Global Digital Store – Ebooks and Softwares

Tag: Give

Babalakin Obsessed With The Vice-Chancellor’s Removal By Alabi Azeez

As expected, the Vice Chancellor’s response on the barrage of lies that Babalakin tried to peddle about the suspension of the 51st convocation of the university, elicited anger and rage from a faceless and dishonest ‘Concerned Stakeholders’ and a group of delinquent non-academic staff making scrupulous releases requesting for the Vice Chancellor to proceed on leave, because, for them Babalakin has an intimidating resumé and commands national respect.

A cursory look at the individuals issuing these publications will tell exactly why they have taken such an undistinguished position. Interestingly, they could not use the SSANU platform which they have tried tirelessly in the pass to desecrate. The team is led by Mr Adetomiwa Adekola, who was impeached as SSANU Chairman on account of his financial recklessness and dubious land scheme he purchased for SSANU members. He is assisted by a rag tag, Mr Babatunde Oseni, who the SSANU electoral committee disqualified from contesting election into any SSANU executive position on account of his terrible records of service in the university.

What sort of stakeholders are these? Whose interest do they actually represent? Certainly not the interest of any known group in the university, but that of their paymaster who is hell bent on destroying the university.

Their position is not only laughable but also pedestrian and lacking in any form of logical reasoning. How can anyone contemplate the exit of a Vice-Chancellor who has achieved so much in two years, even under the worst of conditions? Maybe these fellows need a reminding that it was the selflessness and ingenuity of Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe that brought the University of Lagos to number one in Nigeria and eighth in Africa. The university during his Vice Chancellorship has attracted about N8bn in research grants. He created the much needed atmosphere for students to develop their entrepreneurial skills. Under Prof Ogundipe’s watchful eyes, the students and staff have won several international laurels and have become globally relevant. The renaissance of the research culture in the university is largely attributed to the Vice-Chancellor’s zeal to make UNILAG a research-based university. His tenure has given the University more international visibility and global respect. It is not surprising that even Mr Adekola and his cohorts rightly referred to the Vice Chancellor as a “scholar and administrator of repute.” This is particularly so because he singlehandedly won a lot of research grants as a scholar; and to the admiration of many, he has held various key administrative position in his over 30years in the services of the university. On the flip side we have a Pro Chancellor who has done everything in the last three years to give the university bad image and publicity.

Think for one minute, if Prof Ogundipe is the problem, why was Mr Babalakin also at logger heads with Prof Bello? If there is anything we should do at this material time, it is to praise the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ogundipe, who in two years turned the fortune of the university around. Calling for him to take leave is pathetic and signs of the failings of the Pro Chancellor.

On the part of the Registrar, his Council Resolution Part 2 is a very interesting revelation. The reasons are not farfetched. He made a fair but failed attempt to divert the minds of the public away from the issue that made the university a subject of ridicule in the last three weeks – The suspension of the 51st convocation of the university. Mr Babalakin’s grand intention was to show the university management how powerful and highly connected he is by cancelling the convocation at the detriment of over 13,000 graduating students and then turned around to blame the Vice Chancellor and NUC. But the ploy failed woefully. The public saw clearly what went down, at least the letter from the Ministry of Education puts it pretty clear that the event was suspended at the instance of Mr Babalakin who claimed the ceremonies did not receive Council’s blessings.

The alumni and stakeholders who were tired of Babalakin’s repressive leadership style took to the social media to express their dissatisfactions and frustrations. The #saveMyUnilag trended for days on Twitter and Facebook. For many, it was crystal clear what the agenda was – a show of power. As Simon Kolawole succinctly puts it in his write-up, Babalakin the Bully, “…[Babalakin] he has gone too far by his latest power show which has forced Unilag to suspend its convocation…his ego fight at the expense of the graduating students and their families is ungodly.”

Secondly, the Resolution threw up a host of issues which he claimed was discussed at the Council meeting. One of such was the ‘Greek gift’ of 40 Hectares of land at Ogudu being proposed by the Pro Chancellor. First question to ask, is this not the same piece of land in dispute with the state government for many years? Little wonder the property has no title documents or survey. This is aptly validated by the Registrar’s statement that “it was resolved that steps be taken to retrieve the title documents and that Council should be updated” Haba! Now that he could not get contracts from Unilag, Babalakin has resulted to swindling Unilag staff of their meagre salary? It is important to urge Unilag staff to be vigilant and “shine their eyes” on this land matter o!!! Don’t forget the issue of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract given to him, he did not do the job, yet collected huge sum of money to even accept to let go of the contract. Not even the road in Ondo State.

Nigeria is yet to know when Babalakin will fully handover MM2 to government as we are not sure if he will not again change the end of concession date as he did previously. Besides, even if they come up with fake papers for the land, the purported land is located in a swampy environment and a professor who earns the highest salary in the university will struggle to put up a foundation for any building there.

Pages 3-6 of the resolution was largely on financial matters. This Council led by Babalakin should be ashamed of its conducts! Throughout last year, the University was on a standstill over allegations that a sum over N4bn was misappropriated, embezzled, squandered, lavished and stolen by the university management. In fact, the song on Babalakin’s lips was “catch am, catch am, thief, thief, thief, catch am, catch am, robber, robber.”

The same Council, led by same Babalakin, in less than a year, is now publishing a resolution that money is no longer missing, albeit, the University Managements (past and present) have saved far too long and too much to the tune of N9bn in the TSA account of the university! Then the Council goes on to propose a lavish spending of the savings meant for the DLI building, School of Foundation Studies building, College of Medicine and School of Postgraduate Studies building. How can you make money saved for more than five years for capital projects available for spending?

Babalakin is definitely set out to destroy the 25-year strategic plan that the Vice Chancellor swore to up hold, in one sweep! Babalakin has not facilitated any building to the university and yet he wants to share the money saved in the university development account by more than three Vice Chancellors to construct educational edifices for the great citadel of learning. Our dear Pro Chancellor needs to take a cue from what his counterpart in Obafemi Awolowo University is doing.

As any right discerning person can already see, Babalakin is trying hard to play the welfare game to divide and rule the staff of the university, further entrenching the acrimony, bad blood, discord and division that he already created in in the university. He is also struggling hard to divert attention away from the convocation issue. This is the biggest shame of leadership.

It is distasteful that the UNILAG Council matter has suddenly become a gutter matter that any individual can pick up on the streets of Lagos. Let us advise Council to stop wasting resources in printing resolutions. The next Council meeting should hold at the Main Bowl of the Sports Centre where all members of the university community, alumni and press can witness the plenary.

For many of us who are watching gleefully, the management of the university must be praised, in spite of all the grandstanding and unnecessary brinkmanship, the university rose to first in Nigeria and eighth in Africa.

No body and no lies can change what we already know, Babalakin cancelled the University of Lagos 51st convocation four days to the event.

On a lighter note or perhaps as a matter of national importance, the Pro Chancellor, Mr Babalakin was alleged to be in London on 11th March for Justice Oguntade’s birthday, he subsequently denied traveling to London but confirmed he was in Germany on medical trip. Whether London or Germany, since hi

Opinion

AddThis

:

Original Author

:

Alabi Azeez

Disable advertisements

:

Read More
http://saharareporters.com/2020/03/28/babalakin-obsessed-vice-chancellor%E2%80%99s-removal-alabi-azeez

Views: 0

March 29, 2020
Coronavirus: Police Brutalise, Teargas Traders, Buyers During Enforcement Of Market Closure In Osun

In trying to enforce the closure of markets as ordered by Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, the police brutalised and fired teargas canisters at traders and buyers at Ifon Market on Wednesday morning.

The governor had on Tuesday ordered the closure of all weekly markets in the state to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The government stated that only daily markets would be allowed to operate because they attracted small number of persons at a time.

However, in enforcing the order, the police in Osun embarked on extra-judicial activities by harassing and brutalising buyers and sellers at Ifon Market.

Some buyers caught in the melee, explained to our correspondent that they went to purchase food items but were attacked by policemen.

“Police officers stormed the market in large numbers and teargassed everyone both young and old.

“The market was filled with people from all over the state, we had to rush out of the place to escape beating from the police,” one witness said.

Another resident explained that her husband had to hurriedly go in search for money after the pronouncement by the governor so that they could stock some food items in the house.

She said, “What would people eat during the period of staying at home if they couldn’t get food?

“Why should people be dispersed with teargas while trying to get items to be used for a long time during the course of this epidemic?” a woman queried.

The residents urged the state government to revisit the order and give people the opportunity to stock their houses with food items before closing all markets.

“Yesterday’s act was not needed at this point where people live from hand to mouth.

“I strongly call on the appropriate authorities to look into this and check on those who might have been injured during the ruthless act by police officers,” one of the affected residents of the state said.

While speaking, another resident of Osun said, “Government and prominent people in the state should also help by providing materials and items which will help to alleviate suffering at this hard time.”

Police

PUBLIC HEALTH

News

AddThis

:

Original Author

:

SaharaReporters, New York

Disable advertisements

:

Read More
http://saharareporters.com/2020/03/26/coronavirus-police-brutalise-teargas-traders-buyers-during-enforcement-market-closure

Views: 0

March 27, 2020
COVID-19: Should Education Hit A Pause Or Are We Just Unprepared In Nigeria? By Olabisi Deji-Folutile

Olabisi Deji-Folutile

Olabisi Deji-Folutile

Google

The world is facing its most trying and unprecedented times as the last few weeks have been most challenging for almost everybody. What started in Wuhan, China, as an epidemic, has put the entire world in disarray. Major streets across the globes have become empty. Both the rich and the poor are being ravaged by the plague of COVID-19, which the World Health Organisation has rightly described as a pandemic. Work places have been shut; religious and social gatherings banned and many countries are on total lockdown, in a bid to curb the spread of this viral disease. Expectedly, schools are also affected across board. Every day people are being told to embrace social distancing and suddenly things like human contacts, hitherto considered as free gifts of life, are becoming very expensive.

No one knows when this whole chaos will end, so people are making different kinds of adjustments to cope with the situation while it lasts. Many companies have shifted their operations online. Likewise, many schools have opted for e-learning, making use of available technology for teaching and learning.

Universities around the world are making use of communication technology to ease the effects of the global pandemic on their academic calendars.   In China, universities are going for online teaching instead of in-class teaching; the ones in Australia have moved their classes online just as UK universities have suspended face-to-face teaching.  Turkey started its remote university classes on March 23. In Kenya, universities have activated communication between lecturers and students via social media platforms and emails while classes have gone totally online in the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. Teachers in France have been working with their students on Zoom.

Just a few days ago, Ghana’s President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, directed the ministry of education to collaborate with the ministry of communications in rolling out open learning programmes in response to the closure of all educational institutions in the country. In the same vein, Mount Kenya University’s Vice-Chancellor Peter Wanderi, has announced the extension of online teaching platforms for regular students to facilitate the learning process. And to take care of the over six million students that have experienced disruption to their studies, ten North African and 12 Arab countries have begun work on an e-learning initiative to facilitate open and online education.

These are some of the steps being taken across the globe to bridge the gap created by school closure in the wake of COVID-19. Unfortunately, while all these activities are going on in other parts of the world, Nigerian government has not said anything about steps being taken to take care of its students’ community. Rather, the only message from the Federal Government was a total closure of all tertiary institutions and FG-owned unity schools till further notice. A statement issued by the National Universities Commission simply said universities would remain   shut   for one month while the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, said tertiary institutions would remain shut indefinitely.

Assuming government has been overwhelmed by the burden of controlling the spread of COVID- 19, hence its silence on options for learning for its teeming student population, one would have expected the higher institutions themselves to at least say something, but as it is, they too are not helping matters. The silence in our universities has been deafening. To worsen the situation, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, decided to choose this time, of all times, to embark on an indefinite strike. One wonders how the academic body   manages to feel comfortable being on a strike at a time when researchers across the globe are busy looking for solution to a pandemic that is ravaging the entire world. This kind of action makes one query the essence of having Research and Development as a core component of tertiary education in Nigeria when researchers can be nowhere to be found at a critical time of societal needs.

By now, our researchers should be adding their voices to the various efforts being made towards developing a vaccine or cure for COVID-19. After all, universities are expected to proffer solutions to societal problems.  This is a wrong time for ASUU to embark on an indefinite strike. This should be a time of strategising and proffering solutions. This is really the time for everyone to get involved. Besides, I think Nigerian universities should also be more forthcoming on their responses to the challenges posed to their students by COVID-19.

As it is, religious organisations are doing far better in terms of their responses to the effects of this pandemic on their primary constituencies. Many of them have devised other means of getting the attention of   their members following several government directives prohibiting either gatherings or limiting the number of people allowed to congregate at a time. Almost all the churches have switched to online platforms for their services. How come religious organisations are working hard to keep their flocks and both government and higher institutions in Nigeria are just moving on as if all is well? No word on how to keep the students busy or keep them engaged using available online technology! Should teaching and learning be restricted to the classrooms alone in this 21st century?

Nigeria has always been described as a religious society. Corona Virus has further exposed the smartness of our religious bodies and the dullness of those in charge of our public educational institutions. This is not an attempt to blame any religious organisation for having the foresight to deploy technology in reaching their audiences. Instead, it is a wakeup call to managers of our educational institutions to adopt and use available technology to help their students at a time like this.

Apart from the National Open University of Nigeria, which basically runs online, I doubt if there is any other public university in the country that has capacity for online teaching. This is in spite of the launch of the Nigerian Communication Satellite known as NIGCOMSAT by the Nigerian Government first in 2007 and then NIGCOMSAT-IR in December 2011, to provide critical ICT backbone infrastructure to support e-learning, among others in the country.

What is the essence of investing so much money in a communication satellite if it cannot be deployed at a time of need?   Those in charge of NIGCOMSAT, the commercial arm of Nigeria’s space centre, have consistently claimed that the technology has the capacity to cover the entire Africa. If that is the case, why is the country still struggling to deploy internet connectivity facilities to its schools to aide e-learning? If we are truly a serious country, by now, all the schools in urban and rural areas should have been connected to the e-learning services.

No doubt, COVID-19 has exposed Nigeria’s unpreparedness for e-learning. But, we can’t afford to remain where we are. That is why it is important for every institution to start thinking of how to deploy available technology in the world for the good of their students at this critical period. Universities should as a matter of urgency migrate online. This shouldn’t be another season of waiting and probably wasting for the Nigerian student. There is no reason why any higher institution worth its name should suspend all academic activities until the end of Corona Virus with all the available resources and technology in the world today. The minimum expected of them is to upload teaching resources online for students to have access to them. At least this will give the students the opportunity to learn on their own.

This is also an opportunity for telecommunications companies like Glo, MTN and the rest of them to make a difference in Nigeria’s educational institutions. They can as part of their corporate social responsibility decide to boost internet facilities in universities and other educational institutions; or provide data at cheaper rates to help poor students have access to the internet for online learning.

I know there are obvious stumbling blocks to digital learning in Nigeria. Many students don’t even have access to devices while the cost of buying data is still high. These challenges and others have provided   telecommunications companies a huge opportunity of making a difference in Nigerian higher institutions by providing e-learning solutions and broadband connectivity to universities and other higher institutions.

They can as part of their corporate social responsibility decide to boost internet facilities in universities and other higher institutions; or help poor students who have limited or poor internet access to enhance online learning.

Olabisi Deji-Folutile is the Editor-in-Chief of Franktalknow.com and member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. Email: bisideji@yahoo.co.uk

Opinion

AddThis

:

Original Author

:

Olabisi Deji-Folutile

Disable advertisements

:

Read More
http://saharareporters.com/2020/03/26/covid-19-should-education-hit-pause-or-are-we-just-unprepared-nigeria-olabisi-deji

Views: 0

March 27, 2020
CBN Introduces N50bn Credit Facility For Households, Small Businesses Affected By Coronavirus

The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced that it would give a N50bn Targeted Credit Facility to households and small businesses affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Those eligible according to the apex bank must prove that they, their livelihood and business operations have been adversely affected by the spread of the virus.

Businesses eligible for the scheme are agricultural value chain activities, hospitality, health (pharmaceuticals and medical supplies), airline service providers, manufacturing and value addition, and trading.

The maximum amount to be received depending on proof of cash flow of investment size is N25m while households can access N3m with an interest rate of 5 per cent per annum for a maximum period of one year.

The facility will be administered by the NISRAL Microfinance Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

PUBLIC HEALTH

News

AddThis

:

Original Author

:

SaharaReporters, New York

Disable advertisements

:

Read More
http://saharareporters.com/2020/03/25/cbn-introduces-n50bn-credit-facility-households-small-businesses-affected-coronavirus

Views: 0

March 26, 2020
Water bill exemption, electricity bill discount in Sabah beginning April

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah people will be exempted from paying their water bills and will be given a 30% discount on electricity bills for three months beginning April, according to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

He said the exemption and discount were part of the initiatives introduced under the Sabah Covid-19 aid package in an effort to ease the burden and cost of living of affected people in the state following the virus outbreak.

“It will benefit 335,000 domestic water users. In addition, the state will give a 28% discount on electricity bills for three months starting April, on top of the 2% provided by the federal government.

“The discount will involve the state government allocation of RM11.5 million a month or RM35.65 million over the three-month period, and it is expected that 512,000 consumers will benefit from this or equivalent to about 98% of electricity users in Sabah and Labuan,“ he told a press conference, here today.

Earlier, Mohd Shafie announced the RM670 million Sabah Covid-19 aid package comprising three categories namely assistance to frontliners and affected people as well as efforts to strengthen businesses and improve the quality of rural basic infrastructure.

Mohd Shafie said residents of the People’s Housing Programme in Sabah will also be exempted from paying rent for six months starting April, which involved an allocation of about RM21.1 million.

A total of 20,080 households or 110,400 people will benefit from it, he said.

Also included in the package is a 30% discount on quit rent collections for this year, which will benefit 232,774 individuals and 9,184 companies, among others.

However, Mohd Shafie said those who had paid the tax this year would be given rebates next year.

Hawkers are exempted from paying a licence fee by all district councils for this year, which will benefit 26,227 hawkers statewide and rebates will be given for 2021 to those who have paid for the licences this year, he added.

Mohd Shafie said RM30 million would be allocated for allowance payments of 10 months to Village Community Management Councils (MPKK), which will benefit 2,315 MPKK in Sabah. – Bernama

Read More
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/water-bill-exemption-electricity-bill-discount-in-sabah-beginning-april-YH2180133

Views: 0

March 25, 2020
Private hospitals urged to provide more assistance to govt hospitals

PETALING JAYA: Private hospitals are asked to put profits aside for now and in the name of service, support the Health Ministry in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) CEO Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj said in this time of crisis, private hospitals, especially those run by government-linked companies, should give their utmost to assist the government given that public hospitals are called to treat the rising number of Covid-19 patients.

“Put service as priority and put aside profits for now,“ he told theSun today.

Suaram adviser Kua Kia Soong suggested that private hospitals step forward to take some of the burden off the public sector by providing some sort of subsidised charges or no cost at all. They should also help with cases which are not related to the viral pandemic, fill the need for special wards, offer intensive care unit space and equipment such as ventilators and oxygen supply.

“In the best of times, private hospitals reap the benefits of the much touted Malaysian product known as ‘medical tourism’ and attract the best medical talents from the public sector.

“Now that we are in the worst of times, private hospitals don’t seem to be doing too badly either.

“According to the Affin Hwang Capital Research, the coronavirus pandemic is likely to have only a muted impact on private hospital operators as they are required to report such cases to public hospitals and the national infection centre,“ Kua said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, in response to the many questions broached of late, president of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said they (private hospitals) have made available 51 ventilators to the Health Ministry.

“We will be accepting non Covid-19 cases from the Health Ministry hospitals too. Discussions on taking on cases are in the final stages,“ he said in a statement on Tuesday.

He also said the APHM and its member hospitals see this as an opportunity for the private hospitals to work with the Health Ministry and the government in facing this national crisis.

“We have the support of all private hospitals in cancelling electives and reducing non urgent consultation while some private hospitals have even started Covid-19 screening for walk-ins and drive-ins,“ he added.

Read More
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/private-hospitals-urged-to-provide-more-assistance-to-govt-hospitals-GN2179989

Views: 0

March 25, 2020
Penang govt allocates RM75m to disbursed as aid

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government will allocate up to RM75 million under an initiative to rejuvenate the economy that has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (pix) said the money, in the form of financial incentives, will be disbursed in three components.

The first is directed at those considered most vulnerable. They include hawkers, petty traders, taxi drivers, trishaw peddlers e-hailing drivers, the disabled and those among the low income, or B40, group.

The second group to benefit from the incentive are the blue collar workers. Chow said the money is meant to help them survive and take care of their families.

The third component is to help ensure business continuity when the country gets through the crisis.

Chow, who made the announcement at his daily social media update to the public, said the state government would give a one-off payment of RM500 each to registered petty traders, hawkers, food truck vendors, tour guides, taxi drivers and trishaw peddlers.

E-hailing drivers will be given RM300 each.

Those who live in state public housing units will be exempted from paying rent for two months while those who lease lots at the wet markets, food courts and other similar facilities will not have to pay a month’s rent.

A total of RM3 million from zakat contributions has been set aside to help families of those who have contracted Covid-19.

Chow said the frontliners from the state’s two city councils will each get RM300 in recognition of their role in helping to curb the spread of the virus.

Others who will also benefit from the RM300 payout are uniformed personnel serving under the movement control order (MCO) initiative aimed to curtail the growth rate of Covid-19 infections.

A total of RM10 million has been set aside for the purchase of equipment such as protective suits, surgical masks, hand sanitizers and thermometers.

Entrepreneurs whose businesses have incurred losses as a result of the MCO will be given interest-free loans under the Penang Business Continuity plan. A total of RM30 million has been allocated for this purpose.

The 40 state assemblymen will be provided RM30,000 each to finance relief efforts for their constituents affected by the MCO.

The state will also defer payments for trading lots used by small-scale businesses.

Read More
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/penang-govt-allocates-rm75m-to-disbursed-as-aid-BN2179939

Views: 0

March 25, 2020
Can you catch the coronavirus twice? We don’t know yet

We don’t have enough evidence yet to know if recovering from covid-19 induces immunity, or whether any immunity would give long-lasting protection against the coronavirus

Read More
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24532754-600-can-you-catch-the-coronavirus-twice-we-dont-know-yet/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

Views: 0

March 25, 2020
The Political Economy Of Coronavirus By Kunle Wizeman Ajayi

The most powerful person in Aso Rock, Abba Kyari; who is the chief of staff to the president, has tested positive to Covid19. No government official can reach President Buhari without him. There is a ripe suspicion that the kitchen cabinet might have been infected. Likewise in Europe, the most powerful person, Angela Merkel the chancellor of Germany, has been quarantined. While Trump and Boris Johnson took the same path in trying to ignore the pandemic, their governments are in deep crises of the damages and exposures their neglect has caused the citizens.

As I type, the fear of corona virus is the beginning of real wisdom as governments are now banning even churches and mosques from gathering. The Nigerian federal ministry of health has announced 42 cases so far. And even the mass of working people who have hitherto doubted our thieving class so far, are now more wary and precautionary over their immediate safety without relying on the failed health institutions. People seldom shake hands now. Corona waves na the way to greet now! That corona virus has turned a corruption racket is what will be duly discussed another day.

Industries are closing down as Wall Street falls like pack of cards. US President Donald Trump is shouting “cuts” for the working class and bail-outs for industries and big business. Whereas, Socialist presidential aspirant Bernie Sanders is calling for “healthcare for all” as well as pay for all US citizens staying at home during the pandemic days. The globalised trend of the corona virus needs a global understanding and lessons of how the world is being ruled everywhere. The way US rulers have failed to care for the poor and invest in proper and compulsory healthcare for all but private pharmaceutical companies who make healthcare a commercial quantity that only the rich can afford, is the same way Nigerian rulers failed to build hospitals and kept allocating between 4 to 6% budgetary spending on education while them and their children spend billions on medical tourism. Also, Boris Johnson’s UK government is renting “beds at hospitals.” This is unlike Spain that has nationalized its healthcare!

The price of crude oil has fallen globally. The global stock exchange has crashed as workers can no longer go to work and make great wealth for their casino. Coronavirus has superceded SARS with its speedy spread and effects globally. So the world economic crises have been, for the first time, propelled by a health crisis. What can the Left and the revolutionaries in Nigeria make out of this global crises that could leave no island untouched?

Naomi Klein, the author of the classic ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism’ has come up to warn that “if you’re a hard-core free-market economist, you understand that when market fails it lends itself to progressive change much more organically, than it does (when) the kind of deregulatory policies emerge. Political and economic elites understand that moment of crises is their chance to push through their wish list of unpopular policies that further polarize wealth…”

I argue that while the government in Nigeria has reduced the cruelly expensive cost of petrol by just #20, and there is lipservice to building new hospitals, there is a larger probability of massive corruption as the federal government has already declared #2trillion intervention fund. Why we the working people have to very much care is because the same elements who created the crises (whichever ways) would end up profiting largely from the crises. This just as many military officers and politicians are billionaires courtesy the Boko Haram war.

The interplay of methods of these corruptive accumulations on one hand, and the trajectory of working class resistances is critically assessed weighing up why and how the working people were at the loosing ends at the 2008/9 global economic crises that made the Central Bank under the Soludo/Sanusi bail-outs policies made the criminal banks even richer than before. Though a few bank MDs and top officers were detained on “hospital beds” and such other “ajebutter” prisons; no bank owner was even questioned.

The fact that both the US and Nigeria are rich governments that have bad healthcare policies, discussing social infrastructures as class struggle under this system of “primitive accumulation” needs to be knocked up as perspectives to guide millions who want an end to crises and build another world that would be for all and not a tiny thieving few.

A CLASSLESS PANDEMIC

The corona virus has shown that the gap between the rich and the poor is just an artificial creation. The nature of humans is more communal than competitive. Plenty of the rich mouth the fact that we are all equal, but some are more equal than others. This virus is a threat to all and shows that the world can organize together and defeat any virus that attacks it. Crises like this shows that there is no policy that is pro-rich that can save society. Most of the capitalists who rule our world have been saying that government cannot help all and cater for the needs of majority. They tend to tell us that getting “healthcare for all” is rocket science. Corona virus has proved that all that is wrong!

Meanwhile, many Nigerians are debating as to the cause of corona virus, and why it has drawn more attentions than malaria that kills about 800 everyday and child mortality that murders about 300 women daily. These debates became rife when Ibrahim Magu; head of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) asserted that “corona virus is caused by corruption.” His position, while quite misleading, is correct to the point that the virus is actually caused by the greed of man in unsettling the animal and forest lives. Most of the viruses live in the wildest of forests but humans go in and destroy their habitats. These make the virus homeless and have to migrate to live with humans.

The corona virus has also made the Nigerian politicians to have no escapist lives again. Most of them used to go abroad for medical tourism. But there is nowhere to run to now! This is why revolutionaries must use this chance to support striking doctors and demand for free, functionally standard and compulsory healthcare for all. We do not want a situation where the ruling class would use state wealth to build defence and cure for corona virus, only for the rich, instead for all. We must avoid repeating case of the last economic meltdown where what we could see is socialism for the rich and leave the poor uncatered for. This is why we must all reject the paltry #20 that was reduced from oil price as well as condemn the full devaluation of the naira. These policies will make the rich eat their cake and have it. Petrol price should be reduced to at least #45 while naira should be strengthened. The time to consider the #RevolutionNow demands of an “economy for the majority” is now!

2008/9: A FLASHBACK

When the 2008 global economic meltdown stormed Nigeria, the rulers ordered “technocrats” to adopt the Obama measures in bailing out the banks and their thieving managers. After prosecuting five CEOs of Afribank, Oceanic, Finbank, Intercontinental, and Union bank, The CBN went ahead to put #460bn as bail-outs for the banks after recovering just #70bn. The CEOs lost their posts for giving out #700bn loans without collateral. The loans portfolio of the bank, according to CBN, is #2.8tn. The richest guys in the country were involved in this public racket and were never touched. A good instance is Aliko Dangote who had a loan worth $15m with Oceanic Bank but got elected to replace Ndi OKereke as Nigerian Stock Exchange president. The same person has the monopoly of trading in rice, salt, sugar, textiles, and vegetable oil. The same persons who created the crises in the same place got rewarded after the crises. This is what Naomi Klein is warning about. For the rich, socialism is never good for the majority. The rich, in the time of corona virus and other disasters, want bail-outs but never for the working people. Just as Omoyele Sowore noted; “when crises arises, capitalism retires and socialism becomes the messiah!

We must start asking for Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) from the federal government. Every Nigerian must each be paid at least #100,000 monthly as the corona virus effect billing. We should also demand a standard hospital per 5 streets with the doctors and nurses paid appropriately!

THE TRUMP/BUHARI DISORDER

President Buhari’s address to Nigerians has failed to address the pandemic. Trump’s tweets are of the same mental disorders like those of the ministers and officials of Buhari’s government.  Trump boasted that the “virus is under total control…The market will take care of itself,” he had to recant after the Dow Jones Industrial closed with its worst one-day decline since 1987; “The market will be very strong as soon as we get rid of the virus.”

“But even as he was doing so, Trump maintained that he hadn’t said the virus was “under control,” which is something he has most definitely said on many occasions — along with other attempts to play down fears” CNN noted.

Garba Shehu and other spokespersons of President Buhari have also been speaking from all sides of their mouths. They first downplayed the effect of the virus by revealing that malaria has been killing hundreds…Until they made some allocations of about $1.2trillion to the virus effects. The question remains the goals of the government. Many Nigerians do not trust the same government that has never given as much as 8% budgetary allocation to healthcare since the Buhari regime came into place, just like the PDP governments before it. While the president is one of the most sick, he prefers to betray electoral promises and visit private hospitals in the UK for months instead of building standard public health care.

Working people in US,UK, and Nigeria should look beyond their reactionary rulers and make real political demands that will make sure the same rogues who cause the crises don’t come back to claim to be the super heroes of the same crises. The case of Ebola and Lassa in Nigeria are classics in this regard. While Nigeria was lucky to get over the Ebola case with the sacrifice of health officials; Lassa fever has killed thousands so far loosely tackled because rodents most likely cannot enter luxury houses.

Nigerians should be aware that both Buhari and Trump are exponents of crazy capitalism and prefers to give false answers to real threats and would only be falsely apologetic later. We must understand that the rulers are neither interested in our well being nor our future. Their fear is that the virus should never become for all. They prefer crises for just the masses. But oga corona no mind. This is why despite Trump trying to call it Chinese virus or Buhari trying to boycott addressing the country, nothing matters to the working people than having a healthy society. Arms in arms, we will have to care for one another and defeat the most dangerous virus ever in the history of the world!

OPIUMS ON THE CROSS

Pastors in Nigeria, aside the ban on public and mass gatherings, are seriously on trial! Many a youths are asking what their “God” would do in this time of corona virus to save the followers from untimely deaths. The first pastor to become so fearless had predicted that he would go to China to cure the virus. But by the time the Italian became the first case in view; the pastor got admitted in a hospital for unknown reasons.

Also, the mosques are closing shop. Even many are contemplating drinking alcohol to help in preventing corona virus. Despite the fact that many a churches and mosques become well attended public places, the belief in better life and a prosperous world without danger have been the egg tacts around the building of these beliefs. Saudi Arabia has stopped religious visitations. Government everywhere is banning all worshipping junctures. If these bans have been summoned by political demands of the left, it couldn’t have sailed through but the struggle is being marshaled by a pandemic. Bernie Sanders was seen as too extreme but most of those pro-establishment strollers must be shitting in their yanshes now!

Karl Marx was very clear that “religion is the opium of the masses, the soul of the soulless.” The realizations of the fact that the immediacy of the problems of society can only be derailed if the people think that there is an umbrella or belief that can make some magic. With corona now, even the state that employs religion is not apologetic in banning its public activities. Sadly, many priests still in shock as to a possible demarketing have kept on lying to their congregations. A viral video shows a pastor saying “coronavirus cannot enter Nigeria where there is corrosive anointing;” so cocky in ignorance.  Such public ranting must be condemned.

CONFUSION BREAK BONE; NAIJA HEALTH IN CRISES

When the deposed emir of Kano, former CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was banned to Awe in Nassarawa State; the town has two (2) doctors to two hundred thousand (200,000) people. Such is the metaphor of health care in Nigeria.  Most doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel have migrated to other climes in an unprecedented brain drain. As Yusuf posited “7 out of 10 Nigerians live on less than $1.25 (~500 Naira) a day and they also live in a country where 70% of health expenditures are out-of-pocket payments. Nineteen years after the Abuja Declaration where African Union states pledged to allocate at least 15% of their annual budget to health, Nigeria continues to default. With over 23,584 public primary health care facilities, 8,290 private primary health care facilities and 200,000 patent and proprietary medicine vendors (PPMVs) in Nigeria, yet the country’s health indices and other health indicators continue to remain abysmal without any significant improvement compared to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Citizens are condemned to self-care using several unregulated drugs and African raw herbs. The yearly allocations to health care in the budget never rise beyond 6 and 8%. This is despite the fact that Aisha, wife of President Buhari once publicly complained that Aso rock clinic has no syringe! At the Teaching hospitals, one has to pay heavily to get health care as the state has been practicing health care commercialization. The medical equipments are really not there while there are so poor remunerations of medical personnel. Yet, when Ebola came knocking in 2014, the health workers paid the sacrifices.

Corona virus is global and has now halted the medical tourism of the rich class of whom President Buhari is the chief. If not for Covid-19, he would have gone visiting his London doctors for the umpteenth time!

The health workers’ unions have been fighting for a better system for years. This has been led by the Joint Health Staffs Union (JOHESU) and the Nigeria Medical Associations (NMA.) JOHESU has led enormous strikes and pickets but the neo-liberal policies of the ruling class keep ignoring these strikes. As I write, doctors in Abuja are on strike. The rulers are now in a quagmire. This is the time for the unions to collaborate with the civil society and revolutionary movements to take up the state and fight for “free health care for all.”

THE EXAMPLE OF CUBA

Fidel Castro’s people are the certified global doctors today!

A small island at the backyard of the United States of North America; Cuba is a state-capitalist economy led by revolutionary socialists. While the state have yet boomed since 1959 as a result of the prevailing capitalist globe, it has been vociferous on social welfarism especially education, food, health, and housing. This has been the minimum with which the Communist Party has been working on since the revolution. With its third president in charge now; Cuba is the country that is now rescuing the world from the genocide of corona virus. The vessel that is wholly affected by the virus has been shipped to the Cuban shore and Cuba has been treating the patients on board. Italy is receiving about 200 Cuban doctors and nurses as the catholic country leads the population of casualties. The Cuban health statistics shows that 98% is living healthily just as education is 98.5%.

Cuba stood by the world on hurricane Katrina; by South Africa against apartheid; by Angola against imperialist Portugal, and now that “God-forsaken communist country” stands by the world with the best of its great medical care against corona virus. This is a lesson that we need to abide by and make the world a socialist island. The current system of “greed and power” is a pandemic. It is ruled by political viruses that live mainly on primitive accumulations of the sweat and blood of the majority. The working class of all lands should unite and fight capitalism to the ruins and replace it with a world led by the people who make the wealth, not those who do nothing but steal the wealth.

IN ALL; THIS PANDEMIC WILL FALL

The struggle for a safer world is in danger of that “common ruins of the contending classes.” Italy, Nigeria, Spain, China, US, and some others have recorded deaths through corona virus. It is currently rumoured that some senators and members of the House of Representatives have contracted the deadly virus. We have 582 deaths in US and 46,145 cases with only 295 recoveries. One death has been recorded in Nigeria with 46 cases recorded. 6,777 are dead out of 63,927 cases in Italy. China has 16,578 dead in 382,570 incidents. Germany has 29,056 with 123 people dead. German chancellor, Angela Merkel has been quarantined. India with over 1 billion population has about 500 cases with no deaths.

The Indian case is very peculiar in lessons for Nigeria. Public health care in all tiers is free and subsidized for those below the poverty line. The Indian health sector encompasses 18% of total outpatient care and 44% of total impatient care. Middle and upper class use public health care less than those with a lower standard of living

The Covid19 pandemic has exposed big countries like Britain, US, China, Nigeria, and others. The pandemic have also exposed capitalism as an idea that is deficient to the mass of working people. The idea does not care for the majority but the thieving minority. The rich continue to be richer while the poor becomes poorer. We need labour and civil society to work together and reconstitute revolutionary relationships to make sure that working people does not be at the receiving end of this pandemic. We must remember that those who destroy the country must not be allowed to continue with their madness after the covid19. We must demand for #FreeHealthCareForAll!

We must also demand that world-class hospitals are built massively all over the country and we leave the madness of neo-liberalism in the dustbin of ruins. To do these works, we need a movement of the working people dedicated to the revolution that will build a country for all like the Take It Back movement and the Coalition for Revolution (CORE). Socialist organizations like the Socialist Workers and Youth League (SWL) serve as the political tribunes that remind us all on the ideal and alternatives to the rot that is causing pandemics and wars to the world today.

Capitalist presidents that combine neo-liberalism and fascism are in deep shit today as the covid19 has exposed their inefficiencies and monumental social infrastructural dangers. The health of the world is the safety net to our wealth. Why would we allow those who care about the wealth alone to continue to rule us? Why should we continue to allow those who think of only the individual and never the collective to continue to rule us? When Greta Thunberg was leading the climate change campaigns, Donald Trump was scolding her. Bernie Sanders, Jeremyn Corbyn, Omoyele Sowore, Elvo Morales, Bobbi Wine and other revolutionary change-seeking eggheads have all campaigned for another world; the point is for we the working people and all oppressed, in unity and action, lead #RevolutionNow to get a life warranty of #FreeHealthCareForAll!

Nigerians should demand for Cost of living allowance (COLA) of at least #100,000 in order to survive as the country is being locked down. We all must observe hand washing regularly; social distancing; avoid touching of faces, and other sophisticated parts of the body. Government should provide water, gloves and hands sanitizers to all. There is no electricity just as there is very poor housing for the majority of the people. We need the majority of empty house in cities and towns to be massively redistributed. Electricity must be renationalized.

With all unity and actions, we will defeat the yet another genocidal virus. This also tells us that we must choose to build the world for all and not for the few as the threat of grand barbarism stares us all in the face once again. Rosa Luxembourg would be rolling and smiling in her grave as we are condemned to learn from her battle cry: “socialism or barbarism!”

Opinion

AddThis

:

Original Author

:

Kunle Wizeman Ajayi

Disable advertisements

:

Read More
http://saharareporters.com/2020/03/24/political-economy-coronavirus-kunle-wizeman-ajayi

Views: 0

March 25, 2020
Most deaths due to late treatment: Dr Noor Hisham

PUTRAJAYA: Most of the Covid-19-related deaths in the country are due to late treatment, according to Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pix).

He said there were five stages of Covid-19 infection but most of them came to hospital when they were already at stage three.

“Stage one is where a person is asymptomatic but positive, while stage two is positive with mild symptom and stage three is when a patient has some form of pneumonia but does not require oxygen aid.

“In stage four, a patient will require oxygen therapy and the last stage (stage five) is when patients cannot breathe well and we need to intubate them and put them on ventilator,” he told a media briefing today.

Dr Noor Hisham also explained that in most stage four patients, their health would deteriorate fast to move to stage five.

“For example, the latest death, the patient already had breathing difficulty for the last three days,” he said.

He also said that besides late for treatment, age and comorbidities were also among factors that contributed to the Covid-19-related death.

“Some of the death cases had comorbidities and most of them were above 70 years old,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said the MOH would enhance its case detection activities.

“It means we will find the case, we test the case, and if it is confirmed, we isolate the case and give treatment.

“We will continue to do our best to look into the focus group. For example, now we know that 60% of the infection are among the tabligh group. We will go and find them and test them,” he said, adding it was to ensure the individuals from the group would not infect others. – Bernama

Read More
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/most-deaths-due-to-late-treatment-dr-noor-hisham-HB2175988

Views: 0

March 24, 2020