The Chairman of the Apapa Local Government Area, Hon Elijah Owolabi Adele and his counterpart from the Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government, Apostle Oloruntoba Oke have reiterated their administration’s determination to forestall community transmission of Coronavirus and rid their areas of the pandemic.
The duo stated this on Thursday while fielding questions from journalists shortly after the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Lagos State Chapter donated some medical items including, packs of alcohol based hand sanitizers, hand gloves and packs of Vitamin C drugs to their respective local governments.
Hon. Olalekan Bakare, secretary, Apapa Local Government
While speaking, the chairman, Apapa Local Government, who was represented by the Secretary of the Council, Hon. Olalekan Bakare, attributed the success recorded so far in the management of COVID-19 in Lagos State to Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu’s proactiveness, towards the health challenge, saying the outbreak would have posed grievous looming danger to the state, if not for the priority given to the health sector.
He emphasised that although there have not been serious challenges of the outbreak in Apapa LGA, as it only recorded 2 cases so far, it will be good to prepare for any eventuality, adding that the Local Government is being proactive towards the fight against the pandemic to ensure that the community is protected from this covid-19.
Apostle Oloruntoba Oke, executive chairman, Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government.
Continuing, Hon. Adele disclosed that Covid-19 is real, considering the ways it spreads and kills victims across the globe, adding that its contraction would be prevented, provided people take to precautionary and hygienic measures.
While commending the gesture of the ACPN, the LGA boss said that the donated products would be used for the purpose they are meant for, adding that the council is going to give priority to the usage of the materials to prevent the spread of the virus in the area, as the vitamin C will help boost the immune system, while the hand sanitizers and gloves will help prevent the spread of the virus.
Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman, Ifako/Ijaiye Local Government Area, Apostle Oloruntoba Oke, said the Council will continue to spread the advocacy, educating her people so they would know what to do to avoid the virus, stressing that the council was determined to eliminate the disease in the community.
While lauding the ACPN for the donation, the council boss said there is need for more partnership with the view to ensuring that everything works to the expectation of our people, such that the war been waged over this ravaging pandemic will be won at the end of the day Speaking further, Oke urged residents of the area to report any COVID-19 symptom to the concerned authorities, stressing that the Local government authorities was determined to eliminate the disease in the community.
“So, I want to appeal to our people to continue to cooperate with us in this fight against Coronavirus. They should continue to stay at home. We don’t want anyone to die and the best thing to contain this virus is for us to stay at home”, the LGA boss said.
For Nigeria to join the league of countries who have been certified malaria-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is imperative for the federal government to scale up its budgetary allocation to healthcare, as malaria is a disease of under-development and poverty, the President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria(PSN) Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa, has said.
The PSN President, who decried the prevalence of the disease in the country in spite of progress made so far in combating the disease, said Nigeria still ranks among countries with lowest coverage of pregnant women receiving doses of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp3).
Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa
He said : “Nigeria needs to rethink her budget and investment in infrastructure especially the health sector for stronger and robust healthcare systems which can withstand pressure in the face of a pandemic.
“Continuous improvement against malaria can only be achieved with increased investment, and World Malaria Day presents an opportunity to remind world leaders of their commitments to end this preventable and treatable disease. There is need for increased funding to cover all those at risk of malaria infection and improve on research and development”, he quipped.
Ohuabunwa, who spoke through a press release commemorating World Malaria Day, which is marked every 25 April, said the day presents world leaders with the opportunity to deliberate on best strategies to overcome the preventable disease. With the 2020 theme of the global celebration as “Zero malaria begins with me”, sustained from World Malaria day 2019, sponsored by WHO and the RBM Partnership to end malaria; he said the day educates citizens in malaria endemic countries on simple malaria prevention methods and the need for investment toward malaria eradication.
As COVID-19 pandemic challenges the entire world, Ohuabunwa remarked, the importance of strong health systems to fight deadly infectious diseases like malaria, becomes more obvious, he noted.
Citing statistics from the 2019 World Malaria Report, he said pasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent malaria parasite in Nigeria accounting for 99.7 per cent of estimated malaria cases, with under 5 years children, pregnant women and immunocompromised persons as most vulnerable. In ending this preventable disease, he noted the role and commitment of community, national and global leaders to ensure ending malaria remains a priority on the global agenda.
The statement reads in part:
“Where are we as a country? Nigeria is far from becoming malaria free but is making remarkable progress.
“According to WHO , world malaria report of December 2019, Nigeria, came from almost 153 000 deaths in 2010 to about 95 000 deaths in 2018, accounting for almost 24% of all global malaria deaths. In all of the 11 malaria endemic countries, at least 40% of the population at risk were sleeping under long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), the highest percentage being in Uganda (80%) and the lowest in Nigeria (40%). Providing Free nets and improvement in electricity supply will positively impact on the use of LLINs.
“In pregnant women receiving doses of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp3) in 2018, Nigeria’s coverage was about 30% or less and ranked also one of the lowest.
“The present COVID-19 pandemic is a drama rehearsal of the worst to come.Most world leaders today are more national than global oriented.
“Several countries shot their doors to export of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) within the pandemic.
“America has threatened to halt her part of WHO funding of about 12% of WHO’s annual spending. We need to get to work now.
“We cannot continue to depend on handouts. Malaria is a disease of under development and poverty, that is why it has taken forever to develop vaccines against malaria, which may not be the priority of the West.
“RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) is the first and, to date, the only vaccine that shows it can significantly reduce malaria, and life-threatening severe malaria, in young African children. The clinical trial is yet to come to Nigeria.
“While we commend the proactive initiative of the CBN for the 100 Billion Pharma industry intervention funds, and hope for a timely disbursement devoid of unnecessary bureaucracies, we note that there are still a lot of gaps in funding Research and development.
“The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development ( NIPRD) and the Schools of Pharmacy in Nigeria have all it takes to make Nigeria a hub for APIs but grossly underfunded.
“Unless we take charge of malaria interventions, elimination and eradication of the disease may not be near.
“Deliberate attention should be paid to the community pharmacists who provide over 60% of the malaria interventions in our country.
Government should structure single digit, less encumbered loans to assist the business aspect of the Practice to improve availability and access to medicines. It is a core responsibility of government to ensure affordable Pharmaceutical care for its citizens.
“Malaria rapid test kits should be dropped at community Pharmacies for free testing of patients prior to commencement of chemotherapy. The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, through her technical groups, has continued to invest in the capacity development of Pharmacists for delivery of world class Pharmaceutical care to consumers of healthcare in Nigeria.
“Pharmacists are ever ready to offer their expertise for greater health of Nigerians”.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 114 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 31 to 32 deaths.
With the 114 new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 1095 cases, 208 recoveries, and 32 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:30 pm 24th April 2020, there are 1095 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
They also noted that the 114 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 80 in Lagos, 21 in Gombe, 5 in FCT, 2 in Zamfara, 2 in Edo, 1 in Oyo, 1 in Ogun, 1 in Kaduna and 1 in Sokoto.
The breakdown cases by states currently are as follows: Lagos-657, FCT-138, Kano-73, Ogun-35, Gombe-30, Katsina-21, Osun-20, Edo-19, Oyo-18, Borno-12, Kwara-11, Akwa Ibom-11, Kaduna-10, Bauchi-8, Delta-6, Ekiti-4, Ondo-3, Rivers-3, Jigawa-2, Enugu-2, Niger-2, Abia-2, Zamfara-2, Sokoto-2, Benue-1, Anambra-1,Adamawa-1, Plateau-1.
When you hear the word CAMP, it suggests some kind of temporary shelter or isolation at a place often far away from the regular place of abode. However, in this context, it is actually an acronym coined as a mitigation against potential mental health challenge, which the current global pandemic portends.
It is no longer news that the COVID-19 pandemic, as at the time of this writing, has reached the one million mark, going by the number of reported cases from around the world. In Nigeria, there have been spirited efforts of the government and other pertinent bodies to contain the spread of this virus, currently, the total number of cases reported is about 990 even though about 200 of those inititally isolated have been discharged, with 31 reported deaths. Going by the deplorable state of the health facilities in our country, one can only hope that this virus doesn’t get out of control.
Macjob Oladipupo
It is a no brainer that the ripple effects of this pandemic will inevitably deal a serious blow to the global economy, not just the national. In view of this, there have been myriads of responses from countries on the best or preffered ways to curtail and contain the spread. As a matter of fact, many probably hadn’t been fully aware of the meaning of the word “social distancing” hitherto.
Apart from stressing the need for all to wash hands thoroughly and use hand sanitizers when necessary this period, another measure put in place is that should there be a need for anyone to cough, it should be done between the elbows, as against directly in the palms. Of course, the traditional handshake for exchanging pleasantries or for sealing commercial transactions is not advised at the moment, to let you know how quickly this virus spreads once anyone has contact with the droplets in which it is present.
The most stringent and perhaps also most inconveniencing but expedient measure put in place by the government of some states in the country is the lockdown order expected to last for four weeks and counting. The implication is that, apart from those in businesses considered by the present administration as “essential”, everyone is expected to stay at home compulsorily.
No religious gatherings at this time; no clubbing or partying, nothing. However, as much as this strategy obviously would help a great deal in containing the spread of the virus in communities, the palliative measures in place have to be very solid and well deployed to the citizenry, especially those at risk; otherwise, there could be more casualties resulting from depression and possible death by suicide than by coronavirus.
It is simple. When life is threatened and the options for a human being are limited, crime becomes rather attractive. That is because the reptilian brain in humans, primarily responsible for survival, is what kicks in. Such a person is not thinking of any kind of investment than to survive, to have access to food and water, to say the least. Of course, many would be vulnerable at such a time also, negotiating precious and valuable possessions in exchange for what would keep them alive till the whole episode is over.
The most basic need of everyone at this time – whether rich or poor is food – just to stay sane; otherwise panic sets in. Regardless of how much anyone has in his bank account right now, if groceries are not available to buy, then the money has no value.
The reason for my extrapolation is because, technically, many of those sitting compulsorily at home right now are in some kind of isolation and extensive isolation itself can trigger depression, except it is well-managed. Unfortunately, the percentage of those considered to be emotionally intelligent or at least, self-aware in this nation is still low, even among the elite – to know what steps to take exactly in avoiding triggers of such negative emotions.
So, it is not unlikely for you to find irritations, aggression, desperation, frustrations, altercations, and several other negative emotional responses to be triggered by something as common as power outage. Yes, the power holding company suddenly doing their thing while you are busy watching a very exciting soap opera. That can make the persons affected to make negative remarks in very high tones that reveal rage against the government of the day, and everyone in close proximity might not be spared as well. This is definitely not the best way to respond to such.
It is therefore a collective responsibility for us all to ensure that we do not only stay safe but also stay sane at this period because, whether we like it or not, COVID-19 will pass but if we do not manage the crisis properly and assist others to approach it from the right perspective, there would be casualties from other factors such as mental health challenges etc, besides the virus.
Pharm. (Engr) Olatunji Koolchap AAA, is an astute pharmacist with over 40 years’ experience in the different fields of pharmacy practice.
He is a graduate of Kharkov State Pharmacy Institute, formerly known as Ukrainian Academy of Pharmacy and now National University of Pharmacy, Kharkov, Ukraine. He also obtained his Master of Science (with bias in clinical and industrial pharmacy) from the same institution.
Pharm. (Engr) Olatunji Koolchap AAA
Koolchap had his internship at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos and National Youth Service at St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and General Hospital, Kofan Gayan, Zaria, Kaduna State.
An independent pharmaceutical consultant, certified system engineer and professional counsellor, he is currently pharmacist director, Biomedical Limited, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria; chief consultant, Abbey 3X Consulting and Fort Moses Pharma Limited, Lagos; regulating affairs manager, Chidos Pharmacy Limited; pharmacy director, Eddy Murphey Pharma Limited; chief consultant pharmacist, Pharmslat Pharma Limited, Lagos; and health consultant, Sustainable Development Goals (formerly Nigerian MDGs). Koolchap is a prolific writer, editor, author and publisher, with over 60 publications covering Pharmacy, management and leadership, information and communication technology, counselling and psychology, aviation etc., to his credit.
Some of his publications include: The Essentials in Pharmaceutical Practice, History of Pharmacy Development in Nigeria, Aviation Career and Information and Communication Technology, among others.
He has served the pharmacy profession in various capacities, including being national secretary, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN); editor-in-chief, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State Branch; financial secretary, PSN, Lagos State; chairman, Editorial Board, PSN, Lagos State; pioneer editor–in–chief, ACPN national newsletter; pioneer secretary and publicity secretary, ACPN, Obalende, VI, Ikoyi Zone; as well as being a member of several committees.
Koolchap has received scholarship awards four times, two from the Federal Government of Nigeria, one from the UNESCO, and one from karROX Nigeria IT Gold Scholarship (CSE). Other awards and recognitions he has received include: Chief E. A. Osadolor Merit Award (2014) – University of Benin, Faculty of Pharmacy; Service Excellence Award – ACPN; The Inspiration Excellent Leadership Award (2014) – Inspiration International Inc. USA; Merit Award (2012) – PSN Lagos State; Professional Service Award – ACPN; Fellow, The Economics Institute, among others.
Olatunji Koolchap is also a member of NIM, FIP, Society for Monitoring and Evaluation Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria and Canadian Christian Clinical Counsellors Association and many others.
Performance management is the design, development, implementation, management and monitoring of systems and processes that are aimed at maximising human contribution and impact in the workplace. There are related issues here: (i) Ensuring that expectations and outcomes from the sales force are met; and (ii) assessing and communicating the levels of performance in a transparent manner and on a regular basis for various purposes.
The performance appraisal process should answer the two questions that every member of an organisation has: What do you expect of me? How am I doing at meeting your expectations?
Pharm. Tunde Oyeniran
Reasons for performance management Overall, regular assessments and appraisals are essential, if individuals are to continually expand their “skills set” and to deliver four key benefits for an organisation (and to some extent the staff): A clear benchmark for salespeople and sales managers, so that they know what is expected of them.
A clear career path for progression (which typically seems to motivate salespeople) Evidence of the return on investment made in developing people so organisations are encouraged to sustain ongoing development Continuous and continual improvement in corporate results, effectiveness and efficiency.
Determinants of field force performance Changing dynamics of the market have increased the pressure on sales force. Many studies were conducted to know the factors that influence sales force performance. They are found to be both internal and external factors.
Internal factors include motivation (the drive within an individual, propelling them to excel and do well); skill level (consisting of knowledge, capacity and cognate experience); job satisfaction (how much joy and happiness cones from performance of sales and demand-generation); role perception (personal paradigm of what is expected of them); ego drive (personal concern for success, being ahead, and fear of failure); and empathy (concern for pains of others – team members/team leader).
External factors (outside the control of the salesperson) include but not limited to those from the environment (general economic situation, industrial practices – including compensation, level of industrialisation, technology, etc.) and those traceable to the organisation they work for (communication, work flow, management style and attitude, corporate culture, size/age of the firm, level of professionalisation of management, reports/reporting and compensation system – perks, tools, expense system and available discretion), etc. For instance, capped running expenses, also known as “float” differ from company to company and is an important metric for reps in choosing where to work.
Another set of factors affecting sales performance level arise from sales management functions which can be considered as external. These include sales force planning process, forecasting (and acceptable variance), workload, territory size and expected results, field force performance metrics and control system. I have seen a rep who couldn’t work in a company deploying GPS-based reporting and movement tracking system!
Performance evaluation As earlier noted, performance management is generally an integrated set of techniques designed to improve employees’ performance through Setting clear objectives for individual employees that link to strategic goals. Formal monitoring and review of progress toward these objectives. Reinforcing desired behaviour through rewards Identifying training & development needs.
Performance evaluation is the second plank above. Remember that whatever you want done well must be measurable and trackable. It is important that the major objective of regular evaluation is to assure success for each and every member of the field force by communicating status of performance and agreeing on remedial action(s) before it is too late; as well as preventing unnecessary waste of time, energy and resources. It is not meant to be a post mortem that never brings anyone back to life! Reasons for evaluation include: Providing feedback of individual performance and motivate salespeople. To clarify work expectations, assure acceptable level of productivity and opportunity for remedial actions.
Planning for future promotions, successions and separations. Assessing counselling, training and development needs. Providing basis and information for salary planning and other rewards. To contribute to corporate career planning. To link compensation and rewards to performance. To help salespeople set career goals.
Key elements of performance management These include: Measurement – assessing performance against agreed targets and objectives. Feedback – providing information to the individual on their performance and progress.
Positive reinforcement – emphasising what has been done well and making only constructive criticism about what might be improved. Exchange of views – a frank exchange of views about what has happened, how appraisees can improve their performance, the support they need from their managers to achieve this and their aspirations for their future career.
Agreement – jointly coming to an understanding by all parties about what needs to be done to improve performance generally and overcome any issues raised in the course of the discussion.
Performance evaluation systems The following is a list out what practising sales managers can measure and track for the purpose of performance management and performance evaluation. Of course, this is not exhaustive, as specific needs differ from firm to firm and from time to time. The evaluation systems are grouped into two thus: Activities/inputs (efforts and actions needed to get the desired results) Daily call rates: Minimum number of sales/customer call per day, better specified in average quantities per customer type (doctors, pharmacists, nurses, specialists, wholesalers, distributors, institutions, retailers, etc).
Group meetings: Also called CMEs, RTDs, clinical meetings, presentations, etc. Minimum (and maximum) target per month/quarter per territory, Rep should be specified.
Retail presence: This is expressed as the percentage of surveyed retailers that has a given number of company products/SKUs. It is an important metric to drive access for patients and healthcare professionals.
Coverage: Acceptable number and level of presence/activities per geographic or customer or product territory. It can be stated by towns/cities, districts, economic units, states, professional group, set of institutions, or trade/channel members.
New Businesses. Required as the number of new customers/business on board per period per territory versus current numbers. This is important to drive growth, coverage and access
Output/results Sales Volume: Sales, in naira terms, for all products, specific products/SKUs with a territory in a given period. It is often compared with the standards, i.e. set target. Market Share: How much of the company’s sale for a product, brand or SKU versus total industry within a territory. Gross Profit: Sales less COGS within a territory in a given period. Often compared with company/industry standard
Batting Average: Number of total effort/trials versus number of positive outputs. Say, total number of distributors seeing/pushed for sales versus number that gave effective order, or number of doctors detailed versus the number that actually wrote scripts. Others include: product range / mix (sales concentration) new business (product and customer) redistribution to sales ratio customer) customer range / mix (sales concentration) average order value credit to cash sales ratio debtor days outstanding.
In view of the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have suspended all our open programs till June, 2020. You will be informed of the updated calendar in due course. We urge all our clients, participants and associates to stay safe and observe all directives and measures by governments, NCDC and other relevant authorities to stem its spread.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 108 new cases of COVID- 19 and increase in deaths from 28 to 31 deaths.
With the 108 new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 981 cases, 197 recoveries, and 31 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:30 pm 23rd April 2020, there are 873 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
They also noted that the 108 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 78 in Lagos, 14 in FCT, 5 in Ogun, 4 in Gombe, 3 in Borno, 2 in Akwa Ibom, 1 in Kwara and 1 in Plateau.
The breakdown cases by states currently are as follows: Lagos-582 FCT-133 Kano-73 Ogun-29 Katsina-21 Osun-20 Oyo-17 Edo-17 Borno-12 Kwara-11 Akwa Ibom-11 Kaduna-9 Gombe-9 Bauchi-8 Delta-6 Ekiti-4 Ondo-3 Rivers-3 Jigawa-2 Enugu-2 Niger-2 Abia-2 Benue-1 Anambra-1 Sokoto-1 Adamawa-1 Plateau-1
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire on Thursday announced that about 40 health workers have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country
Coronavirus
Osagie Ehanire stated this at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
The health minister, therefore, urged medical workers in the frontline of the COVID-19 fight to always protect themselves while giving treatment to infected patients.
Reports have shown that Ekiti State has recorded its first death from COVID- 19 on Wednesday, 22 April 2020.
The deceased, which was said to be a pregnant 29-year-old community health worker based in Lagos, was said to have sneaked into Ekiti in spite of the lockdown order for unknown reasons.
“Yes, a death has been recorded already, and we just confirmed the third case in the state.
A pregnant woman who delivered her baby successfully lost her life due to the infection, but the baby is okay” a health worker, who preferred anonymity disclosed.
The state on Tuesday confirmed that a doctor working with a private clinic tested positive for the virus.
According to Commissioner for Health in Ekiti, Dr Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, the doctor contracted the virus while treating the late pregnant woman who just died.
There has been pandemonium among Kano residents following an unusual increase in the number of deaths in the state.
The toll from the mysterious deaths that have hit Kano State has continued to rise. According to reports, no fewer than 190 people had been buried within four days in Kano and the cause of these deaths are not known.
The state imposed a lockdown shortly after recording its first COVID-19 case last week. According to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), at the moment, Kano has a total number of 73 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Although there are insinuations that the mysterious deaths in the state may be linked to the deadly COVID-19, but no confirmation yet from the NCDC.
Undertakers who double as grave diggers in certain cemeteries in Kano state said the frequency at which they receive corpses within few days is unusual when compared to the number of people they buried before the Coronavirus outbreak.
Areas where increase in deaths have been reported are: Zage, Kano Municipal, Tarauni, Gwale, Kurna, Dala, Chiromawa, Zango, Kofar Mata, Fagge, Kumbotso, and some local government areas outside the metropolitan like Bichi, Kunchi, Wudil, Gwarzo, and Shanono.
Adamu Umar, a cemetery guard at Farm centre, according to his post on Twitter, said he buried over 17 people on Sunday alone, adding that the situation is scary, as it is unusual since he began working there in the last four years.
Bashir Mohammed, one of the undertakers at the Dandolo Cemetery in Goron Dutse, Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, said,“This is worrisome, we are becoming overwhelmed by what we are seeing here these days because to me, the way people are dying is not ordinary.”
Mohammed popularly known as Mai Sana’a, said between Saturday and Sunday, over thirty people were buried in the cemetery in contrast to maximum daily record of ten burials previously.
The figure of the dead buried in the three cemeteries excludes other people buried in dozens of burial grounds in the eight local government areas that constitute Kano metropolis, though those working in such cemeteries said they did not notice anything unusual.
Also, authorities in Kano, community leaders, families of the deceased and medical officials have given different opinions on the matter with the state ministry of health saying it was investigating the matter.
Tijjani Hussaini, the state’s executive secretary of the primary healthcare board, said they were yet to ascertain the cause of the said deaths, but that the situation had “sent residents panicking.” According to a man on Twitter. “The investigation is prompted by reports that more deaths have been recorded in the past seven days. We want to know the number of persons already dead. We also want to investigate how they died,” he said.
“It is when we have a good idea; it is when we get the outcome of the findings that we can properly draw conclusions and brief the public.”
Mustapha Hikima, the chief medical director of Nassarawa Hospital, said the areas where deaths have been recorded are densely populated which makes the number insignificant.
“We don’t have the baseline information, but considering the high population size of Kano, the increase in the deaths is not significant,” he said.
He said the Ministry of Health had conducted a survey between April 13 and 19 to see the pattern of deaths in the state. He added that “after the quick survey, the result had shown that there was no significant increase in the rate of death recorded in the state.”
He continued: “We should also take the time of the occurrence of the deaths into consideration. The time happens occasionally. So it is subjective to judge when a case happens within just three days. To me, this is not a serious problem because it happens sometimes. So I appeal to people to be calm.”
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has directed thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of strange death.
Reacting to the development, Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, who acknowledged the strange deaths, told journalists that government had swung into action to assess the matter.
Although Garba disagreed that the sudden rise in death cases in Kano was related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he noted that Governor Ganduje had directed the state’s ministry of health to investigate it.
A number of Kano residents have taken to Twitter and Instagram to express their fears following the increase in death.
Nigerian Governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) have all agreed to the enforcement of an inter-state lockdown in the country over the next two weeks to curb the spread of the virus from State to State.
Dr Kayode Fayemi, chairman of the forum and Ekiti state Governor, made the disclosure after the forum’s sixth teleconference meeting, noting that only essential services will be permitted during this period.
According to him: “Members were briefed on the rapidly evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and coordination efforts with the federal government, multilateral and bilateral partners, and the private sector through the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID).
“Lamenting that over 25 states have been affected by the spread of the virus and increasing evidence of community transmission, the Governor disclosed that members called for the decentralization of the COVID-19 response as the best chance of nipping the spread of the virus in communities”.
He continued: “Following an update from the NGF Secretariat on the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, members expressed serious concern over the rising spread of the virus among health workers and resolved to work with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure that health workers are adequately provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are constantly trained on the use of protective gears.”
“In order to strengthen coordinated implementation of necessary public health recommendations across States, Governors resolved to set up COVID-19 Committees at the regional level, headed by their State Commissioners of Health. Regional Committees will continue to interface with the State Task Force Committees on COVID-19 already established in each State.
“The Forum also received briefing from the Governors of Lagos, Bauchi, Oyo and Ogun State who shared their experiences and lessons from the fight against COVID-19.
“Lastly, the Forum congratulated the Governor of Kaduna State, H.E. Nasir El-Rufai who after nearly four weeks of testing positive and observing very strict medical regime has now received two consecutive negative test results for the Coronavirus.
“Members also conveyed their condolence to Mr President and the people of Borno State on the passing of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr. Abba Kyari who passed away on 17th April 2020 in the line of duty to the country.”
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 117 new cases of coronavirus and increase in deaths from 25 to 28 deaths.
With the 91 new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 873 cases, 197 recoveries, and 28 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:25 pm 22nd April 2020, there are 873 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
They also noted that the 91 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 74 in Lagos, 5 in Katsina, 4 in Ogun, 2 in Delta, 2 in Edo, 1 in Kwara, 1 in Oyo, 1 in FCT and 1 in Adamawa.
The breakdown cases by states currently are as follows: Lagos-504, FCT-119, Kano-73, Ogun-24, Katsina-21, Osun-20, Oyo-17, Edo-17, Kwara-10, Kaduna-9, Akwa Ibom-9, Borno-9, Bauchi-8, Delta-6, Gombe-5, Ekiti-4, Ondo-3, Rivers-3, Jigawa-2, Enugu-2, Niger-2, Abia-2, Benue-1, Anambra-1, Sokoto-1, Adamawa-1.
The UK Government has recently announced that a new Coronavirus vaccine being developed in the UK will be put to test this week as human trials could commence as early as Thursday.
The announcement came as the Coronavirus death toll topped 17,000 in the UK, even though the actual number of fatalities across the UK will be higher as only deaths in UK hospitals are accounted for.
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock, speaking from Downing Street on Wednesday said the vaccine was being developed at the University of Oxford and vowed: “We will throw everything we’ve got at developing a vaccine”.“At the same time we’ll invest in manufacturing capability so if either of these vaccines safely works, then we can make it available for the British people as soon as humanly possible.” he said.
However, he cautioned that “nothing about this process is certain”.
On the commencement of the trial, he said: “In normal times, reaching this stage would take years and I’m very proud of the work taken so far.
“The upside of being the first country in the world to develop a successful vaccine is so huge that I am throwing everything at it.” Discussing conversations the UK government is having with leading scientists on a vaccine he said: “We are going to back them to the hilt.”
He added that work is being done so that a vaccine, if it is found, can be rolled out to the public “as soon as humanly possible” as that is the only way lockdowns and restrictions can be permanently lifted and people resume their normal lives.
This is a good news to the world, if this vaccine works, there is possibility that many people will definitely gain from it, including Nigeria.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)as of Tuesday night, April 22, 782 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in the country. There have been 197 recoveries from the infection and 25 deaths so far.
As it has been reported before, this is the breakdown of the states affected by Coronavirus and their numbers;
Key pharmacy leaders in the country, including the president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa; Pharm. (Sir) Nnamdi Obi, managing director, Embassy Pharmaceuticals Limited; and Dr (Mrs) Stella Okoli, chief executiv director, Emzor Group have tasked pharmacists in the country and beyond to invest in the construction of PSN’s much publicised ultra-modern Pharmacy Towers.
According to the eminent pharmacists, stakeholders in the pharmacy profession and other well-meaning Nigerians who wish to have their names written in the book of history must assist in building the proposed eight-storey edifice, which is estimated to cost N1.980 billion.
L-R: Pharm. (Dr) Nnamdi Obi, managing director, Embassy Pharma Limited, delivering his speech, with Dr. Stella Okoli, chairman, Emzor Group; and Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa, PSN president, at the ground-breaking and debenture ceremony.
Speaking at the memorable flag-off and debenture ceremony organised by the PSN towards raising funds for the project, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, said the occasion was a historic one because the dream of the forefathers of pharmacy in the country was being kept alive with the momentous ceremony, adding that the land was purchased in 1979, by the then president, Pharm. (Sir) Sam Agboifo, whose last wish before his death was that the building would become a reality.
He added that even though there had been several efforts by the past administrations before him to keep the dream alive, it had been difficult because the resources needed to build such a monumental edifice is more than the money realized from the members capitation fees and annual dues, saying at some points, the society ran into the hands of fraudsters.
“As we all can see, this is a prime place and it was well sought after, especially in a highly competitive area of Lagos like this, so it took the enormous efforts of the former president, Alh. Ahmed Yakasai, with the support of his predecessor, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, and other notable personalities, with the support of the Oba of Lagos, Oba Ridwan Akiolu, to retrieve the land back to us,” he said.
L-R: Pharm. (Dr) Nnamdi Obi, managing director, Embassy Pharma Limited undergoing the official ground-breaking ceremony with (Pharm.) Mazi. Sam Ohuabunwa, PSN president, while others look in admiration.
Speaking glowingly about the choice area where the land is located which is along the popular Church Gate Street, in the heart of Victoria Island, Lagos, Ohuabunwa described the proposed Pharmacy Towers as a symbol of renewed glory for the PSN, saying the Towers will house a National Drug and Poison Information Centre, and Emergency Response and Research Centre, which would serve as centre for the fight against drug abuse and misuse, as well as resource centre for the pharmaceutical industry.
“The Pharmacy Tower project seeks to raise a Seven Years 20 percent per annum fixed rate debenture worth N1.98 billion through cooperative fund raising. Debentures are exempted from all forms of taxation in Nigeria in accordance with the Companies Income Tax Order 2011, the Value Added Tax Oder 2011, and the Personal Income Tax Act 2011, as amended. This implies that return made to holders of the debenture are clear of Income and Capital Gains Taxes at the Federal and State level,” he said.
He however assured that at the completion of the building, it shall be managed professionally outside the influence of PSN bureaucracy. The PSN boss also noted that its proposed Pharmacy Tower, including an emergency response centre, will address the perennial issue of drug abuse and misuse ravaging the country, saying aside from creating jobs for both health professionals and lay personnel, the pharmacy tower will be pivotal in the fight against abuse and misuse of drugs and other harmful substances. In his address at the event, an elated Pharm. (Dr) John Nwaiwu, chairman, Project Committee appreciated God who made the day a reality, adding that the verse of the country’s national anthem, ‘the labour of our heroes past shall not be in vain’, has manifested with the epic landmark the pharmacy profession is attaining with the ground breaking of the eight-storey building edifice which will house the secretariat of PSN, as well as Drug and Poison Information, Emergency Response and Research Centre.
Speaking further, Nwaiwu tasked all pharmacists in the country and beyond to commit a reasonable amount of their resources to fund the project by way of subscribing to the debenture scheme, adding that all investors, corporate and individual will have their names engraved in corresponding plaques which shall be displayed for posterity in the hall of honour of the Pharmacy Tower. Nwaiwu noted that the construction of the building was estimated to take no more than 24-month from inception, adding that the tower project seeks to raise a seven-year 20 per cent annual fixed rate debenture worth N1.98bn through cooperative fundraising.
Also speaking, Pharm. (Sir) Nnamdi Obi, managing director, Embassy Pharmaceuticals Limited, and the Project Mobiliser for Pharmacy Tower, said the project was long overdue having acquired the land over forty years ago.
According to him, all pharmacists nationwide should identify with the project as pharmacy project because when completed, it would bring honour and glory to the profession, and as well make the practitioners proud.
Obi, who donated handsomely towards the Debenture, however described the effort to have the Pharmacy Tower as a step in the right direction, saying all stakeholders in the profession and other well-meaning Nigerians who wished to have their names written in the book of history should endeavor to support the PSN by investing in the Debenture towards raising the amount needed for the completion of the building, saying no amount is too small.
Also speaking, the duo of Dr. (Mrs) Stella Okoli, chief executive director, Emzor Group and Prof. (Mrs) Mbang Femi-Oyewo, chairman, Board of Fellows, said the project couldn’t have come at a better time, having acquired the land for about forty-one years ago.
Mrs. Okoli who also donated handsomely towards the Debenture, however tasked all well-meaning personalities and stakeholders in the profession to come together in unity and ensure the project becomes a reality within the project timeline, adding that Emzor will continue to support the project until it is finally completed.
Also present at the programme who also partnered with the PSN, where the National Secretary, PSN, Pharm. Emeka Duru; Pharm. (Mrs) Rosemary Nikoro, secretary, Board of Fellows; Pharm. (Mrs) Bukky George, chief executive officer, Healthplus Pharmacy; Pharm. (Mrs) Talatu Ebunne, former chairman, ACPN, Kaduna State; Sir. Ike Onyechi, chief executive officer , Alpha Pharmacy Nigeria Limited; Pharm. (Mrs) Yetunde Morohundiya, former national chairperson, ALPs; Pharm. Ade Popoola, managing director, Real Pharma Limited; Pharm. Samuel Adekola, national chairman, ACPN; Pharm. Tijani Yahaya, chairman, PSN, Niger State; Pharm. Chima Agnelius Ogbu, chairman, PSN, Rivers State; Pharm. (Mrs) Abiola Paul-Ozieh, immediate past chairman, ACPN, Lagos State; Mr. Santosh Kumar, managing director, WWCVL; Pharm. Tony Akhimien, former president, PSN; Pharm. Azubuike Okwor, former president, PSN; Pharm. Nike Adenuga; Pharm. Tope Bakare, chief executive officer, Medplus Pharmacy; Prof. (Mrs) Cecilia Igwilo; Pharm. Chris Ehimen, chairman, Nett Pharmacy; Dr. Ejiro Foyibo, first vice-president, PSN, South; Pharm. Ignatius Anukwu, national chairman, NAIP; Pharm. Isah Mohammed, YPG; Pharm. (Mrs) Ukamaka Okafor,
In this exciting and exclusive interview with Pharmanews’ MOSES DIKE and SOLOMON OJIGBO, eminent Professor of Pharmacy and former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Professor Ebenezer Olanrewaju Ogunlana, goes down memorial lane to recount the events that led him to study Pharmacy and his not-so-smooth journey to becoming a professor at OAU Ile-Ife. Ogunlana, who is the first professor of Pharmacy at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, also speaks about his undying passion for music having worked as choirmaster in the Methodist Mission for so many years. Excerpts
Professor Ebenezer Olanrewaju Ogunlana,
Can you tell us briefly about yourself? Who is Professor Ebenezer Olanrewaju Ogunlana? I was born in Lagos and I had my early education there. My father died two years and two months after I was born. So, I grew up without knowing my father. Being a school teacher, my mother took care of us. We were four children in the family but one of us died during the Second World War. Then three of us were left and I was the youngest. I did my post-secondary education in the United Kingdom. I was in Birmingham, where I did my A Levels. After that, I spent some time working and then went to the university. I was at the University of Nottingham from 1960 to 1963.
While I was in England, I had the privilege of meeting many people. Even at Birmingham, I met a lot of Nigerians doing many things. I became friendly with them. Otherwise, I lived a very quiet life but not too quiet. I was introduced to the societal system in the UK through the Methodist Mission. The Methodist Mission gave me support while I was in London briefly. I stayed at the Methodist International house before I moved to Birmingham under the guidance of two professors of Chemistry from the University of Birmingham and they more or less looked after me.
At that time, I did not abandon my passion for music, which I had developed here in Nigeria. I used to be a member of the choir when I was in Lagos. I maintained the same over there. I was a member of the City Road Methodist Church Choir in Birmingham. And when I was in Nottingham, I was a member of the university choir.
What was your experience growing up and what were the factors that helped shape your decision to study Pharmacy?
Well, it was a very strange situation and I believe God had something to do with it. In 1955, I became ill. I was working in the accountant-general’s office – a six-storey building in Lagos. There, I became ill and, usually, they allowed us go on break in the afternoon. So, in the afternoon, I went to the general hospital on the same street – Broad Street, as it is known today. When Prof. Olikoye Ransome Kuti, who was working at the hospital then, examined me, he said I wasn’t going to go home. At that time, he was working with Professor Odeku, who was the neurosurgeon at the hospital then. The two of them insisted that I had to be admitted briefly and looked after.
So, they took me to a ward. The hospital was very busy but they put me in ward E2, which was less busy and had fewer patients. I was given a bed. Interestingly, nobody in my house knew I was admitted because I went straight to the hospital from work. The doctors diagnosed that I had suspected infectious hepatitis, which called for careful handling. So I had to stay in bed.
While there, I watched everybody move around. I took my medications. There were not many drugs for me to take, except vitamins and similar medications to balance my system. Eventually I got rid of the signs and symptoms. However, when I was there, a man was ill and was admitted for fever but he became restless during the night and was going all over the place disturbing. The nurse on duty was a woman, so nobody could control the man. Then Dr Odeku, a tall, strongly built man, came and tried to stop him. He wrote a prescription and took it to the pharmacy downstairs which was on for 24 hours. He was however told that the drug was out of stock. I was in bed, watching. I was only 19 years old at this time.
Three days after that, I was discharged. As we were going home, I told my mother about the out-of-stock experience. I was bitter about it, wondering how someone could go to the hospital and not find drugs to take care of his health condition. I told her I had to consider a career in Pharmacy.
Now, to go back to study Pharmacy was a bit hard because, during my last years in secondary school, I studied mostly arts subjects because I was going to study History. So, I wasn’t qualified because, in the school certificate, I only did Chemistry and Biology; I didn’t have Physics at all. My mother advised that I should go to the British Council office at Ajasa Street on Lagos Island to find out how I could do remedial courses.
When I got there, the Lady I met said there was no point doing remedial courses for a short time because she feared I might not pass. She said I should find a way of getting a school overseas to give me admission. When I got home, I told my mother and the committee of Ogunlana family, consisting of my elder brothers and my mother. They met and decided that I should be given the opportunity to study abroad.
So we started writing to schools abroad and eventually I got a place in Birmingham and Birmingham was a place I found peace. I was very grateful because all the people I met were very supportive. I did A Levels at Birmingham College of Technology and I managed to pass (laughs). Having secured my A Levels, I felt good but was not satisfied with the results. So I spoke to a professor, who was one of my mentors, and he said “If you like, you can repeat it January so you can get higher marks.”
Then I asked myself, what would I be doing from June to January? That arose because my mother financed my schooling. So in order to assist her, I applied for a job as pharmacy assistant in Warrington, near Manchester. When January came again, I was able to write the examinations and I scored higher marks to be able to gain admission. At that time, Nottingham was admitting only 42 students. So you had to work hard to be admitted. I worked very hard in Warrington to the extent that the Mayor in Warrington decided he wanted to see me. What happened is that the wife of the mayor had come in as a patient to the hospital, and as an assistant pharmacist, I could dispense her drugs. So when she got her prescription – it was a gynaecological prescription – and she was not comfortable giving it to a black face to dispense and wanted to leave. We went back to Mr Millington, the gynaecologist and told him about it and he called her back. So she came back and was willing to allow us to dispense the drugs this time around.
When it was time for the city day, which held once a year, there was a ball and at that ball, I was invited by my boss to come. At the ball, the mayor and his wife were there. So, the mayor’s wife asked me for a dance and we danced. She was amazed at my skill and asked me where I learnt to dance. I said I learnt to dance at home in Lagos. And that was another recommendation which came from the mayor to Nottingham. There were concerns at that time because people from the West Indies had just arrived and there were blacks everywhere. So the mayor wrote to attest that I could be admitted and that was how I got into Nottingham.
At a point in your career, you rose to become the dean of Faculty of Pharmacy and deputy vice-chancellor. In all of these, what would you consider the highest point in your career?
In order to become a dean, you have to become a professor. To become a professor was a big challenge to me because when I applied for the post of a professor, I was not promoted. There was a bit of interest and it was not possible to overcome the interest groups because I had nobody. The situation was such that, over the waiting period, there was a little bit of activities which were very strange, as some powerful interest groups felt I was not aligning with them politically. I was not the only one who had that difficulty but the fact is that they were so strong and determined to make people align with them but I was not prepared to align with them because my mother did not teach me to be subjective. I had three interviews. The first one I went from the Ibadan campus to Ile-Ife. I was dressed for the interview but when I got to the venue of the interview, Prof. Fafunwa – the deputy vice-chancellor – told me to take my jacket off, that I was going to be in the interview panel. Instead of me to be interviewed, I was interviewing people for the same post. It was so strange.
They advertised the position again because they didn’t get any candidate. Again, I applied. This time, I went through the exercise and after that, I asked a member of the panel how I performed and he said I did well. When the result came out, they said I was not suitable. I became worried and said to myself that if they advertised it again, I would not apply. They advertised it again and I did not apply. But a few days after Easter, the vice-chancellor himself, Prof. Oluwasanmi, wrote and offered me the position of a senior lecturer in Pharmacy.
Apparently, there was a powerful political office holder at that time who was opposed to my appointment because he had his candidate but Professor Oluwasanmi was determined to do the right thing, so he offered me the appointment on the 1st of September 1973.
In 1974, there was advertisement for professorship and I applied. I was shortlisted. I was called for interview in December and on January 27th 1976, I became a professor. I wanted you to see the procedure I went through. So, I became the first one – the first professor of pharmacy in Ife.
How would you describe life in retirement? How has it been?
I have retired a long time ago. I retired in 1988. In 1989, I set up Lanpharm Laboratory and Scientific Services at Lapal House, which was opened by Prof. Ransome Kuti and he was very pleased. When I opened that lab, it became obvious that whenever I signed a certificate, people recognised it. As I got older, however, it became difficult to continue with the laboratory on my own, signing the certificates but I got a feeling people were not ready to take that, so I had to give up.
Are any of your children into pharmacy or medical practice?
No, I did not advise them to. For instance, my daughter who became a judge, wanted to do Pharmacy. I told her she was good at subjects like English, Government and all the likes, that she was not a material for Pharmacy. So when she wanted to write JAMB, I told the principal of International School, Ibadan which she attended, that she should not be allowed to do Pharmacy. For the boys, one is a scientist, the other is an economist. The scientist is an I.T (information technology) man now.
How would describe you days as PSN President? I was PSN president from 1994 to 1997. Before I became PSN president, I functioned in many ways at the West African Pharmaceutical Federation. In that case, I had no difficulty getting ready for the job of PSN presidency. It was an opportunity to serve and I served sincerely. I set up a four-paged journal, titled “From the President Desk”, which was used to circulate information within the Society and it helped a great deal.
Following the initiative of the Lagos State Government in increasing health workers hazard allowance by 400 per cent, the Nigerian government followed suit, in less than 24 hours to announce the approval of three months of COVID-19 allowances for medical doctors, pharmacists,nurses and other health workers in Nigeria, starting from March 2020.
The allowance, which is in three categories as stated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige who led the Federal Government team to meet with the healthcare practitioners, said the first category is an increase of fifty per cent as hazard allowance to health worker, while the second is 40 per cent as consolidated salary for healthcare workers.
According to.him: “The last category of workers are those directly at isolation centres with risk allowances of 20 per cent and non-core health workers will get 10 per cent of their salaries”
He further explained that government agreed to begin insurance for workers as well as the employees compensation insurance
“While government agree not to tax health workers at this period, it however rejected a demand for extension in the case of health workers due for retirement during the COVID-19 period”, he stated.
The meeting was attended the Minister of Sate for Health Adeleye Mamora, acting Executive chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Nta Ekpeyong, the National President of Nigeria Medical Association, Francis Faduyile and the National Chairman of the joint health sector unions, Biobelemoye Josiah as well as representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM
-as Lagos State government discharged nine more patients
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 117 of COVID-19 new cases and increase in deaths from 22 to 25.
With the 117 new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 782 cases, 197 recoveries, and 25 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:25 pm 21st April 2020, there are 782 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
They also noted that the 117 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 59 in Lagos, 29 in F.C.T 14 in Kano, 6 in Gombe, 4 in Katsina, 3 in Ogun, 1 in Rivers, and 1 in Bauchi.
The breakdown cases by states currently are as follows: Lagos-430, FCT-118, Kano-73, Osun-20, Ogun-20, Oyo-16, Katsina-16, Edo-15, Kwara-9, Kaduna-9, Akwa Ibom-9, Borno-9, Bauchi-8, Gombe-5, Delta-4, Ekiti-4, Ondo-3, Rivers-3, Jigawa-2, Enugu-2, Niger-2, Abia-2, Benue-1, Anambra-1, Sokoto-1.
Also, the Lagos state government has discharged nine more COVID-19 patients in the state.This was announced in a tweet by Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Special Adviser on New Media, Jubril Gawat.
According to Jubril, the patients include five females, and four males which includes one Polish national. 107 COVID-19 patients have been discharged in the state.
Pharmacists and nurses in their various associations, including the National Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) have commended the swift response of the Lagos State Government in increasing the hazard allowance of health workers in the state by 400 per cent, while charging the Federal Government to emulate such good gestures in boosting the morale of healthcare practitioners in the country, while combating the global pandemic.
The healthcare practitioners who described the action of the Lagos State governor as a welcomed intervention and as a befitting fight against the deadly COVID-19, requested the Federal Government to come up with a tangible and sustainable scheme that will commensurate with the degree of risks healthcare professionals are taking by putting their lives on the line while caring for patients in Isolation centres and other hospitals in the country.
AHAPN logo and NANNM logo
In an exclusive interview with the National Chairman of AHAPN, Dr Kingsley Amibor, he said: “The increment in hazard allowance by the Lagos State Government is coming at a time when healthcare workers in Lagos have virtually been stretched to the limit, and so we can assure you that it is a heart-warming news. The fact that it cuts across all shades of workers without discrimination is additional reassurance and a motivation for the health workers to put in their best to change the narrative in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, in favour of humanity
“The Lagos State move is also a challenge and stimulus to both the federal government and other state governments to do likewise, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). You need to understand that healthcare workers are especially at risk of contracting the virus because of the risks they are exposed to, including working with inadequate personal protective equipment, making them vulnerable to viral attacks”.
The AHAPN National Chairman also went ahead like Oliver Twist to demand for a comprehensive insurance for all healthcare workers in addition to improvement in their work environment.
He requested thus: “Like Oliver Twist, I wish to place a demand on the Lagos State Government to go a step further to embark on comprehensive insurance of all healthcare workers in addition to improving working conditions, provision of necessary equipment and beautification of hospital environments”.
He Continued: The Federal Government on her part should equally increase salaries of all healthcare workers, including hazard allowance. Additionally, the federal government should ensure provision of minimum of 3 ventilators in every tertiary health institution in Nigeria as a way of reducing mortality from the Coronavirus pandemic”.
The NANNM President, Com. Abdurafiu Adeniji also bought the views of AHAPN, in appreciating the Governor of Lagos State for the hazard allowance increment, while urging the federal government to swing into action by replicating the gesture of Lagos in all states across the federation.
He said: “The recently released circular is just a palliative measure. An as intervention programme, it is commendable, but while we commend this pace setting step of Lagos state government, it should not go unnoticed that this measure is not a product of collective bargaining process. Equally this is still falling below the expectation of our professional association”, he emphasized. As requested earlier by Amibor, Adeniji further asked for the implementation of a life insurance scheme for all health workers, as that is the only compensation that is comparable with the magnitude of risk involved in the fight against COVID-19.
“We therefore urge the Federal Government to come up with a tangible and sustainable scheme that will commensurate with the type of the risk the healthcare professionals are taking by putting their lives on line to safe the country from the pandemonium of the pandemic.
“The government should as matter of urgency introduce an insurance scheme for health workers learning from the effect of this pandemic. A life Insurance Scheme will be required to take care of the magnitude of the danger we the healthcare professionals are taking in the practice of our professional callings.
“The government should engage necessary apparatus known to trade union law in Nigeria and come up with an acceptable scheme”, he emphasized.
In his own reaction to the development, the immediate past Chairman of Lagos State NANNM, Com. Olurotimi Awojide also lauded the state government for its efforts in motivating healthcare workers to give the best of their services in rescuing the lives of Lagosians from the global infection, while requesting for a permanent review in health workers salaries.
Awojide, through his verified twitter handle said: “We appreciate our ever dynamic and proactive governor for this gesture. This will go a long way in boosting the morale of health workers especially in this era of pandemic. We thank you sir, while we await a permanent review in our salaries”.
Also, the Lagos State Chairperson of AHAPN, Dr (Mrs) Titilayo Onedo, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the increment in the hazard allowance, saying it is well deserved, as hospital pharmacists are highly exposed to different risks in the process of combating the spread of the virus.
She listed some of the dangers they are vulnerable to as follows: “exposure to fumes from chemicals in the production of hand sanitizers in large volume; exposure to the risk of contacting the virus during one on one interaction with patients be it at the point of prescription assessment or prescriptions validation or pharmacists counselling of both in patients or outpatients”, Onedo explained.
She added that timely implementation of the of the increment would be wonderful and will motivate health workers,” knowing that someone cares and appreciates your effort will want to make you do more and give your best at such a time.like this”.
You are not what you think, but what you THINK, you ARE. – Brian Tracy
The mind is the powerhouse of the body; it is the warehouse that stores all the thoughts. Just like a computer, it stores everything and anything you input in it. If you give the mind positive thoughts, it will process positive thoughts and give you positive thoughts in return.
On the other hand, if you input fear and negative thoughts, it will process fear and negative thoughts and give out feedbacks that will subdue positive atmosphere.
George O. Emetuche
You must be careful about what you think, what you watch, what you see, what you hear and what you believe. In fact, you must be careful about your circle. Where and who you spend your time with matter a lot. This is where you get 80 per cent of what you think, believe and act on.
Coronavirus challenge There’s no doubt that the world is currently passing through a difficult time because of the coronavirus disease. Experts are in their labs trying to come up with a solution. Countries are battling the health and economic implications of the disease. As optimists and positive-minded people, we must think and believe that the efforts by the experts will lead the world out of this challenge. This is our prayer.
We believe also that stakeholders in the health sector in Nigeria should think up workable solutions to lead the country out of this quagmire. Government should, as a matter of urgency, equip the health sector to be effective and efficient. Coronavirus disease has exposed appalling inadequacy in the health sector. There should be urgent actions to address this.
However, you and I should take charge of what happens within us. Taking charge is a choice. We can choose to be afraid at a time like this and continue to be in panic mode; and we can also choose to be courageous.
I know that panic mode creates a very strong atmosphere of anxiety that makes one to act without thinking. I also know that courage will make you triumph through a tough situation. You must choose faith over fear. You must choose courage over anxiety.
Right mindset As we go through this challenging times, I encourage everyone to develop the right mindset. I watched the brilliant presentation by the World Health Organisation Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, where he encouraged people to be hopeful and courageous while looking after their mental and physical health.
Ghebreyesus advised everyone to be mindful of what they watch or listen to during this pandemic. He believes that some news may weaken the minds of some sets of people. He however advised that we should listen to news from reliable sources once or twice in a day at this period that the world is battling COVID-19. He encouraged everyone to use this period to bond with their families, and reach out to neighbours and their communities. He also listed health tips to adhere to.
I totally agree with him. We need to be alive to defeat coronavirus disease. We need to take charge within – in order to conquer our environment.
W.H.O enumerated safety measures that will help contain the spread of the disease. These include: 1. Constant cleaning of hands with alcohol-based rub, or with soap and water. Use of hand sanitizer is advised where soap and water aren’t available. 2. Avoid touching our faces. 3. Social distancing: keep safe distance of six feet when you are with people. 4. Observe respiratory hygiene. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. 5. Stay at home if you can. 6. Seek medical attention immediately, if you feel sick.
These tips are not rocket science. The federal government and various state governments have also introduced several measures that will help contain the spread of the disease. Stakeholders are also looking for ways to find solutions to the economic aspect of it. Government, Organisations and several captains of industry have donated funds to ameliorate the effect of the disease on the economy. This is the way to go.
My aim of writing today is to assuage our fears. A lot of folks are not helping matters at a time like this. As stated earlier, these sets of people promote news that weaken the mind. They even spread unverified scaring news in their quests to intensify fear in the already frightened environment! This is wrong.
Communicating professionally is ideal at this time and all the times. When we communicate, we should send out the right information without necessarily amplifying fear. This is the communication style of the W.H.O Director. We should emulate the method. The right communication method should educate, inform, inspire and encourage.
You are unique. You are special in this space. Don’t allow situations determine how you think and act. You must be in charge at all times. The power to take charge of your environment is within you. Win from within!
Your duty is to observe the safety measures. You must do these religiously. Once this is done, live your life; move on with the right mindset.
Fearmongers want to make you believe that when you look at, or talk to someone, you contract coronavirus! They want you to believe that coronavirus is airborne, even when W.H.O says it is not. They just want you to be afraid. Say a big NO to fearmongering! Just follow the safety measures and all will be fine.
The world is working tirelessly to discover a cure for this disease. The solution is near, I am hopeful, I believe you are too. Let’s go through this with the right mindset, while we allow experts to do their jobs.
In the final analysis, Faith and Courage will conquer fear. Don’t allow the atmosphere of fear to determine your actions. Nothing great happens in a fearful mood. Being careful and wise doesn’t mean being fearful. Fearfulness is not a virtue. Coronavirus disease has put the world in a battle mood and we must be courageous and wise to win the fight. You must be courageous and wise at battle times. To win this battle, we must be Courageous, Wise and Faithful.
Taking charge of your day is possible. Taking control of your world is doable.The factor that makes the difference is the man at the centre and that Man is You!
In continuation of the drive towards ensuring national drug security, the Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has disclosed that there are ongoing plans to ensure the country is no longer solely dependent on other countries for all its drug needs.
Adeyeye, who gave the assurance in an exclusive interview with Pharmanews, stated that the agency is already in discussions with international experts to provide training for interested investors and manufacturers on the production of both Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and non-active ingredients to boost local drug manufacturing in the country.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye
She explained that such an initiative is what the country needs, especially at this time of global health crisis, adding that government is interested in collaborating with manufacturers on the proposed local production, which, according to her, has the potential of boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. Below is the full text of the interview:
Considering the restriction on drug exportation from India, is there any collaboration between NAFDAC and the Federal Ministry of Health to boost local drug manufacturing in Nigeria?
Local manufacturing, whether it is Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) or the finished products, cannot happen overnight because of the resources involved. But there are plans on ground to make it happen, especially with what we are experiencing during this COVID-19 pandemic. I have said it so many times, since I became NAFDAC DG, that drug insecurity is one of our critical issues in Nigeria and nobody was paying attention. Recently, I was at the CBN event to discuss next steps for Nigeria, in light of the coronavirus outbreak, the sharp drop in crude oil price, approximately 25 dollars per barrel now, and its effects on products manufacturing, the healthcare sector and others.
People perish without a vision, is a common saying. If the vision is not there, there can’t be any output. The coronavirus crisis that is hitting the world now may be a wakeup call and that was the subject of my discussion at the CBN event. The meeting had the “who is who” in the manufacturing and healthcare sector in Nigeria, with about 200 to 300 persons in attendance, including the ministers of finance, works, transport and others.
My major concern is the availability of drugs in Nigeria. Talking of Universal Health Coverage, without the availability of drugs, Universal Health Coverage is dead on arrival. Presently, Nigeria imports 70 per cent of its drugs and unfinished products, including raw materials, and the packaging. So it is a crisis, and the collaboration suggested by the PSN president is a great one. It shows that we have caught the vision that we are in a crisis.
If it comes to a time that the medicine you are supposed to buy for 2000 naira is being bought for 10000 and above, that is, five times higher than the actual price, then there is a problem. I am not sure whether that has really hit us hard enough, but it probably has, with the remarks of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele. He mentioned the fact that we cannot make a single API in Nigeria, as we have to import everything, even sanitizers.
Although he said we shouldn’t import sanitizers again, I don’t know whether he will put that into policy. What of the raw materials we are going to use in making the sanitizers? We cannot make them and that is the problem we have. We import all materials, except water, for pharmaceuticals.
What is the way forward in resolving these challenges?
Emefiele gave us a little of hope that the government may be ready to collaborate with investors to make non-active ingredients, like starch, lactose and magnesium stearate. It will be a great development if we can make non-active ingredients in Nigeria. Even if it is 10 per cent of the actives we can make, those items are the ones we will not need to import, and definitely, that will be a boost to our GDP. We can also export to other African countries to boost our economy, because we are the biggest.
Emefiele’s statement made me to know that we are possibly catching the vision. Before the coronavirus crisis, we had the problem of drug insecurity, and if China is ill, NAFDAC is dead, because if India imports 70 per cent of their actives from China, and India puts an embargo on this, they won’t be able to share all these things with anyone. Although I do not blame them; they have to think of their citizens first, while we are left to think of our citizens too.
There will be a series of meetings very soon with Emefiele and a few of us. It doesn’t have to be manufacturers of finished products who are also doing APIs. It is not everyone that is interested or that has knowledge of science that can manufacture APIs or non-manufacturing actives. No thanks to our university system, our students are not well prepared. Thus, we have to think of bringing experts from outside the country to train a group of people that are interested in manufacturing of APIs because it is medicinal chemistry.
It could be called a refresher course, as I had intended earlier before the coronavirus outbreak. My colleague at a university in China was going to come and have two weeks of lectures and start preparing whoever was interested in the science. What do you do when you want to manufacture acetaminophen? What are the things that you know from the science perspective and from the safety perspective? Because, in manufacturing of APIs, you have to think of the environment. How do you handle the wastes?
These are the types of things I have in mind for APIs, but it is not going to happen overnight – which means we are in a strait, so to say, for the next two years. I pray coronavirus will not persist. If it does, the next two years will be hard, very hard. That is even if we have already put a strategy on ground that, at the end of two years, we will start manufacturing one or two things. But, right now, there is nothing on the horizon.
Integrated medicine is already taking place in other parts of the world but it appears less imbibed in Nigeria, despite being abundantly blessed with different medicinal plants. Why is Nigeria not really embracing it?
We have started something already. In March last year, we formed a herbal medicine committee. It is a national committee, made up of NAFDAC, Ministry of Health and researchers from different parts of the world.
NAFDAC has a long list of herbal medicines that have been in existence.The reason for bringing the herbalists and researchers together in terms of doing more work is to quickly identify and characterise the herbal products; so we formed that committee.
We also found that there is mistrust between the herbalists and the academic researchers because there had been issues. The herbalists were not willing to release their intellectual properties because of copyright.
To resolve this, we created focus groups to look into different topics. We told each group to write a report on its topic. We found that there are more herbalists than researchers that came, and they conveyed that they wanted NAFDAC to be the manager, because they know that if NAFDAC is involved, it can be monitoring and safeguarding the interest of all parties.
I really don’t want NAFDAC to be involved because it is between herbalists and researchers; we were only trying to foster a smooth relationship. We don’t mind if it is just two or three products that can be developed from the collaboration. The main goal of all this is to have, at least, five to 10 natural products or herbal medicines that can go into hospitals and be used.
I researched into the sickle cell medicine and found that in vivo study refers to experimentation using a whole living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism. But ex vivo refers to taking blood samples from sicklers and looking at the blood cells before administering medicine into the tube in the lab. We saw a reversal of the sickle cell. Sicklers are prone to infections, especially at the early stage. It is not just that the product is anti-sickling, it is also antibacterial.
The herbalists and the researchers have to come to an agreement, in which they will need to formalise a research and look for fund, because to do clinical trial, one needs a lot of money. For the university researchers, they can go to TETfund (Tertiary Education Trust Fund) to get money. I am sure they will help, especially when NAFDAC is the midwife of the different groups.
Still on herbal medicine, herbal concoctions have been found to be one of the causes of kidney problems in the country. What is the agency’s plan to control the circulation?
The plan is enforcement. In Jos, we went after hawkers to seize their wares. Prosecution was minimal, and we keep sanctioning them. We even seized their vehicles that they used in propaganda too. It is a continuous process, but we also need a lot of resources, as we can’t go after them with okadas. We have to go with police and also with a vehicle to get them. The government supports us for salaries and not to pay high vehicles. We intend to increase our staff strength. We intend to add more staff and tackle so many things.
The display and sales of sachet alcoholic drinks is still a major problem at the bus stops. How do we tackle them?
We have done a lot and we are scaling it up. The ministry of health and NAFDAC met with brewery companies and manufacturers about a year and a half ago. We told them they had to take it off the market. They asked what to be done to those that had been employed and the machineries they had bought for the process. We then agreed that, first, they had to reduce the alcohol levels and they would do corporate social responsibility adverts, boldly telling the public that their products cannot be used by children. Currently, there are buses that have “no underage drinking of alcohol” as billboards patrolling major cities in the country. I saw two in Abuja some days ago and, of course, they are also on different radio stations. They have invested over N100 million to commence the campaign, because I told them they needed to scale it up, as corporate social responsibility demands.
So we agreed that, by 2023, there won’t be sachet alcohol production, because we also want to clear everything; and it takes a while to be sure that we fade it out.
What can be done to curtail drug abuse in it? Part of the problem was the fact that we were not at the ports for seven years. It didn’t just start with marijuana; it started with narcotics. In terms of enforcement, controlling and distribution, the manufacturers took advantage of our absence at the ports and drugs were coming in, aside from what was manufactured here, even codeine. As part of our own commitment, we started Youth Against Drug Abuse (YADA) using the Young Pharmacists Group (YPG) to go to different secondary schools. We intend to set up and increase our enlightenment programmes on TV and radio, using local languages and pidgin.
Common onion, botanically called Allium cepa (Fam. Amaryllidaceae), is a vegetable that is cultivated and consumed across the world. It is called albasa in Hausa, yabasi in Igbo and alubosa in Yoruba. Though it is a temperate crop, it can be grown under a wide range of climatic conditions (temperate, tropical, and subtropical).
Constituents Onions are nutrient-dense, meaning that they low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals. This vegetable contains vitamin C, the B vitamins, including folate and pyridoxine, and potassium. Onions contain flavonoids like quercetin, anthocyanins, fisetin and onionin; carbohydrate, protein and fibre.
Preparations Onions can be enjoyed either raw or cooked. It may be added to food while cooking, boiled, fried or dried. It may also be taken as a juice or applied topically as a paste.
Pharmacological actions and medicinal uses Research shows that eating onions may reduce heart risk factors, such as high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels and inflammation. Studies show that onion consumption is associated with improved bone density. Onions have been shown to inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria like E. coli, H. pylori and S. aureus.
Onions are rich sources of prebiotics, which help boost digestive health, improve bacterial balance in the gut and benefit the immune system. Chewing raw onions improves oral health. They help eliminate bacteria that can lead to tooth decay and gum issues.
Onions, when combined with garlic, are known to be effective antidepressants, painkillers, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory. The anti-inflammatory properties of onions can also help soothe respiratory ailments like asthma. A mixture of onion juice and honey is said to be effective as a cure for fever, coughs, common cold, catarrh and allergies. A small piece of onion, kept under the nostrils and inhaled, helps to stop or slow down a nose bleed.
Substituting onions for high-calorie foods may contribute to weight loss indirectly. As a result of some elements and phytochemicals, onions have been shown to reduce blood sugar, decrease tumour development and slow the spread of ovarian and lung cancer in test-tube studies. Onions contains compounds that are said to reduce the risk of glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts. They are also effective in the management of conjunctivitis.
Onions are one of the herbal medicines used for managing sexual impotence and erectile dysfunction; taking onion juice with honey is known to increase fertility in men. As a result of its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory qualities of onion is said to be used in the treatment of acne and pimples, to soothe stings and bug bites, to get rid of moles, treat hair dandruff and enhance hair growth.
Adverse effects Although onion is used in treating several gastrointestinal disorders, excess consumption may cause gastric irritation, vomiting, nausea, and burning. Uncontrolled intake of onion can lead to heartburn, especially in pregnant and nursing mothers. Onion often leaves a bad breath after its consumption due to its strong aroma.
Economic potentials An estimated 105 billion pounds of onions are grown across the world every year. According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Nigeria cultivated 996,519 metric tons of dry onions and 248,072 of green onions in 2017. A 50kg bag of onions, which was sold at an average of N14,000 in September, 2019 sold for N38,000 in November, 2019 – indicating a 171 per cent rise in price. With proper care against diseases, proper storage and good road network, onions can enrich individuals, communities and Nigeria through its cultivation, sales and processing.
Pharm. Ngozika Okoye MSc, MPH, FPCPharm (Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 38 new cases and increase in deaths from 21 to 22.
With the 38 new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 665 cases, 188 recoveries, and 22 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:10 pm 20th April 2020, there are 665 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
They also noted that the 38 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 23 in Kano five in Gombe, three in Kaduna, two in Borno, two in Abia, one in FCT, one in Sokoto and one in Ekiti.
The breakdown of cases by states are as follow: Lagos-376, FCT-89, Kano-59, Osun-20, Oyo-16, Edo-15, Ogun-12, Kwara-9, Katsina-12, Bauchi-7, Kaduna-9 Akwa Ibom-9, Delta-4, Ekiti-4, Ondo-3, Enugu-2, Rivers-2, Niger-2, Benue-1, Anambra-1, Borno-3, Jigawa-2, Abia-2, Gombe-5, Sokoto-1.
As a means of motivating healthcare professionals, who have been on the frontline since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Lagos State, Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said salaries of health workers in the state would be increased. The Governor who made the disclosure during a televised media briefing on COVID-19 updates in Lagos on Monday, commended the healthcare team for their commitment in the fight against the lethal virus in the state.
Babajide-Sanwo-olu
“We are increasing the salaries of all health workers in Lagos,” he said. Sanwo-Olu however cautioned residents against fears of isolation centres, stating that they are not death centres, rather for treatment of confirmed cases to recover and be discharged. He said: “Isolation centres are not death centres. It is important for us not to panic but to obey the regulations that have been put in place.” Regarding the forthcoming Ramadan, the governor pleaded with Muslim faithfuls in the state to obey social distancing during their month of fasting, as well as to avoid gathering above 25 persons.
The reality of the Nigerian pharma market today is that competition is tough and most companies sell generic products. The implication of selling generics (aka “me-too” products) is that most of the products are old, do not offer a unique advantage and are not protected by patents. In the circumstances above, customers and healthcare providers exert great influence on the specific brand that get prescribed, that get dispensed and are available on the shelves. Even the unique brands under protection have competitors and get substituted.
Building a lifelong partnership with customers is the only way to accelerate business growth in today’s highly competitive market, and guarantee that we are in business tomorrow. Therefore, to succeed in the marketplace, companies and salesmen need to continually and continuously run a process by which customer loyalty is created so that a stable, mutually profitable and long-term relationship is developed.
Pharm. Tunde Oyeniran
In defining relationship that way, it is noteworthy that it must be a mutually rewarding connection between the parties so that they expect to obtain benefits from it and both parties must have a commitment to the relationship over time and are, therefore, willing to adapt their own behaviour to maintain its continuity.
What is the grand strategy for relationship marketing?
Make the customer want to buy from you because of you for a very long time. If the customer wants to buy from you because your product has a “technical advantage”, the truth is that such an advantage can be, and will be copied, sooner or later. But your unique relationship with the customer CANNOT be copied, if carefully developed and built. Be foretold, however, that building such relationship requires strategy, time, resources and attention.
Why should you pay attention to relationship marketing? a. It is imperative if you are selling generic pharmaceuticals, as the trade and healthcare providers and administrators have a heavy influence on what gets into the PLO, what get on the shelves and product substitution b. It is faster and much cheaper to sell to current customers c. It makes it easier to overcome objections, especially price objections d. It enables consistence of sales performance as you are assured or regular orders e. Saves you in times of trouble (urgent need for money, short-dated products, heavy stock levels etc).
Relationship marketing and management Issues
a. Some customers are more important than others. It is a known fact that customers do not contribute equally to our sales and collection, indeed our performance. Then it makes sense to isolate the most important ones and deploy more resources towards them, as this will yield higher returns.
b. Lifetime value of customers. The value of a customer to a business is not just the last order. It is the total purchase over a “lifetime”. So, decision with respect to a customer cannot and should not be based on the recent purchases but also long-term value of purchases. In the same vein, investments in the customer should take into consideration the “lifetime” potential purchases.
c. Organisational buying. Selling to individuals is different from selling to organisations. There are various roles in organisation buying – users, buyers, owners, gate-keeper, deciders, approvers, etc. These roles vary from organisation to organisation, from time to time, from purchase to purchase. To understand the “buying centre” requires in-depth knowledge of the organisation, time and attention.
d. Personalised offer. Needs of customers are different. Best offers are the offers made with a particular person or organisation in mind. Relationship marketing makes it possible, practical and believable to make such “personalized” offers.
Strategies and tactics for relationship marketing and management a. Social strategies and programmes. These are personal and interpersonal bonds created via human social interactions and opportunities. Birthdays, marriage anniversaries, life-events, group activities. In this regard, it is frequent and personalised communications that develop bonds and make the relationship special and difficult for rivals to duplicate. The outcome of social programmes is often that customers reciprocate with repeat business and referrals. It has a has a direct positive effect on profits and is longlasting b. Structural relationship marketing programmes provide a service/product to increase productivity and/or efficiency for customers through targeted investment that customers would not make for themselves. For example, if the company provides free analysis of operations of customers or training for its staff. The results are to create a structural bond that makes it difficult for companies to switch to competitors.
c. Financial relationship marketing programmes provide economic benefits such as discounts, free shipping, favourable payment terms, etc. Customers respond financially to protect customer relationships, though they do not necessarily enhance the relationship because all companies do it.
Professional relationship development
In the pharma industry, healthcare professionals and service providers exert a lot of influence on what is bought and what is prescribed. It is then necessary for pharmaceutical companies to create a general relationship with the healthcare groups like PSN, NMA, NANNM, etc. and specific relationship with individual specialists, consultants and administrators for long-term growth. The latter can be achieved by sponsorships to professional and association events, scientific meetings, conferences, research programmes, collaborations, etc.
Tunde Oyeniran, a Sales/Marketing Strategist, Selling/Sales Management Trainer and Personal Coach (Sales Management) is the Lead Consultant, Ekini White Tulip Consulting Limited, Lagos. For more info, contact 080-2960-6103 (SMS/WhatsApp) /ekiniwhitetuliptraining@gmail.com or check https://fb.me/EkiniWhiteTulipConsulting
Despite widespread concerns and criticisms from Nigerian healthcare professionals and other stakeholders within and outside the nation’s health sector, the federal government, on 8 April, welcomed a 15-man team of Chinese medical personnel, ostensibly to bolster the fight against the scourge of COVID-19 in the country.
The Chinese contingent, whose coming had only been announced five days earlier at a media briefing organised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, also came with an estimated $1.3 million worth of medical equipment and consumables. The team is said to be made up of specialist doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians.
Chinese medical team
Apparently, for reasons having to do with the ambiguity surrounding the mission of the foreign medics and the unilaterality with which government took the decision, healthcare practitioners in the country had vehemently kicked against the move.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), through its President, Dr Francis Faduyile, in a statement, said: “It is a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions, and a fragile health system to be subjected to the ignominy of not being carried along in arriving at such a decision.” Similar sentiments were expressed by other associations within the health sector, with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) going further to point out the illegality of inviting doctors to work in the country without being licensed by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
Sadly, rather than seizing the opportunity of the insights provided by these longsuffering professionals to rethink its decision or temporarily suspend it until the various concerns raised were properly addressed, the federal government insisted that it would go ahead with its plan, and it eventually did. To justify this obduracy, a flurry of confusing and conflicting statements were released by the government and its Chinese partners, each of which only ended up making the decision even more questionable and unacceptable.
It must be quickly stated that this decision of government to disdained the views of the country’s health professionals before taking such a crucial healthcare-related decision is not new. Indeed, anyone seeking to understand why the nation’s healthcare system has been in shambles for so long and why the citizens are constantly exposed to disease outbreaks and avoidable mortalities from various health conditions, only needs to consider the many instances of government shunning the calls and concerns of key stakeholders in the health sector, until there are dire consequences.
Issues, such as the consistently appalling budgetary allocation to the healthcare sector, the excessive dependence on drug importation, the need to overhaul the nation’s health system and the inadequacy of government’s support to local pharmaceutical manufacturers, have been repeatedly raised at different fora but no one seems to pay attention, until there is a health crisis or a disease outbreak. Indeed, before the very first confirmed COVID-19 patient in Nigeria came in from Italy, stakeholders in the health sector had warned on the health hazards of leaving the borders of the country open. Typically, their views were rebuffed until the situation had begun to escalate.
It is high time the Nigerian government understood that people in government do not and cannot know it all. No nation can establish a strong healthcare system or provide qualitative healthcare to its citizens, while the government continues to act like it knows better that the professionals in the field or keeps disregarding their opinions on fundamental healthcare issues.
Moreover, the fact that the government could go ahead with its controversial decision shows that policymakers in the nation’s health sector are yet to have a grip of how quality healthcare delivery works. Best patient outcomes are only achieved when different health professionals work together in an atmosphere devoid of rancour and mistrust. How does the government presently hope to achieve this when it is forcing one team of health workers on another – the minority upon the majority for that matter?
It must also be emphasised that neither the excuse that the visiting Chinese health workers are being sponsored by selected Chinese companies in the country nor that they will mainly provide advisory functions is tenable. In the first place, the question is not whether the foreign personnel are being presented as a gift or not; the question is, must the government accept it, given the present concerns and suspicions of Nigerians in general? And for the so-called advisory role, it is basic common sense that these foreign personnel can never be successful in advising those who do not want them here in the first place.
It is our view that this period in which the Chinese delegation are observing the compulsory 14-day quarantine, offers a good opportunity for the government to drop its toga of bravado and do some damage control to its public relations tactic on this issue. Both the health ministry and the Presidential Task Force must initiate strategic communication channels to allay the fears of Nigerian healthcare professionals and the general citizenry about these foreigners. This will help to prevent the current battle against COVID-19 in the country from being jeopardised.
Times like these are mostly considered the productive month; this is a time of the month where there is a greatest likelihood of children coming to life. In fact some experts even pinpoint April as the most productive month.
But in the process of giving birth, and during breastfeeding their new additions, many women may experience an unwelcome surprise, which may cause family, friends and even bystanders to start quick comments and even sometimes criticize an expectant or new mother’s weight.
This shaming can include judging a mother-to-be for her weight before becoming pregnant; the weight she gains over pregnancy; and the weight she doesn’t lose after having the baby. Weight stigma like this is potentially a very real threat to maternal health.
A study published on Theconversation has recently revealed that fat-shaming pregnant women is not just mean, it is harmful and offensive and this may cause that they do something hurtful to themselves.
The study revealed that outside the realm of pregnancy, experiencing weight stigma is stressful and harmful. And this is associated with various health consequences, including weight gain, heightened cortisol and inflammation, and unhealthy or disordered eating. Despite this, little research has examined weight stigma’s effects on pregnant and postpartum women.
Criticizing Fat Pregnant Women Isn’t Just Mean, It Is Offensive
Angela C Incollingo Rodriguez, the author of the study and assistant professor of psychology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute U.S. said the research suggests that nearly two-thirds of pregnant and postpartum women experience some form of weight stigma.
According to the study, 501 pregnant and postpartum women reported experiencing weight stigma from multiple people and places.
21 percent indicated they had experienced it from immediate family. One woman said, “A good number of my family told me that I shouldn’t be ‘trying’ to get pregnant because I’m too heavy after they found out I was expecting.” Nearly 25 percent women reported feeling stigmatized by the media. Also, 33 percent said they experienced weight stigma in the media, an example being, “society treats overweight pregnant women as less.”
Healthcare providers were another common source. One woman shared, “One doctor told me I was terrible for getting pregnant at my weight that I was setting up my baby to fail.”
The report shows that these types of experiences didn’t just happen for heavy mothers. Women of all weights experienced some form of weight stigma.
There’s a widely held concern that heavy women are unhealthy and have unhealthy pregnancies, so many think the researchers need to intervene on weight. Rodriguez research, however, suggests that people should also be very concerned about weight stigma directed at pregnant and postpartum women.
For instance, in that same sample of 501 women, having experienced weight stigma was related to more symptoms of depression (both during and after pregnancy), dieting in unhealthy ways, more emotional.
Rodriguez explained that eating behavior, and feeling stressed out among postpartum moms, weight stigma was also related to keeping on their baby weight.
The study found that experiencing weight-based discrimination during pregnancy was associated with gaining more weight throughout the pregnancy. It also predicted more symptoms of postpartum depression and retaining baby weight in the first year after having the baby.
Another study shows that weight shaming has been linked to increased postpartum depression in women, an often serious illness.The author discusses her research on weight stigma during pregnancy.
Ruth Kava, PhD, RD, director of nutrition for the American Council on Science and Health in New York, says obesity may be a result of underlying genetic tendencies, thyroid problems, or even lack of exercise. But it’s hard to exercise when you’re heavy, so why stress? she said.
“Being pregnant doesn’t suddenly make it any less uncomfortable for someone to comment on your weight (or to touch your stomach). So as the year comes to a close, you might consider a new kind of New Year’s resolution. If your partner, friend, sister, neighbor or colleague is pregnant, be mindful in how you talk to her about her weight. Or better yet, maybe don’t even mention weight.
If we want healthy babies, that begins with healthy mothers. We all have a role to play in that in so far as we can avoid weight shaming,” Rodriguez emphasized.
Highly successful sales people have developed success habits that have helped them achieve great feat as sales professionals. In the last edition, we discussed that highly successful sales people set SMART sales goals and are success-driven and highly emotional intelligent. Let us look at the four other habits of highly successful sales professionals.
Relationship Incredibly successful sales professionals have excellent interpersonal skills. They have mastered great social skills. They build a solid relationship with their customers. They show empathy, care and understanding towards their customers. Highly successful sales executives have learnt how to identify their customers’ behavioural traits and adjust themselves to adapt as required. They have a listening ear and go the extra mile to show their customers that they have their best interest at heart.
Pharm. Sesan Kareem
Selling is people’s business and having a satisfying relationship with your customers significantly affects sales performance. Therefore, real sales professionals develop a good relationship with their customers. They are customer-focused and service oriented. They believe in customer’s satisfaction and experience. In this light, customers trust them, believe them and they are always willing to do business with them.
Be kind, nice and humble, it pays. Build a satisfying relationship with your customers. Show genuine care and understanding towards your clients. Always be interested in their progress. Share ideas that will help them or their business to thrive. Focus on identifying their needs and meeting these needs faster, better and cheaper. Let them see you as a confidant, friend and advisor. Let them know you as a partner in progress.
Prospecting Remarkably successful sales professionals have developed and mastered the ability to identify customers who are qualified for their solutions. They can easily identify their ideal customers who have a need, who are interested in a solution, who have the ability to make purchasing decision and also the financial strength to buy the solution. They keep looking out for new prospects on a regular basis. They invest time and energy on the right customers. They work smart, focus on productivity over activity and achievement over movement. They are very strategic with their sales approach. They have taken their time to study and understand their ideal customers and their needs.
Develop your prospecting skills. Learn how to quickly differentiate between a suspect and a prospect. Seek new prospects on a weekly basis. Focus on productivity and results. Be strategic with your sales approach. Work smart. Know your ideal customers.
Communication Successful sales professionals are great communicators. They know how to effectively communicate their products’ benefits, features and comparative advantages to their customers, with clarity, conviction and calmness. They have developed their presentation skills to be world class. They are good interviewers. They have mastered interviewing skills. They ask their clients the right questions that help them to discover their real needs so that they can proffer the right solutions. They also write a lot. They take their customers serious by jotting down some important points during their one-on-one discussions. They also listen closely to their customers. Improve on your presentation skills by practising your sales pitch consistently. Work on your interviewing skills. Jot down some information during your one on presentation and go through your jottings later. Be a good listener. Develop your communication skills.
Closing Until sale is closed, every other thing is just by the way. Highly successful sales managers and professionals are not afraid to ask for a buying decision. They have mastered various ways to ask their customers to take action during their presentation. They quickly notice their customers’ concerns and fear of making buying decisions. They know how to negotiate terms and conditions effectively. They follow up on their customers closely. They have also developed effective closing strategies. Hone your closing skills. Ask for buying decisions in various ways during your presentation. Discuss any fear of buying or concerns with your customers. Let them know how the benefits outweigh the price.
Out of these seven habits of highly successful sales professionals, which ones have you mastered? Which ones do you need to seriously work on and develop? Your ability to achieve great success in sales is unlimited. You can become a respected sales professional if you develop and master these habits. You can double your annual profit and accelerate your business growth if you focus on sales success. Remember, there is no business success without sales success.
ACTION PLAN: Build excellent relationship with your customers by showing them that you care about their success. Develop your prospecting skills. Communicate with your customers with clarity, conviction and calmness. Hone your closing skill.
AFFIRMATION: I am a successful sales professional. I am blessed and highly favoured.
(Contd from last edition) Pharm. (Dr) Obalolu Ojo is the managing director/CEO, Merit Healthcare Limited. In this exclusive interview with Pharmanews in his office in Lagos, Ojo, a former national chairman of Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) and incumbent chairman of the PSN Committee on Research, Documentation and Industrial Liaison, examines the impacts of the outbreak of coronavirus on the pharmaceutical industry and the lessons the Nigerian nation should learn from it. He also reveals what his committee has been doing since its inauguration, as well as his thoughts on other contentious pharmacy issues. Excerpts:
Two important pharmacy issues that have been hanging for some years now because they require government approval before they are implemented are the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDGs) and the new Pharmacy Bill which is now back at the National Assembly. How really crucial are these issues and what more can be done to fast track their approval and implementation?
To answer your question on whether they are crucial, I will say they are highly crucial. This is because distribution problem is a major reason the pharmaceutical sector is prostrate in this country. We were talking about how much the government owes the industry, but I can also tell you that a lot is equally owed in the trading of this product. It is crazy. The trouble is distribution and I believe that if we can address distribution, we can change the entire profile of the pharmaceutical industry.
Pharm. (Dr) Obalolu Ojo
One thing I can say with confidence as regards the NDDG is that there are improvements. There are organisations that are coming up in this area. The fact is that NDDG, when implemented, will enable us to do audit trail of everything in the system. The NDDG idea does not mean that the entire business operation must be run by pharmacists. A lot of people misunderstood the idea. As pharmacists, we understand the professional and mercantile nature of our profession, the two of them must be well taken care of. What we are saying is that anybody that wants to be in this business must be under regulatory control. That is all.
I was the chairman of the PSN NDDG committee and when we started, all the players responded. Including all the ones in Idumota and Onitsha. And we explained to them that we are not out to close anybody’s business but want them to come together and be under regulation and they understood.
That is what we were trying to achieve and majority of them understand it. However, not everyone agrees so we are not all pushing in the same direction. That is why it is still in limbo. On what we are doing to fast track the implementation of NDDG, I’m aware the president has set up another committee and they are working on it. However, I must say that the PSN is just a professional body. It doesn’t have statutory power to say this thing must happen tomorrow. The best it can do is to let government know the benefit of it through advocacy. So, the PSN is doing all it can do.
This NDDG is not for the benefit of the PSN but for the benefit of the man who is sick and is in trouble because he is sick and needs a remedy. And instead of giving him a remedy of a quality medication that will help him, you give him a fake or substandard product. It is a double jeopardy. The message is as clear as that, and all stakeholders in this country must realise that and support the implementation of the NDDG because it will help us to guarantee the quality of the medicines in our system.
On the Pharmacy Bill, first, I honestly don’t know why the president did not sign it into law the last time it was passed. It must have been due to some opposition from other quarters. Nigeria is usually about who you know and vested interest.
Perhaps some people do not like the pharmacy profession. For instance, the name of the bills says “Pharmacy Council” instead of Pharmacists Council of Nigeria. This mean that everything about pharmacy falls under the laws. Certainly some people may not like that.
But there are many provisions in that bill that is good for the society. For instance, the bills seeks to see how we can serve the underserved in the society in terms of medicine supply. There are areas in this country where there are no registered pharmacies, yet people in the area are using medicines. How are they getting their drugs? Who is supplying them the drugs? Are we sure such a person is not giving them products that will kill their kidneys?
The bills seeks to see how we can help those people. We will continue to push for this bill and I hope that, one day, we will get there. It is my hope that, one day, we shall get a leader who understands all we are pushing for. It doesn’t have to be the president. That leader may be the minister or even a special adviser. We just need somebody who realises that there are important things to be done. There are many leaders and many office holders who do not even know why they are holding the office. When you hold office as a minister, there are questions you should ask yourself. What is on ground? What can I do to improve it? Which level can I take it to? It is only when you have such clear goals that you can measure what you have achieved.
That is a major reason nothing is changing. We have been saying the same thing for years. Pharmanews has been publishing for over40 years and I know you guys have been writing about the same thing for several years because we still don’t have such leaders.
Your involvement in Ultra Logistics Company (ULCO) as the managing director some years back became a subject of a probe panel committee set up by the PSN last year. I learnt the committee has concluded its investigations and submitted its report. Can you tell us the reason ULCO was founded as the foundation MD and also your thoughts concerning the findings and recommendations of the PSN probe committee on ULCO?
The Ultra Logistics Company Limited (ULCL) was formed between 2014 and 2015 as a special purpose vehicle to address the problem of drug distribution in Nigeria. It was my idea and what prompted it was because I know that what individuals cannot do, groups can do it. Why is Dangote not in pharmaceutical business? Why are the big players in our economy not in this industry? There was a time I spoke with Oba Otudeko when we invited him for a programme. I asked him why he was not in pharmaceutical business and his response was that there was little or no return on investment. However, I know this is our industry, we can’t run away from it. I know that our major problem is drug distribution and I know that we need to address it. That is one part of the problem ULCO was to help us solve.
The second part is that the NDDG made provision for Mega Drug Distribution Centres (MDDCs) and these MDDCs are the ones that will be buying directly from manufacturers and importers. No other person can set up MDDCs apart from government agencies and state distribution centres. So we were of the opinion that if we were not careful, we might be substituting the current, disorganised and chaotic system for a monopoly or oligopoly, where some people would just seize the entire process by the jugular. So we knew that we needed a buffer. We needed an organisation that would serve the interest of Pharmacy first and, by that, serve the interest of the public because Pharmacy is a service profession.
So we knew that we needed to protect that and ensure we protected professionalism. We also knew that it would help us to protect the interest of pharmacists too. This is because by pulling resources together under ULCO, we can serve the interest of the society and protect pharmacy and pharmacists. That was the well thought out idea. We wanted everybody in the value chain to be involved – the manufacturers, the importers, the distributors and the retailers – so everyone will see it as their own.
The ULCO engagement cost me four years from 2013 to 2016 and even my business partners were complaining that I was giving too much attention to the activities of the Society. They are still complaining till now but I have not stopped because this is my ministry, and I derive satisfaction in being of help to this profession. We started very well and succeeded. For the first time in the history of the PSN, we were able to mobilise about 123 million naira from pharmacists. This was without any threat of your license not being renewed. It’s all about the power of persuasion and setting of a dream that people could relate with. But that figure was still below what was needed to set up the kind of company that we needed and we were looking for alternatives to get to where we needed to be and thankfully we got some ideas on how to do that. However, as it is the case in this Society, some of my colleagues felt otherwise on the idea we were pursuing. They did not see the vision as we saw it. They did not understand what was behind the passion I had and they thought there were other things driving the passion. They started bringing all sorts of issues. I tried to convince them otherwise but they still refused to understand and did everything possible to frustrate it.
So, at a point, to make sure that the idea didn’t get thrown out, I realised I had to step aside and that was what I did. I was given the option to be the chairman of the company but I said no. My view was that if they wanted to really see what was not clear to them, they should go in there and manage the company. I was the founder, initiator and the pioneer MD of the company and I ensured that our finances were very transparent.
Pharm. Lolu Ojo
While waiting for the business to take off, we engaged the money in some venture partnership and in 10 months we made a profit of about 30 million naira. Even in the pharmaceutical business that we are running, we don’t make such profit. This happened in 2016 at a time the country was on its knees due to economic recession. At a time, we had a negative GDP growth and I think this perhaps further confused them.
I think the issue was further compounded by the political atmosphere in the Society because I was interested in the presidency of the PSN. So some people felt they could use it to taint me. They began to spread the story that Lolu Ojo stole or mismanaged money of ULCO. What I did at that time was to write an article to explain everything concerning the company. I titled it “Ultra Logistics – My Story”. I wrote and explained that history would vindicate the just and explain all the details of what we did. There were people that responded positively to my explanation but there were those who still carried on with the lies.
Nevertheless, the current PSN president set up an investigative probe panel and I went there to explain. The panelists asked me questions and I answered. I went there with all the documents, so I was happy that I was exonerated of all charges. Not one allegation was proved against me.
As at 11:50pm, 19th April 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that there are 86 new cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria, in total there are 627 confirmed cases.
According to their post on Twitter, 170 people have been discharged with a total amount of 21 deaths.
They also noted that the 86 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 70 in Lagos, 7 in F.C.T, Three in Katsina, three in Akwa Ibom, one in Bauchi and one from Borno.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire has recently announced that no private hospital has been given approval for the treatment of COVID-19.
This information was disclosed at the daily briefing by Presidential Task Force (PTF) in Abuja, as the minister said that although some private hospitals have shown interest to treat the patients with the virus, but the fact remains that they have not met the criteria to receive approval yet.
Dr Osagie Ehanire
Ehanire asserted that no accredited private hospital has been given approval in Abuja. Lagos is looking at some accredited hospitals, he added that there is one large hospital in Lagos that has called him and said they want to become a Coronavirus treatment centre.
He explained further any private facility that would treat COVID-19, the hospital’s structure must be designed in a way that they are ready to remove all their present patients and do nothing but Coronavirus treatment, noting that the hospital do not stand the chance of cross-infection and there is no hospital that has met the criteria.
“Treating of private patients is not allowed. It is risky. Coronavirus is one of the most easily transmitted diseases you can think of. So, it is not allowed to treat Coronavirus privately,”He warned.
The Minister of Health also revealed that there are major guidelines that need to be adhered to for a hospital to be able to successfully handle COVID-19, as treating of COVID-19 patients privately is risky.
He said if you have a private hospital and you want to run a treatment centre, you have to show that you have the staff. The doctor must be an infectious disease specialist.
‘”You need nurses and even cleaners that are trained because the handling of this hospital is different from ordinary hospitals. They must be trained in infection control professional protocols. The hospital must be properly ventilated,” he explained.
He also said the private hospital must be inspected by a team of accreditors and they are the ones that will give the hospital go ahead.
In furtherance of the fight against the spread of the novel Coronavirus, the Lagos State Government has released names of testing centres in 20 Local Government Areas.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health, Oreoluwa Finnih, announced this in a tweet on Saturday.
Finnih, a public health advocate, stated that the facilities were located across the 20 local government areas of the state.
The document containing the names of the 20 testing centres also has the addresses and phone numbers to reach the centres.
In another tweet on Sunday, the State Ministry of Health said the COVID-19 response effort has moved into communities, while urging residents to corporate with officials of the LGAs.
– Says gesture will boost self-sufficiency in drug production
As the world battles to curb the deadly COVID-19, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), and managing director of Fidson Healthcare Plc, Dr Fidelis Ayebae, has praised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the release of N1.1 trillion naira health sector intervention fund, explaining that such an intervention would further empower major stakeholders in the health sector to work more towards ameliorating the challenges posed to the citizenry by the virus.
Ayebae, who recently spoke in an exclusive interview with Pharmanews in his Lagos office, said although the intervention fund was meant for the entire healthcare sector, a large chunk of it would go to the local pharmaceutical manufacturers to enable them scale up their capacity to meet up with local drugs need of the country, especially as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Fidelis Ayebae
The PMG-MAN boss, who regretted that the capacity of local pharmaceutical manufacturers had been hampered over the years by issues such as lack of patronage by government and citizens, said the day of reckoning seems to have come with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not only crippled drug importation but has shown the need for nations to strive to be self-sufficient in local drugs production to, at least, cater for their people.
Sufficiency in local drugs manufacturing, he maintained, is a national security issue that must be taken very seriously, especially in view of emergencies such as the rampaging coronavirus. Below is the complete interview:
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) was established primarily to protect the interests of local pharmaceutical manufacturers and to advance the cause of local pharmaceutical manufacturing. Looking at the group over the years, how much of its objectives do you think have been achieved and what are some of the landmarks that signpost these achievements?
As somebody who has been in this industry for 25 years, I want to doff my hat for the vision of the founding fathers of PMG–MAN. People like Mazi Ohuabunwa. I want to thank all the past chairmen for keeping faith with the founding goals of the PMG-MAN.
PMG-MAN has kept faith with the aims and objectives for which it was set up, like you rightly articulated, to cater to advocacy issues that concern local manufacturers in general because everybody cannot go and advocate for themselves in the advocacy space – be it NAFDAC, PCN, government, National Assembly or others. We have kept faith with this and score very high marks. Each and every past chairman did well to advance this cause and I hope by the time I bow out, I would have contributed my quota.
As for the landmarks, it is easy to say so many big things but it is more significant to note that for an industry to be sustained for as long as we have, we are doing the little things that matter. Whether it is in setting the standards that everybody should abide with, and cascading it from the regulator to the rest of the industry players; whether it is ensuring that patronage is lifted from a very low level to something encouraging.
Talking about patronage, first of all, it started with a high percentage of using locally made drugs many years ago and then the influx of imported drugs reduced the percentage utilisation of locally made drugs vis-a-vis imported drugs to about 80:20 at some point – 80 per cent for imported drugs, 20 per cent for locally made drugs. But, today, it is slowly inching up to the extent that empirical evidence shows that we are now 40:60 – 40 per cent local and 60 per cent imported.
Also, PMG-MAN singlehandedly, during the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) era, supplied the need of this country. It delivered every single thing that was ordered by PTF. It means that we have been there consistently, pushing for long. We have done so many things. And, as I said, what is important is that we have done those little things that have sustained the industry.
In the last 10 years, there have not been more than five of our members that have gone extinct. We also have pushed for WHO–GMP certification and we scored four. In Africa, we are the only country that at some point had four. No other country in Africa has achieved that feat.
Why has it been difficult achieving drug sufficiency in Nigeria? What are the limitations to our capacity to achieve this?
Capacity, simply interpreted, is a business grown from a mustard seed to become an oak tree. Several factors are responsible. We are at a point of watershed, where we produce not less than 40 per cent of the drugs we consume and about 60 per cent being imported and we will flip that picture in the next two years, given what is going on.
Some reasons I can quickly tell you include patronage. According to our extant laws, in every tender for government purchases, 70 per cent of the content must be locally produced products. That has never happened. They have never kept faith with it. Even when they were buying anti-retroviral drugs with Nigerian money and not donor funds, they were insisting on WHO pre-qualified products, until PMG-MAN fought and they accepted. But the amount of patronage has reduced substantially such that, today, government, which should be buying products for teaching hospitals and others have relented because of the paucity of fund.
If you check the percentage allocation for healthcare in Nigeria, compared to other countries, you will come to the realisation that the government has not prioritised the health needs of the citizenry. And the modernisation of the vehicles that are within the value chain, they have not prioritised them to be able to deliver value to the country. Therefore, the amount they are budgeting is very small; so there is so much that they cannot buy from us.
But the most pitiable one is that Nigerians unfortunately still behave like colonial stooges. We prefer foreign products to Nigerian products. Why should anybody in Nigeria today prefer to buy imported paracetamol, when you have a lot of locally made brands that meet international standards? We have Emzor Paracetamol, M&B Paracetamol, Fidson Paracetamol and others. Why would anybody bring in a derivative of paracetamol through the back door? It is because they know that our people prefer to buy imported products? Yet, we know that we all manufacture from the same pharmacopoeia. It’s either from the U.S pharmacopoeia, Indian pharmacopoeia or the British pharmacopoeia.
Why are Nigerians not patriotic enough to develop their home-grown industries by patronising products coming from here? Until the mindset of Nigerians changes to know that, with pharmaceutical products, nobody can cut corners. When you are a manufacturer you manufacture according to the standard prescribed for that product. We can only continue to expand when there is patronage and this also means that there is a payback for investment and so you can reinvest to expand – which some of us are now doing.
Again, critically speaking, we have reached a point also in regulation where we can safely say that NAFDAC is highly respected all over the world now and has reached a stringent regulator status out there. So, Nigerians have no fear whatsoever as to the quality of locally made products.
Finally on this matter, local manufacturing is the only panacea or recipe to address fake and substandard drugs. You can’t fake, within the confines of a local manufacturer’s compound, any drug. The only way fake products can be removed from Nigeria, is when most of our products are locally made. That is why I urge those of us in local manufacturing to continue to struggle and not give up. We can see that the day of reckoning has come with COVID-19 and everybody is looking up to local pharmaceutical manufacturers for help.
I also encourage our friends that are importing to wear the Nigerian cap, the patriotism cap. This is how the Indians and the Chinese got to their current level of self-sufficiency in almost everything. Nigeria should become less of a rent dependent economy and become a manufacturing hub for Nigeria and West Africa.
Can you please tell us more about the fund that was recently released by CBN to stakeholders in the health sector and what it is meant for?
Let me use this medium to thank the CBN profusely for taking the initiative to establish this intervention for the health sector and to single out pharmaceutical manufacturers for a large chunk of the amount that will end up being disbursed. The white paper is out. We know that it is not only for pharmaceuticals; we know that other sectors of the healthcare are also accessing. But a large chunk certainly will go to local pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The fund is established for two major reasons. One is for immediate response towards ameliorating the suffering of the citizens caused by this pandemic. That is, for local manufacturers to respond as quickly as possible in providing those materials that will be needed.
As at now, in anticipation of this coming fund, we have gone to borrow money to invest in some of these things. For example, a week ago, ordinary hand sanitizers were very expensive but today, the price has crashed because local manufacturers have taken initiative. Even before President Donald Trump of USA made the pronouncement on chloroquine as one of their treatment protocols, most local manufacturers that had APIs for chloroquine had already started manufacturing. So, today, chloroquine is there and we can meet national needs, just as we can meet national needs for the 17 products that were banned from importation.
The second reason, which is immediate, is for us to be able to upgrade our facilities and upscale our capacities. But the longer or medium term drive is for us to be able to scale up our capacities to the extent that we are able to meet the drug needs of Nigeria, such that if there is ever a closure of the world by a pandemic like this again, Nigeria will, to a large extent, be self-sufficient in the drugs that we need, in the API and in the intermediates that we need. Government also expects us to collaborate among ourselves and see how we can begin to manufacture some APIs.
Talking about Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), some have said that even if we have the capacity to produce some of these drugs, the local industry does not have the required API industry to provide the much needed support. What things do you think we need to put in place to have a viable API industry providing support for the pharma industry?
The question is not whether we are backward in that area or not. You see, unless there is an incentive to invest in something, people won’t just invest in it. Like I said before, Nigeria is a rent-taking, lotto-playing entity. People do quick deals and make money. Those are the things that we thrive at and nation-building is abandoned to government. Government alone cannot build a nation.
What does API require? It is not much – the intermediates and others are things that you can get from petrochemical plants. If Dangote has not reached a level where we can get those intermediates, we can import them until it becomes viable for a Dangote plant to produce them. Nigeria is slowly but surely getting industrialised. API is not a problem. I assure you that in the next few years, the first API would have been established in Nigeria by members of PMG-MAN in Nigeria.
Aside from the release of this intervention fund, what other steps do you think government can take to improve local manufacturing? Some people have advocated for tax holiday and other measures. What are your views?
I don’t want to dwell on things like that and the reasons is because Nigeria as it is now is broke. Oil is now selling for about $24 a barrel. Where are they going to get the money to do some of these things before we get into bankruptcy? However, I will suggest a few things and we will be fine. What must we do to consistently invest in our future as a people? One, we have taken a bold step to provide the five per cent emergency intervention fund. Can this fund remain perpetual industrial intervention fund that people can access when they have serious projects? Two, one of the greatest disservices that government has done to this country is that, for about 50 years, we have only two functional seaports in a country where the sea traverses about one-third of our border line. From Lagos all the way to Calabar, the sea traverses this area. Why would we have only two seaports catering for the import needs of this country from the 1980s till now?
Before Tincan Island Port was built, only Apapa Port was catering for the needs of the country. After Tincan Island, I think we built about two other ports – Onne Port and Calabar Port – to take off the pressure but guess what? Somebody forgot to dredge the sea so that large ships could use those ports. It’s all very crazy and it’s all due to lack of planning. The reason products are expensive is that both finished goods and raw materials land in the ports and there is so much bottleneck in clearing, such that the goods stay at the port longer that it took for the goods to sail from the country where they are imported to this place. Because all the containers that Nigeria is using are coming from these ports, the entire Apapa axis is so congested that vehicles cannot move. In fact, the cost of transporting a container from Apapa to Ikeja is higher than that of delivering something from Lagos to Sokoto and Maiduguri. At a point, when there was a heavy logjam, it cost about N800,000 to N900,000 to bring a container to Ikeja. Today, it costs about N500,000. It doesn’t have to be like this and there are also too many demands by too many agents.
So, we must sit down and ask, why must we be hurting ourselves? We need to create a task force to decongest the port completely and make it possible for people to do business. We, as manufacturers, are sick and tired of what is going on.
We should also focus on dredging and opening up all the other seaports so that only containers heading for the south-west and part of the north are cleared from Lagos; while those meant for the east and part of the North are cleared from the south-south ports. Once we do this, business will become a lot easier.
We must not become businesspeople that have become a burden to government. We cannot be asking for all sorts of rebates and incentives because, today, government doesn’t have money. So, let us still continue to pay our taxes. I am not a great fan or advocate of removal of all sorts of taxes because, ultimately, statistics have shown that Nigeria is one of the countries that pay the least taxes in the world.
What do you think the government can do to encourage contract manufacturing as a way of discouraging importation?
Government, through NAFDAC, is trying to encourage people who want to import and trade until they can establish their own factory to do two things – firstly manufacture where they can find but in a short while bring it to local manufacturing, where they can collaborate with existing local manufacturers for contract manufacturing.
Contract manufacturing is the place to begin but, unfortunately, that wasn’t the tradition before now; but it is now becoming the tradition. As you know, GSK and Sanofi have signed up with May & Baker and Fidson to contract manufacture their products to be sold in Nigeria and the rest of West Africa. With time, if they find out we are keeping faith with quality and prompt delivery, they will open the space to buy more from us. It is a good prospect. Other importers are also beginning to reach out to local manufacturers. This happens where you have created an investment opportunity; where people will have confidence to invest more in the industry. As I speak, we, at Fidson, are investing, in the next one year, a billion naira, beginning from November last year, in expending our capacity and expanding our infrastructure to cater to those contract manufacturing that we have signed, either for local players or multinationals.
In fact, NAFDAC, as a government agency, is encouraging that and they are coming up with a protocol for that to happen as often as possible because that does two things: First, it expands our capacity and ability to compete, in terms of our economy of scale, with the foreign manufacturers to an extent.
NAFDAC is a very friendly organisation. They feel and wear the shoes of local manufacturers. They know where the shoe is pinching us. If not for NAFDAC, all local manufacturers would have died. If you remember, it was Prof. Akunyili that came and sanitised the sector to ensure that we were not overtaken by fake and substandard drugs. So, business became interesting for local manufacturers again. The current Director General, Prof. (Mrs) Mojisola Adeyeye, is also doing her best to sustain and improve the momentum. So, NAFDAC is not our problem. It is Nigerians that should buy made-in-Nigeria products and CBN should try to bring down the interest rate and make forex more available for local manufacturers because our input materials are imported, ranging from machineries to raw materials.
How do you think all stakeholders can better manage the COVID-19 pandemic?
My advice is simple: Government should ensure that information is coming from only one source. Information is coming from too many sources and this is confusing the people.
Let Nigerians be wise. Follow the protocols established by the officials because the protocols are to save our own lives. If you do not have an essential thing, don’t go out. If you don’t have sanitizer, no problem, make use of ordinary soap and water. It is good. It breaks down the virus. If you get home, wash your hands, your face and your body properly before you start showing love by hugging your children or spouses.
If you travel, try to isolate yourself for the prescribed period before mixing up. If we observe this simple protocols, the problem will be gone within a short time.
People should know where to go and get tested if they are feeling sick. Efforts are being concentrated so much on the cities, forgetting that the rural areas are also heavily populated. But the government is trying because this is a terrain that nobody living today has passed through before, except during the Ebola scourge.
It can be said that generally everyone has priorities. Business people, in particular, always talk of their priorities. Some have actually gone through the process of identifying and writing them down. They discuss how important the priorities are and how they intend to execute them.
But, unfortunately, they don’t walk the talk. They merely pay lip service to those priorities. People often hear them talking about those priorities but they do not spend their time implementing them. It is what you actually do that identifies what your priorities are. Such priorities that you talk about but do not implement are only imagined priorities.
Pharm.(Sir) Ifeanyi Atueyi
On the other hand, the real priorities are the things you spend your time doing. They may not be discussed or written down but you always find time for them. These real priorities are what you consider important and make commitment to them.
The truth is that you only give time to your real priorities. You may even give money for imagined priorities but you do not give them your precious time. Many a time you receive invitation cards for various events. When such invitations clash, it is obvious that you cannot be in two places at the same time. Of course, some people try to move from one function to the other. But there is a limit to that.
What is done in such situations is to consider all the invitations and then decide the ones you can be represented by someone else and the ones you can just send some money and the ones a simple message of apology is sufficient. Then you focus on the event that demands your time and presence. Of course, that becomes your priority. There is always time for you to tackle your priority. When someone says he has no time to do a certain thing, it actually means that he does not consider that thing a priority. Time is always available for priorities.
Therefore, if you want to know your real priorities, check how you spend your time. It is these real priorities that determine your success or failure. They determine your values. It is therefore important that you deliberately keep accurate record of what activities occupy your 24 hours in a day. Those things that engage your time and your subconscious mind are what control your life. If you don’t like the direction you are going in life, change your thinking, your self-concept and your priorities.
However much you talk of your Christian or spiritual life, if you don’t spend quality time in prayer, study of the Word of God, in fellowships and church service, your spiritual life is only an imagined priority. You may attend church service on Sundays for about 3 hours and give your offerings and then wait till the next Sunday. Monday to Saturday is devoted to business and other activities. However much time you spend on talking of your spiritual life, it is not your real priority.
You may not be good at discussing your club activities but you are usually in your club in the night five to six days a week, and any night you miss the club, you feel the day has not been well spent. My friend, club is your real priority whether you discuss it with people or not. Check the number of hours you dedicate to club activities and compare it with the number of hours you spend with your family, which you may claim is your priority. A lot of men who attend night clubs return home when their children might have gone to bed. In some cases, they have to wake their wives from sleep to open the door.
A professional colleague who read my autobiography launched during my eightieth birthday on 1st October last year, phoned me to confirm if I actually have attended the annual national conferences of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) consistently for 46 years, as reported in the book. Of course, I confirmed that it was a true statement. He then wondered how I was able to achieve that.
I explained that after attending the conference in 1973 in Lagos, I purposed in my heart that I would attend subsequent conferences. I made sure that any other activity that clashed with the November annual conference would not engage my time. I was committed to the conference and no distracting circumstances prevailed against me. Expectedly, God provided all the resources needed for the conferences to ensure fulfilment of my heart’s desire.
As at 10:20pm, 18th April 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that there are 49 new cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria, in total there are 542 confirmed cases.
According to their post on Twitter, 166 people have been discharged with a total amount of 19 deaths.
They also noted that the 49 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 23 in Lagos, 12 in F.C.T, 10 from Kano, two in Ogun, one in Oyo and one in Ekiti.
There was pandemonium in some parts of Ikorodu Friday afternoon as report of a dead patient, who allegedly died of the COVID-19 filtered into the community.
Immediately after the confirmation of the case, by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Pharmanewsonline gathered that officials of the NCDC were seen at the General Hospital, Ikorodu, collecting samples from all the healthcare practitioners working at the Emergency Centre (ER).
NCDC personnel collecting samples from people at the Emergency Centre, Ikorodu
An official of the GH, Ikorodu, who spoke with our correspondent on the ground of anonymity, confirmed the case and the visit of the NCDC to the secondary healthcare facility to collect samples from staff, who attended to the patient without wearing Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, before his death.
Our reliable source said:” Yes, the test conducted on the dead body of the late patient by the NCDC was confirmed positive, but the patient was put in an isolation room, as he was already suspected for the virus before he finally passed on”.
Emergency unit of the facility
“Although the incidence is true”, the source added, “but there are a lot of misinformation about the case, because the hospital has taken all necessary steps to prevent a community transmission of the disease, as family members and contacts of the deceased have been rounded up”.
Earlier report from an undisclosed healthcare proffessional at the facility has stated : “A patient was taken to Ikorodu GH in the morning by family members. History and symptoms were consistent for suspected COVID-19 and patient was advised to be taken to IDH for COVID-19 screening.
“Patient was however taken home by relatives, only for them to rush her to the ER the next day in the evening in a very bad shape. Doctors and nurses saw, attended to the patient without PPEs and admitted, while earlier history was concealed by relatives.
“The Doctor that saw the patient the previous day recognized the patient and the name on the folder and told the other doctors what transpired the previous day.
“The patient dies over the night, NCDC were informed and they came and took samples from the deceased. The result came out this morning positive for COVID-19.
“NCDC was at GH, Ikorodu taking samples from all the people that have been working in the ER”, the source stated.
All attempts made to reach the Public Relations Officer of GH, Ikorodu, Mr Olaseni Yekini, proved abortive, as calls made to his phone were not responded to, as at the time of filing the report.
In a similar development, the remains of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, was committed to mother earth at noon today, in Abuja, according to Muslims rites.
The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, 17 April 2020, Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president, media and publicity, revealed through a press release.
Although the statement didn’t disclose his age, but there were divergent views concerning the age of the deceased, as some reported 81, others said he was in his 70s.
Following the announcement of the passing away of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, who died on Friday, the Presidency has disclosed his burial arrangements, saying he will be buried in Abuja on Saturday, 18 April 2020.
Since the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in Nigeria, Kyari’s death was the highest profiled person in the country and in Africa to have been recorded due to the virus.
Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.
According to the presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, the deceased chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, will be buried in Abuja on Saturday.
Shehu via his twitter handled just announced the arrival of the remains of the deceased, saying all protocols as stated by the NCDC will be observed.
Shehu tweeted: “We just received the body of Abba Kyari, the deceased Chief of Staff to the President in Abuja. In strict observation of the protocol put in place for the burial of Coronavirus victims by the @NCDCgov and the Federal Ministry of Health, the funeral prayer and burial will be private.
“Thereafter, there will be no such ceremonies as condolence visits. Well meaning friends, family members and the general public are encouraged to pray for the repose of Abba Kyari’s soul”, he stated.
Mr Kyari, from Borno State, was pronounced dead on Friday from coronavirus complications. He was first tested positive for the virus on March 23 and subsequently moved to a private medical facility in Lagos for treatment.
Reports have it that he was initially receiving treatment in Abuja before he was transferred to a private hospital in Lagos on March 29.
In a March 29 statement, Mr Kyari said his health was improving and urged Nigerians to remain calm about his situation and keep a hygienic lifestyle to avoid contracting the virus.
But on Friday night, the presidency confirmed he had departed from complications inflicted by the virus. Mr Kyari consequently became the most senior Nigerian government official and politician to die from the virus, which was first reported in the country on 27 February.
The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, 17 April 2020, Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president, media and publicity, revealed through a press release.
Although the statement didn’t not disclose his age, but there were divergent views concerning the age of the deceased, as some reported 81, others said he was in his 70s.
While the nation mourns the passing away of the president’s chief of staff, governors and other national officials have condoled with the presidency and the deceased family.
-Conducts Free Medical Services to Police Community
For the Police officers at Pedro Police Station, Pedro, Shomolu, Lagos, the recent visit of members of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Gbagada Zone, will linger long in their memories, as the association took healthcare outreach to them as part of its corporate social responsibility.
The free medical screening, which took place at the premises of the Pedro Police Station, Pedro, Shomolu, Lagos, offered opportunity for the officers who are often occupied with responsibility of securing the community to access free health counselling and screening on blood sugar, blood pressure, malaria, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, diabetes among others.
L-R, Pharm. Robert Ikwudimso, public relations officer, ACPN, Gbagada Zone, Pharm. Moyin Oshin, zonal chairperson, ACPN, Gbagada Zone, attending to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Pedro Police Station, Mr. Lawrence Iheukwumere.
According to Pharm. Moyin Oshin, zonal chairperson, ACPN, Gbagada Zone, the programme was organised as a part of the zone’s contribution to improvement in public health, adding that health screening is important because it has been discovered that a lot of people are coming down with chronic disease conditions and health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes and other silent killer diseases as people as some people are ignorant of their health conditions.
Explaining further, the ACPN zonal boss noted that regular health examinations and tests can help detect health problems before they become complicated and sometimes untreatable.
“We know the police officers are always busy and they hardly have time for their health, so we have decided as a group to take this campaign to them by telling them how to get the right health services, the importance of health screenings and treatments as well as other important health information.
We also organised this programme to further smoothen our relationship as a professional group with the law enforcement agencies in this community because we have had it a bit rough in the past. So it is a good way to start and we are happy it worked perfectly well, as many of them came out en-mass to get screened,” she said.
A cross-section of the police officers at the programme
Also speaking with Pharmanews, the deputy zonal chairman, ACPN Gbagada Zone, Pharm. Leonard Ohams, explained that the free medical screening and awareness was organised by the association in partnership with Shalina Healthcare as part of the association’s contribution to improve public healthcare.
Ohams, who dismissed the rumour that community pharmacies in the zone are constantly facing victimisation and harassment by the police, urged the officers to consider their health first in everything they do, adding that looking healthy is not always an indication that one is free from diseases.
While thanking ACPN for the laudable programme, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Pedro Police Station, Mr Lawrence Iheukwumere, said he was delighted that an association like ACPN could come to their police station with such a beneficial programme.
He also debunked the rumour of frosty relationship with the healthcare providers, adding that if the relationship had not been cordial, it would be difficult for them to bring the laudable programme to the station.
He however appealed to the healthcare providers to report any form of drug abuse or fake drug case to the police for proper action, adding that the police and pharmacists could work together to rid the society of fake and counterfeit medicine.
Another police officer, Mr Afees Odunlami, thanked the organiser of the programme for giving him the opportunity to know his health status and the need for him to remain healthy, adding that his job as police officer is not giving him opportunity to have time for medical checkup in the past.
While speaking with Pharmanews, Pharm. Robert Ikwudimso, public relation officer, ACPN, Gbagada Zone, noted that the major health challenge that was common among the people screened were diabetes, high blood sugar and hypertension, noting that lifestyle modification and proper exercise coupled with stress free lifestyle is needed to checkmate the health challenges.
In a determined effort at further cementing the existing cordiality between the ancient city of Ile – Ife, and the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), management of the University has embarked on sensitisation and distribution of relief materials to Ife community residents, as part of their contribution to fight the spread of Coronavirus, that is hitting hard at many countries of the world.
A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that the Vice-Chancellor of the Institution, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, made the disclosure on Thursday during the presentation of the materials to the President of Ife Development Board, Comrade Lawrence Awowoyin, at Ooni’s Palace, Ile-Ife.
The relief materials donated by the OAU
Ogunbodede commended Ooni for the fatherly role he has always played to the University, saying he had done enough for the University community, even during this COVID-19 pandemic.
The Vice- Chancellor added that the University thought it fit to fully support the efforts of the government and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, towards curtailing the pandemic in the country.
He said that the institution had initially distributed handbills that sensitised the people on how to curtail the spread of Coronavirus.
According to him :”We are aware of the fact that the lockdown has denied members of the community the opportunity to go about their normal daily activities, thereby negatively affecting their means of livelihood.
We, however, take solace in the fact that since the advent of the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria and Osun State, there is no single case of COVID-19 in Ile-Ife and it’s environs.”
He stated further :” It is our prayer that this no-case situation remains in the entire Ife Community.”
He appealed to Nigerians to stay in their homes and observe social distancing as well as obey the guidelines released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
In his response, the President of IDB, Comrade Lawrence Awowoyin, commended the OAU management for their good gesture.
Awowoyin said that if each one helped, at least, one person in providing succour, the pain of the vulnerable would be eliminated considerably, if not totally.
He commended the management for their commitment and willingness to provide the desired support for the proper and effective distribution of the relief materials to the citizens of the ancient city of Ile-Ife.
Items distributed by OAU were: 179 packs of 5kg Garri, and seven and half bags of 50kg Garri.
Others were: 200 packs of OAU bottled water; One cow, 500 loaves of OAU bread and 200 bottles of 250ml Ifetizer (hand sanitizer). All the items donated to the Ife community are produced by the University.
In the entourage of the Vice-chancellor were the Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Administration), Professor Chris Ajila; Registrar of the University, Mrs Margaret Omosule and Dr Peju Oyebisi, Director Corporate Services.
The surge in new cases of the novel Coronavirus took a drastic dimension on Friday night, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 51 new cases and increase in deaths from 13 to 17.
With the 51 new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 493 cases, 159 recoveries, and 17 deaths.
Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 10:10 pm 17th April 2020, there are 493 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.
While Lagos is still leading with 283 confirmed cases, it is followed by FCT with 69 cases, then Kano has 27, Osun- 20, Edo-15,Oyo- 15, Ogun- 10, Kwara- 9,Katsina- 9, Bauchi- 6,.Kaduna- 6, Akwa Ibom- 6, Delta- 4, Ondo- 3, Ekiti- 3, Enugu- 2, Rivers-2, Niger- 2, Benue- 1 and Anambra-1.
Meanwhile, the sudden increase in the number of deaths from 13 to 17 within 24 hours has called for worry from some quarters, while they have called for more pungent measures from governments to curb the spread.
One of the concerned citizens on Twitter named : Titi Dapo said: “It’s worrisome as the number of coronavirus cases is intensifying every day, the government needs to do better in curb corona.
“As we are critically confronting uphill, this is a period we need to see ourselves as one Nigeria and financially support each other”.
Amidst several concerns raised in some quarters, allegedly accusing the Oyo State government of poor response to the raging challenge of Covid-19, the state government has dispelled the rumour, saying the state is ready and well equipped to curtail the spread of Coronavirus pandemic in the state with its state- of- the-art- facility, along its experienced team led by the Executive Governor of the state, Engr. Seyi Makinde.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent at the state government house, Ibadan, Oyo State recently, the Commissioner for Health, Oyo State, Dr Bashir Bello, explained reasons for adopting partial lockdown, saying it denotes the uniqueness of the state, as more health professionals were being trained to adequately prepare them for handling cases of the virus coupled with the sophisticated Covid-19 Task Force team chaired by Gov. Seyi Makinde himself.
Commissioner for Health, Oyo State, Dr Bashir Bello
He revealed that indigenes of the state have thrown their weights behind Gov. Seyi Makinde, on the measures put in place to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus in the state, adding that the state’s adoption of partial lockdown is best as total lockdown of the state in the present circumstance would have put citizens in panic mode and heightened social tension, as it is happening in other states.
Bello further stated that the proactive and systematic measures put in place so far by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde in containing the disease are already yielding positive results, as the number of new positive cases have only increased by two in the last one week, saying this is at variance with greater number of cases in other states that enforced total lockdown.
“Contrary to the insinuation elsewhere that we are not doing enough, I am bold to say that our level of preparedness is beyond anybody’s imagination, so it is not until we start screaming ‘total lockdown’ up and down that we are working as Oyo State is a unique state and we don’t copy anybody but rather act based on scientific evidence, as we are known for here. So, whatever we are doing, it is not only evidence based, not only scientifically based, but the two combined gives us the logic, which is a major factor involved.
Continuing, Bello said: “In Oyo State today, we still do and we still follow up our slogan which says ‘Ajise bi Oyo lari, Oyo kise bi enikan’, so we cannot be copying whatever is the idea from anywhere else but have to develop our own logical, reasonable evidence based template which is peculiar to us in the state. I want to assure the good people of this state that the Task Force team headed by Gov. Seyi Makinde himself is working day and night to curtail the spread in the state,” he assured
According to him, the 100-bed Isolation Centre for Coronavirus patients in Ibadan, which will be powered 24 hours daily is ready and personnel have been posted there to handle all cases, even, the worst of all cases.
“This centre has a very intensive care unit for very hopeless cases, you know when you have a hopeless case that is between life and death. So, if the patient improves, we move such to a high dependency unit and then if further improvement to the ordinary ward, from where such may be taking an exit from the facility. It has such a flow that you will not be going out from the way you came in, so if we could do all these without having serious cases, it shows that the state is well prepared for any eventuality.” He said.
The commissioner however enjoined the state’s residents to comply strictly with Governor Seyi Makinde’s directives on partial lockdown, so as to curtail, contain and prevent the further spread of the disease. He added that it became imperative and necessary for the people of Oyo State to comply strictly with state government’s directives on partial lockdown aimed at containing and curtailing the further spread of coronavirus pandemic in Oyo State and Nigeria at large.
As part of its support to the Oyo State government’s efforts in curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, the Bond Chemical Industries Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in the country has donated medical items including, 4000 alcohol-based hand sanitizers and over 1000 doses of Bonaquine, a 250mg chloroquine phosphate tablets, worth over 3 million naira to the Oyo State government.
Presenting the items, the Managing Director, Bond Chemical Industries Limited, Pharm. Aderemi Omotosho, noted that the company is standing in solidarity with the state government in its fight against the spread of the virus and to possibly rid the state of any case of the disease.
The Managing Director, Bond Chemical Industries Limited, Pharm. Remi Omotosho, presenting the official donation letter to the Commissioner for Health, Oyo State, Dr Bashir Bello, at the Oyo State Government Secretariat, Ibadan, Oyo State.
He explained how the spread of Covid-19 has disrupted lives, sources of livelihood and economy of the country, but being a responsible organisation, Omotosho said Bond cannot watch things nosedive without a positive intervention. “Government cannot do it alone without the support of the private sector, groups, citizens and agencies, so we cannot afford to feel hopeless and helpless in these uncertain and unprecedented times. Thus, Bond will continue to play the vital role in the fight against COVID-19 and will continue to consolidate on the efforts of the state and federal government to ensure the battle is won,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, Mr Andrew Aina Oladipo, acting national marketing manager, Bond Chemical Industries Limited noted that the step taken by the company became necessary in view of the high rate of the spread of the disease in the country, adding that prevention is better than cure.
Members of the Ministry of Health, Oyo State team and Bond Chemical Industries Limited team after the official presentation of the items.
“The support we are giving is part of our social responsibility as a company in supporting the government to protect our people against this deadly contagious disease, while we promised to further partner with the government towards the achievement of her goal. We however commend the laudable effort of the state government in the fight against Covid-19 so far and we hope more can still be done in this regard.”
Receiving the items from the company on behalf of the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Seyi Makinde, the Commissioner for Health, Oyo State, Dr Bashir Bello, said although there have not been serious challenges of the outbreak in the state like some states, as it only recorded few cases in the last one week, it was necessary to prepare for any eventuality.
He appreciated the company for coming forward at a time when the state needed their help the most, adding that it was encouraging that individuals and corporate bodies were responding to the clarion call by the state, which he noted reflects spirit of collective fight against the pandemic.
The governor however called on other corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals with resources to support the government and the people in their effort to prevent the spread of the disease and to cushion the effect of the Covid-19 on the economy.
He stated further, “We really appreciate your support at this trying period that we find ourselves and we expect that other well-meaning individuals of the state and organisations will follow suit, as it is our belief that with the support of everyone at this moment, we will surely overcome this challenge as soon as possible”, he asserted.
In their contributions, the duo of the chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Oyo State Branch, Pharm. Abiodun Ajibade, and the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Oyo State Ministry of Health, Pharm. Babatunde Lukman Akinwande, described the donation as timely and laudable, adding that that it has become imperative and necessary for the people of Oyo State to comply strictly with state government’s directives on partial lockdown, aimed at containing and curtailing the further spread of coronavirus pandemic in Oyo State and Nigeria at large.
According to them, pharmacists in the state are also at the forefront fighting to curb the spread of the virus with other healthcare providers. “We have been one of the active professional bodies in the state as we have done series of publicity in the media and even at our different pharmacies. Many of our members have banners hanged in front of their premises, as we are one of the first set of professionals to donate hand sanitizers to the state government and we have been doing other important things underground.
Other important personalities from both teams include, Mr H. T. Salami, director, Admin and Supply, Oyo State Ministry of Health; Dr Adebisi Ayoka, permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, Oyo State; Dr O. M. Lawal, director, Public Health, Oyo State Ministry of Health; Pharm. Femi Olajide, assistant sales manager, West, Institution, Bond Chemical Industries Limited; Mr Ibrahim Adewale, ASM, West; and Mr Oyeniyi Rotolu, among others.
Bitterleaf as the name implies is a bitter plant, whose leaf extracts, stems and barks are used for culinary, medical and curative purposes. When tested, the leaf is highly bitter but contains unlimited or countless benefits. Scientifically, it is known as Vernonia amygadalina.
The vegetable contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B1 and vitamin B12. The plant is a shrub, when fully matured can be up to twenty three feet, the leaf can be green or gray in colour with a rough texture, the branches of the shrub falls off easily due to its fragile nature. The plant bears small white flowers, the flowers loom in clusters during spring.
Also known as onugbo, shawaka and ewuro by Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba in Nigeria respectively, it is an indegineous African species which can be found growing wide along edges of agriculture field. It can be cooked, both as a leafy vegetable and also used as flavour in making soups commonly in Africa.
A well mixed and gingered smoothie from bitter leaf
Bitterleaf should be taken fresh but most people tend to squeeze out the bitterness from the leaf before eating, with the aim of avoiding the bitterness, which can be described as eating mere chaff due to the medicinal value has been extracted. Squeezing bitterleaf, to bring out the liquid, is a better method of taking it, though it is bitter and may be difficult to take due to its taste, but once you have come to understand the health benefit of the leaf, you will always want to take it. Most people prefer adding some other sweeter juice to bitterleaf in order to make the taste sweet or moderate. However, bitter bitterleaf is taken, either by drinking the water squeezed out from the leaf, eating it dried or puting in soups, applying it on your skin or using the stem in place of chewing stick to wash your teeth, all can be of huge benefit to your health.
The distinctive fact about this leaf is that it can grow and flourish any where, under any temperature and its bitterness which starts from the leaf down to its roots which is very good for the body. Medical researchers has proven bitterleaf to contain medicinal properties, its uses ranges from antimicrobial to decorative. and also contains nutrients like proteins, fiber, carbohydrate, ascorbic acid, carotenoid, calcium, iron, phosphonus, potassium, sulphur, sodium, manganese, copper, zinc, magnesium and selenium e.t.c which can be of great benefit to the body.
According to Dr Sanusi Idowu of Prince and Princess Hospital, Ojo Road, Ajegunle, Lagos, “bitterleaf is a natural gift from God just like honey, with high medicinal properties and some of its benefits, are, its ability to aid up metabolism in order to help one loose weight as a result of nutrients like zinc, iron, fiber, carbohydrate contained in it. He added, “I advice my patients with dibetes and pile to take a glass of bitterleaf water once daily, better taken late at night or early in the morning.
He also explained that, applying bitterleaf juice to a part of your skin that is affected by rashes, eczema, ringworm or any other skin disease can be more effective than applying other things that can bring reaction to your body or make the affected part get worse instead of been cured.
Consumption of bitterleaf and its water daily can aid in reducing your high sugar level, making it moderate and also repair your pancreas, because of its natural bitterness which contain rich vitamins.
Most patients are advised to take glucose, but when it is taken in excess, it results, into hyperglacemia which is not healthy, also when your body lacks glucose, it is known as hypoglycemia which is not also healthy to the body. Drinking Liquid bitterleaf helps your glucose content to be moderate.
Regular intake of this vegetable helps to regulate the blood cholesterol level which is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke. also, the leaf can be consumed to treat fever, feverish condition, joint aches, different levels of intestinal complaints, stomach ache, as well as parasite induced disease like malaria. Taking bitterleaf juice, helps in nourishing the skin, building up your body, thus preventing harmful toxins from penetrating into your body. It serves as blood cleanser, and toner for the uterus.
Bittetleaf is also applied externally to protect against leech that transmits bilharziasis. Blood oozing from fresh wound can be stopped by squeezing fresh green bitter leaves and dropping it on the wound.
As at 10:20pm, 16th April 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced that there are 35 new cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria, in total there are 442 confirmed cases.
According to their post on Twitter, 152 people have been discharged with a total amount of 13 deaths.
They also noted that the 35 new cases are from different states in Nigeria, 19 from Lagos, nine in F.C.T, five from Kano, two in Oyo.
e diggers in certain cemeteries in Kano state said the frequency at which they receive corpses within few days is unusual when compared to the number of people they buried before the Coronavirus outbreak.
“At the same time we’ll invest in manufacturing capability so if either of these vaccines safely works, then we can make it available for the British people as soon as humanly possible.” he said.
in Yoruba. Though it is a temperate crop, it can be grown under a wide range of climatic conditions (temperate, tropical, and subtropical).
