National Issues
COVID-19: Time to go Madagascar | By Festus Adedayo
Like many other societies in the world, Africa boasts of a past that is ambivalent, a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly. She had villains, despots, tyrants, developmental leaders and all sorts as rulers. As she had a ruthless hero in leader of the Zulu Kingdom, Shaka kaSenzangakhona, better known as Shaka the Zulu, who reigned from 1816 to 1828, so also did Africa have 16th century notorious Basorun Gaa of the old Oyo Empire Army (Oyo Ile).
In modern time, Africa had Ugandan Joseph Rao Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan guerilla group. Kony was queer and weird. He proclaimed to the world that he was the spokesperson of God on earth and the spirit medium through which He could be reached. He also claimed that he was always host to thirteen multinational spirits that included a Chinese phantom.
He led a syncretic mix that included the usage of Christian fundamentalism, mysticism, Acholi nationalism and claimed that he was establishing a theocratic state, based on the Ten Commandments. He was subsequently indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for the abduction of 66,000 children who were turned into child soldiers, as well as sex slaves and causing the internal displacement of two million people from 1986 to 2009.
This is not to talk of the Alaafin of old Oyo who ordered the head of his father-in-law brought on a platter because, while helping to scrub his back in the bathroom, his new wife had jokingly teased his limp manhood thus: “Kabiyesi, so you are this small, yet the whole world is afraid of you!”
Pre-colonial Africa was equally very rich. Egyptian civilization, for instance, has been held to be a major gladsome past of Africa, even from prehistoric times. Agricultural irrigation method that flourished in the deployment of the Nile for agricultural purposes, as well as Egyptian architecture are major sources of study in strides of prehistory. This is not to talk of Egyptian science of embalmment.
This method gained wide mention in its unique system of preserving the dead called mummification so as to achieve some measure of immortality, even in death. Deploying herbs and locally sourced chemicals, Egyptian native doctors dispossessed dead bodies of all moisture, leaving dried flesh that could not decay. With this, many Pharaohs were preserved for centuries and archaeologists claim to have excavated centuries-old bodies preserved with leaves and still effusing scents of embalmment.
On a visit to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, some years ago, he told me of two scientific strides bequeathed by his forefathers. One was that of a fascinating palace environmental science wizardry. According to the Alaafin, no matter how heavy a downpour was in the palace, within a few minutes, you can never find its trace in the palace.
There is an inscrutable and undecipherable flood control network in the palace which ensures that it can never be flooded. The palace is centuries old. The second, as told me by the Alaafin, is an African DNA system in the palace which enables an Alaafin to identify whether children born to the palace were genuinely of the monarchy. The third, as related by the revered monarch, is a potent local cure for cancer of the prostrate. The Alaafin told me that if local traditional doctors treat such a patient of prostrate, he will, in Alaafin’s words, “die with prostrate but never of it.”
There is no doubt that African medicine was potent and was efficient for centuries in treating sicknesses like cancer, diabetes, malaria, stroke, epilepsy, benign prostatic herperplasia, gout and all manner of ailments. Traditional African medicine involves indigenous herbalism that is many times mixed with African spirituality.
Its own doctors were known as diviners, herbalists and midwives. They are reputed to have cured complex ailments, even psychiatric disorders. I was a living witness to a then three-year old boy who was, seventeen years ago, treated for asthma. The local traditional doctor never came in contact with his patient. He merely asked for the presentation of this ailment which had taken the child’s parents to different orthodox hospitals without any remedy, handed them two bottles of herbal potion and in the last seventeen years, the parents have reported no manifestation of the sickness. To the best of my knowledge, Western medicine has no cure yet for asthma.
The recent altercation over the claimed remedy to the raging COVID-19 pandemic by the government of Madagascar was what propelled the above narratives. Madagascar, which is officially known as the Republic of Madagascar, but which before now was known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island.
A country in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar is said to be approximately 400 kilometres off the coast of East Africa. It is reputed to be the world’s second largest island country. As is known with all island countries, the desire for survival usually forces them to take initiatives about their existence.
So when Madagascar was said to have thought out of the box, not tying its fate to the fate of a world that is hopelessly bayoneted by a tiny microscopic virus which had to date killed over 200,000 people, to those who know the initiative-driven existence of island countries, they weren’t taken aback by the Madagascar innovation.
When the country launched Covid-Organics (CVO) which is reportedly effective in the treatment of this strange disease, it naturally raised some dusts, especially from the World Health Organization (WHO). Since the virus cast a spell on the world, killing global compatriots like chickens, Madagascar is yet to record any death, even when it had 193 cases.
This stride has confounded the world, especially many African countries who are said to be seeking Madagascar’s intervention. Explaining how the country got to this ennobling cusp, Marcel Razanamparany, who is the President of the Academy of Medicine in Uganda, said it was an initiative of the work of Malagasy Institute of Applied Research (IMRA) researchers, who he said had conducted clinical study into herbs in the quest for a connect between modern and traditional medicine.
In the process of seeking cure for the coronavirus, Madagascar was reported to have made use of its biodiversity by embarking on a therapy protocol that uses an admixture of chloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, as well as deployment of medicinal plants. IMRA and the National Pharmacology Research Centre of Madagascar were said to have depended heavily on the usage of artemisia plants hitherto renowned for the cure of malaria.
Indeed, Madagascar, since 1975, was said to have begun researches into the potency of this artemisia annua, a research said to have been pioneered by a Professor Albert Rakoto Ratsimamanga. The result is that today, even when WHO is ululating over this splendid outcome, the world is giving thumbs up to Madagascar and the country is able to rescue her citizens from the pangs of coronavirus. Since then, the road to Madagascar has become the path to tread.
Madagascar has since introduced the native-brewed but effective medicine it christened COVID Organics to Guinea Conakry, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, with Tanzania about to place its order. Nigeria’s Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has also indicated that Nigeria might also follow suit.
WHO’s reaction to the Madagascar road that has become the path to tread, was predictable. In a statement, it warned against the use of traditional herbs by African governments, saying that as “efforts are underway to find treatment for COVID-19, caution must be taken against misinformation, especially on social media, about the effectiveness of certain remedies.”
No one should need to tell Africans that even though colonialism ended some decades ago, neocolonialism is still ravaging Africa. While it is true, as propounded by Italian Antonio Gramsci, that physical coercion as a system of control of man had died a natural death, control of the mind of the African has hugely deputized for physical force. And because African leaders are a bunch of simpletons who have no minds of their own, they are easy recruits into the war to enslave the minds of their people.
Their poverty of materials and lack of the mind have ensured that they are appendages to the west. In spite of his penchant for thieving the resources of his people, Sani Abacha was about the only Nigerian leader who called the bluff of the west and who can be compared to Andry Nirina Rajoelina, current Madagascar president. The ones before and after him appear to be mere agents of the colonizers.
If not, a government that has a mind of its own shouldn’t be deterred by the threats of the west, especially in the quest to rescue its own people from the pangs of a global pandemic. It is apparent that finding cure to a global ailment by any common African country is an effrontery, indeed insolence by Africa against her masters. How could those black niggers who cannot fend for themselves without the help of their white slavers, be the ones to find medical rescue to the problems of the world and end a superior white race’s medical agony?
That would surely be racial impudence. To worsen matters, what that also means is that shipment of cash from all the nooks and crannies of a world that is in search of stoppage to this colossal death, would go to Africa. Absolutely nauseating!
If the Nigerian government encourages traditional medicine practitioners and departments of botany of different universities to find cure to COVID-19, I am sure remedies could be found to this fiery disease and we would jump up in the estimation of the world. Yes, traditional medicine practice has been infiltrated by mediocrities, charlatans and fraudsters, but there is still a tiny window inhabited by genuine traditional practitioners. Gladsome is the news that the Federal Government, through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mashi Abdullahi, has directed the National Agency for Foods Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to carry out necessary procedures to assess plant-based cough mixture as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
Government should go a notch higher. All efforts must be made for Nigeria to follow this laudable road to Madagascar. It is a road that leads to self-sufficiency and homegrown solutions to continental and international malaises.
National Issues
Rep. Oseni Urges Urgent Action on Rising Building Collapses in Nigeria
Engr. Aderemi Oseni, representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency of Oyo State in the House of Representatives, has called for a prompt investigation into the increasing occurrences of building collapses in major cities across Nigeria.
In a motion presented to the House on Wednesday, Oseni expressed deep concern over the alarming frequency of building collapses, emphasising the threat they pose to the lives and property of Nigerians.
The APC lawmaker, through a statement by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, cited the recent collapse of a two-storey school building at Saint Academy in Busa Buji, Jos, Plateau State, on July 12, 2024. The tragic incident, which trapped 154 people and claimed 22 lives, is the latest in a series of similar disasters, raising serious concerns nationwide.
Oseni also referenced a report from The Punch newspaper, which revealed that Nigeria had recorded 135 building collapse incidents between 2022 and July 2024.
“This figure is alarming and unacceptable,” he stated, stressing the urgency of preventing further occurrences.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Oseni reminded the House that the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and other relevant professional bodies are responsible for ensuring compliance with building standards and practices.
“Despite these regulatory frameworks, the recurring collapses suggest that enforcement is lacking. The loss of lives, properties, and resources is staggering, and this disturbing trend must be addressed immediately,” he remarked.
He proposed the formation of an Adhoc Committee to investigate the underlying causes of these collapses and recommend both immediate and long-term solutions.
Also, he urged the House Committee on Legislative Compliance to ensure swift implementation of any recommendations.
The House agreed to deliberate on the motion and is expected to present its findings and proposed actions within eight weeks.
National Issues
Corruption Among Political, Religious Leaders Stalls Nation-Building – Olugbon
The Vice-chairman of the Oyo Council of Obas and Chiefs, Oba Francis Olusola Alao, has expressed deep concern over the increasing involvement of religious leaders in material pursuits, accusing them of abandoning their spiritual duties in favour of wealth and influence.
Oba Alao, who is also the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, made this statement during a visit from the leadership of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement “Ayo Ni O,” led by Baba Aladura Prophet Emmanuel Abiodun Alogbo, at his palace in Surulere Local Government on Thursday.
The monarch accused some religious leaders of sharing part of the blame for the moral and political crises that have engulfed the nation. According to him, spiritual leaders, once seen as the moral compass of society, have become compromised by corruption, aligning themselves with the very forces they should condemn.
Oba Alao was unapologetic in his criticism, stating, “Ninety-five percent of Nigerian leaders, both political and religious, are spiritually compromised.”
He argued that this moral decay among clerics has made it impossible for them to hold political leaders accountable or speak the truth to those in power, as their integrity has been eroded by their pursuit of material wealth.
“Carnality has taken over spirituality. Our religious leaders can no longer speak the truth to those in authority because their minds have been corrupted. Most of the so-called General Overseers (G.O.) are corrupt and perverted,” Oba Alao added.
He stressed that this shift towards wealth accumulation at the expense of spiritual values has greatly contributed to the country’s stagnation in development and social justice.
Olugbon urged both religious leaders and traditional rulers to reflect on their actions, reminding them that they would be held accountable for their stewardship, both in this world and the next.
“The prayers of sinners are an abomination before God, hence the need for our leaders to rethink,” he warned.
The monarch concluded by reiterating the transient nature of power and the importance of staying true to sacred duties, regardless of the temptation to indulge in worldly gains. “I am a traditional ruler. I don’t belong, and will never belong, to any occultic groups,” he emphasised, drawing a clear line between his position and the corrupt practices of some leaders.
In response to the Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement’s request for collaboration on community development projects, Oba Alao assured them of his support.
“Your requests are aimed at the development of the Orile Igbon community. I am assuring you that necessary assistance will be provided in this regard.”
Earlier, Prophet Alogbo requested the monarch’s collaboration on a range of community development projects. These initiatives include the establishment of a women and youth empowerment center, clean drinking water initiatives, a bakery, animal production facilities, and farm produce processing.
Other proposals included a diagnostic and medical center, a full-size recreational sports facility, and a home care facility for the elderly.
National Issues
Nigeria’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.3% in Q1 2024 — NBS
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigeria’s unemployment rate increased to 5.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2024. The latest figures were disclosed in a report released by the NBS on Tuesday, marking an uptick from the 5.0 per cent recorded in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023.
According to the NBS, the unemployment rate for males stood at 4.3 per cent, while females experienced a higher rate of 6.2 per cent during the same period. The report also highlighted disparities based on location, with urban areas recording a 6.0 per cent unemployment rate compared to 4.3 per cent in rural areas for Q1 2024.
“The unemployment rate for Q1 2024 was 5.3%, showing an increase from 5.0% recorded in Q3 2023,” the bureau stated in its report. The NBS defines the unemployment rate as the percentage of the labour force, including both employed and unemployed individuals, who are not working but are actively seeking employment.
Youth Unemployment Rate Declines
In a positive development, the report indicated a slight drop in youth unemployment, which fell to 8.4 per cent in Q1 2024, down from 8.6 per cent in Q3 2023. This figure represents the unemployment rate among Nigeria’s young people, a demographic that often faces unique employment challenges.
Educational Attainment and Unemployment
The report further provided insights into unemployment rates based on educational attainment. Individuals with postgraduate education recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 2.0 per cent, while those with post-secondary education faced a rate of 9.0 per cent. For people with secondary education, the rate stood at 6.9 per cent, and those with only primary education recorded a 4.0 per cent unemployment rate.
Employment-to-Population Ratio Falls to 73.2%
In addition to the unemployment data, the NBS also reported a decline in Nigeria’s employment-to-population ratio, a critical indicator of workforce participation. The ratio dropped to 73.2 per cent in Q1 2024, down from 75.6 per cent in Q3 2023. This ratio represents the percentage of the working-age population that is employed.
Breaking the data down by gender, the employment-to-population ratio for males was 74.2 per cent, while it was 72.3 per cent for females. By place of residence, urban areas had an employment-to-population ratio of 69.5 per cent, while rural areas recorded 78.9 per cent in Q1 2024, compared to 71.1 per cent and 80.7 per cent in Q3 2023, respectively.
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