Lifestyle

By Lawal Dahiru Mamman

Epilepsy is a non-communicable condition that affects the brain. The condition causes recurrent seizures, which are brisked episodes of involuntary movement that may involve a segment or whole parts of the body accompanied by unconsciousness and loss of control of bowel or bladder function. 

The prevalence of epilepsy is particularly high in Latin America and in several African countries, notably Liberia, Nigeria, and the United Republic of Tanzania. Parasitic infections, particularly neurocysticercosis, are important etiological-causative factors for epilepsy in many of these countries.

The importance of epilepsy made the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners christen the 2nd Monday of February annually “International Epilepsy Day”. This serves as an opportunity to raise awareness of epilepsy, what it is, how it can be treated, and what is needed to bring treatment to all people who need it. This declaration became paramount, especially as 25% of the recorded cases are potentially preventable. 

International Epilepsy Day 2023 (February 13th) appears to have slipped through the cracks of health professionals, media outlets and other bodies usually taking the pain to sensitise the populace about the disease and other medical conditions in the country. This could result from the Diphtheria outbreak and proliferation of notorious Lassa fever, meningitis and cholera.

Nonetheless, Epilepsy remains one of the most common non-communicable neurological diseases globally, with written records dating back to 4000BCE and fifty million (50,000,000) people suffering from the same worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), and of this value, 80% live in low and middle-income countries probably attributable to endemic conditions like malaria, road traffic accidents, birth-related injuries, neurocysticercosis – pork tapeworm infection (A tapeworm infection that affects the brain, muscle and other tissues) and poor medical infrastructure.

A large number of patients (70%) could live seizure-free if properly diagnosed and treated even so, the sad reality is that 70-75% of people suffering from epilepsy in low-income countries do not have access to the treatment required.

For centuries, fear, misunderstanding, discrimination and social stigma have trailed and is still trialling epilepsy therefore, an event like ‘International Epilepsy Day’ should be used for sensitisation on preventive measures while authorities make an effort to provide facility and medications needed to control the condition since there has been no known cure.

Lawal Dahiru Mamman writes from Abuja and can be reached via dahirulawal90@gmail.com.

By  Abdullahi Yusuf

Globally, the health care system is governed by ethical principles guiding the professional conduct of different professions within the coordinated body of health care delivery. Those ethical principles regulate service delivery in every profession and safeguard the well-being of the patients handled by those professionals within the scope of their professional practice.

Nigeria, with no exception, has its own healthcare system encompassing three delivery levels, ranging from primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare. Each level has personnel that are professionally trained in the various fields of health practice to take care of patients according to their expertise and professional boundaries.

The relationship between a healthcare provider and his patients from a legal perspective is contractual. The healthcare provider owes his patient a duty of care, and the patient owes the healthcare provider a token as payment for the service rendered. A contract is known to be an agreement between two or more parties that is legally binding, but in some cases, the relationship between the health care provider and the patient is not mutual, as the patient might not be in the right state of mind to make decisions. Regardless, the relationship is contractual, as implied by law.

In every contractual relationship between parties, there is a legal obligation that is to be fulfilled. Failure to fulfil the obligation will be regarded as a breach of contract. Breach of contract, according to law, generally attracts damages and, in some exceptions, can attract restitution, quantum meruit or specific performance, as the case may be. Inadequate knowledge of the law leads to the exploitation of many patients by some healthcare providers, which usually slides without punishing the offenders.

A healthcare provider can exploit his patient through breach of contract, medical negligence that could give rise to tortious liability, violation of some specific fundamental rights or violation of the patient’s rights under the National Health Act 2014. A healthcare provider can be punished when he/she commits any action under the aforementioned through specific disciplinary mechanisms set aside by the law.

The disciplinary mechanisms could be a civil or tortious liability, where the offender will be required to pay for damages by the court; criminal liability, where the offender will be punished based on the intensity of his crime according to the penal code of the state; and professional punishment can be served by the professional body that the offender belongs to by demotion, revoking of license or dismissal as the case may be.

There are instances where the management of a health facility could be held responsible for an accident that occurred to the patient in the facility—it is referred to as “Occupier’s liability” in law. In this regard, the accident must be a result of the negligence of the management, caused by failure to provide something necessary in which its absence resulted in the accident, or there may be a lack of maintenance of some equipment or devices that might have led to an accident.

Vicarious liability is also a situation where the management of a health facility can be held responsible for an act committed by their employee. When a patient is maltreated in a health facility by any member of staff, be it a violation of the right, tortuous act or breach of contract, the patient can sue the whole management of the facility in court for justice to prevail.

Any health consumer in Nigeria that once in a while visits a health facility to patronise health care services should know his rights as stipulated under the National Health Act 2014.

Part III of the National Health Act 2014 (Rights and obligation of users and health care personnel) encompasses eleven sections, starting from section 20 to section 30. Eight of those sections (sections 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 30) directly state the right of patients in relation to the health care provider.

Section 20 is about “emergency treatment”, where the section mandates any healthcare provider on duty to attend to a patient in an emergency without any hesitation or formality.  Contravening the section can attract a fine of ₦100,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months, or even two, as the case may be.

“User (Patient) to have full knowledge” is what section 23 is all about. It explained the right of a patient to be well informed of his condition and the possible treatment that will be administered to him/her, unless in the case where informing the patient will cause more harm. Section 24 expatiates the “duty to disseminate information” by federal, state or local government health authorities. Facilities should make such information visible at the entrance. The information should include the services provided by the facility, operating schedule and visiting hours, processes for making complaints and the rights of the patients as well as the health care providers.

Section 25 explained the “obligation to keep records”. This record involves the demography, treatment as well as medical history of the patients. It is mandatory for any health facility to keep records of their patients for future reference. “Confidentiality” of the patients must be a priority for any health facility and its personnel, as stated in section 26 of the National Health Act 2014. Disclosure of a patient’s information without a genuine reason is an offence that can attract punishment if reported.

The health record of the patient can be disclosed in some cases where the disclosure is in the best interest of the patient or is required by the court of law for judgement. It is stated as “Assess Health Record” under section 27 of the National Health Act 2014. “Protection of health record” is stated under section 29. Negligence in handling the record of a patient or deliberately tampering with any information without legitimate authorisation is an offence that can attract conviction to imprisonment for not more than two years or a fine of ₦250,000.

The last section with respect to patient’s rights under the National Health Act 2014 is section 30, which expatiates on the “Laying of complaints”. Any patient that is maltreated by any health personnel has the right to complain. The complaint should be in accordance with procedures provided by the federal or state ministry of health.

As a citizen of Nigeria, knowledge of fundamental and specific rights is necessary regardless of one’s level of education. People are being oppressed and maltreated on a daily basis due to ignorance of their rights and how to seek justice. To have a just and egalitarian society, people need to be aware of their rights and what should be considered a violation of those rights.

Conclusively, the law is set aside for justice to prevail, and nobody has the authority to deprive you of your right to justice. To get justice, you have to find it by going through the right channel. Albert Einstein said, “In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same”.

Abdullahi Yusuf wrote is a final year student of Health Education, Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, Bayero University Kano. He can be contacted via abdoolphd@gmail.com.

By Khalilah Yahya Aliyu

Nothing like polygamy has been grossly abhorred and misunderstood in marriage, especially among women. It trends both ways, be it positive or negative, with the latter being blown out of proportion – leading to an intense phobia for women young and old.

Please note that we Muslims don’t practice polygamy. What we are allowed to practice is polygyny. The difference here is that in polygamy, both men and women are allowed to have multiple wives or husbands, respectively, while polygyny refers to a husband taking more than one wife, four to be precise. So, I will use polygamy for this article.

The piece will be dominated by my point of view, garnished with some spicy personal experiences. Writing this has been difficult because I felt as though I was laying bare a part of my soul. After going through numerous articles and books on polygyny, I realised that much attention is given to the perspective of the first wife or existing wives. Their fears and insecurities when confronted with polygyny and ways to overcome them were discussed in detail. Therefore, the added wife is left to nurse her worries and insecurities alone as it is being treated as non-existent.

During my secondary school days, we did ask ourselves questions regarding polygyny, and we all wanted to be the first wife. This position to our understanding back then, comes with these benefits:

Societal empathy towards the first wife, with the man and his new wives, considered wrongdoers, conspiring to destabilise the existing wife’s life.

You enjoy the man’s prime years and resources, which translates to more attention and care. You get a clearer understanding of the man’s personality as a husband, having spent more years with him and his close and extended family.

Being his first and as humans, we tend to get sentimentally attached to our first of everything, be it a child, car, job, etc.

Those are a few of the benefits. They could be more or less depending on the person and the current situation. All these made me crave that position, too, to the extent of being willing to welcome co-wives so that I could hold on to the bragging rights of knowing him first. Well, fate has an entirely different story lying in waiting for me.

I met this amazing man. I have always been an incurable romantic at heart, placing emphasis on those zings and sparks you feel when you meet someone you share a strong chemistry with. “This here is the man of my dream,” I exclaimed to myself. The feelings were mutual; I am sure you will be like, “why didn’t you get married right away” as it is the only legal way to have a relationship with non-Mahram. It wasn’t that easy because here I am, a not previously-married young lady from a monogamous home presenting a married man as a suitor to her family. The more the number of wives, the more difficult it is for our parents to accept the man as a spousal choice for their girls. In my case, it was even wives, not a wife, an unsurmountable wall, it seemed.

As parts of the tenets of our Deen, we must accept “qadr”, otherwise known as the divine decree, regardless of how it comes. I drew strength from this and presented him as my choice. During the waiting period before the wedding, I was riddled with nerves and bouts of insecurities. This shows that added wives, too, have fears. What if the other wives are better looking, cooks and humans than I am? No day passes without my heart racing faster when I think about what lies ahead. Your intentions might be noble, but you can’t say the same about the other parties with the recent ugly trend of co-wives harming one another. The what-ifs were actually numerous, including the ability of our husband to treat us fairly.

I channelled the energy generated by these fears into finding a better version of myself, seeking religious knowledge and reading more on human psychology to understand better the tricks of maintaining a healthy relationship between humans—anything on polygyny I devoured keenly to better prepare for what lies ahead. Marriage is a lifetime journey, and no preparation is termed too much. So when I felt ready, armed with prayers and all I have learnt, I plunged bravely into it and “Alhamdulillah”, it was not as difficult as I envisaged.

Though no amount of preparation is adequate when reality finally hits, coping mechanisms are needed to maintain a healthy relationship when jealousy glares its ugly head. A naturally occurring phenomenon, even our mothers, the wives of our noble prophet (S.A.W), were not spared. Feeling bouts of jealousy is normal, but borrowing a leaf from how our role models, Mothers of the Faithful, dealt with theirs will keep this strong emotion in check. How you handle this emotion can make or break you. I try to always look at a person as a human first, and no matter how jealous or angry I get, I will try my best to treat the person humanely. No one is worth your “Iman” I repeat, never lose your “Iman” over anything. Keep striving to maintain a better version of yourself. Study your co-wives because understanding their temperaments will make it easier for you to relate with them accordingly. It might not lead to friendship per se, but an amicable relationship is assured.

Plus, always remember that humans are dignified creatures, and every soul has its unique form of beauty. As a famous saying goes, “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” sister, you are beautiful. Indulge in many positive affirmations, eat healthy, exercise, and maintain positive hygiene to boost your self-esteem should you ever feel your co-wives are better.

Contrary to popular belief of competition between co-wives, you are there to compete with no one; be yourself and try as much as you can to support and not bring them down. Remember, as your sisters in Islam, you owe them that. Banters will be thrown, especially that of knowing him before you did or you coming to marry their husband. He was never meant for them alone; it was decreed that he would marry you all in the manner or order he did. You have the same right as any of them, but this shouldn’t make you disrespectful. Support your spouse; it takes a lot of spunk and sacrifice to maintain a wife and talk more about wives.

Personally, polygyny has been a blessing. Ask pizza lovers; having a slice of it is better than not having a taste at all. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the good moments with the man of my dreams if it wasn’t legal for him to marry me too.

Regardless of being the first or last, we are all advised to make it work. Equip yourself with what it takes to build a peaceful haven or sanctuary for yourself, your husband, and everyone visiting your home. He is yours; make every moment count. It is not how much time is spent but how qualitative it is. To the added wife, know this, you are brave and unique, and you’ve got nothing to fear. Be yourself, and I wish you the best.

Khalilah Yahya Aliyu writes from Kaduna and can be reached via khalilah20@gmail.com.

By Umar Yahaya Dan’inu

Mass migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that affects individuals, communities, and entire countries. It is driven by factors such as economic opportunity, political instability and natural disasters as people seek to improve their lives.

In Nigerians, many people are driven to migrate for better lives, education and healthcare, and job prospects. Political instability, such as conflict, insurgency and human rights abuses, also contributes to a mass migration of Nigerians.

The term “Japa” refers to the migration of Nigerians to foreign countries, especially Western ones, in search of a better life. A lack of quality leadership in the country at all levels often causes this phenomenon. Several reports and writing has shown that despite their love for their home country, many Nigerians have lost trust in their leaders and feel compelled to leave in search of a better future. Moreover, the decay in leadership has caused division within the polity; every tribe or region is suspicious of one another, and there is fear of domination and marginalisation.

In the 60’s and late ’70s, Nigeria was a country that commanded respect in the global arena. Our passport is a thing of pride at any entries and departure level. The Nigerian currency and economy were in good shape. However, the challenges facing Nigeria, such as insecurity, kidnapping, banditry, corruption and political violence, have led to the decline of the country’s economy and international standing. This decline has driven many young people, skilled and unskilled, to leave in search of a better life.

In Northern Nigeria, where Islam dominates the culture, people prefer to migrate to Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia and recently Dubai and Qatar, where they share the same religion and beliefs. In contrast, Southern Nigeria is the centre of migrants, as people seek to escape bad governance and poor leadership. Despite the differences between the North and South in terms of access to education, quality of life, job prospects and economic opportunities, many young people still feel compelled to leave.  

However, the skilled and unskilled knows what they can do to navigate their way to leaving Nigeria. In Benin, the state of Edo, people are trafficked in the name of migration to get a better life, and they mostly end up enslaved and sold to work without regard for the dignity and respect they left in their country.  

Furthermore, some skilled migrants bring positive changes to Nigeria; they are doing wonders in their new countries, such as setting up companies that employ Nigerians, impacting the economy positively. In addition, statistics have shown that Nigerians are highly skilled people in the UK and the US, contributing to the economies of the host countries.

The migrations of these groups affected Nigeria negatively because Nigeria is among the world countries with the highest numbers of out-of-school children and increased maternal mortality rates. Nigerian-trained Doctors, Engineers, Scientists, Musicians and filmmakers are all over the world doing great work. Nigerian government needed their services and contribution to help in reducing the numbers of maternal mortality and to help in actualising effective education take place at all levels.     

To address the Japa syndrome, a multi-faceted approach is needed that addresses the root causes of migration and its challenges. These involved improving economic opportunities, promoting stability and security, and increasing access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities can help reduce migration. In addition, strengthening the democratic process, improving wages and salaries, and enhancing the country’s security architecture are also important steps that need to be taken.

Nigeria is ours, and our responsibility is to ensure a bright future for our nation and youth. We must take action to address the Japa syndrome and create a future that is worth staying for.

Umar Yahaya Dan’inu wrote from Hausari Ward, Nguru, Yobe State. He can be contacted via umarnguru2015@gmail.com.

Bello Hussein Adoto

The signing of the Mental Health Bill into law presents a renewed imperative to rewrite the mental health narrative in Nigeria. Here is how Nigeria can do better.

‘All diseases are equal, but some are more equal than others’. Although Nigeria is not George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the country has a glaring disparity in the kinds of diseases it considers a priority, but the recent signing of the Mental Health Bill into law can help us to rewrite the narrative.

At the mention of infectious diseases like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, or non-infectious diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and cancer, one could point to tangible, nationwide, and sustained initiatives to promote public health and reduce their impact on individuals and communities. But very few such initiatives are available, if any, for anxiety, depression, or Alzheimer’s disease. 

While anxiety and depression do not kill as regularly as untreated malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension – diseases that received far more attention, these mental illnesses are nonetheless deadly.

Anxiety and depression, for instance, reduce our quality of life and living, undermining our productive capacity, while depression increases a person’s risk of suicide. This reality makes diseases that affect moods and behaviour as relevant as those that affect tissues and organ systems.

Mental health disorders are a huge challenge in Nigeria. A recent report puts the number of people living with one mental illness or the other in the country at 60 million. According to a World Health Organization report, Nigeria has more than seven million people living with depression. This value doubles the number of people living with depression in South Africa and Ghana combined. A similar story plays out in the estimate for people with anxiety in the continent.

Nevertheless, the signing of the Mental Health Bill offers a renewed imperative for stakeholders to harness the several opportunities that could rewrite the narrative of mental health in the country.

The first opportunity is an extensive network of primary, albeit underfunded and underutilized, healthcare centres across the country. Nigeria has more than 33,000 primary health centres with a potential capacity to provide mental health first aid services to Nigerians. The government can expand these facilities to provide mental health care services.

The centres have community health officers (CHOs), community health extension workers (CHEWs), registered nurses, and midwives. Specialists can train these non-specialist healthcare workers to provide basic mental healthcare services nationwide, especially in rural areas, in a task-sharing, task-shifting policy.

Nigeria has applied this policy to provide malaria and family health services, and a 2015 study shows that integrating mental health into primary healthcare in Nigeria could follow a similar model. Such integration will buffer the shortage of mental health specialists in the country and improve care coverage for underserved populations.

Secondly, the digital era is here. Digital channels such as social media, webinars, SMS, and tools such as smartphones and software, provide an exciting, affordable, and sustainable opportunity to reach many people. The government could harness these channels to support non-specialist care delivery, educate the public about the fundamentals of mental health, reduce ignorance about mental health, and eliminate the stigma and dangerous practices associated with mental health disorders in the country.

Beyond helping to raise awareness, the government and other relevant stakeholders should harness digital channels to deliver e-health to people with mental health disorders and bypass the barriers to accessing traditional care. Such digital interventions have been shown to improve mental illnesses among students and could be helpful in care delivery to a larger population.

A third opportunity is the existence of non-governmental organizations, such as the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) and Asido Foundation, that champion mental health causes in the country.

NGOs are paramount to health promotion because they supplement public efforts to promote health. Some NGOs operate helplines for mental first aid; others, like the Asido foundation, run the Unashamed campaign to increase mental health awareness and reduce stigma in the country. The government can partner with these NGOs to sensitize the public and provide the much-needed care and support that millions of Nigerians need.

Finally, a special insurance package should be instituted for people with mental health disorders, so they can access essential care without worrying about the cost. Awareness about health insurance has increased over the years, and more Nigerians are enrolling in their numbers. The number of enrollees in the Nigerian Health Insurance Scheme [(NHIS), mow National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA)] has nearly doubled between 2007 and 2013. Stakeholders can expand current social health insurance packages for insurance owners to include mental health conditions and give Nigerians a new lease to access proper mental health care whenever needed.

Bello Hussein Adoto, a researcher, writer, and journalist, writes via bellohussein210@gmail.com.

By Zulkifil Aminu Adam

Over the years, people with hearing loss, primarily those who cannot speak, particularly the uneducated ones, experience the stereotype of being naturally aggressive. And that’s nothing but a misunderstanding that continues to remain despite continuous awareness against it.

The terming of deaf people as aggressive is not only done by ordinary people but also by lecturers, doctors, and even special educators. And as a matter of fact, the absence of a psychological approach in how people reflect on this matter leads them to conclude so grossly incorrect.

Imagine you cannot hear and you cannot talk. And you’re living in a community that has deprived you of the privilege of effective communication and self-expression, given the fact that nobody knows how to communicate with you. So you will surely be lonely and depressed. And then an incident happened where you were maltreated and stigmatised.

Psychologically, people naturally react and respond to treatments directly to indirectly. They speak and complain to defend themselves and their dignity when mistreated. But you’re deaf and can’t open your mouth to exercise self-expression. You can’t say, “I don’t like how you treat me. Please, treat me with respect.” At that point? What would you do?

You will think of what to do to ensure the person who maltreats or stigmatises you learn a lesson. A deaf person has three options: exhibiting frustration or using physical violence to respond to the treatment they received, and the third option is crying. The weak do the last chance because that’s the only thing left for them. They will always look for a language that the people who maltreat them will understand, i.e. crying, showing their frustration, or applying violence.

Deaf people are not aggressive. Instead, they use aggression as a defence, a means of self-expression, or a way of showing their inner disapproval because they often have no other means of communicating their feelings to people who don’t have a genuine knowledge of the deaf or sign language.

As long as deaf people can effectively communicate and have a mutual understanding with a person, the person will surely realise that they are no different from normal people who possess various traits, both positive and negative.

The only thing the Deaf needs from their family, colleagues, and society is attention and understanding. And these two require the presence of effective communication. For this reason, the Deaf continues to spread the knowledge of sign language and continuously create awareness and advocacy, for they know that the most powerful method for eliminating the conflicts between them and normal people is to connect both with the wire of communication. It is to bridge the communication gap that disconnects the two communities. 

I have talked with different deaf children and older ones regarding their stay with their families. All of them expressed a disheartening amount of loneliness and anxiety, the cause of which is the iota of attention they receive at home that is inadequate and depressingly isolating, harming their lives. Yet, at the same time, it stays unnoticed by their family members.

Moreover, when deaf family members attempt to bring it up, they hardly get the attention they expect. Even if they do, once another family member interrupts, that’s always the end of the conversation. Their effort to retrieve the attention that deviated from them to another family member often fails, making several deaf family members give up on discussions with their parents and siblings.

Zulkifil Aminu Adam is a 100-level student at Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via zulqeepil19@gmail.com.

By Aishat M. Abisola

Now that 2023 has begun, we are at a time when it is not uncommon for people to start feeling ill. This can be either physical or mental.

Already, a throat disease (diphtheria) is spreading fast in the North, affecting many Nigerians. Even though this disease can be cured and prevented with vaccines, not many people will be able to gain access to them.

Every single disease in the world works by attacking the immune system without rest, and this is exactly why people need to be more concerned about their bodies. Although the human body is strong, it can still be damaged quite easily, either internally or externally.

Your immune system operates in a very specific manner. It must be strong and complex enough to fight off a variety of illnesses and infections but not so strong that it overreacts to small issues.

It is because of this that we need to be more attentive to our health, especially in times like this. If you look around you, you will see many supplements and products claiming to help boost immunity. However, supporting a healthy immune system is a lot more difficult than just taking a mix of vitamins and minerals packaged into a pill or powder.

From fighting off a cold to flu and then to COVID-19, there are things you can do to help give your immune system what it needs to function optimally, though.

For those who do not have access to vaccines or medicines that can help them boost their immune systems, there are things you can do to help give your immune system what it needs to function properly. None of these methods involves taking supplements.

1. Stay up-to-date on recommended vaccines
If you do have easy access to vaccines, make sure to stay up to date on them. A strong immune system means taking advantage of whatever we are provided with to protect ourselves from harmful illnesses: vaccines.

The human immune system is smart, but vaccines train it to be even smarter by helping it learn how to recognize and fight off certain disease-causing illnesses. Vaccinations make it for your immune system to learn than through infection with harmful germs.

2. Maintain a healthy diet

Just like most things in your body, a healthy diet is vital in maintaining a strong immune system. This means ensuring that sure you eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats. These micronutrients include:

Vitamin B6 (Chicken, Fish, Bananas, Green Vegetables and Potatoes with the skin)

Vitamin C (Citrus fruits like oranges and, strawberries, Tomatoes, Spinach)

Vitamin E ( Almonds, Peanuts and Leafy Vegetables)

Zinc ( Red meat like beef, Poultry, Beans, Dairy products like milk)

Magnesium ( Whole Wheat Products, Nuts, Seeds)

Many health experts believe that your body absorbs vitamins better when they come from dietary sources instead of supplements. So, the best way to support your immune system is by eating a well-balanced diet.

3. Exercise regularly

Despite what many may think, physical activity isn’t just for building muscles and helping yourself de-stress — it also plays an important role in being healthy and supporting a healthy immune system.

Exercise helps in mobilising the immune cells that are outside of the bone into the bloodstream, and it also moves immune cells that are already in the bloodstream in the cell tissues. By doing this, immunity surveillance is increased.

It is your immune system’s monitoring process, and exercise helps the immune cells to be more efficient at detecting and reacting to infections. Staying active and exercising regularly is vital for this to occur.

4. Hydrate

When it comes to supporting the immune system, water plays an important part alongside other roles in your body. Blood and lymph have immune cells in them, and they need water in order to flow and circulate in the body.

You constantly lose water by breathing as well as through urine and bowel movements. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are exercising. If you want to support your immune system, replace the water you lose daily with water that you can use. In order to do so, you need to know what your daily water intake is.

5. Get plenty of sleep

When you sleep, it may not feel as if anything is happening, but there are a lot of processes going on when you’re not awake. Knowing how much sleep you should be getting on a nightly basis as well as what to do if you have trouble sleeping, is the best way to give your immune system the best chance to fight off infection and illness.

6. Minimize stress

Chronic stress can have dangerous effects on your health, whether it comes quickly or builds up over time. Stress can either cause major or minor impacts on how well your immune system functions if it leads to sleep disturbances, a tendency to eat less healthy food, reduced water intake, less frequent exercise, and more.

Stress appears differently for everyone, and however way we choose to relieve it is different too. When you take into consideration the effect it can have on your health, it’s important to know how to identify stress. If you want to reduce stress, it is necessary that you get familiar with any type of activity that helps you relieve it, such as deep breathing, meditation, prayer, or exercise.

7. Limit Alcohol Intake

A moderate consumption of alcohol doesn’t have any positive effect on your immune system. Evidence suggests that binge drinking, or having more than four drinks in two hours for women and five for men, impairs immunity.

Alcohol can temporarily increase the number of white blood cells, which fight infections, in your bloodstream, but when your liver clears the alcohol from your system, your white blood cell count falls below the normal amount for at least five hours. If you want to work hard to stay healthy, it is best for you to avoid or limit your alcohol intake.

8. Practice Proper Hygiene

If you want to have a strong immune system, proper handwashing is one of the most important things to keep in mind. All you need is just normal soap and water. You should scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds—the length of singing “Happy Birthday” twice. This is the minimum time needed to significantly reduce the number of microorganisms on your skin.

However, it doesn’t matter how good your handwashing skills are if they won’t help prevent infection unless you know when to scrub up. It is advised that a person should wash their hands before and after any type of risky exposure. This includes after using the restroom, sneezing, or coughing.

Your hands should also be washed before you prepare food, after caring for a sick loved one, treating a wound, or touching any publicly used door handles, knobs, switches, or surfaces. If your hands get very dry after washing, make sure to moisturize them with cream or Vaseline.

9. Use the Right Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitiser tends to kill most microorganisms, which is the next best thing if you don’t have access to soap and water. Before you use it, make sure to look at the alcohol percentage first. Alcohol (ethanol) is the active ingredient in hand sanitiser, working to kill viruses and bacteria. It is advised to use a hand sanitiser with an alcohol percentage that is greater than 60%.16

The human body requires a lot of care so that it can stay healthy and fight off most diseases (or, at the very least, reduce their effects). If you don’t care for your body, you are just setting yourself up for a very bad experience in the future.

Your body is a temple. Keep it clean and tidy. Prevent it from decay with any method that is available to you.

Aishat M. Abisola is a member of the Society for Health Communication, Wuye District, Abuja. She can be reached via aishatmohd02@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Muzdaleefa

Founding leaders of nations matter. A country’s founding moment is often a make-or-mar moment in the life of the country. The trajectory on which the founding leadership sets the country, as well the power of their founding example, often defines and determines the future course of events way past the founding generation. Founding precedents tend to have an exceptional degree of endurance, because founding leaders command a kind and degree of legitimacy and license that is exceptional and which gives them and their example and precedents a special status and the propelling force of path dependency in their country’s history.

George Washington’s founding example, of not offering himself up for election again after serving two terms as (first) president of the new republic, even though nothing in the US constitution at the time imposed term limits on an incumbent president, initiated a tradition of American presidents not going beyond two terms; a tradition that remained in place until Franklin Delano Roosevelt breached it in the 1930s/40s, causing it to be restored by constitutional amendment. Additionally, the contemporary trajectory of American federalism, including the enduring fault lines in its politics, can be traced back to the Federalist/anti-Federalist split in the founding generation; between the Hamiltonian (strong federal/center) and the Jeffersonian/Madisonian (strong states) visions.

The death of Lee Kuan Yew, the founder of modern Singapore and its prime minister from 1959 to 1990 (then senior minister after that), has brought the usual apologists of autocratic rule in Africa out of their holes, doing what they do best: making all manner of inapt comparisons and prophecies of “what would have been” had one or the other favorite African autocrat been allowed to rule for as long as Lee Kuan Yew did. There is the implicit suggestion that similar longevity in office would have turned Lee’s African contemporaries into a Lee Kuan Yew or transformed their African states from Third World to First. It is a fanciful thought, one not borne out by the record.

First of all, Africa’s first generation of autocrats did, in fact, stay in power for very long periods. Nyerere, Kaunda, Banda, Houphouet Biogny, Mobutu, Bongo, Senghor, all were in power continuously for nearly three decades. And many current ones, including Mugabe, Museveni, and Biya have equaled or broken the record. None has managed any transformation of the Lee Kuan Yew kind, except in the opposite direction. So, the difference between Lee Kuan Yew and his African contemporaries was not just a matter of longevity in power, it was far more than that. Time itself is a value-neutral resource. It is what you do with the time you have that determines the future course of events. Africa’s autocrats did very different things with their time in power than Lee Kuan Yew did with his. They were bound to reap different results.

Second, while Lee Kuan Yew was an authoritarian leader, he was not an autocrat. It is an important distinction. Lee built and worked through institutions. He did not destroy the rule of law. Lee’s government passed and enforced draconian laws, but arbitrary and personal rule did not displace government through institutions, rules, and procedures. Lee also assembled and worked with a solid team (the first group of which is featured in the book “Lee’s Lieutenants”). His was not a one-man project; he was captain of a team. Lee’s Lieutenants brought to the table a complement of talents and abilities that Lee, as leader, effectively harnessed and synthesised into a shared vision. There was no “Lee Kuan Yewism” to which all were obliged to swear allegiance or else. And while Lee Kuan Yew did not like or think much of his opposition, he never declared a one-party state. His party contested elections and won those elections repeatedly. The franchise was not aborted. Nor were opposition parties. Absence of electoral turnover is inconsistent with competitive parliamentary politics. The Liberal Party’s overwhelming hold on power in postwar Japan is a case in point.

Lee Kuan Yew ruled for as long as he did, in part because he did not replace Singapore’s Westminster parliamentary system with a presidential system. The title “President” apparently had no particular allure for the supremely self-confident Lee. He was happy to be a “mere” prime minister, which meant that, as long as his party continued to win a majority in parliamentary elections and he retained his own seat and leadership of the party, he was free to remain prime minister. Term limits have been traditionally associated with presidential systems, not parliamentary systems. Today, his party remains in power, even if its electoral strength has diminished over time.

Lee’s contemporaries in Africa, on the other hand, moved quickly to replace their parliamentary systems with presidential rule. It was one step on the road to autocracy. It freed them from accountability to their party, to cabinet, and to parliament. From that foundation, other blocks in the autocratic project fell into place.

There are many other ways in which Lee Kuan Yew and his African contemporaries were fundamentally different. They, like Lee, did not care much for human rights, free speech, free press, and the like. Lee Kuan Yew believed in “Asian values”, not “Western democracy”. And his African contemporaries too defended their own idiosyncratic versions of African exceptionalism. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.

Instructively, Lee Kuan Yew recalls telling himself, after a 1964 visit to Africa that took him to 17 countries, “I was not optimistic about Africa”. Lee said. And while in Lagos in January 1966 for the Commonwealth Heads of State conference, Lee again recalls, after observing the Nigerian government at work: “I went to bed that night convinced that they were a different people playing to a different set of rules.”

Nothing is gained, except more of the same escapism and revisionism that keeps us stuck in the counter-developmental past, by trying to cast one or the other African autocrat in the mold of a Lee Kuan Yew. We have had no Lee Kuan Yews. Not that we need or must have one. But, well, just saying!

Muhammad Ubale Kiru

Adam A. Zango, for those of you who don’t know him, is a Kannywood Film actor who is popularly known as Adamu Usher for his spectacular dance steps. He appeared in more than 100 Hausa films over the years.

While lamenting why his marriage is in chaos, Adam identified that his wife committed a number of mistakes that may probably lead to their divorce. One of the mistakes mentioned was that she posted a video of herself taken at a beauty parlour while having henna (kunshi) done on her and at the same time dancing.

He indicated that such action was something he prohibited all his wives from doing, and he was devastated by the action. Hence, he stated it as one of the things she did. Now, the irony is this – these people have no shame in picking young girls to act in their movies. They have no shame in displaying these young girls on TV dancing and sometimes even touching them. However, they know quite well that it is wrong, yet they lure young girls into it.

Adam felt so bad that he is thinking about divorcing her because of what he himself is doing with other women and yet posting on the internet.

Dear ladies: You see, most of you are not smart. Men can do things and run away with it, but can you? Adam can spend 50-60 years of his life acting, but for you, the maximum is 40-45. This means what you are doing is not really a good business because, in the end, they will use you and then dump you. They know so well that it is not right, yet, they get you involved because they don’t care about your life or future.

In an interview with Hadiza Gabon, she was asked about when she would be getting married or if she had a fiancee. In her response, she said, “yes, I have a fiancee. As for when I will marry, that I don’t know because I can’t marry off myself”. They have plenty of suitors, but will they be ready to commit to marriage? The answer is NO. because Film is a bad business for women. It doesn’t matter whether it is Kannywood or Hollywood. The majority of them spend their lives pursuing lusty men and, in the end, commit suicide or die in nursing homes helplessly and full of regrets.

By Abdurrazak Mukhtar

Comfort is often seen as a golden ticket to happiness – where we can bask in the serenity and put our feet up. But what if I told you that staying in your comfort zone for too long could be the very thing holding you back from success? This saying suggests that to thrive genuinely; one must be willing to trade comfort for discomfort.

Imagine a world where you never challenge yourself and always stick to the tried and true. Chances are, your life would remain much the same, devoid of growth and new experiences. But that’s not the kind of life anyone of us wants, right? The key to unlocking our full potential is embracing discomfort.

Risks are the building blocks of progress. By stepping outside our comfort zones, we open ourselves to a world of possibilities. Only by testing our limits can we discover what we’re truly capable of. Every time we push ourselves to be uncomfortable, we grow, and our comfort zones expand.

Being uncomfortable doesn’t mean feeling miserable and stressed. It’s about embracing a new challenge and putting ourselves in a position to learn, grow, and succeed. And as we progress, we’ll find that the things that once made us anxious and nervous become second nature.

So, my friend, next time you are cosily nestled in your comfort zone, take a moment to reflect on this saying. Embrace the uncomfortable and watch as you attain new success and comfort levels in your life. The journey may be challenging, but the reward is worth it.

Abdurrazak Mukhtar  sent this article via prof4true1@gmail.com.