Thursday, March 30, 2017
Video - Meningitis kills 269 people in Nigeria
We begin the hour in Nigeria where an outbreak of meningitis has killed 269 people in recent weeks. According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, 1,828 suspected cases of meningitis were reported in 15 of the country's 36 states. The centre said on its website that 33 people died of meningitis in 2016. The current outbreak is the worst in Nigeria since 2009 when it killed hundreds. The disease is spreading amidst fears it could be out of control if refugee camps, prisons and police cells become affected through crowds. The Nigerian government says that the current outbreak was caused by a new strain and thereby requires a different type of vaccine. Nigeria lies on the meningitis belt, stretching from the Sahel region to the Horn of Africa, where outbreaks occur regularly.
Indian ambassador summoned in Nigeria over student attacks
Nigeria summoned the Indian ambassador to Abuja on Wednesday following violent mob attacks on Nigerian students in India, the country's state news agency reported.
Hundreds of residents of Greater Noida, a satellite city of New Delhi, went on a violent rampage on Monday, attacking Africans following the death of local a teenage boy of a suspected drug overdose.
India should ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those behind the attacks, permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs, Olushola Enikanolaiye, said after meeting Nagabushana Reddy - the Indian ambassador.
“This is not the first time this would happen, Nigerians have suffered similar attacks in the past," Enikanolaiye was quoted by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
"So, what we will like to see on this occasion is that the perpetrator should be arrested. And we want to see diligent prosecution so that it would serve as a deterrent to those who think they can take laws into their hands and harass students who are going about their studies." Enikanolaiye said.
A female Nigerian student was attacked on Wednesday, while another five Nigerian students were attacked on Monday by a mob in a mall. A Kenyan woman was dragged out of a taxi and beaten by mob in the satellite city on Wednesday, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Police said they have arrested five people and booked more than 1,000 suspects in connection with the attacks. They also said several people involved in the incident had been identified from video clips of the attacks.
The country's foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj also ordered an "impartial" inquiry into the attacks on Nigerian students, urging the newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh state Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, to ensure the safety of Africans in Greater Noida.
Hundreds of residents of Greater Noida, a satellite city of New Delhi, went on a violent rampage on Monday, attacking Africans following the death of local a teenage boy of a suspected drug overdose.
India should ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those behind the attacks, permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs, Olushola Enikanolaiye, said after meeting Nagabushana Reddy - the Indian ambassador.
“This is not the first time this would happen, Nigerians have suffered similar attacks in the past," Enikanolaiye was quoted by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
"So, what we will like to see on this occasion is that the perpetrator should be arrested. And we want to see diligent prosecution so that it would serve as a deterrent to those who think they can take laws into their hands and harass students who are going about their studies." Enikanolaiye said.
A female Nigerian student was attacked on Wednesday, while another five Nigerian students were attacked on Monday by a mob in a mall. A Kenyan woman was dragged out of a taxi and beaten by mob in the satellite city on Wednesday, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Police said they have arrested five people and booked more than 1,000 suspects in connection with the attacks. They also said several people involved in the incident had been identified from video clips of the attacks.
The country's foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj also ordered an "impartial" inquiry into the attacks on Nigerian students, urging the newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh state Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, to ensure the safety of Africans in Greater Noida.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Video - Nigerian students beaten by mob in India
To India now, and we're following an attack against Nigerian students by a crowd in the capital, New Delhi. India's Foreign Ministry has vowed to investigate. At least five Nigerian students were injured in Monday's incident. Affected students have been sharing their ordeal. The crowd was angry at the death of a local teenager from an apparent drug overdose. Crowds turned on Nigerian and other African students after the teen's family blamed them for giving him the narcotics. Several attacks have been reported against African nationals in New Delhi. Last year, a Congolese student was stoned to death.
Nigerian court rules Sprite and Fanta poisonous
A high court judge in Nigeria has ruled that some popular soft drinks sold under the Coca-Cola brand could be poisonous.
Bottles and cans of Fanta and Sprite in Nigeria may soon come with written health warnings after Justice Adedayo Oyebanji ordered the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) - the local manufacturer of the soft drinks - to place labels on the beverages to inform consumers against drinking them with vitamin C, according to a CNN report citing local sources.
Coca-Cola said the claims are inaccurate and unsupported by science.
“All our products are safe and strictly adhere to regulations in the countries where they are sold while complying with our company’s stringent global safety and quality standards,” a spokesperson for Coca-Cola told the Independent.
Asked about drinks sold in the UK, Coca-Cola said: “Everywhere in the world, we review and evolve our recipes to meet the local market’s needs and tastes. All of the drinks that are sold in Great Britain are manufactured locally. Our priority is always to provide great tasting, affordable drinks with the same high level of quality regardless of where they are sold.”
The Lagos High Court ruled that high levels of benzoic acid and additives in Coca-Cola’s soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers when mixed with ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C.
The judge also gave a fine equivalent to $6,350 (£5,115) to the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for failing to ensure health standards.
"It is manifest that NAFDAC has been grossly irresponsible in its regulatory duties to the consumers of Fanta and Sprite manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company," the judge said.
"NAFDAC has failed the citizens of this great nation by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption products [...] which become poisonous in the presence of ascorbic acid," he added.
The ruling was the result of a nine-year-long court battle initiated by Nigerian businessman Fijabi Adebo.
Mr Adebo’s drinks company attempted to export the drinks to the UK in 2007. However, the beverages were confiscated by UK customs and after being tested by UK health authorities they were deemed unsafe for human consumption and destroyed.
Mr Adebo then sued NBC, which had sold him the products.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Adebo said: "Initially they were flexing their muscles, which dragged [out] the process. I went to court to compel Nafdac to do its duty.
"We shouldn't have a product that is considered substandard in Europe."
NBC lawyers argued that the products were not intended for export but the defense was rejected by the judge.
"Soft drinks manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of colour or creed," the judge said.
Both the NBC and NAFDAC are appealing against the ruling.
“Both Benzoic Acid and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in many food and beverage products around the world. These ingredients are also used in combination in some products within levels which may differ from one country to another as approved by the respective national food and drug regulators in line with the range prescribed by CODEX, the joint intergovernmental body responsible for harmonizing international food standards,” NBC said in a statement.
Nigeria's health ministry published a statement reassuring Nigerians that the drinks are safe for human consumption.
However it also advised all Nigerians to take medicine with potable water as this “would help to prevent unexpected drug-food interactions”. It also “encourages” all bottling companies to “insert advisory warning” on all products as necessary.
Customers took it to Twitter to express their anger and call for a boycott after the ruling was made public.
"No longer drinking Coca Cola products in Nigeria. Short story, they are not fit for consumption," Onye Nkuzi, based in Nigeria, tweeted.
"Nigerians should boycott Coca-Cola products until foreign experts come to certify their products in Nigeria safe for consumption," Henry Asede said on Twitter.
Bottles and cans of Fanta and Sprite in Nigeria may soon come with written health warnings after Justice Adedayo Oyebanji ordered the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) - the local manufacturer of the soft drinks - to place labels on the beverages to inform consumers against drinking them with vitamin C, according to a CNN report citing local sources.
Coca-Cola said the claims are inaccurate and unsupported by science.
“All our products are safe and strictly adhere to regulations in the countries where they are sold while complying with our company’s stringent global safety and quality standards,” a spokesperson for Coca-Cola told the Independent.
Asked about drinks sold in the UK, Coca-Cola said: “Everywhere in the world, we review and evolve our recipes to meet the local market’s needs and tastes. All of the drinks that are sold in Great Britain are manufactured locally. Our priority is always to provide great tasting, affordable drinks with the same high level of quality regardless of where they are sold.”
The Lagos High Court ruled that high levels of benzoic acid and additives in Coca-Cola’s soft drinks could pose a health risk to consumers when mixed with ascorbic acid, commonly known as vitamin C.
The judge also gave a fine equivalent to $6,350 (£5,115) to the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for failing to ensure health standards.
"It is manifest that NAFDAC has been grossly irresponsible in its regulatory duties to the consumers of Fanta and Sprite manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company," the judge said.
"NAFDAC has failed the citizens of this great nation by its certification as satisfactory for human consumption products [...] which become poisonous in the presence of ascorbic acid," he added.
The ruling was the result of a nine-year-long court battle initiated by Nigerian businessman Fijabi Adebo.
Mr Adebo’s drinks company attempted to export the drinks to the UK in 2007. However, the beverages were confiscated by UK customs and after being tested by UK health authorities they were deemed unsafe for human consumption and destroyed.
Mr Adebo then sued NBC, which had sold him the products.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Adebo said: "Initially they were flexing their muscles, which dragged [out] the process. I went to court to compel Nafdac to do its duty.
"We shouldn't have a product that is considered substandard in Europe."
NBC lawyers argued that the products were not intended for export but the defense was rejected by the judge.
"Soft drinks manufactured by Nigeria Bottling Company ought to be fit for human consumption irrespective of colour or creed," the judge said.
Both the NBC and NAFDAC are appealing against the ruling.
“Both Benzoic Acid and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) are ingredients approved by international food safety regulators and used in many food and beverage products around the world. These ingredients are also used in combination in some products within levels which may differ from one country to another as approved by the respective national food and drug regulators in line with the range prescribed by CODEX, the joint intergovernmental body responsible for harmonizing international food standards,” NBC said in a statement.
Nigeria's health ministry published a statement reassuring Nigerians that the drinks are safe for human consumption.
However it also advised all Nigerians to take medicine with potable water as this “would help to prevent unexpected drug-food interactions”. It also “encourages” all bottling companies to “insert advisory warning” on all products as necessary.
Customers took it to Twitter to express their anger and call for a boycott after the ruling was made public.
"No longer drinking Coca Cola products in Nigeria. Short story, they are not fit for consumption," Onye Nkuzi, based in Nigeria, tweeted.
"Nigerians should boycott Coca-Cola products until foreign experts come to certify their products in Nigeria safe for consumption," Henry Asede said on Twitter.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Video - Nigerian Central Bank sets new exchange rate for certain consumers
Nigeria has set a new naira exchange rate for consumers with certain foreign expenses and stepped up dollar sales on the official market to narrow the spread with the black market. Analysts doubted whether the moves would draw investors back to the suffering economy. The regulator said Nigerians can now get the dollar at N360 across all commercial banks within the country. Nigeria is battling a currency crisis brought on by low oil prices. The prices have tipped its economy into a recession, hammered its dollar reserves and created chronic dollar shortages, frustrating businesses and individuals. The central bank, opposed to a free naira float, has been selling the U.S. currency on the official currency market to try to narrow the spread with the black market rate, which was at 390 last week, albeit down from 520 to the dollar a month ago.
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