A teenage suicide bomber detonated an explosive device strapped to her body in the northeastern Nigerian city of Damaturu early on Tuesday, killing five people and wounding about 30, police said.
No one claimed responsibility for the blast but Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been blamed for a series of similar attacks in the region in recent weeks.
"At about 7:40 a.m., a female suicide bomber about 14 years old denoted an explosive device at the central Damaturu motor park. Six people were killed including the suicide bomber," police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said.
An official at the state emergency management agency said the suicide bomber tried to enter the motor park, or bus station, and was accosted by civilian viligantes. She then pulled away and set off the bomb, Idi Musa Jigawa told Reuters.
Jigawa said six people were critically wounded and another 22 had minor injuries. He confirmed the death toll given by police.
"I was inside the park, just boarded a bus when I heard a loud noise. Some policemen came to the scene and evacuated corpses," an eyewitness traveling to Maiduguri told Reuters.
Boko Haram has waged a deadly campaign for the past six years to carve out a state adhering to strict Islamic law in northeast Nigeria. After being pushed out earlier this year from most of the territory it had gained, the group scattered and returned to attacking soft targets.
Gbadegesin said another child suicide bomber, age 12, set off an explosion at a security checkpoint after the motor park attack, but there were no casualties.
Reuters
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Tackling the main health problems in Nigeria
When it comes to overcoming hardship, Nigeria has faced the challenge of disease with determination and hard work from all those dedicated to conquering the health problems of Africa’s most populous country. Diseases such as HIV, malaria, sickle cell disease, and tuberculosis are some of the most lethal that Nigeria faces, but with continued support in tackling the problems, success rates are improving.
Malaria
Listed as one of the primary causes of death in Nigeria, malaria has claimed more lives in Nigeria than any other country in the world. To combat the incidence of malaria, the President’s Malaria Initiative was launched and is working to prevent malaria among those most vulnerable, with resources like insecticide-treated bed nets, application of insecticide indoors, and the best anti-malarial drugs available.
HIV
Working together with the Ministry of Health in Nigeria, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been implementing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This includes numerous preventative strategies and treatment services for HIV, which are adapted to best suit the area that they are aiding. The Gede Foundation, which was created by Dr. Jennifer Jamilah Douglas-Abubakar, PhD, provides support for HIV prevention and care, as well as seeking to lower the stigmatization of those afflicted and increase education about the disease. The foundation provides care to those who would often not be able to access treatment, not only by welcoming those living with HIV but also by providing home care services, as many suffering from HIV live in rural areas. To learn more about the foundation or even to provide support, you can connect to Jennifer Douglas, the founder.
Sickle Cell Disease
As the most prevalent genetic disease in the African region, it is no surprise that Nigeria sees the birth of an estimated 100,000 children with sickle cell disease each year. The CDC has been working to put in place programs that offer treatment plans for those afflicted, as well as developing preventative measures and researching the disease.
Tuberculosis
Nigeria is one of 22 countries that host 80% of the world’s cases of tuberculosis, necessitating that measures be taken to reduce the incidence rate of tuberculosis and to support treatment. The Nigeria Stop TB Partnership was created by the National TB Control Programme and the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise resources and secure government assistance in the treatment, care, and diagnosis of tuberculosis. Some of the aims include improving the detection rate of positive cases of tuberculosis for treatment in order to reduce the prevalence of tuberculosis and the number of deaths that result.
Through partnerships between organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as organizations like the Gede Foundation, the government and the people of Nigeria have been working to conquer the health problems that the country faces. Prevention, diagnosis, education, and improved treatment have all been important in addressing the health problems that Nigeria is working to overcome, and continuing support should continue to improve the survival rate from the effects of disease.
Malaria
Listed as one of the primary causes of death in Nigeria, malaria has claimed more lives in Nigeria than any other country in the world. To combat the incidence of malaria, the President’s Malaria Initiative was launched and is working to prevent malaria among those most vulnerable, with resources like insecticide-treated bed nets, application of insecticide indoors, and the best anti-malarial drugs available.
HIV
Working together with the Ministry of Health in Nigeria, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been implementing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This includes numerous preventative strategies and treatment services for HIV, which are adapted to best suit the area that they are aiding. The Gede Foundation, which was created by Dr. Jennifer Jamilah Douglas-Abubakar, PhD, provides support for HIV prevention and care, as well as seeking to lower the stigmatization of those afflicted and increase education about the disease. The foundation provides care to those who would often not be able to access treatment, not only by welcoming those living with HIV but also by providing home care services, as many suffering from HIV live in rural areas. To learn more about the foundation or even to provide support, you can connect to Jennifer Douglas, the founder.
Sickle Cell Disease
As the most prevalent genetic disease in the African region, it is no surprise that Nigeria sees the birth of an estimated 100,000 children with sickle cell disease each year. The CDC has been working to put in place programs that offer treatment plans for those afflicted, as well as developing preventative measures and researching the disease.
Tuberculosis
Nigeria is one of 22 countries that host 80% of the world’s cases of tuberculosis, necessitating that measures be taken to reduce the incidence rate of tuberculosis and to support treatment. The Nigeria Stop TB Partnership was created by the National TB Control Programme and the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise resources and secure government assistance in the treatment, care, and diagnosis of tuberculosis. Some of the aims include improving the detection rate of positive cases of tuberculosis for treatment in order to reduce the prevalence of tuberculosis and the number of deaths that result.
Through partnerships between organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as organizations like the Gede Foundation, the government and the people of Nigeria have been working to conquer the health problems that the country faces. Prevention, diagnosis, education, and improved treatment have all been important in addressing the health problems that Nigeria is working to overcome, and continuing support should continue to improve the survival rate from the effects of disease.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Former Nigeria Finanice Minister Okonjo-Iweala ready for investigation
Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday declared support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption drive, saying she was ready to subject herself to an unfettered government probe of her two terms in office.
The former Minister, who was reacting to media reports that she was planning to build a multi-million dollar Okonjo –Iweala family hospital in Abuja, denied nursing any such ambition.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, described the report as “totally baseless”, as “the alleged hospital is non-existent”.
“Dr Okonjo-Iweala has a clean record of two terms in office,” the spokesperson said. “As we have consistently maintained, she is not afraid of a transparent investigation of her two terms in office. She supports the anti-corruption drive in Nigeria. No one who has had the privilege of serving his or her country should feel too big to be investigated.
“It is this very issue of fighting corruption that brought her back in the first place and she has a track record of blocking corruption. It is ironic that it is those same corrupt people who are trying to tarnish her image,” he said.
Mr. Nwabuikwu denied the existence of any hospital owned by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s immediate family.
“Anyone who is in doubt can go to Gwarinpa, Abuja where the hospital is allegedly located, or enquire from General Electric and Perkins + Will Global, the two organisations that were mentioned as Consultants to the project in the report as to whether the hospital has been built,” Mr. Nwabuikwu said.
The spokesperson, however, confirmed that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband, Ikemba Iweala, who retired recently as a neuro-surgeon and emergency physician with over 40 years’ of practice in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States, was actually planning a hospital.
To actualize his desire to give back to Nigeria, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband had, for several years, been working on plans to establish a hospital in Abuja, using his savings to develop the concept and design of the hospital.
So far, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, Mr. Iweala had made efforts to source for financing for the project, pointing out that it was the prototype design and website of the yet to be realized project that was being published as a multi-billion dollar evidence of corruption against the former minister.
“Why is Dr Okonjo-Iweala the object of this ceaseless campaign of falsehoods and distortions? The answer is simple: because she refused to steal and share, and because she blocked many powerful people, some of whom are now in power, from stealing. That is why they would go to any lengths to tarnish her name,” the minister’s spokesperson explained.
He recalled that it was the former minister’s fight against fuel subsidy scammers that led to her mother being kidnapped in 2012, followed with the demand for her to resign from government and leave the country.
“The hospital idea is still very much alive. Anyone who is interested should please come forward to discuss possible investment. But there is a condition: the money must be clean. Corrupt people, especially lying governors, need not apply,” Mr. Nwabuikwu said.
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Police foil assassination attempt on Minister of Finance Okonjo Iweala
The former Minister, who was reacting to media reports that she was planning to build a multi-million dollar Okonjo –Iweala family hospital in Abuja, denied nursing any such ambition.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke through her spokesperson, Paul Nwabuikwu, described the report as “totally baseless”, as “the alleged hospital is non-existent”.
“Dr Okonjo-Iweala has a clean record of two terms in office,” the spokesperson said. “As we have consistently maintained, she is not afraid of a transparent investigation of her two terms in office. She supports the anti-corruption drive in Nigeria. No one who has had the privilege of serving his or her country should feel too big to be investigated.
“It is this very issue of fighting corruption that brought her back in the first place and she has a track record of blocking corruption. It is ironic that it is those same corrupt people who are trying to tarnish her image,” he said.
Mr. Nwabuikwu denied the existence of any hospital owned by Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s immediate family.
“Anyone who is in doubt can go to Gwarinpa, Abuja where the hospital is allegedly located, or enquire from General Electric and Perkins + Will Global, the two organisations that were mentioned as Consultants to the project in the report as to whether the hospital has been built,” Mr. Nwabuikwu said.
The spokesperson, however, confirmed that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband, Ikemba Iweala, who retired recently as a neuro-surgeon and emergency physician with over 40 years’ of practice in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States, was actually planning a hospital.
To actualize his desire to give back to Nigeria, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband had, for several years, been working on plans to establish a hospital in Abuja, using his savings to develop the concept and design of the hospital.
So far, Mr. Nwabuikwu said, Mr. Iweala had made efforts to source for financing for the project, pointing out that it was the prototype design and website of the yet to be realized project that was being published as a multi-billion dollar evidence of corruption against the former minister.
“Why is Dr Okonjo-Iweala the object of this ceaseless campaign of falsehoods and distortions? The answer is simple: because she refused to steal and share, and because she blocked many powerful people, some of whom are now in power, from stealing. That is why they would go to any lengths to tarnish her name,” the minister’s spokesperson explained.
He recalled that it was the former minister’s fight against fuel subsidy scammers that led to her mother being kidnapped in 2012, followed with the demand for her to resign from government and leave the country.
“The hospital idea is still very much alive. Anyone who is interested should please come forward to discuss possible investment. But there is a condition: the money must be clean. Corrupt people, especially lying governors, need not apply,” Mr. Nwabuikwu said.
Premium Times
Related stories: Video - Council want former Finance Minister Okonjo Iweala investigated
Video - Finance minister Okonjo-Iweala talks to CNN about gay rights
Police foil assassination attempt on Minister of Finance Okonjo Iweala
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on 2 day visit to Nigeria
UN chief Ban Ki-moon began a two-day visit to Nigeria Sunday in the wake of a suspected Boko Haram ambush on the army chief, saying it was "a time of hope" despite the rise of extremism.Combating Islamist violence is expected to be high on the agenda as the secretary-general holds talks with President Muhammadu Buhari, whose inauguration in May sparked a massive upsurge in jihadist attacks.
"Across our world, we see insecurity, inequality, growing divides," Ban told a private meeting of state governors in Abuja, according to a UN statement.
"Here in Nigeria, you know the challenges all too well –- including the rise of extremism and the lack of equal opportunity.
"I know this is a deep and vital challenge in particular for the governors of the northeast... This is also a time of hope. I want to commend you and all of Nigeria's leaders for the peaceful democratic transition of power."
Ban touched down at Abuja's international airport just hours after the military revealed Boko Haram fighters had ambushed a convoy carrying Nigeria's army chief-of-staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.
The senior officer, who was unharmed, was visiting troops Saturday when insurgents attacked in Faljari village, 45 kilometres (28 miles) east of Borno State capital Maiduguri, army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement.
- 'Overwhelming firepower' -
"The terrorists encountered an overwhelming firepower from the troops in which 10 of them were killed. The troops captured five terrorists," he said.
"During the encounter, sadly, we lost a soldier, while an officer and four soldiers sustained gunshot wounds."
Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks in Borno and two neighbouring states in its northeastern heartland since Buhari came to power in May.
The Islamists have also carried out deadly ambushes across Nigeria's borders and in recent weeks suicide bombers, many of them women, have staged several attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
The fresh wave of violence has claimed more than 1,000 lives over the last three months, dealing a setback to a four-country offensive launched in February that had chalked up a number of victories against the jihadists.
An 8,700-strong Multi-National Joint Task Force, drawing in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin, is expected to go into action soon.
Military officials have said it will be more effective than the current alliance in the battle to end Boko Haram's six-year insurgency, which has claimed at least 15,000 lives.
"This a crucial moment for Nigeria," said Ban, on his second visit to Africa's largest economy since taking office in 2007.
"You face many serious challenges but you have also taken a hugely important step to move forward in a way that can respond to the aspirations of the country's people."
- Deadly UN bombing -
Before his departure the UN chief will lay a wreath to commemorate the fourth anniversary of a Boko Haram bombing at Abuja's United Nations House, the headquarters for around 400 UN employees, that left 21 dead in June 2011.
He is also due to dine with captains of industry and discuss "democracy, human rights and countering violent extremism" in a meeting at the foreign ministry.
Ban last visited Nigeria in May 2011 to discuss the crises in southern Sudan and Libya with then leader Goodluck Jonathan.
Buhari, who came to power on May 29 vowing to destroy Boko Haram, replaced his military leaders earlier in August, ordering his new chiefs-of-staff to end the insurgency within three months.
The military under Jonathan was heavily criticised for poor handling of the insurgency and its failure to free more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from the northeastern town of Chibok in April last year.
Ban is due to head to France late on Monday to discuss preparations for a major climate change conference to be held in Paris in December.
AFP
Friday, August 21, 2015
Video - Uber expanding in Nigeria
American taxi-hailing company Uber has launched services in Lagos - connecting drivers with riders through its smart phone app. It's hoping Nigeria could be a growing market by offering a reliable and safer alternative for commuters.
Related story: Uber is recording exponential grown in Lagos, Nigeria
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