Nigerian Newspapers
Aiding people with Down Syndrome to cope with life
By Franca Ofili
It is estimated that up to seven million persons worldwide are affected with the Down syndrome.
Down syndrome is a natural chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human conditions, as it cuts across racial, gender or socio-economic lines, while affecting approximately one in 800 live births.
Down syndrome is a condition in which an extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically.
It is a congenital disorder in which a person is born with three sets of chromosome 21 and it is characterised by mild to severe mental impairment and weak muscle tone, among others.
Global consciousness on the Down syndrome started about seven years ago when the inaugural World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) was celebrated on March 21, 2006 in Singapore.
On March 21, 2012, however, the United Nations (UN) officially declared it a global event.
The theme of this year’s celebration of WDSD is “I want to work”.
Speaking on the event, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the perceptible discrimination against persons with Down syndrome across the globe.
Ban stressed that these persons are entitled to the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.
“In many countries, they continue to face stigma and discrimination as well as legal, attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinder their participation in their communities,” he said.
The UN scribe noted that the discrimination could be as invidious as forced sterilisation and as subtle as segregation and isolation through both physical and social barriers.
Ban expatiated that prejudice against children with Down syndrome had obstructed their education, as this had compelled some parents of the children with intellectual disabilities to put their children in special schools or keep them at home.
“Yet, research shows and more people are coming to understand that diversity in the classroom leads to learning and understanding that benefit all children,” he stressed.
He pointed out that for decades; the UN had been striving to promote the wellbeing and human rights of all people, adding that those efforts were strengthened via the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Mrs.IfyNwosu, the Coordinator of Down Syndrome Support Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, stressed that the notion that people with Down syndrome were imbeciles was false because it had no medical justification.
She noted that uneducated persons often confused people with the Down syndrome condition with imbeciles, saying that they simply judged them by their looks.Nwosu also noted that due to the fact that there was no cure for the Down syndrome condition, many parents often decide to terminate such pregnancies at the early stage.
“Down syndrome is not preventable as long as you are still in your reproductive age.
“It’s a chance you take in life, it is an error of cell division and the mother does not know how the child will look until the child is born, unless she goes for a check,” she said.
However, Dr.IretiBabaniyi, a paediatrician, called on government at all levels to provide support for people with Down syndrome in the country.She also urged government to provide the enabling environment for children living with the condition to interact with other members of the society even if their parents were reluctant in that regard.
She added that due to their condition, some of the children with Down syndrome are always locked up at home by their parents.
The paediatrician, nonetheless, advised people not to take undue advantage of the condition of persons with Down syndrome, adding that such persons are loving and trustworthy.
Babaniyi, however, bemoaned a situation in which persons with Down syndrome are not taken into account while formulating government policy.
She particularly solicited the establishment of special care units for people with Down syndrome, just like what was obtainable in advanced countries.The consultant also urged the Federal Government to include persons with Down syndrome in the treatment schedule of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Medical experts, however, warn that the age of a mother might increase the chances of having babies suffering from the Down syndrome.
Dr. Fred Achem, a physician, said that women within the age bracket of 35 years and above had a greater risk of giving birth to children with Down syndrome.
He said that the condition had a combination of mental and physical symptoms due to the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21, which affected the normal development of the body and brain.
“Down syndrome cannot be cured but early intervention will enable persons with the condition to live productive lives well into adulthood, ” he said.Besides, Achem said that some defects which could lead to some of these deformities could be detected in pregnancy.
“They are what we call congenital abnormalities and they are detectable during pregnancy.
“These are areas where we do genetic counselling, so that mothers who have abnormal babies are advised on how best to avoid a repetition in their next pregnancy,” he added.Achem said that the new trends in medical practice had given doctors the opportunity to look at a baby to ascertain if it was at risk of one kind of disease or the other in infancy.
Mrs. Rose Mordi, the National President, Down Syndrome Foundation of Nigeria (DSFN), called for the social integration of children with Down syndrome, so as to make them feel as normal as their peers.
She noted that it was also important for their peers to see them engage in normal things, just like them, in order to reduce the stigma associated with the condition.Mordi stressed that owing to their disabilities, children with Down syndrome could only attend special schools, reiterating the need to allow such children to partake in activities that would foster their pragmatic integration into the society.
According to her, the three major aspects of caring for people living with Down syndrome are early medical intervention, early educational intervention and vocational training as well as early social integration.
She underscored the need to encourage children with Down syndrome to live normal lives, adding that such efforts would go a long way in changing the general public perception of persons living with the condition.
Mordi said that even though her Foundation wanted to do more for children with Down syndrome, paucity of funds had been a limiting factor, as it was quite expensive to provide care for such children.
She said that even where government had been very supportive, more still needed to be done in efforts to adequately cater for the physical, educational, emotional and medical needs of children with Down syndrome.
Mordi, who claimed that her Foundation was caring for not less than 60 children with Down syndrome, stressed that it cost a minimum of N500, 000 to take care of a child living with the syndrome annually.
She stressed that due to their peculiarities, the children are predisposed to ailments such as eye problems, speech defects, respiratory tract infections and thyroid malfunction.
Mordi added that such children need to undergo regular medical check-ups which cost a lot, while a lot of efforts are required to give them education.She, nonetheless, urged the government to collaborate with agencies such as her Foundation in efforts to enhance the wellbeing of children with Down syndrome and promote their integration into the society.
Source: NAN
The post Aiding people with Down Syndrome to cope with life appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
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Sourced From: Tribune Online
•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
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UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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