“It will not be good for Christians in the North to leave there because it will not be good for the image of the country as it will cause partial separation. The North should understand and imbibe the culture of co-habitation.” Pastor Kingsley Innocent, the General Overseer of Bible Believing Mission (BBM), Aba, (a.k.a God-of-talk-na-do) made this known recently. Innocent, who is presiding over a fast growing church in Aba said it is bad, unacceptable and ungodly for Christians to be killed in the North.

“Such things should be shunned because it is barbaric. It is an act of wickedness and human degradation. It is unfair. God is against it and I am against it. I will never encourage the shedding of blood. I will not encourage war because asking Christians to pick up arms and fight back will bring war in the country. I will only say that everyone who is behind it should know that they will incur the wrath of God,” he stated.

The cleric explained that: “In the Bible, people who rose up against God’s children did not escape but were punished and I know that it will not be different in our own time.” Reacting to the amnesty that the government wants to give to Boko Haram, Innocent said: “It is unfair to Christians who have lost their loved ones during the crises. They should not be given amnesty when the victims of their barbaric act have not been catered for.

Too many churches were burnt and too many people were made homeless. If all these people get nothing from the government and the government gives amnesty to Boko Haram. It simply means that the government is being unfair to the victims. Rather, the money should be used to help the victims. On the ministry, Pastor Innocent said he is an apostle and a prophet by calling. His words: “I became a pastor by calling. My ministry started when I was three years old and the Lord has been using me from that age up till now.

I was three years old when the Lord began to use me to heal the broken hearted. Testimonies started coming in from those who are partakers of the grace of God upon my life. Since that time I have been doing what the Lord has called me to do. One can operate in the five-fold ministry. I operate more in the prophetic. For those who know me, they believe it is all about prophesy but I also have the passion of planting churches.

We have been able to establish branches in the country and outside the country. It is the calling of an apostle. We are still working hard and God is helping us.” Innocent is of the view that Christians should be united. According to him, “We looked physically united but we are not united indeed. I believe that Christians in this nation will have one way and language, when all of us will see ourselves working for the same God and not for individual and personal interest.”

Whereas countless Nigerians resident in Burkina Faso are first generation immigrants, the case of Alhaji Gambo Abubakar is very different. He has been living in Burkina Faso for decades, but this is not to say that he travelled there, when he first set foot in this country.

Alhaji Abubakar didn’t need to travel to Burkina Faso because he was born there. Interestingly, even his own father, Alhaji Ibrahim Gazere, also emerged into this world in the former French colony, once known as Republique du Haute-Volta (Republic of Upper Volta).

And, the story gets even more exciting, when you are informed that Alhaji Abubakar’s family has lived in Burkina Faso more than 100 years. Even with all these, another thriller was to follow: “My grandfather, Alhaji Mohama Gazere, who came to Burkina Faso, practically trekked all the way from Kano in Nigeria to this country”, Alh Abubakar revealed.

Immediate neighbour of Benin Republic, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger Republic and Togo; Burkina Faso stands at least two countries away from Nigeria. Although that country’s capital, Ouagadougou, can be reached within two hours’ flight from Lagos; by road, even riding in a sound bus and counting-in border-crossing formalities, the traveller must brace himself/herself for some 48-hour trip.

Coming from northern Nigeria, as Abubakar’s grandpa did over a century ago; the wayfarer must first enter Niger Republic and travel over 1,000 km before getting to the fringes of Burkina Faso. Ostensibly, Burkina Faso stands very, very far from Nigeria. This means that Alhaji Mohama Gazere must have trekked thousands of miles to get to his new home. Evidently, with enough patience anyone can get very far.

A Chinese adage says the longest journey begins with the first step: so, where did Mohama Gazere take that decisive first step? “I learnt that my grandparents started the journey from their hometown, Kano in Nigeria. From there, they advanced toward Burkina Faso, little by little. After departing Kano, they went to Jibiya”.

Abubakar could not tell how long it took his grandpa to make that voyage, but; from oral tradition, apparently; as relayed to him by Alhaji Ibrahim, Abubakar’s late dad; his grandfather finally berthed in Burkina Faso, after several stop-overs.

Hear him: “They (his grandparents) came here (Burkina Faso) about 100 years ago. Long, very long, before this country got independence. Jibiya is a rustic border town and stands roughly 40-minutes’ drive north of the Katsina State capital, Katsina City (Birnin Katsina). Birnin Katsina was one of the seven aboriginal Hausa States (Hausa Bokwoi), ruled by indigenous kings (Sarkun) until the Othman Dan Fodio war, a little over 200 years ago.

According to Abubakar, after his grandparents crossed the frontier at Jibiya, they headed first to Maradi, a town in the south-eastern parts of Niger Republic said to have been founded by Nigerian Hausa folks that left Jibiya and migrated north, following dispute among local nobility.

After sometime in Maradi, Alhaji Abubakar’s grandparents then began their journey to Burkina Faso, proper. Abubakar again: “I was also told that before they finally decided to settle in Ouagadougou, they had first lived in another Burkinabe town, called Poutenga. It was at Poutenga, they began the last lap of their journey to Ouagadougou”.

A polyglot, who can hold his own in conversation in French, Peule (Fufulde), More, Dioula and Hausa; Abubakar was elected Vice President of Nigerian Community Burkina Faso (NCBF), in 2006. He is also Seriki (King) of Nigerian Hausawa (Hausa Community) in that country.

His turbaning as Seriki Hausawa was consequent upon the passage of his elder brother, the immediate-past occupant of that throne. That late older sibling of Abubakar, named Ali Gazere, died in 2008: five years ago. Taking us further into the lore of his ancestry and heritage, Abubakar explained that the Seriki Hausawa throne is not some recent endowment. It is decades-old and like a sort of dynasty, runs in the family. This is how Alhaji Abubakar put it: “My grand-father was given the title of Seriki Hausawa by the King of Mossi”.

Mossi is the tongue of the More, one of the major ethnic groups that inhabit Burkina Faso. Aside the Mossi, the Dyula (also spelt Dioula) and Peule (Fulani) are also predominant, here. Abubakar again: “After my grand-father’s transition, the King of Mossi also installed my father the Seriki Hausawa. In fact, my current position as Seriki Hausawa also has the blessing of the current Mossi king ”, Alhaji Abubakar said.

Now, what does this vice president of Nigerian community in Burkina Faso do for a living? “I am a trader”, he replied. When asked what ware(s) he trades in, this is what he had to say: “I am a jewellery merchant”. As to the source of his items of trade, Abubakar remarked: “I go to Lagos to buy and bring the items to Ouagadougou to sell”.

When asked to point out his contribution to the local Nigerian Community, since his election as NCBF Vice President in 2006, Abubakar replied: “We are living in a very, very large community and the government with numerous other very important things to do, does not have to wade into every issue; especially, where it is obvious that the community concerned can find a solution.

“For example, if there’s a problem in some clan or village, the chiefs of the area concerned are expected to come together to resolve the issue. This is where my capability to help Nigerians becomes glaring. Through our knowledge of numerous communities, many problems have been amicably resolved. Also, we have contributed through helping to pre-empt problems that might have erupted, if we were not blessed with experience and trust by both Burkinabe and Nigerians”.

Concluding, Alhaji Abubakar submitted: “Apart from Hausa language, I also speak More, Dioula, French and some Peule (Fulani). These have made my work easy. Because I was born here, countless Burkinabe, including people in Government, know me. And, because Burkina Faso is the land of my birth, which means that I am one of them, they also trust me”.

Though Nigerian by ancestry, as third-generation settler, Alhaji Abubakar is also a typical Ouagalais (Waga-lay). Ouagalais is how an inhabitant of Ouagadougou is known. Apparently due to his contribution to the social life of his new country, Alhaji Abubakar was decorated with a Medal of Merit by the Government of Burkina Faso, last year, his Nigerian ancestry notwithstanding.

In recent times, breast cancer has become the number one killer of women of all races, defying class and status. Described as the most common cancer found in women, experts traced its origin to a malignant cancer (tumor) that emanates from the cells of the breasts.

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the leading cancer killer of U.S women, after lung cancer. Over 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed each year and Nearly 40,000 women are expected to die of breast cancer in 2012. But the cheering news is that there are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

The strongest risk factor for breast cancer is age. A woman’s risk of developing this disease increases, as she gets older. Other factors that can also increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, are inherited changes in certain genes, a personal or family history of breast cancer, having dense breasts, beginning to menstruate before age 12, starting menopause after age 55, having a first full-term pregnancy after age 30, never having been pregnant, obesity after menopause, and alcohol use

The incidence of breast cancer in Nigeria is increasing just like in other developing countries. It has been estimated that between 7,000and 10,000 new cases of breast cancer developed in the country. According to the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), there is increasing evidence that breast cancer is on the rise in Nigeria. Available data from Ibadan Cancer Registry indicate that breast cancer accounted for 6% of the commonest cancers recorded during 1960-1980 period and rose to 14.8% between 1980 and 1985. Within the cancers of the female, breast cancer maintained the trend rising from 11.2% to 25.7% during 1960-1980 and 1980-1985 periods respectively.

The pink ribbon is the most prominent symbol of breast cancer awareness, and in most countries, the month of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. The aim is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of breast cancer through education on symptoms and treatment. It is hoped that greater knowledge about the disease will lead to earlier detection, which is associated with higher long-term survival rates. It is also believed that money raised from various programmes held during this month will produce a reliable and permanent cure for victims of the scourge.

The breast cancer movement has supported practical, educational, emotional and financial care for women with breast cancer. Support groups, individual counseling opportunities and other resources are made available to patients. Many charitable organizations are involved in breast cancer awareness and support. These organizations provide practical support, educate the public and raise money for research and treatment.

Breast cancer chemotherapy patients may have to take Adriamycin, a bottle of which costs N2, 000 from pharmaceutical stores. But if the breast cancer patient has heart problem, she has to use another variant of the drug known as Eprirubicin, and a bottle could go for as high as N10, 000. A patient is expected to use six courses of this every three weeks. By the time she is through with this, she must have spent between N80, 000 and N100, 000 on drugs alone. There is, however, a cheaper drug, which costs N400 per tablet known as Cyclophosphamaide. But, it is rarely prescribed.

In the event that the patient needs surgery, the cheapest known as Lumpectomy, costs not less than N15, 000. Mastectomy, which is the removal of affected breast, goes for about N50, 000. As for radiotherapy done through linear accelerator machine for breast cancer, 20 sessions are said to cost about N100, 000 anywhere in the country. The radiotherapy for cervical cancer costs about N50, 000 and above. But a breast cancer radiotherapy done with Cobalt 60 machine, especially in government-owned cancer clinics, could be cheaper. The rate in private cancer clinics is higher.

In a situation where the patient is hormone positive, she has to use anti-hormone drug known as Tamoxifen. A pack costs N600, which lasts one month. But the patient who tests positive to this is expected to use the drug for five years nonstop for effective result. Women who have not reached menopause can only use this drug. For the five-year period, a patient needs N36, 000. Those who have attained menopausal age have to use Tamoxifen for between two and three years before combining it with another higher treatment, which is more expensive.

But the financial implications of all these drugs and treatments pale into insignificance when compared to what it costs to use the new wonder targeted therapy for those with HER 2+ breast cancer. A cancer patient would have to spend N400, 000 to buy enough dosage of the drug known as Herceptin for one month. Such patient is expected to use it for one year. That means to enjoy the enormous benefit of this wonder drug, both before and after surgery for people with HER2-positive breast, a patient needs N4.8 million.

Facts and figures released on 2013 World Cancer Day Celebration

The Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that 1.5 million lives which would be lost to cancer, could be saved per year if decisive measures are taken to achieve the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ’25 by 25′ target; to reduce premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 25% by 2025.

Currently, 7.6 million people die from cancer worldwide every year, out of which, 4 million people die prematurely (aged 30 to 69 years). So, unless urgent action is taken to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address cancer, by 2025, this is projected to increase to an alarming 6 million premature cancer deaths per year.

The good news is that irrespective of the cost of remaining healthy and beating the monster called breast cancer, many women are fighting for their lives and winning too. Aside medically crushing the disease, a change in lifestyle makes a huge difference.

Daily Sun Life and Style Desk shares the stories of some women who have beaten this disease and are on the forefront of creating awareness to save more lives.

Inspiring stories of survivors

 MANDY OSOBA-ONAKOMAIYA (two time-survivor) -After cancer, one becomes vulnerable

Mrs. Mandi Onakomaiya is a living miracle. She survived breast cancer twice. At 34, she was diagnosed of breast cancer. The diagnosis didn’t come as a shock because her mother sadly gave in to the disease at the age of 44 after undergoing chemotherapy and mastectomy. Not being new to cancer, Mandi didn’t allow self-pity cut down her resolve to battle the disease headlong.  She even went ahead to set up her foundation: Sussie Osoba Breast Cancer Foundation in August 2009 after her second diagnosis.

The aim of her foundation is to promote breast cancer awareness in West Africa. She hopes to educate women on the need for constant cancer detection tests. “Most women do not do monthly self breast exams since they cost nothing and could be done in the shower. It was a self-exam that found both my cancer lumps, so I am passionate about women who would help themselves fight this disease with early detection.”

Recalling some of her experience during chemotherapy, she said: “There were moments when I would just lie down and cry, but one can only cry for so long and the situation remains the same.” Even though it seemed like the darkest period of her life, Mandi met her husband Segun Onakomaiya during chemo when she was looking her worst. With hair loss and drastic weight gain due to steroids, the love of her life found her. So, in every cloud, there is a silver lining afterall.

As a fighter, she also negated her doctor’s verdict that after chemotherapy she would not be able to have a child. Mandi welcomed her daughter, Sinmisola in 2005. But the dreaded monster was not done with her yet. Cancer reared its ugly head again in 2009 when she was diagonised the second time. After discussions with her husband, she chose to go through surgery and be done with mammograms.

She opted for a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. Surgery would involve a unique procedure called the DIEP flap where they remove the fat from your abdomen and use it to reconstruct your breasts. The thought of a flat tummy took my anxious mind away from the impending 10 and half hour surgery. Although the surgery lasted for 16 hours, it was successful. It was the best life-saving option at that time because her right breast was already infected. The lump there which mammogram did not detect initially was detected and removed. Now, she is so proud of her figure and living her life to the full with her husband and two kids.

The whole experience has been harrowing as well as humbling for her. “Before cancer, I was positive and energetic, after cancer, one becomes vulnerable. It made me realize that life is not in anyone’s hands and my heart goes out to every woman going through this ordeal, they should hold on to hope because God is still working miracles.” Today, aside using her foundation to raise money to assist breast cancer victims and also raise awareness about the disease, Mandy also runs Solachi Aesthetic Bar in Lagos and takes each day as it comes, with gratitude to God.

Betty Akeredolu-Anyanwu- Nobody wanted to talk about it

Betty discovered a lump in her breast and you guessed right, denial followed.  The lump eventually turned out to be breast cancer.

In her words, “ the trauma I went through can only be imagined. It was most devastating because I neither knew any survivors nor any place to go for emotional support. Emotions were running riot in my head. Fear and confusion took over my entire self. I couldn’t think! I couldn’t even tell my husband. Confiding in our family doctor was out of it I was under terrible emotional trauma alone. For one week, I kept to my self, not knowing what to do.”

Her emotional preparedness helped a lot in dealing with the disease. Without delay, on April 29, 1997, she had surgery at the University College Hospital, Ibadan successfully. The best part of the good news was that her cancer was at stage 1 with the auxiliary nodes free of cancer cells.

However, while in hospital, Betty noted the high level of fear, apprehension and secrecy among breast cancer patients. Nobody wanted to talk about it. Majority of the patients, due to ignorance and poverty were at the late stages of the disease when little help could be given them. The lucky ones who had successful treatment shied away from discussing their experience. They simply got treated and walked away with sealed lips. Even when she managed to engage some of these women in discussions, they disclosed that their husbands would never let them go public about their experience with breast cancer, apparently fearing stigmatization.

Betty sacrificed her family’s privacy to share her cancer story and be an inspiration to other silent sufferers of the disease. She founded Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria, BRECAN. Since cancer in general is a word that strikes fear into the heart of everyone, the evidence abound that majority of women whose cancers are detected early survive the disease. In recognition of this fact, BRECAN has been aggressive in the campaign for early detection, promoting Breast Self Examination (BSE) and providing emotional support to victims and family members. To her, there is urgent need to reach out to all women in Nigeria since breast cancer respects no social class. It can happen to anyone, both the rich and poor.

“We may not by our selves eliminate breast cancer from the face of the earth, but we can end its regime as a life threatening disease making it possible for survivors to lead normal and productive lives. For me, fighting to defeat breast cancer is a life time commitment.”

Juliet Uzoma-Aguwa- I was young. How could I have cancer?

Two weeks before Juliet found a lump in her left breast, she had gone to the hospital with her husband for their yearly physical exams at a Hospital in Michigan, USA. Everything was okay but after two weeks, she noticed a lump.

She went back to the Hospital, and after a series of tests, she was told to go for a biopsy where tissue from the breast is removed and examined for signs of breast cancer. By the time she and her husband went back for the biopsy results, she had already done the crying, the flexing anger, and the denial.

“I was young. How could I have cancer? I didn’t have any family history of the disease. And I just had about a few months left to graduate with a degree in Medical Case Management. When we got in to see the doctor, I watched her. She seemed nervous, like she didn’t want to tell me what they had found. So even before she said the words, I knew I had breast cancer. I was only 34.

Juliet was diagnosed with stage 3 aggressive breast cancer in September 2008.  The shock and disbelief made her world spiral out of control. The moment she heard the word cancer, everything else went blank. She thought and acted like it was a death sentence as she drowned in her endless tears.

“I ran a few more tests at the Hospital to confirm the extent of damage and was advised the best treatment was to have a surgery, as the only way forward. It was the hardest decision of my life at such a young age, when I had so much plans for the future.”

Juliet’s strategy involved letting her family know of her situation and this proved comforting as they gave her the needed strength to fight the disease. Her mom, twin sister, Julia and other members of her family were such pillars of strength and support. The financial load of combating cancer was overwhelming for Juliet who was few months away from graduation. After undergoing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, her body doesn’t quite feel like her due to the healing process.

“So, it was a combination of mixed and warm feeling when I heard those words ‘cancer free’. Tears rolled down my eyes knowing that I was given another chance of life to walk through the stages of life together with my kids. I can only say that I am proud to be standing today.”

Not willing to allow any woman die due to late diagnosis, Juliet kicked off her organization called ‘Courage to Dare Foundation’. Having gone through all the stages of cancer treatment and emerging a survivor, she knew she had to do something for the thousands of people all over the world who can’t access information and treatment.

When she came to Nigeria to do a research on cancer patients at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, she noticed a lot of cancer patients come in after the disease has reached an advanced stage.  Even many didn’t want to talk to her, as they seemed embarrassed about the fact that they had cancer. Even the ones who summoned courage to speak with her confessed that their families didn’t know, and they didn’t want them to know.

She didn’t take that lying low, “my organization plans to go all over West Africa empowering women to speak up about their condition and to seek help. Our lives are stories we must tell to inspire the world and leave a legacy. My legacy is to inspire African women who seem to have lost hope that there could be life after the diagnosis of cancer, and women in general, who like me, will change their death sentences to a life worth living to the fullest’’.

Through Courage to Dare Foundation, Juliet is determined to ensure that individuals of African descent have access to information about breast cancer and also access to preventive mammogram screenings.

These days, Juliet feels like breast cancer gave her a new life. “Before I had breast cancer, I worked hard on being a mother and a wife, and I think one of the things I neglected most were me. So after cancer, I decided that you only have one time to live your life.” She educates women all over Africa that being diagnosed with the disease doesn’t mean they are going to die. With early detection and quick action, they can survive breast cancer.

Samira Gomwalk- My friends thought I used breast cancer as a cover for HIV

At 24, Samira casually carried out a Breast Self Examination (BSE) and discovered a lump in her right breast. Panic was the least of her reactions, but total horror engulfed her after the doctor she met for a curious appointment told her she had cancer.

“I couldn’t help thinking it was all a big joke.”

“I was only 24, I thought to myself, what the heck would happen to me at 65 if I could get cancer this early? This was how my battle with cancer began. Not only did I have to battle the disease that had the potential to kill me but I also had to battle the negative treatment I received from friends. For some reason, some of my friends believed I was using breast cancer as a smoke screen to cover up my real ailment- HIV. That was especially hurtful, I had expected most of my friends to be a source of comfort and not spreading malicious gossip.”

Her treatment involved chemotherapy, which was given intravenously. The hair loss, weight loss and depression are better imagined. She missed her once normal life because of staying bedridden most times. At some point, she started seeing a psychiatrist because she thought she was running mad.

“Hearing the rumors from school that I was HIV positive really did kill me inside. I lost hope and gave up on life. I remember giving away my clothes because I had mentally given myself a private death sentence. I just kept thinking to myself that there was no way I would get out of my situation alive. I even lost touch with God at one point because I was angry with Him. I felt my sickness was unfair. I remember saying to Him once, Lord I don’t drink or smoke, how could you let this happen to me?”

The next call for Samira was surgery. Initially, her doctors suggested a mastectomy but she was fortunate enough to have a breast-sparing mastectomy because of her age. After the surgery, came radiotherapy. It wasn’t as painful as the previous forms of treatment she had undergone. The only side effect was tiredness which when compared with past treatments wasn’t bad at all.

With optimism, Samira sounds that there is life after cancer. She is a survivor who received the ‘all clear’ verdict from her doctors after 9 months of a torturous journey with breast cancer.

“It is impossible to explain the way I felt when he told me the good news, to say I was ecstatic was an understatement. One of the nurses even had tears in her eyes when she heard the news. She told me I was a lucky girl because she had lost her husband to breast cancer.”

Her faith is unwavering as she has resolved that even if the cancer returns, she can fight it to finish again. In Samira’s opinion, one of the keys to beating cancer is possessing a strong and innate desire to live. The only way to do this is to think and live positively taking life one day at a time and at all times remembering that you can’t do it on your own, except you put God first.

Life is never the same again for Samira as cancer has taught her to appreciate herself the more. Today, she is an ardent advocate for breast cancer awareness who teach people on the benefits of early detection as the weapon for defeating cancer. She encourages people who discover lumps in any part of their body to persist in knowing whether the lump is malignant or not. The fast action can be life saving in the long run as it was in her case.

Her battle with the disease initiated the birth of ‘SAMIRA’ a Non-Governmental Organization, which aims at creating awareness on breast cancer as early detection remains key to surviving this disease. SAMIRA aims to source funds that would go a long way to help those affected by this disease through providing medication and financial assistance where needed. SAMIRA also hopes to have support groups for survivors and those living with the disease.

Mrs. Kehinde Gbelee- I stared death in the face, but God delivered me

Mrs. Kehinde Gbelee’s experience of her close shave with the deadly disease was a like a wake-up call. Fourteen years ago, Gbelee survived breast cancer and has since been an active campaigner against the disease.

Recalling the harrowing experience, Gbelee said that she had noticed a lump in her breast and was wondering what it was. With her husband being a doctor, she was a little bit informed about breast cancer. This made the difference for her.

“When I first noticed it, I told my husband, and he checked my breast. He confirmed that it was really a lump and we immediately started battling it. Honestly, I stared death in the face, but God delivered me.”

Having received a second chance to live, Gbelee has actively calling on all women to build a sisterhood network to spread the message on how to prevent breast cancer.

“I would say that early diagnosis helped me a lot. That is why I am always excited to attend breast cancer awareness sessions like this one organized by Care Organization and Public Enlightenment (COPE).”

Men, beware of breast cancer!

Like breast cancer in women, cancer of the male breast is the uncontrolled growth of the abnormal cells of this breast tissue. Male breast cancer is a rare condition, accounting for only about 1% of all breast cancers.

The American Cancer Society estimated that about 1,970 cases of breast cancer in men would be diagnosed and that breast cancer would cause approximately 390 deaths in men (in comparison, almost 40,000 women die of breast cancer each year). Breast cancer is 100 times more common in women than in men.

Most cases of male breast cancer are detected in men between the ages of 60 and 70, although the condition can develop in men of any age. A man’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about 1/10 of 1%, or one in 1,000.

As a man, you probably never considered the possibility of having breast cancer. Although it’s not common, it is possible. Any new mass in the breast area of a man needs to be checked out by a physician.

Dr. Abiodun Popoola, Consultant Oncologist at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) told Daily Sun that cancer is not a death sentence like some people assume. Even though, it respects neither age nor social status, early detection remains key to defeating the monster

He stated that it is not fully understood why breast cancer occurs but there are many factors that can trigger the disease. Cancer is caused when the cells in a certain area of your body divide and multiply too rapidly.

Signs and symptoms 

•                A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm that persists through the menstrual cycle

•                A mass or lump, which may feel as small as a pea

•                A change in the size, shape, or contour of the breast

•                A blood-stained or clear fluid discharge from the nipple

•                A change in the feel or appearance of the skin on the breast or nipple (dimpled, puckered, scaly, or inflamed)

•                Redness of the skin on the breast or nipple

•                An area that is distinctly different from any other area on either breast

•                A marble-like hardened area under the skin. These changes may be found during a breast self-exam.

Dr Popoola added that breast cancer stage is usually expressed as a number on a scale of 0 through IV. Stage 0 describes non-invasive cancers that remain within their original location and stage IV describes invasive cancers that have spread outside the breast to other parts of the body. Breast cancer stages are also based on four characteristics such as the size of the cancer, whether the cancer is invasive or non-invasive, whether cancer is in the lymph nodes and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body beyond the breast.

Making healthy lifestyle changes

The consultant revealed that women should take the following healthy lifestyle steps to decrease their chances of attracting the killer disease:

*Maintain a healthy body weight (BMI less than 25). Weight gain in midlife, independent of BMI, has been shown to significantly increase breast cancer risk.

*Minimize or avoid alcohol. Alcohol use is the most well established dietary risk factor for breast cancer.

*Consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible. The super veggies for breast cancer protection include all cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower); dark leafy greens; carrots and tomatoes. The superstar fruits include citrus, berries and cherries. It is best to eat cruciferous vegetables raw or lightly cooked, as some of the phytochemicals believed to offer protection against breast cancer are destroyed by heat.

*Exercise regularly. Studies have shown that regular exercise provides powerful protection against breast cancer. 30 minutes or more of moderate aerobic activity (brisk walking) five or more days a week keeps you fit. Consistency and duration is key to good results and not intensity.

*Minimize exposure to pharmacologic estrogens and xeno-estrogens. Lifetime exposure to estrogen plays a fundamental role in the development of breast cancer. Also avoid estrogen-like compounds found in environmental pollutants, such as pesticides and industrial chemicals.

*Take your supplements daily. A multivitamin, 500-1,000 mg of vitamin C in divided doses.

*Maintain a positive mental outlook. Develop rich, warm and mutually beneficial relationships with family and friends. Get adequate sleep (7-8 hours per night). The mind-body associations with breast cancer are significant.

In his submission, Dr. Popoola appealed to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer to share their status with trusted friends and family members as soon as possible. He added that aside providing the emotional and psychological support that would help them combat the disease, it will also serve as a wake-up call for friends and family to take regular exams and tests to ascertain their own status.

Dr Femi Olaleye, MD/CEO Optimal Healthcare Limited added his voice to the ravaging nature of cancer. He told Daily Sun that the challenge facing cancer sufferers in Nigeria is our healthcare crisis when it comes to cancer care. “Our public healthcare facilities are struggling to cope with the challenges of delivering such specialized care within the economic and infrastructural context of our country.”

While the message of creating awareness for cancer remains a sounding cymbal all over the world, Olaleye stated the hope of cancer victims in Nigeria looks unpromising. “It is a tough battle. It is terrible enough that hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are handed a diagnosis of cancer on an annual basis, and then they are faced with a situation whereby care is not available or priced out of their reach.”

Olaleye revealed that for cancer to be reduced to its barest minimum in Nigeria, Men and women alike should take self-examination and screening seriously. Vaccination against HPV (the virus we now know causes cervical cancer), avoid smoking (both primary and secondary smoking). Early detection and availability of cancer treatment centres for prompt diagnosis and effective cancer therapies (curative and palliative) can help majority of Nigerians afford the treatment geographically accessible to them.

According to Olaleye, all the cells of the human body are capable of forming a cancer, with the exception of the hair and fingernails.  He said that the risk of developing cancer is actually 1:3 during the lifetime of any individual. The commonest ones afflicting Nigerians are Breast and cervical cancer (in women) and prostate cancer (commonest cancer in men – especially men above 50s).

Optimal Cancer Care Foundation marked this year’s World Cancer Day by intensifying its awareness campaign about cancer screening, as well as giving out free cancer screening in two popular markets in Abuja. Women can also enjoy free cervical cancer screening every Friday throughout 2013 at Optimal Cancer Care Foundation center in Lagos.

Help, I need some quantity of acid

When the Life and Style Desk of the Daily Sun conceived the idea to do a story on acid victims in Nigeria, little did I envisage public embarrassment and any kind of risk would be involved. The process of gathering the information was challenging and dangerous.

On this beautiful day, I found out that I needed some quantity of acid. It is not for the usual reasons of disfiguring or maiming some girl’s face. It is stepping stone to cracking the pieces of my story idea.  But my tension heightened when I found out that no one was ready to hear my request for this controlled substance. I knew I could get some from battery chargers or tillers. But, no one obliged me. I pushed on with my search because I needed it like Moses needed the rain. After much inquiries and nosing around, I was directed a nearby battery charger’s shop at Ikotun whom I innocently asked to help me with some small quantity of acid. If looks could kill, I certainly would have been struck down instantly because of the hostility from his eyes.

I did a quick double take to know if the look was intended for me or someone behind me. In fact, I was certain he couldn’t have intended it for me when he asked, “Madam, wetin you wan take acid do? I realized at that point that I had to be subtle in my inquiries, else no one would help me”

By the time, I found a shop where I was assured I could get some, I was inundated with abuses, curses from an angry mob that suddenly emerged from nowhere. “A woman buying acid, for what?” they all chorused. After about 30 minutes of harassment, I escaped nearly being lynched.  When matters came to a head and I needed to save my head from the commotion, I quickly brought out my official ID card to authenticate my mission. I was merely doing a story.

Selling acid is as much an offence as selling hard drugs and if caught, both buyer and the seller are culpable. So very discretely, I disclosed my mission to the seller who blatantly refused to sell. His reason? I am a woman, and I was very well dressed and for all he knows, I could be a government official who came to spy or out rightly arrest him

After much persuasion that he may have read the situation wrongly, and scared stiff at the way I was being manhandled, he took me to a major dealer but not without his Identity Card, of which I later understood that, without it, even battery chargers who operate and buy sulphuric acid would not be attended to by major distributors.  Even at that, I was warned to wait up somewhere to forestall a repeat performance of the angry mob’s reaction.

It was also disturbing to find out that the big distributors wouldn’t sell any kind of acid to me or anyone, except for manufacturing purposes

After an ordeal that lasted two hours, I finally had a bottle of acid in my hand and several questions in my head

Acid violence, a worldwide phenomenon

The excruciating pains and anguish that acid victims go through can only be imagined. It is not an experience one would even wish his/her enemy.  There do not seem to be any logical explanation for the spate of acid attacks on women and neither can a sane mind comprehend the motives for these violent acts on defenseless ladies, except the endless tales of love- gone-sour which seem to be the only trigger in most instances.

The resultant effect is the sad cruelty of life. And even when victims get respite by undergoing various surgeries, the scars are constant reminders of sheer brutality and their close shave with death. In some cases, the loss of vital organs like the eyes, nose and mouth are so severe that some of the victims would prefer to die, instead of living as emotional wrecks.

Victims are mainly the vulnerable group, women and children, and attackers often target the head and face in order to maim, disfigure and get them blind. The act rarely kills but leaves in its wake, severe physical, psychological and emotional trauma. Victims are often left with no legal recourse, limited access to medical or psychological assistance, and without the means to support themselves. Acid violence is a worldwide phenomenon that is not restricted to a particular race, religion or geographical location, although it is more pronounced in some countries than others.

According to a London-based charity organization, Acid Survivors Trust International, it is estimated that 1,500 acid attacks are reported globally annually, with 80 percent of them on women. Figures are likely to be much higher, though, as many victims are too scared to speak out. Unfortunate incidences of acid attacks are not peculiar to any country, but are more common in India and other South Asian nations such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal as well as in Cambodia, Uganda and Nigeria.

Many of the attacks on women are simply because men in these deeply patriarchal societies like Nigeria cannot handle rejection of love or a marriage proposal by a woman and decide to take revenge. In a conservative culture where women are largely still judged by their looks, rather than by their attitudes, education, career or achievements, throwing a bottle of cheap and easily available hydrochloric acid over them is guaranteed to ruin their lives. No one will marry them, employ them or even want to be seen around them. Their families, which are often poor, are burdened with the endless expenses of medical treatment and soon run out of resources – forcing victims with ‘half faces’ to hide indoors, isolated and unable to return to the normal lives they once had.

Daily Sun checks reveal that despite the long-term financial, medical and psychological support, which is vital for victims, little compensation, if the relevant authorities, the government and even Non-Government Organizations give any. As a result, these faceless women are forgotten, battling with emotional torture and seclusion. When you meet them, you simply cannot forget the ugly picture.

They carry the burden of their attacks on their body as well as in their souls. Sometimes, they end up feeling bitter against the world and even attempt suicide because in their respective societies, they believe they are marked for life. The effect is worse when the victim is the breadwinner of a family. Due to scars left on their skin by acid, most often suffer social isolation, which further destroys their self-esteem and confidence. Female survivors of acid bath, if unmarried, have difficulties in getting married.

According to Daily Sun investigation, one out of every five women or girls in Nigeria must have encountered or suffered violence at the hands of the opposite sex in her lifetime. A lot of these women and girls don’t share their stories of abuse with others but continue to suffer in silence. This menace of violence does not exclude Nigerian Higher Institution of learning. Many boys often seek for ways to punish their partners or maim them whenever their relationships turn sour,

Since Nigeria is not left out of this growing negative fad as more jilted lovers or rejected prospective lovers now use acid bath as a means of exacting revenge on the other party, there many questions to answer. “What measures are put in place to protect women in Nigeria against these rising cases of violence?

What punishment has been meted out to perpetrators of this inhumane act and how can victims get re-integrated into the society without feeling out of place and wallowing in self-pity?

Daily Sun’s Life and Style Desk chronicles some of serious cases of acid baths in Nigeria and x-rays the dangers of this trend, if not cubed with acute firmness and stringent punishment for perpetrators:

 A scar too many

CHIKA EGBO

The death of Chika Egbo, an acid victim late last year, sparked a public outcry. David Suleiman, who was her fiancé, before the ugly incident, allegedly attacked the victim who left behind a baby.

Before her torturous ordeal and her eventual death, Egbo was a student of the Enugu State College of Education. She gave in to the pangs of death after holding onto life for over a month at the Burns Unit of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. The offence of the deceased was denying her so-called fiancé access to their only child. Suleiman was alleged to have attacked the deceased and an Okada rider identified as Sunny Daniel with a can of acid in Lagos. Suleiman was arrested and charged to an Ebute-Metta Magistrate court where he was arraigned on two-count charge of attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.

FRANCA OGBU

After undergoing 11 surgeries and 13 more to go, the man who kept her life hanging in the balance is said to be walking free on the streets. 22 year year-old Franca Ogbu has spent a long time in a hospital bed, after falling victim to an acid attack while studying at Federal University of Technology. An attack that has left her in extreme agony and badly disfigured, while her attacker and fellow student, Chibuzor Bright Nkire was promptly expelled, along with a group of his accomplices, for carrying out the horrific act on her because she refused to date him. However, nobody has been prosecuted for this vile crime yet. The Ogbu family hopes that justice will be done in their daughter’s case.

ONYINYE BLESSING AGU

Onyinye’s crime was simply putting an end to her relationship with Ifeanyi Collins Ude. As at the time of her acid bath by her ex-boyfriend, Onyinye Blessing Agu was a Youth Corp member. She was allegedly poured acid on, two months after calling it quits with Ifeanyi.  The accused was said to have traveled from Enugu to Lagos where Onyinye was serving as a Youth Corp member and bathed his unsuspecting with the caustic chemical while she was innocently seeing him off. The attack left the young Onyinye deformed.  Aside the fact that the case has gone cold, the accused is walking about a free man and the victim lives with the bitter reality of her fate. Investigation is still going by the police in the case.

Gladys Onwosureye

Gladys Onwosureye, a 400-level student of English Department, Faculty of Arts, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, was allegedly bathed with concentrated acid by her boyfriend, James popularly known as Jimmy, a graduate of Sociology from the same institution.

Her screams for help attracted fellow students who came to her aid and helped soothed the burning effect of the harsh chemical. Her unfortunate relationship with Jimmy started on campus when her assailant was still a student at the Faculty of Social Science. They were both in love until the parents of girl instructed their daughter to quit the relationship on the grounds that they were not in support of it.

Jimmy had allegedly inquired from Gladys about the state of their relationship, which had lost its spark shortly after he graduated from the institution. Gladys was said to have told him of her parent’s disapproval of him as a life partner. Since this didn’t go down well with him, hence the attack, apparently to take his pound of flesh. Female students of the institution went on a peaceful demonstration demanding that justice be done, as it was not the first time such was happening in the history of the school since its establishment.

Commercial sex worker

Even commercial sex workers are not exempted from this horrifying picture of acid violence. The lady was reportedly hanging out around an Artisan market, Independence layout, Enugu when an unidentified man who used to patronize her, allegedly bathed her with the harsh substance.

Lateefah Adesope

Lateefah Adesope, a National Diploma holder had no inkling of calamity when Alabi Olokode made love advances to her. She reportedly turned him down for lack of mutual feeling. But as the desperate man persisted, Lateefah maintained her stand. This, however, did not go down well with the desperate suitor.

In a bid to pay her back for her stubbornness, Alabi Olokode who met her on her way to the mosque for morning prayers allegedly attacked her. The liquid went straight into her eyes and burnt her face. At that time, the victim didn’t know it was acid but just realized that she couldn’t open her eyes because of the burning sensation she was experiencing.

On prompt administration of first aid, she was transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. After a few weeks at LASUTH, the medial team told Lateefah that she would not be able to see again. But a Catholic eye center claimed that had she been brought in earlier, she would not have lost her sight.

Sobbing uncontrollably, the victim lamented her cruel fate. Her widowed mother knew Olokode as a customer who frequented her canteen. She is now left with the burden of catering for her blind daughter and six other children. When Olokode was arrested, he denied the allegations and insisted he was her boyfriend. He was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, and investigation is still on going. The list of victims of this horrendous act is endless

Non- availability of statistics from the police

Daily Sun’s quest to get the reaction of the Nigeria Police on the matter as well to ascertain the exact statistics of reported cases of acid attacks was a Herculean task, to say the least.

The simple reason for our visit to the authorities was to get a sense of balance for our story but that was not to be, as they kept tossing us around from one end to the other.

For about two weeks, the calls we put across to relevant officers who should provide us with the information we needed was most frustrating. Bureaucratic bottlenecks and the authorities’ unwillingness to divulge information were our major challenges. We waited endlessly.

Finally, when someone took our call, we were told to wait for them to get clearance from the appropriate quarters to be able to respond. Then, finally when someone took our calls, we were inundated with tales of ‘there are no cases of acid attacks reported here”

With some courage, Daily Sun tried severally to get through but was turned down and was verbally assaulted by the police. The reporter met with the Lagos Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide who said that since taking up her current office, there has been no recorded case of acid attack. She directed the reporter to meet with the Homicide Department, Panti Yaba. With her directives, several phone calls put across to the Homicide Department was rebuffed.

When Daily Sun eventually made to the authorities at Yaba, it became a case of bulk passing and show of authority. The officer in charge questioned why the PRO directed us to him.

His words “Why should Ngozi direct you to me, does she not know that she has to call me, first, to inform me of your visit and enquiry”? Please, go, and tell her to call me first.” Evidently, Daily Sun was caught in cross fire of a tussle of power. Still pushing on, Daily Sun went back and reported the incident to the PRO, Ngozi Braide. She neither gave any viable response nor took it up again to see that we got the information. Instead, her response came in this form, “You know what?  I can only tell you that we do not have any record or statistics of acid bath” And that was the end of our reporter’s inquires.

So, where are these cases reported if the Nigerian Police does not have an accurate data of acid bath victims in Lagos?

NAFDAC’s defense

Given all these cases of acid bath against women and the level of passion displayed by the culprits, the issue of how the culprits get access to hydrochloric and sulphuric acid easily begs for answers. It is now imperative to find out how the agency regulating chemicals in Nigeria is handling their duties. In Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) oversees the importation, clearing and control of chemicals.

Daily Sun visited NAFDAC, Oshodi where Hashim Ubale Yusufu, Director, Narcotic and Controlled Substance and Chairman, Federal Task force on counterfeit medicines directed the Daily Sun correspondent to his deputy, Mrs. Mojisola Amore who is the Acting Director, Chemical Evaluation & Research. Mrs. Amore told Daily Sun that chemicals have good uses but people also use them for illicit purposes.

When it comes to the regulation of restricted Agricultural and controlled chemicals such as hydrochloric and sulphuric chemicals, Amore revealed that importers normally have to obtain the permit for the importation, and clearance from the Agency, otherwise, they will be sanctioned appropriately. She also revealed that no Pharmaceutical company is allowed to use her license to import and clear controlled /restricted chemicals. It attracts huge punishment.

Amore stated that Chemicals fall under three categories, namely General, Restricted and Controlled chemicals. Restricted chemicals are restricted under the multilateral environmental law like the ozone-depleting chemicals such as refrigeration gases. However, many of them have been phased out to avoid causing hazards for the populace.

Daily Sun learnt that Hydrochloric and sulphuric chemicals are classified under the controlled chemicals and require both the permit to import and clear. She said, “NAFDAC also restricts the quantity of these controlled chemicals which are used for industrial purposes, as well as the marketing and the list of people who have bought the chemicals and what they use it for.”

The Acting Director, Chemical Evaluation & Research stated further that after clearing the chemicals, NAFDAC goes for inspection to determine whether or not the storage facility is adequate for the chemicals to avoid it getting into the wrong hands. Since there are different types of chemicals, the agency has to ensure they are preserved appropriately. She revealed that no warehouse is allowed in a residential area. What NAFDAC inspectors look out for in every warehouse, include space, safety equipments, ventilation for chemicals that require a certain temperature for proper storage, fire extinguisher in the event of fire outbreaks as well as the educational qualification of the warehouse Manager.

When Daliy Sun probed further on how easy people get sulphuric acid, Amore stated that, “chemicals have their good uses but the end result is dependent on the users and the motive. What we do as an Agency, is to inquire what the user intends to do with the chemicals and their destinations, but we cannot control what the end users use it for.”

Because of the sensitivity of the issue, officials of NAFDAC are faced with enormous challenges in discharging their duties in terms of regulating chemicals in Nigeria of which Mrs. Amore outlined as the difficulty on the part of the importers to keep stock of their imports and also their failure in presenting their utilization records to NAFDAC.

Dishonest importers who fail to state all their prospective customers and the uses of the chemicals also pose problems.

Others include incidences of theft and missing chemicals in some warehouses as the uses of these stolen chemicals cannot be accounted for, flaunting the rules of importing and clearing controlled chemicals as some companies still go out of their way to import and ship without permit from NAFDAC, while the inadequacy of warehousing facilities for the chemicals and lack of safety equipments mar NAFDAC efforts in regulating these dangerous chemicals.

Ngozi Onuorah, Deputy Director, Narcotics & Controlled Substances, NAFDAC speaks 

Ngozi Onuorah, Deputy Director, Narcotics & Controlled Substances, NAFDAC categorically stated “NAFDAC would do everything on its part to continue with the control of chemicals in Nigeria. She however, regretted that much as they would continue in their efforts, the agency still has no say on what the end users use them for.” Buttressing her point with the analogy of the usage of a knife in someone’s kitchen of which different people have access to. “The knife is kept in the kitchen for cooking, but someone who has anger issues can easily grab it and stab someone who has offended him or her with it, without even the permission of the owner.”

The control of sulphuric chemicals in Nigeria is seemingly difficult because of the large number of people who have access to it. Car battery chargers, she said are heavy users of this chemical and no one can determine what else they use it for. Their apprentices can even steal some quantity without their knowledge, so it is hard for NAFDAC to regulate to their level. It all depends on the motive for acquiring the chemicals and it is a pity that it often falls into the wrong hands and would use it as means of settling scores when they are provoked.

What the law says

Daily Sun sought to find out the hope of these victims and what respite their families finally get? What punishment is appropriate for offenders? How many of these offenders have been conclusively sentenced were some of the questions raised.

According to Barrister Philomena Nneji, acid bath is unlawful and can be classified under assaults endangering life or health. Thus, an assault, which results in grievous harm to another, constitutes an offense under section 335 of the criminal code. This section provides that, any person who unlawfully does grievous harm to another is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for seven years.

In the light of the foregoing, perpetrators face the wrath of the law. The compensation to victims is not in any way reasonably attractive. The enforcement has been very effective because the law is no respecter of persons.

She however, stated that what has constituted an impediment to effective enforcement has been the difficulty of tracking down perpetrators who secretly or under a guise carry out the barbaric act. It is pertinent to note that, the sanction is not in any way commensurate with the magnitude of damage done to the victims because, it causes indelible mark on the victims and no compensation can be equated with life or good health.

Some victims do lose eyes, hands, etc, thereby becoming incapacitated, and whereas, perpetrators gain their freedom without losing any part of their body after serving their sentences. The law treats acid bath as a crime as well as a tort.

Barr. Nneji confirmed that the charge would depend on the injury. For example, in a murder case, if the victim dies! However, if the victim survives, a charge of an attempt to cause grievous harm will be brought. As the latter goes on a civil matter to recover civil damages against the accused, the law of tort can properly enforce adequate damages! The sanction depends on the evidence adduced, said Barrister Philomena Nneji.

Dr Muna Chira, a Reconstructive surgeon speaks 

According to Dr Muna Chira, a Reconstructive surgeon at the Burns Unit of the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, when an individual suffers an acid attack, the consequences can be horrifying. Hydrochloric or sulphuric acids have catastrophic effects on human flesh. It causes the skin tissue to melt, often exposing the bones below the flesh; sometimes even dissolving the bone.

Dr Muna Chira told Daily Sun that the degree of burns is in different categories. For most of them at Burns Unit of the National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi is known as thick skin. He further said that there first and second degree burns. However, in most instances, it depends on the area where the acid is splashed. Although, in his facility, acid burns is not often seen. And the ones that come in here do not usually come as fresh cases. Rather, they come to do reconstructions. Acid burns are redeemable depending on the degree of the burns, according to Dr Chira

Speaking on whether or not the victims can live again after the attack, the Reconstructive surgeon responded in the affirmative. “Yes, they can, but as I said it earlier that it depends on the level of damage. For example, if it is on the face, it is pretty difficult, unlike the back, where it can be hidden with clothes. That is why acid victims need counseling lot of it. It is essentially difficult when it is on the face

Many acid attack survivors have lost the use of one or both eyes. The victim is more often traumatized physically and psychologically. Acid attack also changes the life of the victim as survivors are forced to give up their education or occupation as the case may be.

However, after reconstruction, we take up the job of counseling the patients. The core of our job is to counsel them so as to help and encourage them to live their lives again. It is indeed, very bitter and hard experience but with bravery, they can continue with their lives.

When love turns to acid

The dream of any mature young girl is to find a man whom she would call her own husband. It is a dream that is expected to translate into reality as quickly as possible for all prospective wives.

Thus when Chekwube Peace Eze from Ajuona Eworogu village in Orba community, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State grew up into a beautiful young lady, she joined the long queue of dreamers. But she didn’t dream long before the ideal man showed up. He is Gozie Okafor from Nnobi in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State. Though, Okafor was once married, Chekwube’s love for him remained unwavered. Okafor in his own wisdom did not see anything wrong in an African man wanting to marry more than one wife.

But, Chidimma Eze from Umunkpume in Orba, Okafor’s alleged erstwhile wife did not see Okafor and Chekwube’s plan to get married as a move that should be allowed to come into reality.

And so, on February 14, when the world was celebrating love, she allegedly bathed Chekwube with acid. She axed her on the head before the acid bath and allegedly left her with a parting message thus: “You want to take my husband but before you do that I will send you to your grave.”

Chekwube, a poor orphan managed to recount what happened to Daily Sun on her hospital bed at St Theresa’s Hospital Obollo Afor, Udenu Local Government Area, Enugu State.

Narrating how it all happened, she said: “I was praying around 12 midnight on February 14, when I noticed strange movement of somebody around. I was asking who the person was but the person kept silent.  So, I went inside and continued with my prayer. At that point my attackers broke the door and forced themselves inside and behold, it was Chidimma and two hefty and stern looking young men. She came to me and told me that since I said she would lose her husband, she would kill me before she loses her husband. She axed me, poured acid on me and hit me on my teeth before I fell down. At that point he told her accomplices, “Let’s go; she is dead,” and they left. It was one of the men that flashed touch light directly into my eyes before she descended on me with the axe and the acid.”

When our reporter asked Chekwube if nobody was in the compound when her attackers came, she said: “It was only my younger brother and I. He is only 21 years. I was calling him to come and help me but I didn’t know that they had also broken into his room. But luckily, he had escaped from his room before they got in there.”

One would think that before a crisis degenerates to the level of acid bath, there would have been minor verbal remonstration or scuffles or even physical fisticuff between or among the people involved.

Reacting to such popular opinion, Chekwube said: “We had no problem before, apart from the fact that a man came asking for my hand in marriage and the man, as I later found out happened to have been married to her in the past. But the man told me that he was no longer married to her at the time. I told him that I wouldn’t know if he was serious because men are fond of promising to marry a girl only to dump such girl after getting what they want. I told him that I am an orphan and wouldn’t want anybody to hurt me but he assured me that somebody recommended me for him and that he would not disappoint me. I then took him to the woman that acts as my mother since my mother is dead and introduced him.

“That day, he came with two gallons of palm wine. The woman asked him if he came for friendship or to marry me. He told the woman that he came to marry me only if I could accept him. So, after the visit to my foster mother, somebody told his former wife about what was going on and she organised some cult boys who attacked and mercilessly dealt with me. I reported the matter to the police station, Orba. When the man who was proposing to marry me was invited to the police station and asked if all I said was true, he said yes. He was asked to write his own statement but he said that whatever I said happened was his own statement too. His former wife, Chidimma who organised the attack was asked to sign an undertaken that she would be held responsible if anything happened to me thenceforth but she refused. Later, the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) called me to tell me that she was begging so that we could settle out of police but I insisted that she should sign the undertaken because she was capable of doing anything any time but after everything, she was allowed to go without signing the undertaken; see what that negligence has caused. Till now, the case is still pending in that station. The next thing I saw was this acid bathe. I don’t have any father or mother to fight for me. I am just preparing to write Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME). I just finished secondary school last year.”

Investigations revealed that after the incident, poor Chekwube was left to bear the pains alone as she had nobody to fight for her. She had spent four days in the hospital before a woman who shared her grief reported the matter to the divisional police office, Obollo-Afor, thus leading to the initial arrest of the alleged attacker, Chidimma Eze.

Victim’s sister speaks

Commenting on the incident, Chekwube’s elder sister, Mrs Ginika Ugwu, who stays with her in the hospital said: “She is my younger sister. I can’t tell what exactly happened because I was in Anambra State with my husband. I was called on phone that she was bathed with acid before I came home. The villagers are afraid of coming out to speak because the suspect’s parents are very rich. So the villagers are afraid of victimization. The man who proposed to my sister was married to the suspect earlier but later said he was no longer interested in the marriage as according to him, the woman used charm on him in the first instance. So, they have been separated since December, 2011.

A Nigerian living in Lome, Togo for roughly 20 years, Dr Godwin Elendu; has said our compatriots in Diaspora can radically facilitate the country’s transformation; given proper climate by the government.

However, such Nigerians must be made aware that they need to go home and invest because, East or West, home is the best; according to Elendu. Speaking with Travels in his Lome-based Godek International Togo Limited office recently, Alayi, Abia State-born Dr Elendu; said: “I advise every Nigerian in Diaspora to go back home and explore areas, where they can deploy their expertise and experience to help move our nation forward”.

Founded in 1999, Godek’s headquarters is located in the Cinema Rex neighbourhood of the Togolese capital, Lome. However, Elendu is not only CEO of Godek International Holdings Togo Ltd. The company has outposts in the United Kingdom (UK) as well as Nigeria, which makes Elendu also CEO of Godek International UK Ltd and Godek International Nigeria Ltd.

But, what exactly does Godek do? “We basically offer professional advices to prospective entrepreneurs wishing to set up businesses, and are in involved in Management Consultancy. There are countless opportunities to boost one’s wealth but unless you visit home, you may not see these openings yearning for tapping. After recent visits to Nigeria; we have seen a few areas where we want to invest in”, Dr Elendu enthusiastically declared.

He, however, also seized the opportunity to plead with the Federal Government, State authorities, security services and so on; to provide an enabling environment. “They should make the atmosphere conducive by providing necessary infrastructure and this is what everybody is clamouring for. This will encourage investors to come in. If our president is going around the world courting investors, we Nigerians should show good example by being the first to go home and invest”, he reasoned.

Elendu, who observed that; “the government must play its part by helping with functional infrastructure, like good road-network, uninterrupted electricity, which is the engine or driver of any economy”, further pointed out; that: “All over the world, Nigerians can be found doing their best in every field of human endeavour. Is it in medicine, engineering, sciences, academics? Nigerians excel in numerous areas and some of us are even creating jobs for people in other countries”.

He however rued that, “Despite all their contributions to the host nation, Nigerians in Diaspora are sometimes still not appreciated. In certain instances, some are occasionally humiliated, in spite of their invaluable contributions to the countries, where they live. A good example is my experience with British Airways in September 2008, when I was bundled out of a flight because of crass ignorance on the part of airline workers”.

Concluding, Elendu submitted: “So, I want the Nigerian Government to arrest the embarrassment we suffer at the hands of immigration and airline officials in foreign countries. Some of them are so overtly hostile, once you hold a Nigerian passport. I am using this medium to once again implore the FG to intensify efforts at educating foreign embassy staffers to help to re-orientate their countries’ customs, immigration, et cetera personnel to reciprocate the courteous treatment their nationals get from Nigerian port officials. Therefore, port officials and embassy workers of countries that show prejudice against Nigerians should be called to order”.

Pupils from Delta State visit Nigerian High Commission in Accra, Ghana

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Accra, Amb Ademola Oluseyi Onafowokan, on Monday, March 25, 2013; received seven students as well as their teacher and guide who travelled to Ghana on excursion. The young tourists, pupils of Holy Infant International Nursery/Primary/Secondary School, came all the way from Agbor in Delta State, Nigeria.

Reverend Sr. MiriamDorothy Ezezue of Daughters of Divine Love; Mrs. Uche Maureen, a parent; Ms Vivian Okocha, a teacher; and, a guide, Pastor Fidelis Uwagboe; accompanied the seven children, on their week-long excursion.

After 12 yrs on the road without reaching his destination, Sylvester Duru forced by ill-health to return home, cries out, says:

From his physique, it was obvious that starvation had taken severe toll on Mr. Sylvester Duru. He was emaciated and from his gaunt looks, none could doubt the man’s claim that he was also very, very ill. Only God knows, if Duru, who used to live in Abidjan, former capital of Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) until 2012; successfully made it to Nigeria after we saw him in Lome, Togo; days ago.

Ironically, this man who survived life-threatening situations, while Cote d’Ivoire was embroiled in civil war, might have been felled by personal health challenge; if he didn’t get medical attention urgently enough. Assuming he even made it to Nigeria in the first place.

Speaking with Travels inside the office of Nigerian Community Togo (NCT), Mr. Duru told us he is currently 34 years old. However, the man looked much older than his age. In deed, Mr. Duru, who hails from Owerri Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo State; could easily pass for a 60-year-old. “It’s hardship”, another Nigerian listening to our chat inside NCT office, interjected.

Hardship? After listening to his story, the man’s life over the last 12 years was more like the classic odyssey. A dozen years ago, when Duru, then in his early-20s, left Nigeria to sojourn overseas in search of the proverbial greener pastures, he must have been brimming with hope and probably dreamt of returning home some-day a wealthy man. Sadly, however, when we ran into him in the Togolese capital, Lome; Mr. Duru did not only appear beaten and bent, his dreams also seemed all shattered.

When he set out of Nigeria in 2001, Duru nursed dreams of a lucrative career as a footballer. He knew that breaking into the lime-light could take years, but since age was on his side; Duru was prepared to wait. He had hoped that, after being noticed as a promising player; some international footballers’ scout might discover him and ferry him to Europe, where he could begin to earn good money.

However, on arrival in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast, Duru soon found out that his expedition was going to be a most tedius one. A few days after he entered Abidjan, Duru discovered that soccer was very far from the minds of most Ivoirians because their country was practically gravitating towards civil war. As a result, Duru couldn’t find a clubside to engage him. Since he couldn’t find a place in any team, Duru, who had no source of income, therefore, could not afford to pay for accommodation.

Duru not only had no place to lay his head at night, he also frequently went without food. Cheeringly, in spite of all the challenges he faced, Duru was determined not to engage in any criminal activity. He eventually turned to rapping in a nightclub’s band with a view to keeping body and soul together. However, he soon discovered that his guts couldn’t stand the rigours of being a rap-music vocalist and had to quit that occupation. But, before he abandoned “rapping”, Duru had probably developed an ailment, whose symptoms were not yet manifest.

After he ditched rapping, Duru looked to hair-cutting to eke a living. To enter that trade, all he needed do was buy a pair of scissors and clippers and viola! He was in business. But, as a roadside barber, Duru wasn’t making a lot of money. Albeit, he earned enough to eat without having to beg.

Hear him: “In Abidjan, I charged 200francsCFA (about N70) per hair-cut. On some days, I made 1,000francs (roughly N350), if I cut five people’s hair. With that, I could eat two meals because food was affordable in Abidjan before the full-scale war”.

With feeding taken care of, where did he sleep during the night? “Although I had no home and slept in the street, I had no worries. In Abidjan, countless people are homeless and sleep in the street. My hope was that someday, somehow, I will finally save enough money to enable me travel to Europe”, he said.

And, so; for the first nine years that Duru lived in the streets of Treichville, Abidjan, life was at least tolerable. Sadly, however, the political crisis that had lingered in the Elephant country for over a decade finally snowballed into full-blown civil war. That conflict put paid to Duru’s peace.

“After fighting began in Abidjan, things became really, really hard and terrifying. There was curfew and people remained indoors all-day for many weeks. In that condition, who would think of going for a hair-cut? That’s how my barbering business folded up”, Duru rued.

What was life like, for a homeless person in Abidjan during the Ivoirian civil war? Duru again: “I lived in Abidjan throughout their crises. I was in the street even during the worst period of the conflict. Since I had no home and lived in the street, I heard bullets landing everywhere around me, on many occasions. It is by God’s grace that I am alive today because had some of the bullets hit me, I would have been dead, long ago. In any case, I lived in fear for many months. So, as soon as the war ended, I decided to leave Ivory Coast”.

Aside from fear, Duru had another reason to leave Cote d’Ivoire: His barber’s business no longer yielded enough to sustain him. Going for a hair-cut was among the farthest thing on the mind of most Ivoirians, who were engrossed with struggling to pick up the pieces of whatever was left of their lives after the civil war.

Unfortunately, just as Duru was working towards leaving Cote d’Ivoire, a health challenge he had been nursing for over a year, drastically worsened. In fact, his health problem practically galvanised Duru’s exit from the late Dr Felix Houphouet-Boigny’s country. Although he had not yet undergone diagnosis by any doctor, Duru said he believed he was suffering from hernia.

As if Duru’s hernia was not enough cross for one man to bear, the man didn’t even have money to pay his way back to Nigeria, where he hoped to get treatment for his ailment. At the time Duru’s homeward journey commenced, he was almost out of pocket. Nonetheless, he had set out any way because he felt he had better chances of survival back in Nigeria. Mr. Dabur Amos Mzahan, Tiv-born sports consultant based in Lome; said Duru practically pulled out a sac-like swelling from his pelvis area to convince him, when the latter got to the Nigerian Community office.

Mr. Dabur said he had come to attend a meeting at the NCT office, and was waiting for other executive members of NCT to arrive, when Duru trudged in. Hear Mr. Dabur: “As soon as I saw him, I knew there was something wrong. He finally confirmed my fears, when he pulled from his pants a large swelling around his pelvic area. He said he was weak from starvation, apart from fatigue brought on by the disease. When I saw that, I didn’t need anybody to tell me this brother is seriously ill”.

Speaking with difficulty and occasionally gasping for breath, Duru revealed he hadn’t bathed for over a week and that, he hadn’t eaten anything for three days, until he met Mr. Dabur Mzahan, who bought a meal for him.

How his illness began

As to when exactly his health challenge began, Duru recalled: “I have carried this cross for over 24 months. I noticed, before the war began in Cote d’Ivoire, that in the night, I often felt serious pain around my private part. The problem, I suspect, began when I went into rap music to make some money as I could not get into any of the local football clubs. After I found a place as a rap-artiste, to keep my position as a DJ in that nightclub, I usually had to roll out the words very fast. Unfortunately, one day, as I tried to get more words out of my mouth than my lungs could carry; I actually felt that my intestines jammed”, he lamented.

Continuing, Duru added; “Two years ago, I felt I should no longer suffer in silence. I then decided to confide in some of my Nigerian-born friends in Abidjan. Although they were very sympathetic, but with each person struggling to survive as a poor immigrant in a foreign land, none of them could help”.

Finally, Duru had set out from Cote d’Ivoire en route Nigeria. However, by the time he crossed the Ivoirian border settlement of Noe into Elubo in neighbouring Ghana, the very ill man was almost completely out of pocket. In deed, Duru recalled that by the time he made it into the Ghanaian capital, Accra; he was flat broke.

“I entered Accra without a dime. And, worse still, with hunger gnawing at my stomach. But, because I was also very weak and tired, I fell asleep easily that night”, Duru told us. Where did he sleep on his first night in Accra? “By the roadside. Around Tudu Market in Accra, dozens of people sleep in the street and the place is quite safe”, Duru replied.

When he woke up the next morning, Duru got his barber’s kit out of his bag and began another road-side salon in Accra, in a bid to raise money for feeding. But, before long he would be compelled to leave Ghana and move on as his ailment worsened. Out of Ghana, Duru’s next stop was Togo; where we ran into him.

Life in Abidjan, Accra and Lome

Taking us on further verbal excursion of his expedition from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and Accra, Ghana; to Lome, Togo; Duru recalled: “I left Abidjan in 2012, just after the war. I lived at Tudu Motor Park in Accra, Ghana since then. At Tudu, I was managing to get a few clients, whose hair I cut to raise money for feeding. While at Tudu, I charged one Ghana cedi (roughly N35) per hair-cut. But, due to my health problem, I had to leave Ghana and start going to Nigeria to find treatment.

“That is how I got stranded in Lome, Togo. I left Ghana two weeks ago. On arrival in Togo, I slept on the floor at the entrance of an eatery called Nigerian Restaurant until some people advised me to go to Nigerian Embassy in Lome to look for help”.

As to what he was eating to keep body and soul together since his arrival in Lome, Duru lamented: “It’s been terrible. I could only buy pap to drink two times a day because I had 2,000francs (about N600) by the time I crossed the Ghanaian border, Aflao, into Togo. And, before long, the money had finished, with the exception of a few coins left with me. Although many Nigerians, out of pity for me, offered to take me to Nigerian embassy; no-one eventually did so. So, finally, I had to make my way there on my own with the last coins on me.

“Many Nigerians had told me that there is a new ambassador in Lome, Togo and that he is very helpful. That is why I decided to visit Nigerian embassy, Lome. But, when I got there, maybe the security people were discouraged by my appearance, I was made to stand outside the premises by the gate, all day. The security people never even opened the gate to let me into the compound. This was my predicament for five days. I trekked from the beach area to Nigerian Embassy Lome everyday, from Monday till Friday.

“At some point, one lady took pity on me. She spoke to me when she saw me sitting on the floor near the gate on her way out of the embassy compound. I finally gave her a letter that I brought requesting help to transport myself back to Nigeria. However, when I went back to the embassy, I was told that my application for assistance was being still being processed. On Friday, someone at the embassy, advised me to go to Nigerian community office in search of help. Fortunately, I met Mr. Dabur Amos Mzahan here, who was kind enough to buy food for me”, Duru expatiated.

Fortunately, at some point, while still at the NCT office; we had a call from Dr Godwin Elendu. During our telephone conversation, Mr. Dabur Mzahan had asked, if I were speaking with Elendu. When I answered in the affirmative, Dabur’s countenance brightened instantly: “Yes, this man’s (Duru’s) problem is solved. Let me speak to Dr Elendu, please”, Dabur requested, while stretching his right hand to collect my handset.

After Dabur relayed a summary of Duru’s challenges to Dr Elendu, the latter had asked what the priority was. “Please, he (Duru) needs 15,000francs (roughly N5,000) to continue his journey to Nigeria, where he believes he will somehow get treatment”, Dabur had responded. Elendu had subsequently invited us to his office to collect the money, so that the ailing Duru could head home for medical attention, which was urgently needed.

After collecting the 15,000francs fare from Dr Elendu, Duru with tears of gratitude in his eyes, remarked: “O, God bless you, Sir. With this, I can complete my journey to Nigeria”. But, how was Duru planning to address his health problem, fundamentally?

“In Nigeria, I have two siblings that I left behind when I set out 12 years ago. I hope they will come to my rescue with regard to hospital bills. My elder sister, Celestina, may assist, I believe. I also have an older brother, Romanus, I hope he can also be of help. However, I don’t know what their own situation is, since I have been away for over ten years. Also, please help tell my story in your newspaper because I need some kind-hearted people to come to my rescue”, Mr. Duru pleaded.

Sylvester Duru: from the horse’s mouth

But, who really; is Sylvester Duru? The distraught man helped to shed some light: “I used to live on Aje Street, Ilasamaja near Idi-Araba, Lagos. I am single and childless. Throughout my sojourn abroad, I had no girl-friend. I had to leave Nigeria after many disappointments. I used to be a good footballer, but there was no opportunity for me to play in the national team because I had no god-father.

“Even as a 12-year-old in primary school, I played for my school. I attended Ikusomu Primary School, Isolo, Lagos. I also played for my secondary school, Holy Saviours College. The team qualified to represent Nigeria in the Under-17 youth championship in 1985. Unfortunately, I was dropped from the team.

“I once played for Federal Ministry of Health as their No 3. I also played as defender for Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Football Club. In 1996, I was on trial with NITEL Football Club at Oshodi. I believe I merited being absorbed by the club but the coach dropped me from the team”, he concluded, with tears welling-up in his eyes.

By Maurice Archibong 
mauricearchibongtravels@gmail.com
+2347030786447
3-time winner, travel & tourism reporter of the year 

The mortal remains of Chief Effiong Ukpong Aye will be buried tomorrow at Hope Waddell Chapel grounds. The interment will be preceded by a Service of Songs, today, at Hope Waddell Parish of the Presbyterian Church, Calabar.Author of 10 books and holder of the National Honour, MFR (Member of the Federal Republic), Pa Aye passed on at the age of 94 on November 28, 2012. Born in Adakuko, Creek Town, Effiong Ukpong Aye was a son of the late Madam Nsa Essien Eyo and a scion of the legendary Efik sovereign, King Eyo Honesty.

It is worth noting that Pa Aye’s burial date, March 8, appears decidedly chosen to coincide with Hope Waddell Founders’ Day. Hope Waddell or Howad, as this elite secondary school is also fondly called, was founded in 1895. Located on Diamond Hill, Calabar, HWTI was the first of its kind in the entire area that made up the now defunct Eastern Region.

The late Rt. Hon Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria’s first president; Eze Akanu Ibiam, physician and one-time premier of then Eastern Region; Otunba Adeniran Ogunsanya, a former Commissioner of Education, Lagos State; Vice Admiral Edet Akinwale Wey, a former Chief of Naval Staff and later Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters; Dr. Kingsley Mbadiwe, the late political juggernaut, and Chief Torch Taire, art collector extraordinaire and MD of Stanley Torch Limited, were among HWTI alumni.

Aye’s sojourn in Hope Waddell began in 1939 when he was admitted to that institution’s teachers’ training college and, subsequent scholarship from the Church of Scotland Mission (a.k.a Presbyterian Church), founders of Hope Waddell, where Aye studied and eventually was employed; enabled him to live in the United Kingdom for 13 years, shared between England and Wales. He did post-graduate studies in Swansea, after taking a bachelor’s degree at Cambridge University.

A graduate of Latin/Classical History, Pa Aye was a Fellow of Historical Society of Nigeria and during an encounter in his Calabar home, he turned his neck some angles and looking at the book-laden shelves behind him, muttered ruefully: “I fear I am the only one in this country, who can read them now”. His archive includes books written in not only Greek, which is still extant but also Latin, which, like its original speakers, the ancient Romans of the famous Julius Caesar, has virtually gone the way of the dinosaur.

Between the period after he served as head-teacher and when he became lecturer at University of Calabar, Aye also held the office of Principal of HWTI. “Yes, I served Hope Waddell as Principal two times, from 1974 to 1979 and, again, from 1985 to 86,” Pa Aye recalled enthusiastically, during one of our encounters with him. An “Award of Honour” hanging on one of the walls of the room that doubles as his study and tea-room is testimonial of appreciation and gratitude from the countless students, whose lives Aye helped to mould.

Falling back on readers’ tributes, which we received after our first piece on Pa Aye was published in Travels (Daily Sun) of 17 June, 2010, there is no doubt as to the enviable legacy of this late affable elder. Take a look: “Mr. Archibong, your report on Pa Effiong Ukpong Aye made me recall my days at Hope Waddell Training Institution with Pa Aye as principal. I completed my studies in May, 1976. Pa Aye was a disciplinarian par excellence…” Thanks, from Asuquo D. Usoro.

“Hello, Maurice, I enjoyed your write-up on Pa Aye, published in Travels (Daily Sun). I am an alumnus of Hope Waddell Training Institution, Calabar (a boarding student, 1974 – 1979); and Pa Aye was my principal, then. He instilled discipline in all of us, who passed through him and this helped us a lot during our stay in the school and thereafter. Please, is it possible to have the first write-up you published on Pa Aye for my reading pleasure and records, as well as his contact address and phone number(s) to enable me visit him when next I am in Calabar? Thank you,” from Gabriel A. Edem, Lagos.

“Read your Aye essay, beautiful! Tell me when it’s online, so I can send a copy to the US.” from Ivor Miller (PhD), historian and lecturer at Boston University, USA.“Good morning and thank you for the wonderful write-up on Pa Aye,” from Arnold Udoka, National Choreographer, National Troupe of Nigeria. There is no doubt that these observations now serve as befitting epitaphs.

After our June 17, 2010 story, Pa Aye had been featured on Cross River TV, NTA International and several other media. Indeed, while reviewing the impact of that report; Pa Aye had observed: “Churches, journalists, film-makers, TV crews and so on have been visiting me non-stop.” Truly, some filmmakers, claiming affiliation to “Nollywood” as well as others purportedly linked to foreign producers also besieged the revered senior citizen’s residence.

And, ostensibly very important, too; “For many, many years, I was not paid my pension by the Federal Pensions’ Office. However, I got my pension for June 2010. After your report came out, Pension Office workers came here (his residence) and one of their Verification Officers was once my student.”

The late Pa Aye was one of perceived few Nigerian academics, whose teaching career traversed all tiers of education. Although his sojourn in the academia began as primary school teacher and later Head Master (Head Teacher), Pa Aye subsequently morphed into a secondary school teacher and also rose at this level to the position of principal. Interestingly, before he finally retired, Pa Aye had moved on to the university as lecturer. He taught at University of Calabar for many years. While there, he supervised doctoral theses of several PhD candidates.

Though retired, Pa Aye was never tired; for, he kept writing. Truly, old authors never die; they just scribble away. Though dead, Pa Aye is; however, still with us. Yes, a teacher-cum-author never dies because he lives on perpetually in the students, whose lives he helped to mould as well as in the bits and pieces of knowledge imbibed by his books’ readers.

Key to longevity

Although he spent most of his time in retirement, reading and writing, Pa Aye once confided that, unlike many years ago, when he could practically read or write all day and all night, if he wished; he later needed to take a break, intermittently often. This was some three years ago.All the same, it is instructive that in Africa, where some studies have put the average life-span at roughly 45 years, Pa Aye lived more than double this estimated figure. However, even if he had died at the age of 200 years old, there’s no doubt that Pa Aye would still be missed.

But, what was the secret of this man’s longevity? Pa Aye’s reply to this question, when we spoke with him in 2010; was: “I have no idea, I have no idea”. After a brief pause, he added, “God alone is behind it; so, I thank God”. Perhaps, aspects of his lifestyle must have helped? Chief Aye ate sparingly and had dumped eating of meat some 40 years earlier.

When we asked, if meat was poison, then? The genial senior citizen’s response was: “I have no idea, no idea”. Does vegetarianism prolong one’s life, then? “I’m not a vegetarian because I eat fish. I eat fish as well as various sea-foods, and a lot of vegetables”, he explained. Then, teasingly, Pa Aye remarked; “I eat fish because I never learnt of Christ eating meat”. Want to live into 90 years and above? All things remaining the same, blotting out meat from the menu, eating fish and various sea foods as well as plenty of vegetables could help.

Like his aversion for meat, because he could not find a place in the scriptures, where Christ ate meat; Chief Aye said he was still searching for that part of the Bible, where Christ celebrated his birthday. “Celebrating one’s birthday is un-Christian. It was common among Egyptian Pharaohs and later Roman Emperors but Christ did not celebrate his birthday. It is humans that started doing it for him”, Aye submitted.

In fact, he took offence, when members of his native Creek Town, Calabar community sought to mark his 90th birthday in 2008. Although he eventually buckled under pressure, or “surrendered”, as he put it, following pleas from countless well-wishers that he should consider the fanfare as Thanksgiving to God, after all only a negligible percentage of the world population live to reach 90 years old; Pa Aye still could not understand what the fuss and hoopla about birthday is all about.

Pa Aye was the classic model: his lifestyle was simple and his taste modest. Although he was able to own a storey building, where he lived for the last several decades of his long-life; we don’t remember seeing any car parked within his compound. Yet, he was content. He was a happy man. Yes, Pa Aye was an icon of his environment: he was at odds with jamborees, he was very tolerant and enduring, genial, affable, and hospitable. These are some of the vernal qualities of Calabar, which earned this aboriginal Efik, Efut and Qua ancient settlement its Canaan City epithet. It is not for nothing John Bunyan gained inspiration to compose the now universal standard, Amazing Grace, in Calabar. Rest in peace quintessential Canaanite.

Some books by the late Grand Old Man, Effiong Ukpong Aye

Author of 10 books, Pa Effiong Ukpong Aye was still writing at 92 years of age. In deed, his latest book, King Eyo Honesty II, though not formally launched, had already been printed. Aye’s other books include Old Calabar through the centuries (Hope Waddell Press, Calabar; 1967), Hope Waddell Training Institution: Life and Work, 1894-1978 (Paico Limited Press and Books; 1986), Presbyterianism in Calabar (Wusen Press, Calabar, 1987) and Efik Origin: A refutation (Glad Tidings Press, Calabar; 2006).

Prostate enlargement is on the prowl, taking toll on the health of the men folk. The Prostate Research Institute in the United States of America  in a report said that among every six men, two are likely to suffer from the disease which, if not diagnosed early and effectively treated, can degenerate to prostate cancer. Research has also confirmed that in Africa, the rate of prostate enlargement and cancer is relatively high.

Apparently worried by the dangers of the ailment, orthodox medical practitioners have been battling to proffer solutions but have not been able to achieve maximum result.

But the Managing Director of Qumas Herbs Limited,  a trado-medical expert, Dr Olasunkanmi Azeez, says that herbal medicine has a quick  remedy for the disease.

In this interview, Dr  Azeez, who is the chairman of Herbal Therapy Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Chapter (HTSN), stresses that application of special herbal therapy against prostate enlargement and prostate cancer can provide cure for the ailments.

Prostate enlargement, a killer disease

This ailment is common among the male folk and very dangerous to their health because of its complications and effects. It  affects the male organ known as prostate gland which produces semen, the milky-colored fluid that nourishes and transports sperm during ejaculation. Prostate gland is located beneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra, that is the tube that drains urine from the bladder. Whenever it becomes enlarged, the prostate would begin to wield pressure on the urethra and make urination difficult. This is common among men in their 40s and above when they witness prostate growth. This is when prostate gland enlargement occurs mostly because of the rapid growth of the central portion. The major implication here is that as the tissues in the area enlarge, they compress the urethra and partly block free flow of urine. Men who have difficulty in urinating most likely have prostate enlargement problem.

Suffice it  to say that prostate enlargement is a disease of elderly men. It causes severe pain, anxiety, discomfort and loss of consciousness. It has posed a global challenge to medical experts.

A prostate case not detected early enough can degenerate to prostate cancer. Reports have confirmed that men in their 40s and 50s are dying of prostate problems. Men in this age bracket are expected to go for tests, particularly prostate scan, to confirm their status and go for early intervention if it is confirmed that they are having prostate enlargement challenge.

Causes

Diverse causes account for prostate enlargement. In most cases, doctors find it difficult to diagnose the causes. But it cannot be unconnected with ageing and changes in the ratio of male hormone-testosterone level that stimulate prostate growth. It has been medically established that one of the major causes is hormonal imbalance, especially among men who use drugs to enhance their sexual performance, thereby activating the level of their testosterone hormones beyond the normal level. Commonly, it is sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as syphilis, gonorrhea, staph among others that degenerate to prostate enlargement if they become  chronic due to failure to treat them on time.  At birth, the prostate is about the size of a pea and during childhood, it grows a bit and at age of 25 or thereabout, it develops fully. One major danger associated with prostate enlargement is that, a man may wake up in the morning and might not be able to urinate due to enlargement of  the prostate gland which puts pressure on the urethra, making it difficult for urine flow.

Symptoms

There are different symptoms of prostate enlargement. The sufferer is unable to maintain flow of urine till the end – that is stopping and starting while urinating. Another symptom is dribbling at the end of urination. Other symptoms include frequent pressure to urinate, increased frequency of urination at nights, urgent need to urinate, inability to empty the bladder, blood-stained urine, weak urine and urinary tract infection. When symptoms are noticed, it is advisable to avoid condiments and alcoholic beverages. This helps to lessen bladder irritation which may promote infection. It is also important to avoid cold conditions or allow urine to accumulate before passing it.

Diagnostic methods

These include PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen Test) and DRE test (Digital Rectal Examination). This is a simple clinical procedure for detecting prostate enlargement through the use of  finger digits.

Prostate cancer

Prostate enlargement worsens when the sufferer can no longer empty the bladder and must start using a catheter to draw urine. But the danger of this is that bladder infection is most likely.  Prostate enlargement can lead to death, especially if it is left untreated and becomes chronic. At this level, it can degenerate to prostate cancer. Cancer can spread faster in the body system than other infections or viruses. When it gets to this stage, death can occur easily. But no matter the magnitude of the ailment, herbal medicine has quick remedy for it. Recurrence can only occur if the individual is re-infected by the virus responsible.

Management of prostate enlargement

Though orthodox doctors have discovered conventional medicine to tackle the ailment, reports have confirmed that herbal treatment is more effective. Qumas herbs have the potentials to diminish the growth of prostate cancer to the cells while dissolving different levels of prostate enlargement. Due to its anti-cancer activities, herbal medicine can inhibit the spread of the cancer cells in other vital tissues and organs of the body. The medicine also has the potentiality to enhance better night sleep, stop frequency of urination, relieve pains, enhance healthy urinary function and also improve libido. It also works against straining and pushing of urine during urination. Medications such as flomax, uroxatral  (alpha blockers), proscar and avodart (5-alpha reductase) are very effective.

Other specialized treatments include: Transurethral microwave therapy, transurethral radio frequency needle ablation, prostatic stents and  transurethral resection of the prostate.

No surgery required

Prostate enlargement can effectively be treated with herbs without surgery or operation. When the prescribed herbal products are used, the ailment can completely be reduced to normal size without any side effects. Treatment varies based on the degree of the case. If the case is chronic, it receives a special attention. There is a special package of herbal products for such a case. But if the case is less severe, only the regular treatment will be administered which can give immediate result within one week. Treatment is not automatic but procedural. It is note-worthy that before effective result can be achieved, medical processes must be followed. For instance, a laboratory test must first of all be done to ascertain the degree of the ailment as well as the body system of the patient before drugs can be administered.

At Qumas Herbs Limited, there is an analyzer machine that x-rays all the organs of the body. It shows whatever ailment is in the body system of the individual, thereby diagnosing cases. This helps us to administer the right treatment and get  desired result. The test also determines the quality and quantity (dosage) of the drugs to be administered on patients.

Natural medicine to the rescue

In modern medical development, natural medicine has gone scientific. It is no longer like before when herbal products are locally produced without measurement, analysis and dosage. In these modern days when traditional medicine has been given due recognition and acceptability by government which gave rise to NAFDAC’s attention and approval, herbal products are now produced in capsule, tablets and in branded bottles, making the drugs very hygienic. Most herbal medicines are now NAFDAC-approved with NAFDAC numbers. Suffice it to say that natural medicine has become a pivotal part of the country’s  health sector and medical development. Therefore, practitioners need a lot of encouragement and government’s support to enable them advance the cause of the brand of medicine, not only in Nigeria but also across the continent. There is no gainsaying the fact that herbal medicine has contributed a great deal to the development of the nation’s economy as it has remained a huge source of employment drive to the populace and effective complement to conventional medicine.

Interestingly too, the rate of quackery is being brought to the barest minimum in natural medicine, because many practitioners are receiving training from College of Natural Medicine. Mobile: 08033017350, 07084427999, e-mail:qumasherbs@yahoo.com

Three years ago, Abdulazeez Yusuf was a cobbler with an uncertain future. Like many other jobless youths, the young man from Egbedore Local Government area of Osun State pounded the streets, seeking customers with bad shoes. Frustrated and perpetually angry, and with a permanent frown palpably etched atop his sombre brow, Yusuf always cut the picture of a cheerless man. Helpless.
Well, not anymore. His life has since taken a more auspicious look, thanks to the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES).
Yusuf told the reporter last week that he keyed into the OYES scheme at inception, becoming one of the initial 20, 000 Osun youths to embrace the programme. The programme, he noted, provided him opportunities to advance his business. Today, he has become more determined never to quit the business.
Yusuf was among the thousands of youths attired in Khaki overalls that invaded the NYSC orientation camp in Ede on Tuesday last week at the passing-out parade of the OYES cadets.
Today, Yusuf has discarded the image of that forlorn-looking cobbler roaming the town in a bid to fix bad shoes. Right now, he not only makes shoes, he has become an entrepreneur. As a result of training that he secured during the programme, he now makes all kinds of shoes, sandals, military-cum-paramilitary and soccer boots and indeed, all types of footwear
“Right now, we are hoping to get orders from companies,” he told the reporter. “You can see these boots. We made them. I even presented a pair of branded soccer boots to Governor Aregbesola today.
“What some of us did during this programme was to look around and see how to better our lot. Today, I’m not regretting that I embraced the scheme. No one in this world will claim to be properly dressed without shoes or sandals, so my future is assured,” he asserted.
Yusuf has even become a trainer. At the moment, he has no fewer than 20 people training under him. He hopes to get some resources from the government that would enable him provide a lifeline for up to 100 youths through giving them training in shoe-making.
But Yusuf wasn’t alone. For long, many youths across the state had lived in utter despondency. Just a little over two years ago, they were a hapless, hopeless lot. In Osogbo, Ilesa, Ikirun and other towns and villages in Osun State, they roved and roamed the streets with neither aim nor purpose. Armed with assorted academic certificates, not a few of them had remained in the labour market for years. In sheer frustration, many were those that had resigned to fate, unsure whether their miracle would ever come.
Then came the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES), an initiative of the administration of the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Within the first 100 days of the administration, 20, 000 hitherto idle young men and women were taken off the streets of the state. They were given some training and despatched to several sectors in the state for community service. Billed as a two-year volunteer programme, the scheme rewarded each volunteer with a N10, 000 monthly stipend. There were also opportunities to develop their skills, get absorbed into the state civil service or the private sector, or travel abroad for training, among others.
Two years have now passed, and the first batch of OYES cadets have successfully concluded their assignments. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Permanent Orientation Camp at Ede was agog on Tuesday, as thousands of people stormed the place for the passing-out parade of the OYES cadets.
In attendance at the ceremony was the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who led members of the state executive council to Ede. Traditional and religious leaders, civil servants, politicians and thousands of excited youths were among the thousands of faces at the event.
The confessions of participants were quite revealing. Mrs. Akinpelu Adejoke, for instance, insisted that OYES had positively altered her situation.
Until the commencement of the scheme, she was in the labour market. She embraced the scheme, determined to endure the two years of community service and thereafter become an employer of labour. Today, her dream is gradually coming true. While the programme lasted, she took out time to get tutored in the business of making disinfectants.
“I will never forget this scheme,” she informed. “I don’t know about others, but I’ve benefited tremendously. It was through this scheme that I learnt to make all this. Now, my life will never remain the same.”
At the event last Tuesday, she had a stand, along with some of her friends, where she showcased some of her products, including disinfectants and perfume, among others.
Another participant, Awodeji Peter, from Odo-Otin Local Government area said he was determined to go into full-scale fishing, after he and 23 others had spent the last two years doing fish farming. “It’s a profitable business,” he confessed. “After a six-month training, we are now ready to face the world.”
He said the state government had promised to facilitate loans for the participants. “If I can have access to N1.5million, I can start something on a small scale. The OYES programme to me is very good.”
Speaking at the programme, Governor Aregbesola noted that over 18, 000 of the cadets had found permanent job placements through the scheme.
Said he: “At the newly established Oloba Farm, OYES volunteers are engaged in cattle and ram fattening and in the broiler out-grower scheme. Besides, 74 of our cadets are currently undergoing training in modern agricultural practices in Leventis Foundation School, while 610 others are being tutored in the OREAP agricultural training facilities. Another 500 are in O’dua Farmers Academy, 100 OYES volunteers are engaged in fish farming in Okuku and in many other fish farms.
“In the OYESTECH, some 2,100 OYES cadets have been trained by an electronics company in readiness for a factory it is setting up here in the state. The training of these cadets in mobile phone and computers assembly is meant to provide after-sales support and services for these products.
“There are 600 volunteers currently engaged in the production of red bricks. One hundred and seventy-three of the paramedics trained under the OYES programme have been deployed to the O-Ambulance scheme, while two others are call-tracking personnel in the State’s Ministry of Health. The State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has engaged 1,501 of these cadets with teaching qualifications. More than 600 of these cadets are to be trained, and subsequently engaged as call operators by the State’s Emergency Call Service operations, emergency service providers and system engineers. More than 300 are likewise being supported to set up Farmers Input Supply Shops, while over 5,000 are also being prepared to provide mobile money, e-payment and allied services through various schemes.”
He noted that the scheme, “rather than being a white-collar or blue-collar job scheme, was conceived to take our youths off the streets; give them an orientation about public service; and make them see the need to contribute to the development of their society.” He expressed satisfaction that those objectives had been met.
Chairman of the OYES Implementation Committee, Femi Ifaturoti, said a fresh batch of 20, 000 cades would resume for the scheme later this month.
Describing the scheme as highly successful, Ifaturoti said 200 of the cadets would soon proceed to Germany for a two-year training in agriculture and soil management. Some others would go to India and Cuba for training in information technology and medicine, he noted.
Adebisi Lateef, a tailor, said he was happy that all the uniforms for the cadets were being made by local tailors across the local governments of the state.
A group of five young female truck drivers with the Osun Waste Management Agency (OWMA) also showcased their skills navigating the huge trucks. They drove the trucks to the dais to salute the governor.
One of the five, Adegoke Funmilola Khadijat, said she loves challenges and was happy when the opportunity beckoned.
“It’s to tell you that what a man can do, a woman can do better. How many men can drive a huge truck like this? I thank the government for this opportunity,” she enthused.
In a chat, Governor Aregbesola’s spokesman, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, noted: “The OYES is just of those instances that confirms to you how visionary Rauf Aregbesola has been coming up with unique solutions to the problems of Nigeria. By the time he was developing this unique youth engagement strategy, Nigeria’s problem in terms of youth restiveness had not reached this alarming rate. Yet, he knew that if there are no conscious efforts at taking idle hands off the streets, we might just be sitting on a very explosive case. Just imagine each state of the federation engaging 20,000 youths to this kind of community works, that translates into 20,000 in 36 places and if you add Abuja, making it 37 places. That alone is enough to put away all these problems of Boko Haram, kidnapping and other criminal activities that are just becoming daily affairs in our national life.
“Of course, the World Bank could not have brought about 19 states to Osun to understudy this scheme if it does not come across as a major solution to a national crisis.”