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Ted Turner commits U.S.$1 billion to polio eradication

Chairman, United Nations Foundation, Mr Ted Turner, has committed one billion dollars to the fight against polio and other child killer diseases globally. Turner made the disclosure at the weekend, during a courtesy call to Sultan of Sokoto in his palace in Sokoto.

He told the Sultan that he was in the country to deliver a message to local community leaders that Nigeria must keep up the fight against child killer diseases by continuing to leverage the power of modern vaccine that are key to eradicating polio and reducing measles.

Turner acknowledged that Nigeria has made tremendous progress towards eradicating polio through partnership with community leaders that encourages parents to have their children immunized.

He stressed that the recent progress in stopping polio is a testament to Nigeria's power to accelerate progress in achieving the millennium development goals.

The founder of CNN added that the success recorded so far was as a result of the critical work of Emirs formed by the Sultan to ensure that everyone eligible for a polio vaccination receives one.

He maintained that by building on the success of partnership like these, measles and polio would be eliminated and children protected from other vaccine preventable diseases to achieve millennium development goals.

Responding, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar attributed the success recorded so far to concerted efforts between traditional rulers and community leaders in the sensitisation campaignon the need for parents to allow their children to be immunized.

He maintained that tremendous progress has been made in the reduction of polio and other child killer diseases in the North.

The monarch commended the Foundation in it efforts towards eradicating the scourge in the world, especially Nigeria.

Leadership

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Kidnapping - soldiers declare war in Abia

The Joint Task Force (JTF) tackling the menace of kidnapping in the south-eastern part of the country yesterday allegedly killed 172 persons suspected to be members of the different kidnapping gangs that have been terrorising residents of Abia State and its environs.

President Goodluck Jonathan had ordered deployment of military personnel to Abia State in the wake of high-level insecurity, including kidnappings in that part of the country.

The kidnappers allegedly fell to the superior gunpower of members of the JTF during a gun duel at the different parts of the state. It was also gathered that some 237 suspected members of kidnapping gangs that have been operating in the state have been arrested by the task force. The JTF, it was also learnt, has so far questioned seven local government chairmen in Abia State alone.

A competent police source who disclosed this to LEADERSHIP in a telephone interview from Umuahia, Abia State capital, also added: "So far I can say we have succeeded by 70 percent, because business houses, including banks have opened for businesses. private schools have resumed. In short, lives have returned to normal and we hope to consolidate on this."

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hafiz Ringim in a telephone chat stated that he can not confirm the casualty figure, "but I can tell you that, there have been casualties and we also made some arrests, including prominent Abia State residents. That is not the issue, the issue, is what we have been able to achieve in this short period and I can tell you that a lot have been achieved. Because banks in the state have returned back to work and there is relative peace in major cities of the state presently."

The police boss stated further that some security operatives had soiled their hands in the dirty business of criminality, stressing that those found wanting have been identified and shall be dealt with accordingly.

Ringim said that his dream is to leave Abia state and its commercial city of Aba, in peace. "We want to leave Aba, the way Aba used to be in those days. We cannot afford the activities of criminals in our midst, there is law and order in this country and it must be respected by all residents of Nigeria," the IGP stated.

He stated that his vision is to take kidnapping to zero level in Nigeria within the shortest possible time, arguing that no country progresses in the atmosphere of insecurity and fear. According to him, kidnapping is as worst as terrorism and armed robbery, stating that, every country that had advanced in the socio-economic life of the citizens must rise-up against criminalities of all phases.

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HIV-positive muppet to star in Nigeria's 'Sesame Street'

Big Bird and the Cookie Monster have some new friends, but they're a long way from "Sesame Street."

One of America's best-loved children's shows, which began life on a fictional New York street over 40 years ago, is about to land in Nigeria under the title of "Sesame Square" -- bringing with it some distinctly West African twists.

The show stars Kami, a girl muppet who is HIV-positive, has golden hair and a zest for adventure; and Kobi, an energetic, furry, blue muppet whose troublesome escapades help others learn from his mistakes.

In a country with a population of over 150 million -- where, according to the CIA World Factbook, nearly half are under the age of 14 -- the show will address some of the biggest challenges faced by young people in the region: AIDS, malaria, gender inequality, religious differences -- as well as many positive aspects of Nigerian life. In the case of Zobi, this is characterized by an obsessive love of yams -- a staple food in the Nigerian diet.

"We have a very focused health and hygiene umbrella concept area that we're concentrating on," Naila Farouky, senior director of international projects at Sesame Workshop, told CNN. "This is something our local advisors have prioritized -- something that absolutely has to be addressed on the show."

In one episode, Zobi gets tangled up in a mosquito net, much to the amusement of the local kids. But there's an important message behind the antics -- mosquito nets are the best way to prevent infection from malaria on a continent where, according to the World Health Organization, a child dies from the disease every 45 seconds.

There are also an estimated 278,000 HIV-positive children in Nigeria, according to the National Agency for Control of AIDS.

However, like its American predecessor, "Sesame Square" is not solely focused on health and social issues, but a host of essential learning skills.

Farouky told CNN, "The thread of the show continues to be about basic life skills -- literacy, numeracy and pre-school education."

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind "Sesame Street," received a $3.3 million grant to produce the show for five years, from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and President Barack Obama's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief.

So how did the producers go about adapting such an iconic show for a Nigerian market?

"If we're writing scripts for programs in Nigeria, the writers will be Nigerian scriptwriters," explains Farouky. "We'll often look for people who already have some experience in writing, but because we're aware [of] the format that we use and the methodology that we use, we'll provide training on how to write."

According to Farouky, collaboration is at the heart of the production process. "We work with our local teams to find ways in which we take the content that's important to them, to infuse the project with the cultural values, making sure we know which the taboo issues are and which are not," she told CNN.

Farouky recalled how, when making an Egyptian version of Sesame Street called "Alam Simsim," the character of Oscar the Grouch was firmly rejected on grounds that he glorified living in a garbage can -- something at odds with the cultural values of the region. Were there any similar issues in the making of Sesame Square?

"Our program is hosted by two muppets, a boy and a girl," she told CNN. "And because there is an entire region in Nigeria up in the North which is very Muslim, we had to be very sensitive. Even our publicity pictures could not have the muppets hugging, which we would normally have," she explained.

Roughly a quarter of households in Nigeria own television sets, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics, which will inevitably limit the scope of its reach. However, the Sesame Workshop has used a significant proportion of its funding to produce additional learning materials, and is examining ways that it can use radios and mobile phones to help promote the messages in the show.

"[The material] has been developed in a way so it could stand alone, to reach out in communities where there is no broadcast," Farouky said. "So even if a child is not able to watch a television show, they would at least be able to make use of the outreach material."

Although the first adaptation to reach West Africa, "Sesame Square" will be the latest in a long line of region-specific shows around the world, which include "Sisimpur" in Bangladesh, "Ulitsa Sezam" in Russia, and "Takalani Sesame" in South Africa.

CNN

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Video - Alastair Soyode, from farming student to TV Network CEO

He may be the chief executive of a flourishing media company, but the last thing Alistair Soyode wants to be classified as is a media mogul.

"Classify me as someone like a farmer, because that's what I studied," he says as he attempts to describe a career arc that is as unorthodox as his television channel. "I'm a farmer who moved into television."

Soyode founded Bright Entertainment Network (BEN) television, the first and longest-running African and Caribbean-focused television channel in the United Kingdom, in 2002.

Eight years later, BEN TV's mix of entertainment, news and sports programs reaches nearly one million viewers daily -- not bad work for a man who originally came to England to play professional football.

However, his aspirations to become a pro footballer failed to materialize. "I think the chill and the weather didn't allow me to concentrate, so I decided to pack my bags and find something else to do," he says in an interview with CNN's African Voices.

After working in telecommunications and selling mobile phones, Soyode started BEN TV after trying and failing to find an appropriate production company to create shows for a Nigerian television station.

"I couldn't find a black TV station where I could go to ask them for programs ... so I thought 'if I set up a production house, I'll be able to produce a program and supply it to a Nigerian TV station'", he says. "And that's how the idea of BEN television came about."

While Soyode oversees BEN TV from offices in London, his first love is Nigeria, and he has two priorities toward this end. The first is to give something tangible back to his native country; the second to re-brand Nigeria as an iconic nation.

He is the European chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO), set up by the government in 2000 to unite Nigerians living abroad with an interest in contributing to the development of the nation.

Soyode said he recently joined NIDO members in installing solar panels on the roofs of villages in Niger State, giving its inhabitants electricity for the first time.

"We're not just talking about conferences where you go and present a paper and talk and at the end of the day nothing happens," he says. "NIDO is not just talking about things -- we're actually using our resources to build."

Soyode says that while the BEN TV brand may have grown and changed over the past eight years, the focus of the channel remains the same -- to promote the importance of media in African and Caribbean communities and to counter what Soyode sees as a negative worldwide perception of both Nigeria and Africa.

Soyode is also putting together an effort to rebrand Nigeria from the ground up, starting with Nigerians who he says are actively engaged with their communities, in order to reverse negative stereotypes of Africa's most populous country.

"The people in Nigeria need to know that the power belongs to them," says Soyode. "When people are corrupt, we need to challenge it. What is wrong is wrong, so what do we do to change it? The change begins with you."

CNN

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