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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raided the four pharmaceutical companies exposed in a documentary – Sweet Sweet Codeine, recently released by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

This was made known by the NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, BBC reports.

The documentary drew attention to the effects of the drug on youths and how some officials of pharmaceutical companies distribute the drug to dealers on the street.

Adeyeye said:

“Our inspection and enforcement teams are in the premises of the four pharmaceutical companies that were shown in the [BBC] video.

“Our officials are there putting things on hold, and everything is being documented. When completed, we will prepare our report and then we will take appropriate action.

“If products that are fake or substandard are discovered, such products will be seized and destroyed.

“These companies that were caught, from our records, have a limited amount of codeine, but from what the documentary showed there is indication that the production is more than the quantity that was approved. So the question can be asked, was there smuggling involved?”

Following the startling revelation in the documentary, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced a ban on the use of codeine as an active agent in the production of cough syrup.

Emzor pharmaceutical company has since suspended the production of Codeine cough syrup.

One of the company’s officials was also seen in the BBC documentary, selling the cough syrup to undercover journalists.

Emzor on Monday, April 30, 2018, issued a statement saying that it has launched a full-scale internal investigation into the breach of the codeine distribution.

The company also said the official in the video has been dismissed, adding that his conduct is illegal and against Emzor’s policy.

The Ministry of Health said that the decision to ban codeine by the Federal Government is not based on a documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Source: Pulse News

The First Lady’s admonition came after an investigative report by BBC revealed that codeine is being abused by young Nigerians intent on getting high at all cost; with the covert collusion of pharmaceutical companies.

A report presented to the National Assembly in 2017 indicated that 3 million bottles of codeine are consumed daily in Kano and Jigawa.

Codeine is an opiate, classified as a narcotic substance, which is largely used as a pain reliever and cough suppressant.

Even though it is not an illegal drug, codeine, which comes in tablet and syrup form, has been largely abused for years by youths in Nigeria.

Codeine abuse has also found its way into pop culture, with locally based artistes now glamorizing the syrup in energy sapping tunes.

“I have noted with alarm the exponential rise of drug abuse in our country, especially in the North.

“As a parent, I am deeply saddened by this fact, it is important that we interrupt the trend and encourage our children to stay drug free”, Mrs. Buhari said.

First Lady’s pet project

Mrs. Buhari’s pet project, the Future Assured, aims to empower and train young people into becoming better citizens of their country.

The First Lady says her project will come in handy in tackling the codeine pandemic.

“The Future Assured has a nationwide youth training and empowerment program which has constructive engagement as one of its direct goals. We also recently launched a war against substance abuse campaign.

“Simultaneously, the wives of Northern Governors are working tirelessly on the issue. They have recently renovated and commissioned a rehab center in Kogi and Kebbi state, while similar efforts are ongoing in other states.”

Codeine abuse can lead to common side effects such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, and drowsiness. More severe side effects include shallow breathing, low blood pressure, seizures, urination problems, confusion, agitation, and hallucinations.

Further abuse of codeine, such as mixing it with alcohol or other sedatives, can also lead to respiratory depression which can cause an overdose.

Credit: Pulse News

The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has revised the broadcasting license of a local radio station after it aired a sermon that was perceived as discriminatory against women.

In the offending sermon, aired live on January 29 on the Amazing Grace Christian Radio station, a local pastor, Nicolas Niyibikora said women are “a source of evil” and “against God’s plan”.

(Photo: Cyril Ndegeya/Nation)

The sermon immediately went viral on social media, rightly angering women’s rights activists across the country and beyond. The National Women’s Association and Rwanda Women Journalists’ Association went on to file separate complaints to the Rwanda Media Commission (RMC), the media self-regulatory body.

The radio station, Amazing Grace Christian Radio, was initially suspended for 30 days for the sermon before the revocation of their license, reportedly failed to comply with the sanctions imposed on it, which included making an apology to the public by correcting the aired programme and paying a fine of two million Rwandan francs ($2,331, N1,165,500), according to RURA.

Then a letter was sent to the radio demanding an explanation for non-compliance with the sanctions, but the regulators said that the reasons given in their response were found to be unsatisfactory, leading to the revocation of their license. The station were given two days to completely shut down operations.

 

 

 

Source: konbini.com

Music artiste Simi has been decorated with an honor by the US Consul General as one of the Human Rights Ambassadors from Nigeria.

Simi who posted the news on her social media how honored she was to receive the decoration and be able to use her voice as an activist.

She wrote,”A few days ago, I was decorated at the US Consulate, by the US Consul General, as one of the Human Rights Ambassadors from Nigeria, in conjunction with CRALI. It was, and is, an incredible honor to get a platform that enables me to use my voice – to the best of my ability – for this cause. This initiative has also kick-started another – @knowyourrightsng – which I will, at a later time, shed more light on. Thank you. In the meantime, please follow @knowyourrightsNG and we’ll keep you posted.”

 

 

Watch the clip below.

Nollywood actress Tonto Dikeh has announced she has been made a brand ambassador for the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP).

In the post on her Instagram page, Tonto thanked the director general of the agency for Barrister Julie Okah-Donli as she shared photos from her courtesy visit.

See her post below.

“Making the World a better place starts with you. If we could all do for one that which we wish we could do for everyone, then the World would surely be be a better place for us all. You don’t need to be super rich to touch lives positively, kind gestures as little as dedicating your time to read storybooks to Children in the Orphanage near you would go a long way to those Kids. Go out there and change one Person’s World.” – Ariyike Akinbobola.

She wrote:

“For years I have battled with very very problematic skin.it shocks me when people see me now and compliment my skin tone.

It took me years of experimenting, dedication and hard work to get to where I am today.

My skin used to be a huge source of worry for me, I drank all the water in the dispenser and exercised everyday and nothing still changed till I started reading up about my skin type.

I found out I had sensitive combination skin with cystic acne.

In my skincare manual I would be giving secrets on how to get rid of cystic acne before they surface .. I’m extremely excited about this new business venture.
I’m turning my obsession for skincare to a business .thank you for your continuous support
MOCHEDDAH GLOW COMING SOON”

 

See her Instagram post below

Nollywood actress Omoni Oboli who turned 40 last Sunday, April 22nd, has launched a soup kitchen in honor of her late mother.

Apart from announcing the release of her book, Omoni Obolia lso took time out to remember the less privileged. She spent the better part of her birthday launching her soup kitchen Lizzy’s Kitchen in honor of her late mother.

She shared lovely photos from the first outing of the movement and can’t wait for more outreaches.

She wrote on her Instagram page:

“My 40th birthday was AMAZING!
Yesterday we launched a soup kitchen in honor of my late mom. It’s a feeding outreach program which is an initiative of The Omoni Oboli Foundation. We fed over 1200 children yesterday in Makoko and it was incredibly mind-blowing. This is a weekly outreach program and we’ve only just begun. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of seeing this vision come to life. Thanks to my friend and family that made it and special thanks to @knorrnigeria and @nunumilkpz
I finally did this mom, I know I have made you proud. I wish you were here. I will always miss you.”

 

View her post below.

 

Child Rights Activist and the Executive Director/Founder of Morna International Children’s Foundation (MICF), Bukola Afolabi Ogunyeye, has won an award from Baobab Awards under the category of “Community Building”.

Baobab Awards is a Hungary based Organization with Affiliation in London.

While sharing the exciting news on her facebook page, she said:

It was double celebration for us in my family yesterday as I received an International award from Baobab Awards under the category of “Community Building”.

Baobab Awards is a Hungary based Organization with Affiliation in London.
It feels so good to be a recipient of this award. This is my first award in my Humanitarian work.

You see ehn, It is difficult to run a cause in a Country like Nigeria and be “straightforward” with it cos money doesn’t come in like that, yet you have a burden, and if you choose to do it without compromising in anyway, be sure you can never make money from it. You will sweat seriously.

NGO is not business, I can say that categorically but it is possible to make it a Business venture for those who want to do it that way. Me, I am not like that. This NGO work is like Slavery sef, but it is a good kind of slavery you enter into yourself because there is a burning passion in you to do something for the cause of Humanity.

Getting rewarded in this manner is a huge encouragement for someone like me who don’t make money from what I do yet I carry the work on my head like gala.

I remember sometime in June last year, I got a call from a woman who said she had got my contact from a School owner. It was one of the Schools I have been at to speak and empower the children against Predators somewhere at Ketu. She asked for our website address that she needed to see it first then arrange a meeting with me.

I agreed to meet her, we met at Chicken Republic and we ate “chicken periperi” with chips all on her own expense.
A big woman, highly connected, she told me about some International Organization who fund NGOs with credible activities through some Consultants and how they are about to fund NGOs. She said the money would be coming in quarterly. She mentioned the amount and the “sharing formula”, what percentage would go to the “Consultants” abroad, her, and me.
Sincerely, I didn’t have any issue with the sharing formula ‘cos I don’t know the people in the Abroad, they only wanted to help but I asked to know the name of the “International Donors”. I wanted to know the source where the money was coming from?
Here was dollars about to be wired into our account and our own share would be about one million Naira in Nigeria currency, which would be coming in quarterly, yet I was still asking questions? A poor NGO that has no money?
That first amount was enough to take care of at least 10 seminars which we hold in the Foundation. It meant that about 3.5 million Teenagers would benefit from the money. I had done serious mental calculation, the Foundation really needed the money but I was not desperate.

I wanted to know the source ‘cos every Donor should have a name and should be verifiable online just like our activities are online on our website which led to the meeting at the first place..
They said they didn’t want me to go through the back yard door and agitate with the organization. Lol…… Fine. I let it go.
I am sure the woman would be wondering what kind of person I am, person see free money, she didn’t jump on it?
I didn’t even bother to ask her about it again. I will not soil my name because of money. It is the Foundation’s account the funds will go into, not theirs and I am the one EFCC will come and arrest if the fund was not a clean one.
Haters will now have the mouth to say, Ah! Those NGO people, that is how they do money laundering and they will be saying they are doing NGO.
That was how I made “haters score 0 and I scored 100%”………

I am writing this alongside this award because amidst our very low resources, we have been imparting greatly and our effort is now being recognized.
Faith Ogochukwu Silver , thank you so much for the nomination. We don’t know each other beyond Facebook,(I met you for the first time yesterday) we have never had any form of private conversation, yet you nominated me for this?
May you shed tears of joy for the rest of your life……Tears fell from my eyes that day you in boxed and told me about this award. *Coversface*
So Bukola Afolabi Ogunyeye is now an “Award winning” Child Rights Activist. You can also say an award winning Bitter Nigerian feminist, everything goes. We are alright after all.
And………. this came at the right time. It came at a time it would seriously boost something I am working on. Yipppiiieeeeee!
It is true that God can NEVER forget our labour of love.
So I dedicate this award to the NIGERIAN CHILD……….
Eyin temi, let us celebrate this great feat.
We are going to dance to Yinka Ayefele. We will dance and “ju di” .
B’eru ba mo nu ro ni, a dupe, B’e ru ba mo nu ro ni a dupe
Baba o sheeeeeeeyyyy
Baba o shey!
B’eru ba mo nu ro ni a dupe
d:t:l:m:s:f:r: d:d:d:r:m
(Olorun ayo) Jah Jehovah! Oba ale wi le se, iwo lo fi lokan
bale wipe kin ma beru
Alagba wi, Baba wa gba mi o ee
Iwo lo sore ana, ore esi mare, Lodun ta wa yi
Ida ju to po, wipe wa si se t’ola
Baba wa gba ko so o
(Olorun ayo)
Ohun to ba wu kaiye wi,, ohin toba wu koso
Emi o ma wo, Eni to baka, Sebi ohun loni rora
Kin sa ma te si waju oooooooo

Nollywood actress, producer, and scriptwriter Omoni Oboli turned 40 yesterday, April 22nd and she released her first book, “The Stars are Ageless”.

The actress announced this good news on her Instagram page as she celebrates her another milestone in her life.

She wrote,

”THE STARS ARE AGELESS
You can now add author to my name!!!Been working on this baby for a while and she’s finally here! Thank you, Lord! 40 sure looks good on me! Thanks to my publishers @narrativelscape we burnt the midnight candle on this one! Thanks to everyone that worked tirelessly to make this happen! Love you all
Copies available for sale from tomorrow. I can’t keep still.”

See her post below.