A Doctor's View on Maternal Mortality in Nigeria

Maternal mortality can be defined as the death of a woman while pregnant, during labour/delivery or within 42 days after childbirth or termination of pregnancy.

This sad phenomenon is becoming quite common in Nigeria and I discussed with Dr. Benedicta Adokuru, a practicing medical doctor in Abuja who shared her thoughts on this subject matter.

According to her, the major causes of this incidence are categorised into two;

Obstetric causes and Non-obstetric causes.

1. Obstetric causes

These are more or less natural circumstances that could occur during and after childbirth such as bleeding, infections, complications of unsafe abortion, eclampsia etc of which there are existing measures that could be taken to address such challenges in a well equipped facility.

2. Non-obstetric causes

These are factors not directly related to pregnancy such as;

- The age of the woman;

Underaged girls (early teenagers) do not possess matured pelvis that would allow a baby to easily pass through. Older women (above 45yrs) are not advised to get pregnant as the risks of developing complications are quite high.

- Women who do not go for antenatal checks.

- Domestic violence.

- Overwhelmed medical personnel and facilities;

There are situations in which a medical doctor has to attend to like a hundred or more patients daily of which at some point they get fatigued and can no longer pay attention to details required to accurately diagnose a patient.

- Religious and cultural beliefs;

There are women who will prefer to deliver their children in prayer houses or traditional birth houses than go to a hospital for reasons best known to them.

There are instances where the position of a baby is transverse and may require a caesarian section for successful delivery but many women/men reject the idea like a bad omen. Some women feel that if they don't push their baby, they will not be considered as real women.

The individual interpretation of certain people makes one question what their pastors feed them with. There was a recent case where a woman was in a labour room to give birth and the umbilical cord was the first to come out as it was already prolapse and the situation required immediate surgery. The woman refused going to the Theatre, insisting that her pastor had to come and pray first. Pastor took 45mins to arrive and the baby was lost.

- Poverty

Healthcare is expensive. There are a lot of women out there who long to visit standard health care facilities when pregnant but are unable to afford it. Access to standard health facilities in remote villages is another debilitating factor.

In all of these, we can clearly see that with proper awareness and sensitisation of families, provision of well equipped health care facilities and sufficient skilled personnel, we can significantly drop the current maternal mortality rate by over 50 percent.

Mothers Day; What does it mean to be a Mother?

Today, Mother's Day is celebrated by Catholics all over the world. It is a day set aside to honour and appreciate our mothers for the special and sacrificial role they play in the formation of families and the society at large.

To this end, we say THANK YOU to all the mothers out there. Your reward is more in heaven than on earth for nothing on earth is worth repaying you with.

Today is a good day however to ponder and reflect on motherhood. What does it really entail to be a mother? What is the price to pay?

The smallest unit of a society is the family. This is the place where every child brought into this world is being given a foundation upon which to stand as he/she grows up. If we get it wrong at this stage, the future of such child is in jeopardy, and the community at large is at risk of having to deal with a potential nuisance.

There's a popular idea that the intelligence of a child springs from the mother. This isn't far fetched from reality as 90% of everything a child learns from the beginning comes from the mother. As such, what is your child learning from you?

The sad truth is that society has downplayed the role of mothers with the surge in emancipatory stereotypes viz financial independence, financial support to the family, career growth, etc. It now becomes difficult to encounter women who are proud of their identity as mothers. 

Note however that giving birth to children and motherhood are not the same thing. The former is a mere subset of the latter. Motherhood encompasses a whole lot. There are women today who know little or nothing about their children save for bringing them into this world. Allowing the formation of their child to rest in the hands of maids and nannies who are primarily interested in earning a living and not about the character and substance of your child.

A dysfunctional society is a cumulation of the results of dysfunctional families which is mostly a result of bad parenting of which mothers play 80% of this role.

If women are desirous to see changes in our society today, then they are to go back to their families and effect that change and raise the future leaders that can change this ugly narrative.

As a young lady desiring to have babies, are you ready to sacrifice an active career to build your children up until they come of age and can stand on their own and make matured and sound decisions? Don't be so anxious to have children you are not ready to train.

Happy Mother's Day.

Jabosca, Be My Escape (New Book Alert!)

 

Aisha Yesufu's campaign against police (SARS) brutality in Nigeria ended on a successful note with the disbandment of the police unit by the Inspector General of Police on the 11th of October, 2020.

This movement has opened the eyes of many Nigeria to the power of the masses. Long before now, so many Nigerians opined that mass protests never amounted to anything tangible and all that is now changed. We now understand that if we can come together and speak out, any unjust cause is 'endable'.

The trending question in the hearts of many Nigerians now is

the next unjust cause to end. Below is a link to Jabosca, Be My Escape, a book that solely describes some of the injustice in the Nigerian society. If examined closely, we can see some of the lapses bedeviling our nation and pragmatic solutions can be deciphered from the pages.

 

Grab a copy and get a glimpse of the troubles everyday Nigerians go through.

Government and UNDP to implement USD 3.3m project for promoting environmentally friendly and energy efficient technology

                   Monowar Ahmed, Secretary, Economic Relations Divisions and Kyoko Yokosuka, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP. Bangladesh signed the project agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.     Photo): UNDP

The Government of Bangladesh and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement on 05 May at the Economic Relations Division to implement a US$ 3.3 million grant approved by the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund for making environment friendly and energy efficient refrigerators at Walton Hi Tech Industries Ltd.

Under this initiative, UNDP, with assistance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, will provide technical support and necessary equipment to Walton Hi-tech Industries Ltd. to produce and promote environmentally friendly and energy efficient refrigerators. As a partner of this project Walton is also contributing the same amount of resources to implement it.

High global warming refrigerant, HFC-134a will be replaced by... Go to full story 

A Critical Step To Reduce Climate Change

The effects of climate change is already telling on our generation. We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do something about it.

Wind and solar power generation is expanding around the globe at record rates, allowing more people to get their electricity from clean, renewable sources than ever before. This is great news.

And here’s better news: We can do even more. By investing in energy innovations, we can build on the progress we’ve made deploying current technology like renewables, which will help accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to a future of reliable and affordable carbon-free electricity.

Read more here

Global Warming is Gradually Getting Us All Killed

You must have in some point noticed the increasing heat intensity of the sun, rise in floods and sea levels; a general shift in climatic conditions over the years. What you have noticed or will soon notice is as a result of a phenomenon referred to as global warming.

Global warming is as a result of the excessive collection of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that blankets or prevents the reflection of part of the sun’s rays back into space, thus trapping more heat that warms up the earth’s surface. 

These greenhouse gases which are chiefly sourced from oxides of carbon and nitrogen are produced from the combustion of fossil fuels. That is to say every generator, bike, stove, vehicle, aircraft, ship, etc. that are powered with petrol, diesel, kerosene and the likes contribute to this problem.

The major ‘cleaners’ of these greenhouse gases (CO₂) are plants. Unfortunately,
we cut down these trees and shrubs and deplete our forest reserves thus making the ugly situation worse.

We should all be aware that this problem is going to get worse if we continue to do what we are currently doing. Our folks who live in arctic regions literally cannot survive without a heating system. We here in temperate regions - with the increasing rate of global warming - may not be able to survive without having cooling systems. Imagine your children getting dehydrated and burnt by simply attempting to play outside the house, imagine the cost of cooling such a house, imagine living under a daytime temperature of 60^oC! that’s where we are currently headed.

The entire world is aware of this threat and several countries are already developing policies to combat this ugly trend, part of which includes afforestation, tree planting campaigns, the switch to cleaner renewable source of energy, the ban on the use of fossil fuel cars (of which most countries have set 2030 as the deadline. Meaning electric vehicles will be the only permitted vehicles to be used from 2030), amongst others.

Individuals are encouraged to join this movement by not only complying to government policies, but also by planting trees and gardens as well as cutting down their energy consumption. Before purchasing any appliance, be sure to go for the energy efficient ones as they consume less watts/power. Switch off appliances when not in use, disconnect wall sockets when not in use, use LED bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs, avoid burning of refuse, talk to that neighbour that consistently violates all these and most importantly, get educated on how to live smart and protect the ecosystem.

You can search google to gain a basic understanding of how to contribute to solving this global problem by making some few adjustments in your home. If you don’t own a home yet, then it’s even best for you to learn about this. You don’t want to spend money in erecting a building and later wish to have done it better and smarter.

We are the first generation to feel the effect of climatic change and the last generation to do something about it. Do something today to create a safer earth for our unborn generation(s).

What Will Happen To You When You Lose, Quit Or Retire From Your Job?

Written by Inalegwu E. Gabriel


In the world today, “Job Security” is the word most people say with the belief that it makes them look good. However, statistics have shown that 90% of such persons end up unfulfilled and broke at the age of 65.

For the purpose of this article, I would like to give you a little exercise and should you accept to do it, you will come to the conclusion that I and a few others have arrived at.

Take a sheet of paper and walk through your neighborhood; knock on every door you find. When the occupant answers, briefly introduce yourself and kindly ask him/her this question;
"How much do you want to be worth by age 65?"

What are you doing at this point in your life to increase your income?
When the blank stare gets awkward, say thanks and move on to the next house. By the time you are done with this exercise, you will realize that by nature people hardly live up to their full potential.

Goals are what makes the difference between the haves and the have nots. Goals are the key ingredient in actualizing a full and satisfactory life. In the words of a famous writer, goals are “The steady and progressive realization of a worthy idea”. You will be amazed at how few the people who set goals are but a lot of people think they have goals when in truth, they are just wishful thinkers.

“I will make a lot of money” is not a goal.
“I will make X amount of money by Y date and I will do Z to make said amount” is a goal.
A goal is definite, has a deadline and action to back it up.

Now with regards to Jobs and how people give up their dreams to help others live theirs, it is easy to understand that when you are not working on your goals, you are helping someone else actualize his/hers.

There are so many people today who work solely for the sake of “Security” but in truth, it is jeopardizing not to work on your own goals.

It is more difficult to work on your goals when you spend more time working for someone else and this is the main reason why individuals who become successful despite having worked a job, are few.

These persons, spurred on by their goals, make the extra effort of not resting when they get home after work; they work on their goals alongside their jobs; they persevere and no matter how tough their jobs are, they find a way to put in some time in creating their future every day.

Now I do not mean to put down working at a job because some few persons become very successful while working on a paid job, however, on close observation you will discover that such persons had goals and their successes fell into their plans.

The successful ones work with a bigger picture in mind as opposed to the small minded individuals who do not see past a job and then wonder why their life ends up in shambles years later. When you have goals which span from a few days to a few years, you do not spend your idle time doing meaningless things; you spend every extra second you get working on your future mentally or physically.

The major difference between the successful and the unsuccessful ones though is that the successful ones take massive actions while the unsuccessful ones are sitting on their heads overthinking everything and taking action when it is too late.

In summary, you should ask yourself why you have a job. If it is just because you want security alone, then I can guarantee you that you will never be financially independent. But if that job is simply a source of capital for your business or the job is an avenue for learning a new skill, then I congratulate you because you will definitely be successful if you keep at it. And if that job is where your heart is, then the easiest way to excel is to go the extra mile. Do more than you are paid for and someday you will be paid for more than you do.

Musings Of A Young Nigerian

Written by Sule Anthony

I believe in this country, Nigeria.
I believe in our people, in our culture and in our struggles.
I believe that that which binds us is greater than all which seek to tear us apart.

I believe that our collective passion for excellence far outweighs the mediocrity which dominates in our Government.

I believe that the strongholds of our Youth lie in politics, the classrooms, the fields, the factories and the incubation rooms that will birth the futures that we seek.

I believe my generation is not lazy.
I believe we are not evil.
I believe we do not just desire to carry guns or wield machetes or belong in societies and fraternities which are all alien to our true selves. We are high-energy Beings and when we find not the fields to dispense our energies, we do so on ourselves.

I believe every one of us owes a responsibility to this generation, this Youth.
First, family. Then our Churches.

I believe Churches should pay tax. Tax in cash? No; tax in responsibilities.

The tax of a good school.
The tax of a good community clinic.
The tax of good pipe-borne water,
Taxes worth just a minute percent of what they get, to better the communities where they are located.

I believe the future holds a lot for us. But I also know it holds calamity, genocide, rampage, segregation, unprecedented looting and avoidable deaths.

Will a Nation kill all of its youths?
But that's what it's doing when it devotes more to Security than to Education.

For youths today will demand excellence. They watch TVs. They have smart phones. They know what's obtainable out there and their schools don't look like it can give it to them.
They step out and try to make a way for themselves.
And then...

My heart bleeds. I am concerned.
This is a stream of consciousness; a ramble. And in the end, a tossing of a pebble in an ocean.
The ripple impact is next to none, but there will be a ripple- however small.

15 Scientifically Proven Ways To Work Smarter

Yes, so many people work hard and long, others pretend to do so too. Ultimately, what matters at the end of the day is the productivity of whatever we indulge ourselves in.

Here, John Rampton gives us a clue as to how we can improve our productivity in our businesses and places of work.

1. Track Your Time

Time tracking will boost your productivity by allowing you to see how much time you've spent on a task. The task may be invoicing or emailing, the tracking will be done the same. You will also know how much time you have wasted.
Have you counted all the times you've checked your phone when you receive a notification?

Click on the link below to read the full post...15 Ways To Work Smarter

A Wrong Perspective

"I heard that those people that registered last year have been collecting thirty thousand naira every month and they're not doing anything. That is what motivated me to also come and register..."

I overheard the above comment from a lady in a cyber cafe. She went to register for the N-power program and was discussing with the computer operator. I happened not to pay attention when I first heard it - for I was pretty busy at the time - but afterwards, the thought of that statement creeped up and I'm moved to ask Nigerian youths, "What is your motivation?"

We are fond of criticizing others but we seldom pay attention to our own attitudes. Our mentality should be geared towards productivity. We should be driven by excellence and not cheap gratifications.

The Japanese live by a principle called 'Kaizen' which connotes continual improvement. It means an average Japanese is not satisfied with his/her achievement but strives daily to improve upon it. It a principle worthy of emulation by the entire human race. You shouldn't be happy that people are rewarded for mediocrity; that is true patriotism for country, that is true love for humanity.

My boss is fond of saying; "our people pretend to be working and the government is pretending to pay the people". Could that be true?

Wherever you find yourself, give out your very best and let excellence be your drive. Money, power and fame can be thrilling, but they add no real value to your personality.

Once again I beseech the Nigerian youth, enough of the entertainment, enough of the 'flexing' and 'living life's. Our ship is sinking and all hands ought to be on deck to stabilize her. Do something positive to improve yourself, do something to save your country.

God bless Nigeria.