CASES OF BREAST CANCER RISE BY 21%

Benedicta Bassey.

A Breast Cancer Awareness Network, care organization and public enlightenment, has raised the alarm over the rising cases of breast cancer in the country.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, COPE, Mrs. Evunola Anozie, said on Tuesday that the cases had risen to 21 percent.

Anozie stated this at a news conference tagged, “Breast Cancer under Global Focus” in Ikeja, Lagos State.

She affirmed that breast cancer had been on the increase in Nigeria due to late detection of the illness; ignorance; religious beliefs; stigmatization; taboos and fear of the unknown.

However, she urged the government to be proactive and implement policies that would promote healthy lifestyle.

“Our government should be proactive and move beyond willingness to implement policies that promote adoption of healthy lifestyle and ensure adequate training and orientation of health professionals,” Anozie said.

She charged the government to provide State-Of-The-Art equipment in the general hospitals for prevention of cancer rather than travelling overseas for treatment which most Nigerians could not afford.

She therefore appealed to the government, stakeholder and other interest groups to expand their volunteer force; build accountability and begin to explore profitable collaborative efforts to fight cancer before it blows up to epidemic.

Meanwhile, COPE donated #1.2m to some less privileged breast cancer patients to assist them in their treatment.

¬¬¬¬LABOUR CONSULTS ON REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY

Benedicta Bassey

 The Nigerian Labour congress on Monday began consultations on its planned action over the Federal Government’s decision to remove fuel subsidy.

The deputy national president of NLC represented by the acting chairman, comrade Joseph Ajero said this at a meeting with Project Nigeria Consensus Group in Lagos, led by prof. Ben Nwabueze to discuss the dangers of the removal of petroleum product subsidy in the country.

Comrade Joseph Ajero, said the issue of fuel subsidy removal has become a major problem and food for thought which propelled them to partner with the PNCG to tackle the government.

He said, “The effort of removal of fuel subsidy is what we are determined to stop; the whole story has been food for thought. The first instance, the federal government has said they have deposited 240billion for subsidy but as at September, the government has spent about 900billion or more getting to trillion and this expenditure were carried out in terms of progression and we are asking the National Assembly to explain to Nigerians how the expenditures were cured.”

Comrade Ajero  therefore call on the support of all Nigerians, patriots, eminent leaders of thought and all stakeholders to fight and save Nigeria from the eminent crisis.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the meeting, prof. Ben Nwabueze who spoke on constitution reforms said the group was concern about the affair of the country and a reform of the constitution, blaming the 1999 constitution.

He said, “We are all concern about what is happening, the problem has to do with our constitution, since 1999 we claim to have transited to democracy but there cannot be a democracy without a democratised constitution.

 “The national assembly should try and structure a democratized constitution that can resolve the people and all the ethnic nationalities in the country. This country never had the people constitution.”

Nwabueze urged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to propose a bill for a new constitution which he termed as the People’s Constitution.

However, speaking on fuel subsidy, he advised the federal government to halt the removal of fuel subsidy in the country.

Earlier, the spokesman of Pro-national Consensus Group, comrade Olawale Okunniyi said the purpose of the meeting was to encourage the government to do what is right in making the people of Nigeria to own their constitution for the first time for a true democracy and address the issue of fuel subsidy.

 Okunniyi said the group had set up technical and consultative team to harmonise the Patriot and Project Nigeria bill for the National Constituent Assembly which will be sent to the president, government forum and national assembly.

He added that the group has agreed to collaborate with the NLC to engage the government to over the removal of fuel subsidy in the state.

CULTURE, THE BEDROCK OF OUR STRENGTH

Adefila Segun receiving award of excellence in promoting culture by the NIJ student week chairman Gbemile John on Wednesday in Lagos. photo: Bnenedicta Bassey

Benedicta Bassey

A creative Director of Lagos based theater interventionist group, crown troupe of Nigeria, Segun Adefila on Wednesday said culture is the bedrock of the strength of our nation.

Adefila made this statement at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism students’ week cultural day in Lagos held in the school auditorium.

He decried the poor state at which Nigerians place value on her culture, saying it would lead to total embracing of westernization among the youth if not well checked.

According to him, “culture is the custom, belief, art, way of life and social organisation of a particular country or territory. It is the way of life a particular set of people believes and understand.”

“it could be connected with art, music, literature etc, Adefila said.

Nevertheless, he advised students to always hold the culture of the nation to a high esteem and defend it when the need arise.

 

Moreso, he said culture is the limelight through which the world sees and operate in the future, noting that, it is where we came from and what could be sold to the world.

Furthermore, the musician while emphasizing the need for Nigerian to have mastery in their native language, said language is the platform on which culture is built and as such must be known effectively.

According to him, “once language is destroyed, culture is also destroyed and the need to understand language is non-negotiable for a nation longing for cultural development.

Adefila urged student to always defend their culture anytime, anyday.

Furthermore, based on his impact in promoting culture in the nation, the institution presented an award to him for his excellence and tremendious effort in defending and promoting the culture of our country nation-wide.