopic malaria parasites. About one week later, when the mosquito takes its next blood meal, these parasites mix with the mosquito's saliva and are injected into the person being bitten. The parasites multiply within red blood cells leading to illness.

Today Malaria is a devastating scourge in Africa. According to the report of the Roll Back Malaria Summit, while 225 children in Africa die of Malaria within two and half hours, 100 die of AIDS within the same time frame. Similarly, about 2173 children under the age of five die from Malaria daily in Africa. Medical experts are unanimous that Malaria has been the major cause of death in Africa more than any other single disease, even war and famine. The World Health Organisation recently declared Mosquito as “public health enemy No. 1”. Dr. Kazeem Behbehani, Director of the Division for Control of Tropical Diseases at WHO noted that, “malaria as a single disease has a bigger impact on the world than any other thing”.

According to the African Regional Office of the WHO, in areas of high and moderate malaria transmission, the infections in pregnant women contribute to development of severe anaemia in the mother which results in an increase risk of maternal mortality.

Malaria is a drain on developing economies. Former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo noted that Africa loses between $7 billion and $12 billion to it yearly. Professor Jeffrey Sachs of the Harvard Institute of International Development seconding Obasanjo observed that the prevalence of the disease has continued to be a major cause of the underdevelopment in Africa and viewed that until Malaria was effectively tackled; macro-economic policies might continue to fail in addressing the African development crisis.

Toeing the same line of argument, the then USAID/Nigeria Acting Mission Director, Natalia Freeman observed that malaria has remained a major barrier to social and economic development. She noted that Malaria is a primary cause of natal miscarriage, stillbirth and low birth weight in most African countries and reiterated that Malaria accounts for 11 percent of all maternal mortality in Africa.

Another expert, Professor Akin Osibogun of Lagos University Teaching Hospital expressed similar view noting that “Africa would have advanced economically by as much as 32 percent over the present state” but for the scourge of Malaria. Dr. Okokon Ekanem, the President of the Malaria Society of Nigeria, concurred with him adding that about 5000 Malaria infections occur weekly in the country and this impedes the socio-economic development and well-being of the citizenry, causing untold discomfort and loss of valuable man hour.

Common symptoms of Malaria include chills and fever accompanied with fatigue, severe headache and nausea. The disease comes in stages. The first stage causes uncontrollable shivering which lasts for about one to two hours. This is followed by the second stage which is rapid spike in temperature and can be as high as 106F and would last for between three and six hours with an intensive sweat. The symptoms maybe repeated daily and could last for one month.

The best way to control Malaria is being aware of the risk of the disease, avoiding Mosquito bites, taking preventive medicine when one is travelling to disease-prone regions and early diagnosis as well as appropriate treatment. Sleeping in rooms with windows and doors properly screened with gauze and fumigating of the rooms are quite important and vital in avoiding Mosquito bites. The use of Mosquito nets treated with insecticide such as Pyrethrum which is a harmless substance manufactured by extracting Chrysanthemum is highly recommended.

Nevertheless, a bleak story from USAID’s Freeman is that despite the awareness of these methods, only about 10 percent of the vulnerable Nigerians use the net. However it is projected that more than that would use it if it becomes widely available. Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) has been shown to decrease severe Malaria by 45%, reduce premature births by 42% and reduce child mortality and morbidity considerably. By consistently sleeping under an insecticide treated nets, families can protect themselves from Mosquitoes that bite at night.

Eyitayo Lambo, a professor and former Nigerian Minister for Health, noted that the net has been found to be efficacious because “it has been scientifically proven that it is one of the tools needed to roll back this disease”.

The nets reduce transmission and prevent infection and according to an evidence-based research the consistent use of Mosquito nets treated with the appropriate insecticide is effective against Malaria. In the last couple of years Roll Back Malaria partners have made concerted efforts at ensuring that Nigerians especially children under five years have access to effective treatment within 24 hours of infection.

Besides, the use of Mosquito repellent cream containing Diethyltoluamide (DEET) is also recommended as a bite-preventive measure. According to health experts, it has an excellent safety profile in adults, children and pregnant women. However, it is advised that the manufacturers’ warning be followed particularly when it is being applied on infants. Insect repellents containing over 30 percent DEET can effectively repel Mosquitoes when applied to the exposed skin. Refined Lemon Eucalyptus Oil on skin has also been found to be useful since Lemon scent was discovered to protect citrus groves from Mosquitoes.

In Nigeria, at least half the population of adults suffer from at least one episode of Malaria annually while under five years have between three and four relapses yearly. For instance the incidences of Malaria among children under five years across the six geographical zones of the country painted a gloomy picture. In the South-South, it was 32.7% while South-West, South-East, North-Central, North-East and North-West had 36.6%, 30.7%, 58.8%, 55.3% and 33.6% respectively.

Against that background, experts are worried that despite the danger posed by Malaria, it has not been able to receive adequate budgetary allocation of recent to nip it on the bud when compared to other less catastrophic diseases such as HIV and AIDS. About 85 million US dollars is globally spent a year on Malaria research which expert say is just half of the allocation to Asthma research. A recent British study reveals that $3,274 is spent on AIDS research for each fatal case, while only $65 is spent on Malaria for same case.

It was as result of this that the Roll Back Malaria was founded 1998 by the quartet of the World Health Organisation, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Bank. The main objective of the programme is aimed at reducing the preponderance of the disease by half of its current statistic in few years. Various governments, civil societies and multi-nationals are in partnership with the programme including the ExxonMobil, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited (MPN). The upstream subsidiary, Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited with its joint venture partner, NNPC, initiated a robust roll back malaria programme which includes support for the allowances of medical personnel to riverside communities to encourage adequate presence of doctors in highly mosquito-infested areas in Nigeria. The NNPC/MPN joint venture has also facilitated the operation of the New Nigerian Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that is promoting community health service programmes in designated communities in Akwa Ibom and River States of Nigeria.

In line with the Roll Back Malaria campaign, the joint venture has erected educational billboards at strategic locations all over the federation to educate people on the dangers of the diseases. MPN over the years has also focused on the provision and upgrading of health facilities in hospitals, polyclinics and healthcare centres to ensure a focused fight against the scourge of Malaria. Between 2004 and 2005, ExxonMobil Corporation committed over $7 million in grants for the fight against Malaria. The grant was provided for programmes promoting research and development of new medicines specific to nine African countries including Nigeria.

In Nigeria, two non-governmental organisations Safe Blood for Africa and Medisend International received grants in support of on-going programmes aimed at ensuring diseases-free blood supply and provision of medical supplies and equipment to hospitals in the country. Part of this support was used in provision of ITNs to 12 boarding schools n Akwa Ibom State.

Lately, the Mobil Oil Nigeria PLC, the downstream subsidiary of ExxonMobil kicked-off a Malaria-prevention programme in Nigeria which is geared towards the distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets. This is in conjunction with USAID NetMark and the Lagos State Ministry of Health. It was aimed at the most vulnerable segments of the society such as pregnant women and children. With this type of response from organisations such as the ExxonMobil subsidiary companies, UN agencies and national governments, the aim of Roll Back Malaria Initiative could be achieved soonest.

However, the good news is that the World Health Organisation and the Nigerian scientists have are already on clinical trial of the new anti-malarial drug, Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) in Damboa in Borno State. Then WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Bayo Fatunmbi confirmed this and noted with joy that out of 40 countries that have adopted the ACT, 20 are in Africa and Nigeria is one of them.

Disclosing that health workers and patent medicine dealers have been trained on the management of home-based methods, Professor Lambo quoted earlier, revisited the reasons for the nation’s adoption of the ACT as the new first line drug for Malaria treatment.

“To overcome widespread resistance to Chloroquine and Sulphadoxine/Pyrimethamine, the Malaria Treatment Policy has just been revised to adopt Artemisinin Combination Therapy as the new first line drug. With assistance from the Global Fund, Roll Back Malaria partners have commenced plans to distribute the new therapy in 12 pilot states. This will be expanded to all 36 states once additional funding is received”, said the former health minister.

The workability of this is not known yet but experts are unanimous in their views that community heads and health workers in rural areas should be co-opted for it to be a success and to achieve the Abuja Declaration on Roll Back Malaria.

Imbalance Access To Anti-Retroviral Therapy: A Shameful Medical Injustice!

2009-05-30T02:20:00.005+01:00

Mark was four when his parents died of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). He was forced to live with his 80-year old grandmother but things were not as easy as he thought for the grandmother was too poor to take adequate care of him. He was disappointed but that was just the beginning of the agony.

At 12 when his Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) metamorphosized into AIDS, the last resort became the government hospital which became a hell he never expected. He was ostracised and dehumanised by patients and health workers. They felt very uncomfortable with him and told him that to his face. He lived in isolation broken-hearted.

Meanwhile the only life-saving drug that could keep him going is beyond his reach. He is poor and his grandmother died two years earlier. The government, the last resort in this battle cannot cope anymore with the increasing number of victims whose last resort relies on the drug. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Mark died few months later, even though he could have lived as long as he wanted if the drug and care was there for him.

Mark’s case is not strange but just a fragment of what numerous others with the virus go through to prolong their life. The Anti-retroviral drugs are not there and when they are, they are beyond their reach. Poverty and poor healthcare system are the two main reasons for this injustice especially in developing worlds with the sub-Saharan Africa as the worst hit.

In Sub-Saharan Africa the anti-retroviral is still eluding vast majority of the people living with the virus. In the early 1990s when the drug became available, HIV/AIDS was transformed from a death sentence to a manageable disease but only for some. The cost of the drugs coupled with unequal distribution pattern prevented about 95 percent of those living with the virus from getting access to them.

The worldwide fury that millions were dying because of income inequality in accessing the drugs resulted in its price reduction and the 2002 foundation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through the Fund and the US President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, the world saw a massive production and distribution of antiretroviral treatment in many developing countries. Since then healthcare workers have adapted to settings where people often could not access even the most basic care. At the moment millions of lives which otherwise might have been lost are being saved. Equally important, providing treatment is becoming a focal point of the efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.

Presently more than three million more people around the world are alive due to the drugs. This is a big jump from 350,000 just about five years ago. If this trend continues, by 2010 more than five million people are likely to have access to these drugs.

However we still have a long way to go before the victims who need them can access them. Presently the need is for about 10 million people, but until we can control the growth in new infections, that number will continue to grow. Africa is obviously the place this attention needs to be shifted as a result of the havoc the virus is causing there and the inability of the victims to access the drugs. Poverty remains the main reason for this. Poor health care system and corruption are other major reasons.

Six years ago at the opening of the 11th International Conference for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda, Ben Plumley, Chief Executive Officer at the UNAIDS decried that it is a, “serious injustice to see that only one percent of the 4.1 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who need anti-retroviral therapy have access to it”. He charged the conference to look for ways to close this vast gap opining that they are under a moral obligation to do so and tackle the intolerance, corruption, fear and inequalities that prevents people from accessing the services they need. Sadly the situation still remains the same.

For more than 25 years, HIV/AIDS have been ravaging the lives of millions of people. Since the outbreak, nearly 30 million people have died. But over the past few years, a quiet global revolution has enabled millions infected by the virus to live healthily. However more are still to be done! For instance in Haiti with a population of 9.6 million, 115,000 people are living with the virus while only 13,586 are on anti-retroviral treatment. India has a population of about 1.13 billion with 2.5 million living with the virus while only 126,400 are on the treatment. Mali with a population of 12.2 million has 130,000 living with the virus with only 15,450 on the treatment.

In Peru with a population of 27.9 million, 10,400 are on the treatment out of 93,000 living with the virus. Russia has 31,000 on the treatment out of 940,000 living with the virus in a population of 143.2 million. In Rwanda out of 150,300 living with the virus only 44,400 are on the treatment in a population of 9.2 million. South Africa has a population of 47.4 million out of which 5.5 million are living with the virus but it is only 488,739 that are receiving the treatment. In the neighbouring Swaziland with a population of 1 million, about 20,610 are on treatment out of 220,000 living with the virus while in Vietnam with a population of 84.2 million, 132,628 are living with the virus while 14,180 receives the treatment. Nigeria with a population of 145 million has about 3.5 million infected with the virus with only 124,572 on the treatment. What happens to the rest of the population that could not be placed under this therapy? Pain, agony and sorrowful death become the only way out!

The good news is that free antiretroviral treatment is saving millions of lives today and that is enough reason to continue widening access to it. However, the main challenge is preventing new infections and confronting the injustices in accessing the drugs especially for millions in the third world. Worldwide three people are infected by HIV for every person that begins treatment. To stem the tide, we must reverse those numbers. In doing so, fear and stigma is reduced, more people will dare to be tested and it will become easier to talk openly about how it spreads and how to protect against infection.

But there are still other challenges. Even where those infected have access to antiretroviral treatment and their immune systems begin to recover, infections and illnesses they have already developed because of HIV may take their lives. Tuberculosis continues to be the leading cause of death likewise Hepatitis, liver diseases, Pneumonia and HIV-related cancer. Nonetheless Anti-retroviral treatment is generally successful. After six months on the treatment, eight out of every ten people who started are still alive.

The success in rolling out antiretroviral treatment against terrifying obstacles should inspire us to go for the test and since there is no cure yet, testing remains the only way to nip it on the bud.

Staving Off Threats To The World’s Children

2009-05-23T00:21:00.004+01:00

Despite the universal embrace of standards for protecting children and childhood, a new United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) report released recently shows that more than half of the world’s children are still under the bondage of extreme deprivation owing to poverty, war and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic.

These are “conditions that are effectively denying children the good childhood they deserve and holding back the development of nations”, says UNICEF in its 10th Annual Report on the State of the World’s Children.

The State of the World’s Children’s Report which is an annual publication by the UNICEF, records progress made globally on the improvement recorded in the area of the welfare of children. It highlights the agenda for the coming year by emphasising the critical areas that require urgent attention in order to ensure child survival, development and participation campaigns.

The report with the theme, “Children Under Threat” examines three of the most widespread and devastating factors threatening children today namely HIV/AIDS, conflict and poverty. The report is of the opinion that more than 1 billion children are denied the healthy and protected upbringing promised by the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child stressing that the failure by governments to live up to the Convention’s expectations causes permanent damage to children. This situation the report noted, blocks progress towards human rights and economic development.

Launching the report at the London School of Economics, the Executive Secretary of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy decried the fate of world’s children in recent times. “When half of the world’s children are growing up hungry and unhealthy, when schools have become targets and whole villages are being emptied by AIDS, we’ve failed to deliver on the promise of children. Too many governments are making informed, deliberate choices that actually hurt childhood. Poverty doesn’t come from no where, war doesn’t spread by choice of its own. These are our choices”, Bellamy said.

The report which was launched at the same time around the world also held that more than half of the world’s children are suffering extreme deprivations from poverty and lacks the simplest basic amenities that are very essential for the welfare of life and highlighted that while one in six children is severely hungry, one in seven lacks basic health care and one in five has no safe water with another one in three having no toilet or sanitation facilities at home.

The report raised an alarm on the havoc being done by HIV and AIDS pandemic on women and children and noted that the virus is not only killing parents but also destroying the protective network of adults in children’s lives. UNCIEF says that almost half a million children under the age of 15 died of AIDS in 2003 while another 630,000 were infected with HIV during same period. By 2003 some 2.1 million children under 15 were living with HIV/AIDS, most of them infected during pregnancy, birth or through breastfeeding. From 2001 to 2003, the number of children who had lost one or both parents to AIDS rose from 11.5 million to 15 million. About 80 percent of those affected live in sub-Saharan Africa.

“HIV/AIDS is tearing at the very fabric of childhood. Around 15 million children under the age of 18 had been orphaned by the pandemic by the end of 2003. Eight out of 10 of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. Unless action is taken swiftly and decisively, to stem the tide of infections and losses, it is estimated that by 2010 over 18 million African children would have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS”, the report further revealed.

“The loss of a parent implies the disappearance of a care-giver. It pervades every aspect of a child’s life, their emotional well-being, physical security, mental development and overall health. It deprives them of the right to live in a family environment. Many of the ailing and dying are teachers, health workers and other adults on whom children rely. And because AIDS prevalence grows in condensed pockets, once adults start dying the overall impact on surviving children in a community is devastating”, it added.

According to the State of the World’s Children report, the proportion of women living with HIV has risen steadily that “nearly half of those who are HIV positive are women or girls. The pandemics ‘feminisation’ is most apparent in sub-Saharan Africa where close to 60 percent of those who are HIV positive are female”.

The report was of the opinion that “faced with economic hardship, women and girls become more vulnerable to prostitution and trafficking in which they have little power to negotiate safe sex” and revealed that girls are likely to succumb to the lure of transactional sex, entering into relationship with older or wealthier men in exchange for money, goods and other basic services. This transactional sex, the report said, greatly increase their risk of contracting the HIV virus even as it strongly added that the world has the capacity to reduce poverty, conflict and HIV/AIDS and improve the plight of its children.

The presentation of the report in Nigeria coincided with the World Human Rights Day and while speaking on the relevance of the day to the report, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who spoke through a representative, described children as the most valuable assets that must always come first and be put into consideration when human rights are being discussed since they are voiceless.

His words, “We cannot celebrate human rights without taking into account the most important assets, the children. Unfortunately the right of children are not being respected world-wide especially in Africa and West Africa in particular”.

The ECOWAS boss, made a passionate call to the Governments of the sub-region to take a closer look at the Convention on the Rights of Child opining that development begins with the children. His view echoes that of the UNICEF report which affirms that the world has an unparalled opportunity to fulfil the rights of the children in terms of “resource, knowledge, money, technology, strategies and people are available in abundance”.

Bellamy put it in unambiguous phrase, “the quality of a child’s life depends on decisions made everyday in households, communities and in the halls of government”.

In Nigeria, the situation has constantly been one of woe for children particularly in the rural settlements. The Nigerian child has continued to suffer child labour, negligence, trafficking, brutality, sexual exploitation and many other vices from the adult folk. People are not even aware of the paedophiles and we do not have sex offenders register. A recent attempt to persuade a part of the country to stop early marriage of the girl-child was met with a very stiff opposition with a holy book as a reference. Apart from the concerted efforts of some non-governmental organisations, little has been seen beyond the lip service from the government.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Obong Rita Akpan, had while launching the report given an assurance that her ministry has put in place measures to implement some of the provisions of the report. She promised that the measures would include a child advocacy campaign and would be well circulated to all stakeholders.

“I am optimistic that at the end of the day the report will bring better living conditions for our children”, she promised.

Meanwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo had in a recent special presidential media chat with four members of the Nigerian Children’s Parliament, assured that his administration would do all within its power to see that children’s rights are always protected opining that “you are very important to us and you are the future leaders of this nation. We therefore cannot take your welfare for granted otherwise we will suffer for our negligence tomorrow”.

The presidential promise has a ringing tone akin to that of a rain in a desert. While the rest of the worlds are busy backing up their words with action, Nigeria is still fiddling and promising while its children are burning. Against this backdrop of endless promises and inaction, the UNICEF boss warned, “If we fail to secure childhood, we will fail to reach our larger, global goals for human and economic development. It’s that simple”.

Bellamy’s warning echoes that of the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, “Much as we move closer to realising the rights of all children, will countries move closer to their goals of development and peace”.

WHO And A Quest For A Disease-Free World

2009-05-22T00:46:00.001+01:00

The World Health Assembly, the supreme decision-making organ of the World Health Organisation (WHO) concluded its 58th session recently. More than 2,200 people from WHO’s 192 member states, non-governmental organisations and other observers attended the meeting. A controversy over the participation of Taiwan in the Assembly nearly marred it. For the umpteenth time, apparently on the direction of China, a permanent veto-enjoying member of the United Nations Security Council, Taiwan was refused an observer status.

China had in a submission made to the Assembly objected to the acceptance of the request of Taiwan to be given an observer status, claiming that Taiwan is not a sovereign entity but an indivisible part of the mainland China. The Assembly under the presidency of Elena Salgado, the Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs of Spain, after a long and careful deliberations on the health condition of the region which once threatened the whole world with SARS epidemic, politely voted to reject China’s request.

The commencement speeches at the opening ceremony highlighted the Assembly’s passion to see in no distant future a disease-free world. WHO Director-General, Dr. Lee Jong-Wook, encouraged delegates to determine the best ways to bring available health solutions to everyone who needs them while the president of the Republic of Maldives and guest speaker of the Assembly, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, spoke on the recent devastation caused by the tsunami and the continuing efforts to reconstruct homes, communities and lives.

Bill Gates, billionaire owner of the Microsoft and co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, addressing the Assembly in person for the first time announced an additional donation of $250 million towards solving some of the world’s health problems especially in Africa and developing countries. The Money brings to $450 million the amount Gates has committed to his Grand Challenges in Global Health Programme project created few years ago. Grand Challenges in Global Health Programme project is a sort of competition intended to entice the world’s foremost scientists, researchers and inventors into finding groundbreaking solutions to health problems.

Ann Veneman, the Executive Director of UNICEF, while stressing the importance of child survival in a world where almost 11 million children die before their fifth birthday eulogised the naming of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra as WHO goodwill ambassador.

A landmark achievement of the Assembly was the adoption of the revised International Health Regulations which govern national and international response to disease outbreaks. “This is a major step forward for international health. These new regulations recognise that diseases do not respect boundaries. They are urgently needed to help limit the threats to public health”, said Jong-Wook.

The revision of the International Health Regulations has been under way for several years. The original one agreed to in 1969 was designed to help monitor and control five serious infectious diseases viz Cholera, Yellow fever, Smallpox, Relapsing fever and Typhus. The new one will govern a broader range of public health emergencies of international concern including emerging diseases like Swine flu. The purpose of the International Health Regulations is to ensure the maximum protection of people against the international spread of diseases while minimising interference with world travel and trade. It includes a list of diseases such as Smallpox, Polio and SARS whose occurrence must be notified to WHO and also a matrix for countries to decide whether other incidents constitute public health events of international concern.

Also a new global partnership aimed at improving public health decision-making, through better health information was approved and adopted by the Assembly. Tagged, “The Health Metrics Network” (HMN), the partnership comprising of countries, multilateral and bilateral development agencies, foundations, global health initiatives and technical experts will increase the availability and use of timely reliable health information by catalysing the funding and development of core health information systems in developing countries.

“Today despite the efforts of many countries, regional and global partners, there are significant gaps in the health information that is available to policy makers and health practitioners. In some areas of the world, even basic facts such as a person’s birth, death and cause of death are not recorded”, said Jong-Wook.

The Health Metrics Network will work to close this gap by helping countries improve their ability to gather this vital health information”, he added.

Another major highlight was the approval of the proposed programme budget for 2006-2007, which includes a four percent increase in the Regular Budget and the establishment of the World Blood Donor Day as an official annual event to be celebrated every June 14. The Assembly in adopting the date noted that it reached the agreement in order to raise awareness and promote voluntary blood donation globally. The theme for the first edition is “Celebrating Your Gift Of Blood” and will highlight true stories of people whose lives have been changed by blood.

The day will be celebrated across the globe with one city representing the fulcrum of activities. London the capital of the United Kingdom was chosen for the first edition remembrance as a result of what the Assembly described as ‘capital of a country, which has a solid tradition of collection of safe blood supplies by relying on voluntary unpaid donation’. The day will provide the global community the opportunity to raise awareness on the need for blood and blood donors. Over 80 million units of blood are donated every year around the world but only 39 percent is collected in developing countries where 82 percent of the global population live.

A reliable supply of safe blood is essential for scaling up health at several levels particularly for women and children. For instance, more than half a million women worldwide die every year from complications related to pregnancy and child birth, 99 percent of them in developing countries. Haemorrhage, accounting for 25 percent of the complications is the most common cause of maternal deaths. Up to 70 percent of all blood transfusions in Africa are given to children with severe anaemia due to malaria, which accounts for about one in five of all childhood deaths in Africa.

Reviewing progress made so far in Polio eradication, the Assembly identified what needs to be done to interrupt the final chains of wild-type Poliovirus transmission world-wide by the end of the year. According to WHO six countries are hot spots for the virus in the world and they include India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Niger and Nigeria. They have to be tackled. Of all these, Niger and Nigeria have the highest rate. Nigeria is actually leading.

On the issue of HIV/AIDS, the Assembly welcomed the progress made so far in scaling-up treatment and care within a co-ordinated and comprehensive response even as it underlined the urgency of Smallpox vaccine reserves and research on the Smallpox virus. Nigeria with more than 3.7 million people living with HIV and AIDS still has an unenviable record of being the third highest nation with HIV and AIDS victims in the world after South Africa and India.

Similarly the 58th Assembly also addressed the issue of increasing cases of multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis and worsening morbidity and mortality among HIV-positive Tuberculosis patients by adopting a resolution on sustaining financing for Tuberculosis prevention and control. The resolution called on member states to set up collaboration between TB and HIV programmes and to integrate the prevention and control of TB in the mainstream of their health development plans.

Recognising that too many people suffer and die in crises and disasters as a result of untreated and often preventable health problems, the World Health Assembly adopted another resolution on health action in crisis and disasters with particular emphasis on the earthquakes and tsunamis of December 26, 2004. The resolution called on WHO to provide early warning of disease outbreaks, improve access to clean water and sanitation and increase the availability of health care for people’s physical and mental health even as it urged member states to formulate disaster preparedness plans and pay more attention to gender-based violence as an increasing concern during crises.

To address the more than one million preventable deaths caused by malaria each year, the Assembly agreed on a resolution to step up efforts to fight the disease. “Malaria remains the infectious diseases that takes more lives of children in Africa than any other, three times as many as HIV infection”, said Ann Veneman, the Executive Director of UNICEF.

According to a recent WHO report, in 2003, some 350 to 500 million people worldwide became ill with malaria, a slight revision of the estimate of 300 to 500 million annual cases that WHO has used since 2000. Against that backdrop the Assembly called on WHO to intensify its collaboration with member states to reach internationally agreed malaria control goals, including the possibility of WHO undertaking bulk purchase of insecticide-treated nets, anti-malarial medicines and vitamin A supplements when people are immunised.

Responding to the rising level of cancer worldwide, the World Health Assembly agreed to promote a cancer prevention and control strategies for all member states. “It is the second leading cause of death. More than 20 million people are living with cancer and seven million people die annually. The incidence of cancer is on the rise in both developing and developed countries as a result of increased exposure to cancer risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity as well as some infections and carcinogens. A rapidly ageing population in many countries is also a contributing factor”, the Assembly noted and therefore called for an improved cancer prevention measures, better early detection and treatment and increased palliative care.

On the much-hyped Millennium Development Goals, the Assembly adopted a resolution on “Accelerating the achievement of the internationally-agreed health-related goals including those contained in the Millennium Declaration”, urging developed countries to make efforts to scale-up official development aid to 0.7 percent of gross national product and called on African countries to fulfil the commitment made at the African Summit in Abuja 2001 to allocate 15 percent of their national budgets to health.

Infant and young child nutrition was also discussed leading the Assembly to adopt a resolution calling on member states to continue to protect, promote and support exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life as a global public health recommendation. Member states were urged to inform health care workers, parents and other care givers on the best practices for preparation, use and handling of powdered infant formula in order to minimise health hazards even as it warned them to be cautious of the fact that powdered infant formula may contain pathogenic micro-organisms and therefore should be prepared and used appropriately.

The 58th Assembly also deliberated passionately on the hydra-headed issue of the international migration of health personnel, particularly highly trained and skilled health personnel moving from developing to developed countries. Against this backdrop a resolution was adopted requesting the WHO Director-General to strengthen WHO’s programme on human resources for health. It was unanimously agreed that the issue of development of human resources for health would be the theme of the 2006 World health Report and World Health Day 2006 and would also be a key area of work in WHO’s General Programme of Work for the period 2006-2015.

The Assembly noted that the countries from which these health personnel are emigrating from have already started experiencing a drain in their health sector and raised an alarm that if nothing is done to halt the trend, it would not only hinder the countries’ quest to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but also increase drastically their disease burden.

WHO had earlier noted that Africa which has 25 percent of the global burden of disease boasts a meagre global health workforce of 1.3 percent. About 23,000 qualified academic professionals emigrate annually to Europe and America in search of the proverbial Golden Fleece. Nigeria has the highest rate of international migration of health personnel in Africa. Newly registered doctors declined from 1,750 in the year 2000 to 800 in 2002, a 60 percent reduction. By 2002, Nigeria had a nurse population ration of 1:20,700 compared with the WHO recommendations of 1:1000.

A resolution on disability was also approved by the Assembly which is aimed at substantially improving the lives of some 600 million people living with disabilities. It also gave a substantial time to the issue of Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) which is a leading cause of brain damage in childhood and therefore called for renewed efforts to eradicate the problem in member states with a higher incidence of iodine deficiency. A lack of iodine intake during pregnancy and early childhood results in impaired cognitive and motor development in young children. The solution to IDD is simple and cost-effective as iodine can easily be added to table salt.

Though iodised salt intake is essential for healthy growth and development, the excess intake of the substance is also a major contributory factor to the increasing incidence of high blood pressure while low intake could result in goitre and low Intelligent Quotient (IQ) especially in growing children and other similar diseases like cretinism (reduced growth), dry skin, constipation, still births and miscarriages.

In Search Of Agenda For Youth Empowerment

2009-05-15T23:34:00.004+01:00

Nigeria born world-acclaimed computer guru, Philip Emegwali, once gave a lead on the danger of not laying a solid foundation for the nation’s teeming population of youths. In his famous speech on brain drain he raised a poser: “How do we reverse the brain drain?”

Giving the background to the issue, he observed: “We came to the United States on student visa and then changed our status to become permanent citizens. Our new citizenship status helped us sponsor relatives and inspired our friends to immigrate here. What few realise is that Africans who immigrate to the United States contribute 40 times more wealth to the American than to the African economy. Furthermore, because a significant percentage of African doctors and nurses practice in the US hospitals, we can reasonably conclude that African medical schools are de facto serving the American people not Africans”.

He made a suggestion: “I believe those with skills should be encouraged and rewarded to stay, work and raise their families in Africa. The best African musicians live in France. The top African writers live in the United States or Britain. The soccer superstars live in Europe. It will be impossible to achieve a renaissance without the contributions of the talented”.

The dilemma facing the Nigerian youths in an attempt to heed Emegwali’s advice formed the fulcrum of a discussion at a recent programme in Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Participants at the national youth parley organised by the British Council examined this issue and took government to task on the need for a sustainable action plan for this critical sector of the nation’s population.

Steven Kidds, one of the forum participants and the national chairperson of the Scottish Youth Parliament, for instance, could not see the reason why Nigerian cannot usefully tap the potentials of its teeming and resourceful youths.

“This is the first time am coming to Nigeria. When I was coming, I heard a lot of horrible things about Nigeria which are supposed to dissuade one from coming. But here I am today. In fact, Nigeria is blessed with a good number of talented youths. But I think the problem is that Nigeria as a nation has no blueprint on youth empowerment and inclusion in governance”, he said as a matter of fact.

His view was re-enacted by Dr. Osisioma Nwolisa a professor in the Political Science Department of the University of Ibadan. He reeled off: “He who wishes to walk on a cold ground must first pour water on the ground. The youth (of a nation) are regarded as the leaders of tomorrow. Leadership is a sacred function, which is quite different from rulership, headship or command; and therefore requires proper and adequate education, training and orientation. In serious societies that plan their lives and progress far ahead of time, the youths are given proper, adequate and functional socialisation, training, education and orientation to equip them.

“Unfortunately in Nigeria, nobody cares about the youths and the tomorrow they are to lead. Since independence in 1960, youths when gathered for a function are told that they are the leaders of tomorrow but that tomorrow has never been allowed to come and they are not being prepared for that leadership”.

Flustered by what they see as a truism in Nwolisa’s assertion, the participants in a twelve-point communiqué demanded that: “there should be a considerable and consistent youth representation in the decision-making bodies in the country. Policies should be geared towards building the capacity of youths to participate in government through the acquisition of information and communication technology skills, conflict management and cultural exchange programme to enhance the quality of their participation in decision-making processes”.

They also said, “That the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria currently in use needs to be amended with specific reference to the reduction of the age limit of qualification for election and appointment into political offices to correspond with the voting age. Also copies of the constitution should be simplified and translated into various indigenous languages and made readily available to all youths both in formal educational institutions and in the informal sector”.

As they put it, there is nothing wrong in empowering the youths and including them in the helms of affairs of a nation which will eventually fall on them tomorrow. It is because of this that any serious minded nation does not joke with the interest and future of its youth. This is with due respect to the often-repeated cliché that the youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. The orientation they receive today is exactly what will help them tomorrow to pilot the affairs of the nation as elders for if the youths fail then tomorrow is not assured.

Kidds said the 300 member Scottish Youth Parliament is a body of youth representatives from the provinces of Scotland recognised by the law and the government with the task of developing and enhancing the welfare of the youths. They also look into issues that affect them and how best to solve them in order to give them a bright future. A case of young people talking to young people.

According to Kidds, “we want to be different. We want to make the views of young people heard by those people who should be listening to us, but we want to do it in a thoroughly innovative way. We recognised that traditional models don’t always work and it is our belief that young people should be able to make a difference in a way that suits them. We think it is possible to make the whole process interesting and exciting”.

The idea of a youth parliament is still very foreign to African nations and Nigeria in particular. They can do this by taking their future into their hands. The need for them to form a very strong national pressure group cannot be overemphasised. Our future is in our hands. Nigerian youths thrive in thuggery, violence and the likes apparently because of their poverty, unemployment and selfish motives of some unscrupulous politicians.

In the words of Osisioma: “In Nigeria, the youths are not just neglected but are also being wasted in several ways despite the presence of the National Youth Service Corps programme and several ministries of youth and culture. The most outstanding way of youth’s wastage in Nigeria is the absence of a programme to generate millions of jobs annually. As a result, millions of youths are not productively engaged to increase national wealth and thus are forced to become parasites on the society”.

This has a negative effect on the thinking of present day youths and even on the nation. One of the effects is the problem of brain drain among young talents who leave the shores of Nigeria to look for the Golden Fleece in America and Europe.

Against this background one of the young participants, Yemi Asaju, raised a poser: “What is the need for me to stay in Nigeria to contribute towards it when the nation is not ready to appreciate my contributions. Moreover if the government cannot make a sacrifice to train me, why would I make a sacrifice to contribute to the government?”

But the simple truth is that even as these youths have a head flowing with dreams, visions and ambitions, the Nigerian government in particular has got no blueprint to tap them, the forum stated.

Yusuf Pam, Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in Plateau State of Nigeria while addressing the forum said, “As young people, a comprehensive knowledge of your rights is vital to your development and positive contribution to the improvement of our societal norms and values in future. You are the future of Nigeria and its hope for stability and prosperity. You must educate yourselves in these matters and take full advantage of the benefits of a forum such as this. Sharpen your leadership skills, dedicate yourselves to the service of your country and strive to serve to the best of your ability”.

On the contributions youths can make towards national growth and development, Dr. Imman Abdulrahman of the Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies of the University of Jos opined that the youths have a formidable role to play in the area of ensuring an everlasting peace in the nation. In his words, “when we talk of peace and national development, youths assume a central position along this continuum. This explains the axiom ‘youths are the leaders of tomorrow’ because it is to them that the baton of governance, administration and leadership shall be released tomorrow. The onus of leadership and continuity in any society rests squarely on the youth. They possess the agility and the intellect that can be tapped to make a positive development and a remarkable change in the different sectors of the national life.

“But for them to become a responsible entity in the society will require their maximum utilisation via gainful employment. This in the long run will prevent youth restiveness and youth engagement in violent conflicts, armed conflicts and unnecessary soldiering that have now become the vogue of our time. Let it be made clear that Nigeria has no secured tomorrow without well prepared youths to lead that tomorrow in global competition in this era of globalisation”.

Is there a solution in sight? “We must stop the wastage of our youths and come out at levels of government with well-prepared programmes for our youth development based on a well-articulated national youths development and empowerment policy. This should be backed up with a well planned and adequately funded educational system. Finally for this country to know, feel and enjoy domestic security, the Federal Government should call a meeting of all states and local governments along with itself and the private sector on how to generate two million jobs annually for the next five years”, advised Osisioma.

Talk of acknowledgement of the fact that something drastic needs to be done to appropriately shape Nigerian youths for meaningful adulthood and everyone concurs. But what exactly needs to be done and how to do it remains the Herculean task.

Affirmative Action For Women In Politics!

2009-04-29T23:01:00.001+01:00

About 50 years ago when the late Nigerian female politician Olufunmilayo Ransome-Kuti called for ‘at least 50 percent representation of women in politics’ people especially the male politicians took her very unserious. But little did they know that same issue would be a hot political issue about 50 years later.

In a Special Session of the UN General Assembly held in June 2000 to review the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, governments all over the world made a commitment to "set and encourage the use of explicit short and long-term time-bound targets or measureable goals, including where appropriate, quotas to promote progress towards gender balance, including women's equal access to and full participation on a basis of equality with men in all areas and at all levels of public life especially in decision-making positions, in political participation and political activities in all government ministries and at key policy-making institutions as well as in local development bodies and authorities".

Today all over the world women representation in politics has become an issue that generates a lot of controversy and hotly debated about. Nigeria is not an exception. In fact today in Nigeria a good number of non-governmental organisations devotes much of their time to pursuing equal representation of men and women in politics. Even though the Nigerian National Policy on Women called for at least 30 percent representation of women in public offices, the Nigerian government has not deemed it necessary to put necessary machineries in place to implement and actualise that. This is despite efforts being made by our sister African countries to bridge the gap between men and women in politics.

For instance while Rwanda has 48.8 percent of women in their national parliament, Nigeria has only 6.7 percent. Tanzania has 22.3 percent, Uganda 24.7 percent, South Africa 29.8 percent and Mozambique 30.0 percent. From these five examples there is no doubt then that Nigeria is ranking very low in terms of women representation in the parliament and obviously has a hard work to do to reach the 35 percent recommended by the United Nations. A closer look at the present republic may expatiate the scenario well. After the 2003 elections three women made it to the 109 member upper house while 21 were elected in 320 member lower house. Six women ministers were appointed with only three as full ministers. This is not too good for a nation like Nigeria who is supposed to be a role model for others especially in Africa.

On the wider world the Nordic and Scandinavian countries are reputable for their record of having a good number of women representatives in their parliament and public offices. According to Berit Lindeman, a Scandinavian and consultant to the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, "the truth is the success was gained through hard labour from courageous women during a time-span of 80 years and during this period of time, a change in the traditional patriarchal attitude took place. There is not really any magic formula related to the Scandinavian success of around 40 percent representation in parliament. It is true that measures like quotas have been introduced, but only voluntary ones introduced by the political parties themselves and only after the main battles of representation had been won in the 1970s".

Here in Nigeria a lot of factors are responsible for hindering women's political participation. These include cultural, party barriers, socio-economic, religious, violence and many others. The more traditional a society is the more difficult it would be for women representation in the system. In patriarchal societies men are traditionally expected and favoured to be the dominant rulers not only by men themselves but also by women who believe that power and decisions are matters meant for men to tackle. In fact this group of women belong to the school of thought that strongly agrees that men are better equipped mentally, emotionally and physically to make decisions and tackle problems. Due to this majority of women lack confidence in themselves necessitating the men not considering them at all for any elective post because she is more likely to fail.

Berit Lindeman quoted earlier also opined that, "unemployment and economic instability tend to affect women harder than men. In turn it influences the women's mobilisation in a negative way as there is a connection between women's unemployment and political activity. Women have on the hand twice the share of unpaid work than men most significantly of course domestic work, child care and other social care. In Nigeria women work in average more than 16 hours a day according to the Nigerian CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) implementation report. How can they possibly find time for going into politics?”

Even though a lot of international conventions have been ratified for women inclusion in politics, women are still not being listed on the political parties' ballots and one mechanism which has been a stumbling block to women's representation in politics is the type of electoral system on ground. Unfortunately this is taken for granted in Nigeria. If a study of last 50 years of statistics concerning women's representation by type of electoral system is analysed, it seems clear that the choice of electoral system is highly relevant for the share of seats being won by women.

A woman is twice as likely to be elected under a Proportional Representation System compared to the First-Past-The-Post System currently in use in Nigeria. As Nigeria practices the First-Past-The-Post System, only one candidate is almost always elected from each district which makes it necessary for the party to find the single one candidate that is most likely to win the seat. Because there is a tendency for the candidate to be a man, the system works to the disadvantage of the women. But in Proportional Representative System the reverse becomes the case as there is always an opportunity to elect a candidate from a disadvantaged group. With this system it would be a lot easier to elect women.

The rational underpinning all Proportional Representative System is to consciously reduce the disparity between a party's share of the national votes and its share of the parliamentary seats. For example if a party wins 40 percent of the votes, it should win approximately 40 percent of the seats. Proportionality is often seen as being best achieved by the use of party lists, where political parties present lists of candidates to the voters on a national or sub-national basis and where there are many members to be elected from each constituency thus enabling the representation of even small minorities.

According to Nkoyo Toyo, the founder of Gender and Action Development, a non-governmental organisation involved with gender equality in politics, "many factors favour the election of women in Proportional Representation System. The more candidates from each district, the more women have a chance of taking a seat because the party will search for different types of candidates to nominate in order to attract different voter groups. The parties have a chance of competing for several seats allowing them to go further down on the list where women normally are".

Alternatively the government could codify into law the reservation of some seats for women who are interested in politics. By election law several countries have a certain number of seats reserved for women. Some of these countries include Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The new Iraqi and Afghanistan constitutions both have considerations for women. These reservation options ensure that women are not isolated in political life. Nigeria can borrow a leaf from these countries.

On a realistic point of view, how would this system work for women who are obviously in the minority? This is where the Principle of Affirmative Action comes in. What is the principle all about? According to a report of the National Forum on Affirmative Action for Nigerian Women in Politics, "It can be summarised to mean the creation of representativeness as a means of achieving equality in participation, with major emphasis on the need to create an environment for its existence and be acceptable rather than imposed. This will mean that to ensure the increased participation of women in politics certain representations should be preserved for women, the environment within which this could strive could be in form of legislation, policies or laws as well as constitutional provisions that stipulates these".

To achieve this we have to begin with the amendment of our electoral system to accommodate the plight of these women. That means that we have to retouch the Section 77 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and Section 60 of the 2002 Electoral Act of Nigeria to reflect the Proportional Representation System which is the only method that would be able to accommodate the interest of women.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a paper he personally delivered at an Independent National Electoral Commission/Civil Society Organisations Forum lent credence to this idea when he said, "it is a wise decision to start by examining the very foundation of our electoral system which determines winners and losers as well as their respective fate. Those who framed our Constitution and the Electoral Act must have had their reasons for adopting the First-Past-The-Post system which bestows on the winner by even the narrowest of margin of vote’s victory and the loser virtually nothing".

"I believe it will be right to examine the advantages and drawbacks of the current system in the context of our own experiences. I believe it is possible to identify a system which spreads the benefits of winning elections and limits the damage to looser so that the political system itself can grow from each successive election", he concluded.

Stigma Against HIV/AIDS Victims: A Big Shame On All Of Us!

2009-04-27T18:15:00.004+01:00

Shola was only six years when she lost her parents to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). She was then forced to live with her aged grandmother just like many other kids in the same condition as hers. But things were not as easy as she thought they would be.

First she was asked to leave the school because pupils in the same school with her are being withdrawn for fear of being infected. She went home broken-hearted and disappointed. But that is not the end. Her church treated her with contempt opining that it is a punishment from God for her parent’s lifestyle while her childhood friends began to distance themselves from her one by one.

At the age of nine when her HIV metamorphosized into AIDS, she was admitted into the nearby government hospital as a last resort in the battle to save her life. But the place she thought was a haven for her proved not to be. She was quarantined from other patients in the hospital in the name of special treatment. She was kept in a separate room, fed with special utensils, treated with double gloves and above all had no free interaction with either the health workers or other patients in the hospital.

Whenever they see her they felt very uncomfortable and at a stage told her that she is not welcomed to interact with them due to her status. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. She died one month later after this bad news not as a result of her AIDS but primarily because of the way she was treated with stigma and discriminations from the people who were supposed to be friendly and act as a pillar of support for her.

Shola’s case is not a peculiar one but just a fragment of what numerous other people out there with the virus go through on daily basis right from their family members to the public health workers who are supposed to be the last resort in the fight against this virus. This situation has led to a lot of people with the virus preferring not to disclose their status for the fear of being stigmatised and ostracised.

According to a recent report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), “openness about one’s sero-status to family, community or work place is more difficult in some countries or cultures than others. In some cases precautions are needed to protect people who disclose their positive serostatus since this can create serious repercussions for them in their jobs and within their families and communities. Discriminations show up in different ways from almost invisible types of social behaviour on the one hand to physical violence on the other. Similarly PWHA’s (People with HIV/AIDS) fears may range from purely personal and not always accurate perceptions of discrimination all the way to objectively based fears of rejection and violence”.

For instance the pathetic case of a 45 year-old Nigerian, Frederick Ibikunle Adegboye is still very fresh in the mind of the international community. The Nigerian Institute of Journalism as a result of his HIV positive status terminated his offer of provisional admission. This is despite the fact that he passed all the entrance examinations and paid all the necessary fees. In fact he confided his serostatus to the school provost so as to be allowed time to be going for his anti-retroviral treatment as and when needed. The provost betrayed the confidence reposed on her.

This is just one part of the problem, another part of it is that the life-saving anti-retroviral therapy to manage the virus is still eluding vast majority of the victims of the virus in the sub-Saharan Africa. In the early 1990s when antiretroviral drugs became available, AIDS was transformed from a certain death sentence to a manageable chronic disease but only for some. The expense of the drugs and their distribution prevented 95 percent of those living with HIV from getting access to them.

International outrage that millions were dying because of economic disparity helped reduce drug prices and to create the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2002. Through the Global Fund and the US President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, the world began to invest in a massive rollout of antiretroviral treatment in more than 100 developing countries. Doctors and healthcare workers around the world have adapted complicated procedures to settings where people often could not access even the most basic care. Already, millions of lives which otherwise might have been lost are being saved. Equally important, providing treatment is becoming a central part of the efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.

Today three million people around the world are alive thanks to antiretroviral treatment for AIDS. This is a sharp increase from 350,000 just about five years ago. By 2010, more than five million people are likely to have been given access to these drugs. Yet there is a long way to go before all the people with HIV who need these life-saving drugs can have access to them. Today the need is for 10 million people, but until we can stem the growth in new HIV infections, that number will continue to grow. Africa is obviously the place this attention needs to be focused as a result of the havoc the virus is causing there and the inability of the victims to access the anti-retroviral therapy. Poverty is the main factor for this ugly situation.

In 2003 at the opening ceremony of the 11th International Conference for People Living with HIV/AIDS held in Kampala, Uganda, Ben Plumley, Chief Executive Officer at the UNAIDS decried that it is, “serious injustice to see that only one percent of the 4.1 million people in sub-Saharan Africa who need anti-retroviral therapy have access to it”.

He charged the conference to look for ways to close this vast treatment gap even as he opined that they are under a moral obligation to also tackle the intolerance and fear that prevents people from accessing the service they need. Same charge was also repeated recently at the Monthly Journalists Roundtable Talk of the Local Voices Project of the Internews Network in Abuja where journalists and stakeholders in attendance spoke in unison in condemnation of the stigma and discriminations facing the people living with the virus.

The first salvo was fired by Esther Agyo the Chief Nursing Officer of Wuse General Hospital in Abuja who expressed dismay over the way people living with the virus are treated and wondered aloud where our virtues of love, caring and charity in times of need has gone to. She condemned in clear terms the mandatory HIV/AIDS testing being imposed on patients by some health establishments before treatments are given opining that they are not only against the fundamental human rights of patients to choose their own form of treatment but also very unethical, inhumane and cynical.

“HIV test should be voluntary and not mandatory but health workers force it on patients. This is unethical and demoralises the patients by making them loose absolute faith in both the treatment and care given to them. This is one thing we do not do in Wuse General Hospital and that has endeared our patients to us and strengthened the faith they have in us”, she said.

She made a passionate call for patients opinion and consent to be taken into consideration and respected before carrying out any test on them even as she called for heartfelt love and caring for people living with the virus noting that the next victim may likely turn out to be our relative who is obviously going to receive same treatment we meted out on others.

Olufemi Dada the Chair of Nyanya General Hospital also in Abuja concurring with Esther Agyo noted that people living with the virus are not apes or beasts but humans who are in need of our help. Explaining that since the virus could not be contacted through shaking of hands, hugging or discussing with the victims we should endeavour to afford them that opportunity.

Taking a theological angle Peter Ikiti an evangelist and the coordinator of the United Care and Productivity, a non-for-profit devoted to counselling and caring for people with the virus noted with disgust that people living with the virus have been enduring the barbarity of the godless behaviours of our health workers with fortitude, having been kept in semi-quarantine without prospect of change. He explained that once a person living with the virus arrives at the hospital he faces the usual behaviours of the health workers which ranges from stigma to discrimination and lack of attention.

“Some of them at present are in a very bad condition. Everything that has to do with them is separated including their bedside. It is difficult to notice tuberculosis patients in the hospitals but people living with HIV/AIDS are very conspicuous because of the way they are usually quarantined by health workers. Separate seating arrangements, separate departments for treatment and special doctors without special training. The brown envelopes and polythene bags used for the packaging of their drugs are special. Once a person living with virus comes out with a brown envelope or bag every other person will know he is a victim. All these in the name of special attention! But it is rather a special way of stigmatising, discriminating and humiliating the victims”, he claimed.

The Roundtable participants observing that the recent UNAIDS progress report reported a huge progress in the fight against the virus regretted that critical gaps continue to exist particularly in access to HIV medicines and efforts to combat stigma and discriminations and protect the rights of people living with the virus.

They called for compulsory nametag and number on the uniform of all health workers for easy identification and reporting to appropriate authorities for necessary punitive measures against the erring ones. This is in addition to their suggestion that the government should take it as a responsibility to organise frequent workshops for health workers on HIV/AIDS prevention and control, support and management and the care of the people living with the virus.

For over 25 years, AIDS has ravaged the lives and livelihoods of millions of people. Since the early 1980s, nearly 30 million people have died from AIDS. That is about half of the UK population. But over the past few years, a quiet global revolution has enabled millions of people infected by HIV to live healthy lives. More are still to be done though. For instance in Haiti with a population of 9.6 million, 115,000 people are living with the virus while only 13,586 are on anti-retroviral treatment. India has a population of about 1.13 billion with 2.5 million living with the virus while only 126,400 are on the treatment. Mali with a population of 12.2 million has 130,000 people living with the virus with only 15,450 on the treatment.

In Peru with a population of 27.9 million, 10,400 are on the treatment out of 93,000 living with the virus. Russia has 31,000 people on the treatment out of 940,000 living with the virus in a population of 143.2 million. In Rwanda out of 150,300 people living with the virus only 44,400 are on the treatment in a population of 9.2 million. South Africa has a population of 47.4 million out of which 5.5 million people are living with the virus but it is only 488,739 that are receiving the treatment. In the neighbouring Swaziland with a population of about 1 million, about 20,610 are on treatment out of 220,000 living with the virus while in Vietnam with a population of 84.2 million, 132,628 people are living with the virus while 14,180 receives the treatment. Nigeria with a population of about 145 million people has about 3.5 million of the population infected with the virus while only about 124,572 are on the anti-retroviral treatment. In fact India, South Africa and Nigeria are the countries bearing the highest burden of the virus in the world.

Free antiretroviral treatment is saving millions of lives and that alone is enough reason to continue to widen access to it. But the main challenge in the fight against AIDS today is preventing new HIV infections. Worldwide 2.5 people are infected by HIV for every person that begins treatment. To win the fight, we must turn those numbers around. Antiretroviral treatment helps in this struggle by turning a certain death sentence into merely a chronic disease. In doing so, fear and stigma is reduced, more people will dare to be tested for HIV, and it will become easier to talk openly about how it spreads and how to protect against infection.

There are other challenges. Even where those infected have access to antiretroviral treatment and their immune systems begin to recover, infections and illnesses they have already developed because of HIV may take their lives. Tuberculosis continues to be the leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis, liver diseases and HIV-related cancer also take their toll. Nonetheless ARV treatment is generally successful. After two years on treatment, eight out of every ten people who started are still alive.

The success in rolling out antiretroviral treatment against formidable odds should inspire us to go for the test and since there is no cure yet testing remains the only way to stem the tide of the spread.

War Against Iodine Deficiency Disorder

2009-04-24T19:02:00.005+01:00

There is a big problem at the moment in Nigeria and the consequence of that problem could be catastrophic because it is a health problem. The bad news however is that Nigeria is still lagging behind in tackling the problem head-on and according to experts the shock this problem would leave on the nation could be double compared to that of HIV and AIDS.

The problem is called the Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) and even though Nigeria is very susceptible to these especially in areas where the soil is deficient in iodine it seems not to have been doing enough to nip this problem on the bud.

The target to eliminate the problem by 100% in the shortest possible time is still eluding Nigeria and the situation has led to the widespread of Iodine Deficiency Disorders especially goitre, cretinism, reproductive failures and hypothyroidism in the four most endemic states of Ebonyi, Taraba, Nasarawa and Benue.

Apparently because of the calamitous situation, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), launched a media sensitisation campaign to enlighten both the media and the public on the dangers of using non-iodized salt as well as the negative health implication of overusing and under using the substance.

Iodine deficiency is often characterised by neurological changes which amongst other things can also cause permanent damage to the cognitive development in children, severe mental retardation and impaired mental function in adults while the severest form manifests as goitre. However the most frightening aspect of iodine deficiency in babies and children is inability of the brain to be fully developed for maximum Intelligent Quotient (IQ).

For instance, a recent survey revealed that children born in iodine deficient areas are more likely to have a low IQ. A similar survey conducted in Nigeria in 1993 concurred with this finding and also indicated a 20 percent prevalence for IDD with an estimated 25 to 35 million Nigerians at risk. At the time of the survey, less than 40 percent of table salts sold in Nigerian markets were iodised.

Following the bolt from the blue of this finding, the Nigerian Government in 1993 demonstrated its commitment to eliminate the IDD through salt iodization by promulgating legislation that made iodisation of edible salt mandatory in the country. It also set clear iodine fortification levels in the salt.

Obviously accepting that the idea is not sinking into the bone marrow of the major players in the iodisation sector, the Federal Ministry of Health teamed up with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the United Nations Childrens Fund and Standard Organisation of Nigeria on an aggressive Universal Salt Iodisation campaign as a vehicle to ensure that people are not only aware of the need to use iodised salt but also to patronise only iodised ones.

As a show of commitment the Nigerian Government recently passed an Act mandating the iodisation of all edible table salt and to provide a legal backing for more effective regulation, NAFDAC formulated and got the Government to sign into law the Food Grade (Table or Cooking) Salt Regulation No. 14 of 1996, which stipulates that table salt shall be iodised and have a minimum level of iodine ex-factory/at port of entry of 50mg iodine/kg and at retail or household end of 30mg iodine/kg.

According to the Nigerian Industrial Standard for Food Grade Salt, NIS: 168/1992, Potassium Iodine which is a more stable compound than the cheaper iodised form is also recommended for use as a fortificant and it is against this backdrop that the NAFDAC underscored the importance of media involvement and assistance in the efforts to control IDD and enlist Nigeria as USI compliant.

Iodine Deficiency Disorders constitutes the single greatest cause of preventable brain damage in infant and of retarded development in young children. It is also a threat to both health and development worldwide. IDD as noted at outset results in goitre, stillbirth, miscarriage, mental retardation and impaired capability, amongst other consequences.

Bearing this in mind, one cannot over emphasise the urgent need for all hands to be on deck to nip this problem on the bud. It requires our collective commitment and pressure on the government of the day to do more to ensure that all households in Nigeria consume iodised salt. This calls for a team work and more than what one agency of the government can achieve within a short time hence my revisiting this issue five years after I wrote on the issue for the first time.

Iodine is very important to the body just like the air or water. On daily basis, at least 150 microgram (ug) is needed for healthy development of the body. The recommended daily intake of iodine is at least 150 micrograms (ug). Ingested iodine which the body does not utilise is normally passed out of the body through urine. This makes the urinary iodine level a reliable index of the iodine status of an individual.

A urinary iodine level less than 50 ug per day indicates iodine deficiency. A mean daily urinary iodine excretion in a given population which is less than 25mg indicates severe deficiency of iodine in the area. Though the initial proposal of the Nigerian Government was to embark on iodine supplementation through the distribution of Lipipodol capsules to all women of childbearing age living in the IDD endemic areas, the strategy of enriching salt, water and flour with iodine was also considered.

However the option of salt iodisation was chosen by the World Health Organisation (WHO), due to its feasibility and cost-effectiveness, in addition to its universal acceptance and affordability. The wisdom behind this choice was that since salt is a condition sine qua non in homes in Nigeria, the option of using that which is common to them becomes not only wise but also viable and handy.

It should also be noted that risks are also associated with this method if it is not used with moderation. The excessive intake of salt is a major factor in High Blood Pressure otherwise called the hypertension while the low intake could result in cretinism also known as stunted growth, low IQ in growing children, poor brain development and similar problems.

Since the early 1990s, Nigeria has been implementing the national programme on the eradication of IDD through the USI. The result obtained so far indicates that Nigerians are very comfortable with this method. Part of the reason as I mentioned earlier includes its availability, cost effectiveness and a very simple fortification process. If the present trend continues, Nigeria would soon be enlisted as USI compliant nation.

An impact evaluation of some previously IDD endemic sentinel sites indicated drastic reductions in total goitre rate and more significantly increased urinary iodine excretion rates. Goitre rate which was 20 percent in 1993 was found to have dropped to 11 percent in 1999.

In the same trend collated reports of the December 2002 IDD task force survey indicated the following iodine level;

• 97.3 percent at Household level

• 98 percent at Retail level

• 100 percent at Distributor level

• 100 percent at Factory level compared to 40 percent in 1993.

Though this may sound a good news but bearing in mind how long it took the government to get this far and the fact that the battle is yet to be over in eliminating the problem at household and retail level by 100% in the shortest possible time, we need to ask the Nigerian Government to show more dedication and seriousness in fighting this problem.

The HND, Bachelor's Degree Controversy: An Impediment to the Industrial Growth of the Nation and the Way Out

2008-12-23T20:22:00.001Z

There is no doubt that the industrial growth of any nation depends on the level of the educational advancement and development of its middle level manpower. There are many polytechnic students with the Higher National Diploma (HND). Their presence in any economy ensures its growth and development and by implication its national development. The consequence of its absence in any nation is lack of development or slow national development. This is exactly the case and problem with Nigeria. Even though Nigeria has many polytechnics that produce these middle level manpower, its economy has refused to grow. This is attributed to the disparity and controversy between the HND and Bachelors degree, which resulted in many students opting for the university education, which is purely academic and theoretical as against polytechnic education which is practical and pragmatic. The idea is that with bachelors’ degree they will acquire better jobs and earn more salary. This tragedy has resulted in the mass exodus of students from the polytechnic to the university thereby creating a vacuum hard to be filled, in the nation's labour market, all due to disparity and controversy surrounding the HND and Bachelors degree. This has done more harm than good to the economic development and educational advancement of this nation. It has generated also a lot of controversy than progress in the educational system.

For a long time, this controversy has been a thorn on the flesh of Nigeria's educational system. It is high time a lasting solution is given to the hydra-headed problem. Elsewhere there may be a big gap and difference between the polytechnic education and that of the university. But here in Nigeria the differences are not conspicuous. These little differences therefore, should not be the reason for the disparity between the two systems. It should also not be a reason for the disparity or controversy between the HND and Bachelors degree.

In the first place, it is important to note that the two systems are not the same and can never be the same. One is also not an alternative to the other. Polytechnic education is purely a techno-scientific education. This is in contrast to that of the university that is predominantly academic. The meaning of this is that while polytechnic education concentrates on technical cum scientific education and at the same time providing the nation and economy with the much needed and indispensable middle level manpower, the university concentrates on academic work and research. The result of their academic and research work is exactly what the polytechnic cadre puts into a practical form. For instance, an Electronics/Electrical Engineering graduate from the university can sit down on a table and plan how a given building can be wired. He is not expected to do the wiring himself. The wiring, which is a practical aspect, is now the responsibility of the polytechnic Electronic/Electrical Engineering graduate.

The argument here is that while polytechnic education is more of practical, that of the university is theoretical. Polytechnic education is, for instance, 60 per cent practical and 40 percent theoretical while that of the university is vice versa. This little explanation is a pure pointer to the fact that both educational systems are not the same or is one an alternative to the other. Therefore, a student who is opting for the polytechnic education should bear in mind that he is opting for a practical- oriented education. He can only switch to the university if he wants to go academic or theoretical. In a nutshell, one does not enter a polytechnic as a last resort. It is a different educational system with its own mission, vision and, of course, a clear objective.

Having seen their peculiar attributes, one will now ask why the disparity or controversy between the HND and the Bachelors degree? This is a result of ignorance of those in government and public sector. The stakeholders in our educational system are to be blamed too. There is no basis for the disparity between the honours if the points are examined critically and objectively.

One needs four credits to gain admission into a Nigerian polytechnic against five required for the university system. The margin, frankly speaking, is not much and should not warrant the controversy. In fact, majority of the students in the polytechnics gained admission with more than five credits. The writer gained admission into the famous Mass Communications Department of the Oko Polytechnic with eight distinctions. Similar to the above point is the fact that polytechnic education lasts for five years while that of the university lasts for four years. One should have thought that the extra one year in the polytechnic would have made up for their supposed four credits on admission. In addition to that, one takes three subjects in the Polytechnic/Colleges of Education Examination to gain admission into the polytechnic while the University Matriculation Examination requires only one, which is not even a big margin.

In terms of teaching staff, that of the polytechnic is as good as that of the university. The least qualification one needs for employment in the university, which is Bachelors degree, is also what is required in the polytechnic. This is also the case with the Doctorate degree, which is the highest qualification in both systems. The professorial title is just a title, which many Chief Lecturers in the polytechnics are qualified to be given. This is also the case with their standards of education. They are just the same. In fact, it has been proved time without number that some courses in the polytechnic are by far superior to that of their university counterparts. Accountancy is one of such courses and statistics of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) shows that HND graduates of the polytechnics pass their ICAN examinations more than their university counterparts. Mass Communication is also another and likewise the Engineering courses.

Today the polytechnic graduates are competing favourably with their university counterparts in the labour market. This is also a pointer to the fact that university education in Nigeria has no strong and effective regulation unlike their polytechnic counterparts. No polytechnic can venture or dare to do any course in Nigeria today without getting a go-ahead accreditation, temporary accreditation and permanent accreditation respectively from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), which is now being called the National Polytechnic Commission. This permanent accreditation is even subject to review every four years. Any polytechnic that violates this guideline receives a sledgehammer immediately from the Commission. The Commission is very serious, rigid and strict on this. This is the reason polytechnic education is undiluted, qualitative and competes favourably with the university system. The alacrity, speed and manner in which some university, some of which are not up to the polytechnic level, churn out graduates in courses it is clear beyond doubt that they are not qualified to do leaves much to be desired about their universal status and puts their standard, credibility and regulation to great question. Even the manner the new ones spring up day-by-day is an urgent matter of concern.

These and many others are the reason a full and final stop should be put on the controversy and disparity existing between the HND and Bachelors degree. As a way out, the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency upgrade the level of HND to that of the Bachelors degree and also make it a criminal offence for anyone, especially those in the labour market, to discriminate in giving employment to the graduates. It is an undiluted truism that no nation can do without the polytechnic graduates because of their contributions and indispensability in any economy, especially ours, which is a developing economy. Bearing this in mind, the Federal Government should also, as a matter of urgency, upgrade the polytechnics to the level of the university. They can still retain the name Polytechnics, Colleges of Technology or be referred to as Polytechnic University. For instance, we can then have Moshood Abiola Polytechnic University Abeokuta, The Polytechnic University Calabar, Federal Polytechnic University, Oko, and Yaba College of Technology etc. The Federal Universities of Technology should also be placed under this status.

In terms of admission, one should be admitted as it was before with the minimum of 4 credits. He will then do his Ordinary National Diploma (OND). He must do his four-month Industrial Training (IT) in the first year and one year IT after the OND. Then he will come back for his

Higher National Diploma (HND) after which he will go for one year National Youth Service Corps programme and then come back for his Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) if he wants to change discipline, then Masters and Philosophy degree.

These polytechnic universities should be following strictly the curriculum of the polytechnic education as it is today. They should, on no condition, award conventional degrees. They should be restricted only to the technical degrees like HND, M.Tech, etc. They should also award honourary degrees and professorial title to deserving persons. For the sake of professional, undiluted and pure polytechnic education, the National Polytechnic Commission should be charged with the responsibility of their regulation and not the National University Commission. For the start and as an experiment, 12 polytechnics should be converted thus and monitored for at least 6-year period. Their performance will eventually lead to the full conversion of others. Two should come from each of the 6 geo-political zones existing presently in the country. This is to avoid cry of marginalisation from any quarter. The above argument and suggestion if taken by the government and implemented will truly turn around the polytechnic education in Nigeria. It will also make the HND and Bachelors degree controversy die a natural death, having seen that the neglect and relegation to the background of the HND is a joke carried too far by our university counterparts. This is, sincerely speaking, the best solution.

In Defence Of The Rights Of The Child

2008-12-23T19:54:00.003Z

Fifteen years after the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by the General Assembly of the United Nations, the envisaged positive effect is yet to trickle down and manifest on the lives of billions of children round the world.

Even the unprecedented prosperity that the global economy is currently enjoying has not trickled down to benefit the staggering 40 per cent of all children in developing countries-over half a billion-who are still struggling to survive on less than $1 per day.

Other child indicators such as global under-five mortality, school attendance and child malnutrition-which are among the most accurate measures of development-clearly suggests that progress has not kept pace with the promises made at the World Summit for Children in 1990.

It is indeed a sorry distinction of today’s world that at the dawn of the ‘information age, one in three children in developing countries does not complete five years of education-a minimum required for achieving basic literacy. Millions more are being taught by untrained and underpaid teachers in overcrowded and poorly equipped classrooms, denying these children their social and economic rights.

Nigeria being the giant of Africa and the largest black nation in the world is not an exception. In fact it has been said that whenever negative records are being given about the developing world, Nigeria assumes the first position. Today, Nigeria has unenviable record of being among the first three in the world in the violation of the child’s right as manifested in the nation’s record of infant mortality, street children, child trafficking, child abuse, child poverty, juvenile HIV/AIDS, amongst others.

In a move meant as a response to these embarrassing situation and poor records, the new Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Inna Maryam Ciroma commenced the nation wide tour of states to meet with stakeholders to dialogue and reach a middle ground on how to ensure quick acceptance and passage of the Child Rights Acts in the states especially in the northern states where it has met stiff oppositions due to misgivings in some quarters that it conflicts with Islamic faith and Sharia legal system.

While on the first leg of the tour that covered Borno, Yobe and Bauchi States, the Minister availed herself of the opportunity to meet the State Governors, members of the House of Assemblies, Women and Children Non-Governmental Organisations, Religious and Traditional leaders to clear the air on those misgivings, which have been obstructing the acceptance and quick passage of the Convention.

The Minister had earlier on assumption of office made it clear that the status of children in the country has reached a stage where concerned stakeholders must come together to fight not only injustices that has been meted out on children due to the non-passage of the Child Rights Acts in the states but also various infringements on their fundamental human rights.

Coming herself from the northern part of the country, the Minister during the tour kept on repeating to the stakeholders in clear terms that there is nothing either in the religion of the region or their culture that sanctions any form of violence, maltreatment or injustice being meted out against children in the country today.

It was basically because of this, the Minister noted she began the tour of the states with particular emphasis on the northern states of the federation. What the Minister however could not hide is that bulk of this infringement on the rights of children are mostly present in the northern part of the country where children have been subjected to various forms of ill-treatment that has not raised eyebrow from concerned citizens in the past. She buttressed her claim by frequent reference to ‘staggering’ number of street children (Almajiris) adorning numerous roads in the northern states.

“One of the main objectives of my advocacy visit is to enlist the support of various stakeholders for the passage of the Child Right’s Act in the States. I believe that as a nation we stand to benefit immensely because the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child as adapted to suit our circumstances will ensure the survival, well-being and development of children into well adjusted individuals and enable them contribute to the national development”, she told Ali Modu Sheriff, the Governor of Borno State.

She however could not hide her disappointment that two years after the domestication of the Convention by the National Assembly as the Child Rights Act, only two states have passed the convention. This is despite expert opinion that the Convention would if passed and properly implemented fasttrack the national development and ensure not only a brighter future for the children but also serve as a means towards ensuring the promotion and protection of the human rights of girls and achievement of gender balance in the polity.

These principles were affirmed at the United Nations-sponsored World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 and reaffirmed at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The two conferences emphasised the need for the principles and provisions of the convention to be considered in the broader context of other human rights standards.

Countries that have ratified or acceded to the Convention are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations.

Ciroma while addressing the Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Sulaiman Adamu decried that despite the fact that Nigeria is a signatory to the convention, the list of abuses and violence against children in the nation continues to soar.

She particularly expressed her disappointment that the northern states have not lived up to expectation in the protection and upholding of the rights of the children. This situation she noted has led to multiplication of street children in the part of the country.

She attributed the situation to some misgivings in certain quarters that the content of the Convention is antithetical to Islamic faith and the Sharia legal system.

She told the Emir that such misgivings which has led to the non-passage of the Convention especially in the northern states should not be taken seriously since no aspect of the Convention runs contrary to the Islamic faith or the Sharia legal system.

She observed that states in the federation have also the right to study, review and adapt the Convention to suit their various needs, cultures and religions before passing them into law even as she said that states are free to allow Sharia legal system to take precedence where the provision of the Act conflicts with the Islamic legal system.

The Minister’s explanation is coming against the backdrop of the recent directive of some Council of Ulamas in some northern states asking their Governments to boycott the acceptance and passage of the Act into law citing some provisions that ran contrary to Islamic faith and the Sharia legal system as their reason. They were vocal in saying that their fear is because the Convention might at the end of the day give more rights to the children that their parents may not be left with any to discipline them.

For instance Article 32 of the Convention recognises the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or interfere with the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

Contrary to these provisions, Nigerian children in most urban areas especially in the north are engaged in work that is exploitative and hazardous. It is estimated that 8 million Nigerian children are entrapped in child labour and child trafficking. This situation has worsened as poverty has continued to deepen.

But the Minister earlier while addressing Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim of Yobe State observed strongly that no section of the Convention runs contrary to the Islamic faith, the Sharia legal system or limits the right of the parents to discipline their children even as she described the Convention as the most Sharia friendly legal instrument in the history of the United Nations.

“The Act seeks to protect the child against acts of transferred aggression which can result in physical harming of the child such as burning of fingers for minor misdemeanours or beating a child to death in the name of disciplining the child”, she said.

“The Child Rights Act is in fact the most Sharia friendly Act because it compliments the Islamic Law on Child Abuse, Child Trafficking and other vices. It protects the child against practices like burning the hands of any child for minor misdemeanours, administering pepper on a child who bed wets and severe slapping of a child to the extent of deafness. No religion advocates these barbaric actions that the Child Rights Act seeks to prevent”, she added.

One of the specific provisions in the convention which has generated negative reactions in recent times is that which prohibits marriage of girls below 18 years of age but the Minister while reacting on the issue noted that various erroneous colourations were introduced to portray the provision as anti-Islamic.

“It is erroneously believed that if a girl does not marry earlier than 18, she will not be able to have more than two or three children. Those who hold this belief also conjecture that it is a ploy to introduce western standards with the ultimate aim of reducing the Muslim population. Nothing could be farther from the truth in this statement, given that a woman is productive until she reaches menopause. Assuming a 2 year interval between pregnancies, the average woman who gets married between ages 18 and 20 is capable of having at least 10 children”, she said.

She therefore posited that the main essence of the inclusion of the provision in the Act was informed by a survey that linked the high rate of Vesico-vagina Fistulae and Recto-vagina Fistulae to early marriage and teenage pregnancy which she said is because of the poorly developed nature of the anatomy of a girl-child below 18 years thereby making her incapable of bearing the strains of pregnancies and childbirth.

She also noted that another reason the Convention discourages the marriage of a child below 18 is because of the tendency of such marriages to disrupt their education which she said is the leading factor contributing to the poor state of women and children in northern Nigerian.

“On a final note on this issue, I wish to reiterate that in the ten years between the drafting of the Child Right’s Act and its enactment in 2003, it was subjected to several reviews including reviews by Muslim Ulamas and Christian leaders. This was done to ensure that none of the provisions of the Act would violate any religious injunctions. In line with this, each state is free and in fact expected to study the Act with a view to adapting it to suit its peculiarities and circumstances”, she said.

The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 1989 and it entered into force-or became legally binding on States Parties-in September 1990. That same month, the world leaders at the World Summit for Children, held at the United Nations in New York, made a 'solemn commitment' to accord child rights a high priority.

The World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, set the end of 1995 as a target for the universal ratification of the Convention. By the last day of that year, 185 States had ratified, making it the most widely and rapidly ratified human rights treaty in history. As of mid-2003, only two States, United States of America and Somalia had not yet ratified.

Before its adoption the Convention on the Rights of the Child was carefully drafted over the course of 10 years (1979-1989) with the input of representatives from all societies, all religions and all cultures. A working group made up of members of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, independent experts and observer delegations of non-member governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and UN agencies was charged with the drafting.

Like all human rights treaties, the Convention on the Rights of the Child had first to be approved, or adopted, by the United Nations General Assembly. On 20 November 1989, the governments represented at the General Assembly agreed to adopt the Convention into international law.

When a government signs the Convention, it had to widely consult within the country on the standards in the Convention and begin identifying the national laws and practices that needed to be brought into conformity with these standards. Ratification becomes the next step, which formally bound the government on behalf of all people in the country to meet the obligations and responsibilities outlined in the Convention.

States are also free to refer in national legislation to ages over 18 as the upper benchmark in defining the child. In such instances and others where national or international law sets child rights standards that are higher than those in the Convention on the Rights of the Child the higher standards always prevail. This ensures that situations do not arise where Convention standards undermine any national provisions that are more conducive to the realisation of the rights of the child.

The Convention was domesticated in Nigeria with its passage in 2003 by the National Assembly as the Child Rights Act. At the moment only two states Ogun and Edo have passed it into law. This they did after wide consultation of various groups and interests in the state.

Niger State has already submitted the reviewed and amended version of the Convention to the State Council of Ulamas for review and ratification before passage into law. The move is to make the Convention suit the needs of various groups and interests in the state as demanded by the Convention.

According to United Nations, the Convention on the Rights of the Child reflects a new vision of the child. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights. The Convention offers a vision of the child as an individual and as a member of a family and community, with rights and responsibilities appropriate to his or her age and stage of development. By recognising children's rights in this way, the Convention firmly sets the focus on the whole child.

Prior to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, human rights standards applicable to all members of the human family had been expressed in legal instruments such as covenants, conventions and declarations, as did standards relating to the specific concerns of children. But it was only in 1989 that the standards concerning children were brought together in a single legal instrument, approved by the international community and spelling out in an unequivocal manner the rights to which every child is entitled, regardless of where born or to whom, regardless of sex, religion, or social origin. The body of rights enumerated in the Convention are the rights of all children everywhere.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child incorporates the full range of human rights-civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights-of all children. The underlying values-or 'guiding principles'-of the Convention guide the way each right is fulfilled and respected and serve as a constant reference for the implementation and monitoring of children's rights. The Convention's four guiding principles are as follows:

* Non-discrimination (article 2)

* Best interests of the child (article 3)

* Survival and development (article 6)

* Participation (article 12)

The Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines in 41 articles the human rights to be respected and protected for every child under the age of 18 years and requires that these rights be implemented in the light of the Convention's guiding principles.

Articles 42-45 covers the obligation of States Parties to disseminate the Convention's principles and provisions to adults and children; the implementation of the Convention and monitoring of progress towards the realisation of child rights through States Parties' obligations; and the reporting responsibilities of States Parties.

The final clauses (articles 46-54) cover the processes of accession and ratification by States Parties; the Convention's entry into force; and the depository function of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The Convention places equal emphasis on all of the rights for children. There is no such thing as a 'small' right and no hierarchy of human rights. All the rights enumerated in the Convention-the civil and political rights as well as the economic, social and cultural rights-are indivisible and interrelated, with a focus on the child as a whole.

For instance the Convention says that it is not sufficient to ensure that a child receives immunisation and health care, only for that child on reaching the age of 14 to be sold into bonded labour or conscripted into an army. It is not enough to guarantee the right to education, only to fail to ensure that all children are enrolled in school and can go to school equally, regardless of gender or economic class.

Considered the most powerful legal instrument for the recognition and protection of children's human rights, the Convention draws on the following unique combination of strengths.

Highlights and defends the family's role in children's lives. For instance in the preamble and in article 5, article 10 and article 18, the Convention specifically refers to the family as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of its members, particularly children. Under the Convention, States are obliged to respect parents' primary responsibility for providing care and guidance for their children and to support parents in this regard, providing material assistance and support programmes. States are also obliged to prevent children from being separated from their families unless the separation is judged necessary for the child's best interests.

The Convention seeks respect for children but not at the expense of the human rights or responsibilities of others. The Convention on the Rights of the Child confirms that children have a right to express their views and to have their views taken seriously and given due weight-but it does not state that children's views are the only ones to be considered.

The Convention also explicitly states that children have a responsibility to respect the rights of others, especially those of parents. The Convention emphasises the need to respect children's "evolving capacities," but does not give children the right to make decisions for themselves at too young an age. This is rooted in the common-sense concept that the child's path from total dependence to adulthood is gradual.

It also endorses the principle of non-discrimination, which is a principle included in all the basic human rights instruments and has been carefully defined by the bodies responsible for monitoring their implementation. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states frequently that States need to identify the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children within their borders and take affirmative action to ensure that the rights of these children are realised and protected.