Imported Indian Gari: NAFDAC Warns Nigerians

A note of warning has come out from the national Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control concerning the imported Indian gari currently circulating in Nigerian markets. this is coming on the heels 0f several questions being thrown up about the nutritional value of the gari brand as well as the health implications of its consumers. , NAFDAC said contrary to reports, it did not register the ‘Indian garri’ that was reportedly being sold in the Nigerian market.
The agency’s Director, Special Duties and Media, Abubakar Jimoh, said this in an interview with the media,  noting that there had been false reports that the agency registered the brand.
Nigerians had expressed concerns over the weekend when it was reported that ‘Indian’-packaged garri was being sold in the country. The garri was packed in a 500g bag, which had the picture of a lady and an inscription, ‘TRS’, on it. It also had a price tag of N450, according to reports.
NAFDAC said it immediately commenced investigations into‎ the alleged importation of the “Indian garri”. The agency also cautioned Nigerians against consumption of the product.
Similarly, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, spoke on the development in a statement on his verified twitter handle, noting that 26 packets of the product were seized for analysis by NAFDAC after regulatory officials visited the supermarket in Ikoyi on Monday.
While speaking with the media, Mr. Jimoh said that preliminary investigations revealed that the product was produced in UK, shipped to Ghana and now being sold in Nigeria.
He, however, said that the agency did not register the product as being insinuated.
“Let me make it clear again that NAFDAC did not register any garri,” he said.

On its own part, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development says it will liaise with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to investigate the alleged importation of garri from India.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who made this known, yesterday  in Abuja, said that it is “strange and ridiculous” that garri would be imported when there is enough supply of cassava and garri in the country.
He said that the country produces more cassava than  India, adding that Nigerians must change their attitude towards imported goods.He said, “Whoever buys that kind of garri should be  blamed.
“I have heard of it. I will find out by tomorrow if NAFDAC indeed did certify any garri from India; unless it is some Indian companies packaging the garri here.
“Nigerians are too ready to buy anything imported. They will bring in apples and some of them have been preserved with ethanol which is not healthy for our consumption.
“Whoever is importing garri from India, something must be wrong with them. Why import garri when you do not know the conditions through which the garri was produced over there.
“I have no powers to stop imports, but I can recommend to the Nigerian Customs that this is unreasonable. I produce and encourage Nigerians to eat what they produce because it is safer for them.”

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Slow Down Your Aging Process With Coconut

Coconut is a mature fruit of the cocos nucifera palm. It is one of very versatile and indispensable food item for millions of inhabitants in South and South-East Asia, and Pacific islands as well as Africa. It is one of the most sought-after ingredients in the kitchen since it is employed in almost each and every recipe prepared in almost every parts of the world. Cocos nucifera belongs to the large Palmaceae family of palm trees. Coco palm grows well under tropical climates.
Coconut is a very versatile and indispensable food item for most people under the tropical belt. It is a complete food rich in calories, vitamins, and minerals. A medium-size nut carrying 400 g edible meat and some 30-150 ml of water may provide almost all the daily-required essential minerals, vitamins, and energy of an average-sized individual. 100 g kernel consists of 354 calories. Much of this comes from the fats and protein. Although, its meat is disproportionately high in saturated fats in comparison to other common edible nuts, coconut has many bioactive compounds that are essential for better health. The important saturated fatty acid in the coconut is lauric acid (1:12 carbon fatty acid). Lauric acid increases good-HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. HDL is a high-density lipoprotein, which has beneficial effects on the coronary arteries by preventing vessel blockade (atherosclerosis). Physicians recommend high HDL to total cholesterol levels in the blood for the same reason.
Coconut water is a very refreshing drink to beat tropical summer thirst. The juice is packed with simple sugar, electrolytes, minerals, and bioactive compounds such as cytokinin, and enzymes such as acid phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, peroxidase, polymerases, etc. Altogether, these enzymes aid in digestion and metabolism. Coconut oil extracted from dry kernel (copra) is an excellent emollient agent. It is used in cooking, applied over scalp as hair nourishment, employed in pharmacy and in medicines.
Research studies suggest that cytokinins (e.g., kinetin and trans-zeatin) in coconut water showed significant anti-ageing, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-thrombotic effects. The kernel is an excellent source of minerals such as copper, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc. It is also a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as folates, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, and pyridoxine. These vitamins are essential in the sense that the body requires them from external sources to replenish.

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Sugary Drinks May Cause Liver Disease In Children - New Study

Fructose, otherwise known as sugary drinks, a form of sugar that’s added to sodas cookies, and other sweets, is contributing to the increase of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adolescents and children.
This is contained in  a study published in the ‘Journal of Herpetology’. In its pure form, fructose has been used as a sweetener dingsince the mid-1850s and has advantages for certain groups, including people with diabetes and those trying to control their weight. Of course, fructose has been consumed for centuries in foods.
It is known as a simple sugar because it is a single sweetening molecule. Major sources of dietary fructose among children and adolescents are soda and other sweetened beverages.
Nearly 90 per cent reported drinking sodas and soft drinks one or more times a week. Almost 95 per cent of patients regularly consumed morning and afternoon snacks consisting of crackers, pizza and salty food, biscuits, yogurt, or other snacks.
High amounts of fructose in modern diets have been associated with a wide range of ailments, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Recent research suggests that dietary fructose intake may increase the amount of uric acid in the blood — which is associated with painful gout — and that both uric acid and fructose consumption may be elevated in individuals with NAFLD.
NAFLD, the accumulation of extra fat in liver cells in people who drink little or no alcohol, is recognised as the fastest growing cause of liver disease in both Western and developing countries.
It is estimated to affect up to 30 per cent of the general population in Western countries and up to 9.6 per cent of all children and 38 per cent of obese children.
NAFLD is related to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome and may respond to treatments originally developed for other insulin-resistant states (e.g. diabetes mellitus type 2) such as weight loss, metformin, and thiazolidinediones. Up to 80 per cent of obese people have the disease.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the most extreme form of NAFLD, and is regarded as a major cause of cirrhosis of the liver of unknown cause.
Most people have a good outcome if the condition is caught in its early stages ‘NewmaxHealth’ reported that a team of Italian and British researchers studied obese children and adolescents with NAFLD.
All underwent liver biopsy and all completed a food frequency questionnaire, indicating when specific foods were consumed (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, etc.), how often (every day of the week, sometimes, or never), and portion size.

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New Malaria Vaccine Offers 100 Per cent Protection In Clinical Trial

Scientists have discovered an effective vaccine that offers up to 100 per cent protection from malaria. German researchers at the University of Tübingen in collaboration with the biotech company, Sanaria Incorporated, have demonstrated in a clinical trial that a new vaccine for malaria called Sanaria PfSPZ-CVac has been up to 100 per cent effective when assessed at 10 weeks after last dose of vaccine.
With this discovery, Nigeria can save over 300,000 lives lost to malaria yearly and over N480 billion spent on the treatment and control of the parasite annually. The search for a vaccine has been going on for more than a century. An effective vaccine would make it easier to control malaria; vaccination campaigns could be conducted in severely affected areas to eliminate the pathogen. Such a vaccine could also help to stop the spread of resistance to the treatment, and to better protect travellers.
Details of the research results were published yesterday in the latest edition of the journal Nature. Tübingen University is a public research institution located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg. It is one of Germany’s most famous universities in the areas of medicine, natural sciences, and the humanities.
Malaria is an ailment that is quite endemic in tropical Africa, especially in Nigeria. A cross-sectional community-based study was conducted on 551 participants from five local government areas in Kano State. Blood samples were collected and examined for the presence of Plasmodium species by rapid diagnostic test (RDT), Giemsa-stained thin and thick blood films, and PCR. Moreover, demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental information as well as KAP data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire.
A total of 334 (60.6 %) participants were found positive for Plasmodium falciparum. The prevalence differed significantly by age group (p < 0.01), but not by gender or location. A multivariate analysis showed that malaria was associated significantly with being aged 12 years or older, having a low household family income, not using insecticide treated nets (ITNs), and having no toilets in the house. Overall, 95.6 % of the respondents had prior knowledge about malaria, and 79.7, 87.6 and 95.7 % of them knew about the transmission, symptoms, and prevention of malaria, respectively. The majority (93.4 %) of the respondents considered malaria a serious disease. Although 79.5 % of the respondents had at least one ITN in their household, utilization rate of ITNs was 49.5 %. Significant associations between the respondents’ knowledge concerning malaria and their age, gender, education, and household monthly income were reported.
With the discovery of the new vaccine, experts say a new done is about to break for Nigerian and other tropical countries plagued by malaria. It is believed that this new era will reverse the high mortality associated with the disease.

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Beware: Dr. Kelly Nwogu Exploiting Disabled Persons In Fraudulent Media Philanthropy

By Dumbiri Frank Eboh

I wish to use this piece to draw the attention of the general public (and indeed that of donor agencies) to the nefarious and fraudulent activities of Dr. Kelly Nwogu, the MD/CEO of Blue Sea Estate.

Several physically challenged persons in Nigeria have had their public image violated by Kelly Nwogu who, posing as a philanthropist, use them as publicity stunts to deceive donor agencies. I am one of the victims of this dubious scheme.

I first got to know Dr. Kelly Nwogu on a radio show, ‘Better Naija’ ( a Wazobia FM radio program dedicated to people with disability ) in which he reeled out a list of lofty empowerment programmes which he said he was organizing for PWDs in Nigeria.

I was quite impressed because I belong to the school of thought that believes that it is better to empower PWDs than to give them alms in form of beggars along the streets. Little did I know that what I just heard was a pack of lies calculated to deceive the unsuspecting public.

I noticed however that he concluded by making a passionate appeal to both local and foreign donor agencies, whom he said should come and support him with funds as he alone ‘cannot do it alone.’ This appeal was to later become a norm in his subsequent media apperances on the issue.

I called into the show and informed him of a publication project which I had and which was still on the pipeline because there was no seed capital to kick start it. He said I should bring a formal proposal to his office which I did the next day(I even enclosed copies of the pilot edition of the publication in the proposal).

But I soon found out that the Kelly Nwogu I heard on the radio was different from the one I met in the office. Even though my proposal was accepted and acknowledged, they kept asking me to come almost every other week. When I got tired of going to his office and realized that he was not going to live up to his promise, I called it quit; and this article would not have been written but for something that happened on January 1 this year at the National Stadium.

Before them, Telly Blind (the anchor of the Better Naija Show) told me to come to Wazobia FM, so that I can meet Dr. Kelly Nwogu in his presence – since it was in his show that I met Dr. Nwogu. I went and Nwogu said I should make sure I came to an event at National Stadium on January 1 where he said the empowerment project will kick off.

That same day, Dr. Kelly Nwogu went on air to tell Nigerians that he was going to feed and empower 40, 000 (Forthy thousand) disabled Nigerians on January 1. According to him, not only would they be empowered, we will make sure that each of them go back home with one bag of rice. When I calculated how much it would take to give one bag of rice each to 40, 000 people, I knew it was unrealistic. And I was proved right because on the deed day, instead of the 40, 000 bags of rice, there was just three bags, which was shared one derica each to the few people that had access  to it. Some of these people transported themselves all the way from Ikorodu -  to get one derica of rice! But the media never knew about this neither did the general public nor the donor agencies whom Dr. Kelly Nwogu had appeal to, to support the project with funds.

When he came to the part of the event that had brought me to the venue (i.e. the empowerment segment) Dr. Nwogu called me and some other persons out to face the crowd and the retinue of media men. He introduced us as those he was empowering to start their business. He said he was bringing us out to face the crowd so that it will be on record because the funds would be disburst the next Friday so that we can start up our various businesses. As usual, he concluded by making his appeal to donor agencies.

I will also like to state here that not only was his wife Mrs Chidioke Nwogu around to witness this; So also were his Father and Mother who herself is a cripple. This makes it quite ridiculous that someone whose mother is a cripple, should be exploiting disabled persons. But he goes to show to what extent some people can go in taking advantage of situations for their selfish ends.

But the Friday that Dr. Nwogu said the money will be disburst, never came. He later shifted it to Saturday when he organized an event in his office in Ajah. That morning, he went on air on Wazobia FM to tell the whole world that he was empowering thousands of PWDs while also the opportunities to canvass for support from donor agencies. The media he brought to that event were hoodwinked and deceived by three sewing machines and three wheel chairs he displayed to them. When we went to him at the end of the event, he said we should send our account details to him the following Tuesday. This was contradictory to what he had earlier told us that morning that, for security reasons, we would be given cheques. I sent my account details but even though his P.A. (Madam Bisi) acknowledged receiving it, the funds never came. She kept postponing and postponing and the last time I spoke with her, she said Dr. Kelly Nwogu would get back to us “whenever he is ready” -  which could be tomorrow or in ten years time.

The media never got to know of this neither did the donor agencies he appealed to. As for me, I have decided to press charges because my public image has been violated; indeed I feel used as a publicity stunt for something that is not genuine. So also are several others who, unlike me, may not have the platform to speak out. Thus, the real essence of this article (which will be forwarded to leading National Dailies in Nigeria and abroad) as I earlier stated, is to actually alert the general public (especially local and foreign donor agencies) to be wary of Dr. Kelly Nwogu, the MD/CEO of Blue Sea Estate, and his many antics.

Dumbiri Frank Eboh is a visually challenged, Lagos based Journalist, writer and a former Publicity Secretary, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Lagos State chapter. He could be reached on ebogenius2@gmail.com

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Claims Of HIV Cure: Nigerian Senate Raises Hope For Prof Maduike's Vaccine

The Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare, Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases yesterday urged the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to authenticate the claim of Prof. Maduike Ezeibe of having a cure for HIV.
The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, made the call during the agency’s budget defence in Abuja.
Ezeibe, a researcher in Veterinary Medicine at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, was reported to have discovered cure for HIV/AIDS.
According to Ohuabunwa, it is not proper to dismiss Ezeibe’s claim without full verification.
He therefore urged the agency and other relevant bodies to subject the claim to scientific analyses in order to arrive at a definite decision.
The senator expressed reservations at the manner in which the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control dismissed the Ezeibe’s claim.
He said, “It is not a matter of his identity, he is a serving professor in a known institution, invite him if he had followed the scientific procedure.
“It will be a thing of pride that today a professor, a citizen of Nigeria is developing a cure, nothing is impossible even as he is a veterinary doctor.
“Coming out with a disclaimer immediately is not the right thing.”
However, Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said they were satisfied with the stand taken by NACA and the Centre for Disease Control.
He said, “We are aware of the claim by the professor that he had found a cure for HIV/AIDS.
“Just like the Centre for Disease Control and NACA came out to issue a disclaimer that it is not correct, as an agency we align with the positions of these agencies that are based on scientific evidence.”
According to Shuaib, anyone announcing cure for any disease must follow some rigorous steps to test the findings.
He said, “That process has not being followed by the professor. It is strange.
“Based on the evidence that he has provided that he had treated 10 patients and when you look at the records he had presented, it falls short of what is expected in terms of rigour, in terms of what is acceptable.
“There are huge doubts whether the claims are true or not.
“We engaged the university and found out the information provided by the professor cannot be relied upon.
“By the information, I have, we found out that those persons were not cured. I don’t have direct engagement with the patients so I cannot hold brief for that investigation.”

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