New Cancer Treatment Discovered In Nigeria

Research in new methods for the treatment of cancer has reached an advanced stage by Nigerian scholars. The new method would be different from the present means of treatment of  cancer and related diseases through chemotherapy.

The  President of the African University of Science and Technology (AUST ), Abuja, Professor Wole Soboyejo, disclosed this  yesterday  at the opening ceremony of a five-day workshop on Nanomedicine and Bio-Micro-Electrical Systems (BIOMEMS)  organised by the Federal University of Technology, Minna in collaboration with AUST.

According to him, the new method of treatment would be more effective than chemotherapy as the medicine is selective because when administered it will have direct effect on the region of the disease.

He explained that the present form of treatment was different because it must go through all the blood vessels before attacking the area of the disease.

He listed the advantages of  the new treatment to include less or no side effects on human body unlike chemotherapy that has side effect and is less cost effective because patients need to take large number of dosages of the medicine before it could go round the body to have impact on the affected areas.

Soboyejo said the new method had started eight years ago and had proven to be effective after testing it on animals adding that it would soon be tested on human beings.

He however said that to administer the new treatment , it must be through injection while pointing out that the workshop  was aimed at bringing young scholars and scientists on board for their contribution for the final outcome.

Culled from http://news.naij.com/9707.html

Fashola Signs New Law On Lagos Polytechnic

 Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Monday signed into law the new Lagos State Polytechnic Law, saying it will give muscle to the State’s technological and Science Education in such a way that is impactful.

The new Lagos State Polytechnic bill was passed by the State House of Assembly following the repeal of the old Lagos Polytechnic Law as a result of the several amendments made to it by the House.
The Governor, who spoke at the Conference Room of the Lagos House, Ikeja, added that Polytechnics are the bedrock of industrialization and innovation in the society where they are optimally utilized.


He described Polytechnics as a place where things are done rather than where they are propounded, stressing that they are the bulwark of productive activities in societies where they are optimized.
According to the Governor, “the new law will position the Lagos State Government to fully utilize its Polytechnic by laying emphasis on not only the objective of Polytechnics but focusing on how the government deploys its strongest resource, which is human capital, within the confines and precincts of the Polytechnic given a longer planning period”.


Governor Fashola added that the new law will ensure that academic staff give more of their skills before they are compulsorily taken out of service  just as it also gives the government the opportunity to get the greatest value for its resources. Thanking the State House of Assembly for its continuing intervention in a legislative manner in improving the wellbeing of residents of the state, Governor Fashola declared: “The new law will give muscle to the state’s educational commitment as a people to skill development, technical and science education at a level where it is able to be impactful on the nation’s development plans.”


Earlier, while giving an insight into the new law, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaiye, said while the Lagos State Polytechnic is not a new institution, in view of the several amendments made to the old law by the State House of Assembly, it was decided that a new law be enacted.
He added that the new law gives statutory powers to the State Polytechnic with all powers identified with statutory bodies in the education sector adding that part of what is included in the new law is a provision for the constitution of the governing council which has a four year tenure that is renewable once to now include a representative of the academic board, a representative of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), a member of a relevant professional body, the Alumni association and two representatives of the congregation made up of one academic and one non-academic members.


The law also makes the Governor the moderator of the Polytechnic with power to set up a Visitation Panel to the institution at any time he considers it necessary while the Rector of the institution will now be entitled to a single term of five years with two deputy rectors, one for the academics and the other for administration with a two year tenure that is renewable once.


Prominent among those who witnessed the law signing ceremony were the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a member of the State House of Assembly, Egberogbe Mufutau, members of the State Executive Council and Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Powers Bureau, Oloruntele Folami.



 Culled from http://news.naij.com/9813.html

OFFICE 365- A NEW PATH WAY IN BUSINESS

Emmanuel Onyeje, General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Marc Israel, Information Worker Business Group Lead, Microsoft Africa, Awawu Olumide-Sojinrin, Marketing Lead, Microsoft Nigeria and Dele Akinsade, Developer Platform and Evangelism Lead, Microsoft West East and Central Africa at a press briefing to announce the availability of Microsoft Office 365 in Nigeria

Awawu Olumide-Sojinrin, Marketing Lead, Microsoft Nigeria, Emmanuel Onyeje, General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Marc Israel, Information Worker Business Group Lead, Microsoft Africa and Dele Akinsade, Developer Platform and Evangelism Lead, Microsoft West East and Central Africa 

Microsoft Nigeria demonstrated its new product Office 365 for media practitioners in Lagos recently. According to General Manager of Microsoft Nigeria, Emmanuel Onyeje, “We are evolving from information age to the collaboration age, where ability to take action on information will set successful business apart from the rest”. Office 365 requires no IT skills and is readily available to all levels of entrepreneur at no extra cost.  Moreso, the launch of office 365 in Nigeria will accelerate that evolution by delivering enterprise- grade collaboration for all business: Large and small.

Furthermore, the Information Office Worker Business Group Lead for Microsoft Nigeria, Marc Israel said that Office 365 provides the productivity backbone for modern business in Africa. Office 365 brings together Microsoft Office, Microsoft Share point Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Lync online in an always up to date service at a predictable monthly cost. These tools put email, voicemail, enterprise social networking, instant messaging, web portals, extranets, video conferencing, web conferencing and more at everyone’s fingerprint.

The product is guaranteed of 99.5% availability and a promise of refund if it goes below 95.5%

DOCTORS ZAP HIGH BLOOD PRESSURES WITH RADIO RAVES

Recent research has shown that a radical therapy that zaps the Kidneys with radio waves could provide a permanent cure for high blood pressure. The procedure may be available on the United Kingdom National Health Scheme (NHS) as early as next year after trials showed it produced dramatic improvements in the condition.

The breakthrough could bring hope to the thousands of patients who do not respond to drugs. Change in lifestyles, such as cutting back on salt and alcohol and exercise, can control blood pressure and there are a number of drug treatment available. But many who are on medication, as many as five different types still have difficulty with it. It is this group that can be helped.

Professor Mar Caulfield, who has been involved in trials of the technique- Known as Renal Denervation said that he hoped that it will be offered on the NHS no later than April 2013. It could make a profound difference to a significant minority of high-risk patients; it might be tens of thousands.

The technique uses a burst of radiofrequency energy delivered through a catheter to knock out a number of tiny nerves that run in the lining of the arteries of the kidney. High blood pressure is sometimes caused by faulty signals from the brain to these nerves.

Latest findings from a trial show reductions in blood pressure for at least 18 months after treatment. Doctors in UK are setting up a registry to allow long term monitoring of all those having the procedure, but so far trials have shown no ill- effects.

AMSLN LAMENTS OVER POOR HEALTH SYSYETM IN NIGERIA

Association of Medical laboratory of Scientist of Nigeria (AMSLN) has raised their voices over the country’s health care system and lamented on its poor state. The health care system is so embarrassing that 20 percent of foreign patients seeking health care services in India are from Nigeria.

In a statement during the opening session of its 48^th yearly scientific conference in Benin City, Edo state with the theme “ Health System in Nigeria: The Medical Laboratory Imperatives”, the National President of the association, Dr. Godswill Okara warned that unless practitioners and other stakeholder adhere to the rules and regulations guiding the sector, the situation will worsen.  Okara said that as Nigerians continued to the search for solutions to the declining status of the health system and worsening health indices, the confidences of Nigerians in the sector was waning.

According to Okara, the unmitigated mismanagement and poor administrative leadership of the health sector is at the root of the crisis. This should be an issue for every right thinking Nigerians, how we as a nation got to this sad situation and how to get out of it. “Our nation Nigeria has continued the search for solutions to the declining status of the health system and the ever worsening health indices of poor maternal and infant mortality rates, the increasing lack of public confidence in our health system as reflected in the growing numbers of patients seeking medical attention abroad.” he said.

Dragnet SolutionsOpen Test Centres In UK AND US

Dragnet Solutions Limited has expanded operations with the commissioning of a second test centre in the United Kingdom and Houston, Texas, USA in their attempt to spread their outreach and attract component Nigerian professionals into the economy.

According to the Chief Executive officer, Mr. Robert Ikazoboh said the decision of the firm to expand its centres in USA and Houston was to informed by the need to provide job seekers and other Nigerian professionals who have had several years of challenges sitting for the test in Nigeria. This afore them a platform of writing their tests while still located abroad. Dragnet Solutions is a dynamic IT firm that specializes in the design, development and implementation of people screening solutions that can be employed in a variety of uses covering both the workplace and educational area. Moreso, Dragnet Solutions has designed and deployed an on-line simultaneous multi-location tests portal, which has commenced testing in the second centre in United Kingdom and is looking to extend its platform to other European Countries, Eastern and Western Africa

Further speaking, Ikazoboh said “The system allows applicants the convenience of seating their tests either locally or overseas and the results are made available to the employers on the same day irrespective of the location ensuring that overseas testing does not negatively impact the testing process in any manner”. He maintained that the option will save time, money and stress which foreign candidates may be subjected to in writing the tests.  “Slowdowns in the economies of some European countries have placed a huge limitation to the hitherto greener pastures for Nigerian graduates who are seeking better prospects in that continent. The Increasing demands by companies in Nigeria who require professionals to be recruited into their company, informs the development of their portal. Companies in the manufacturing and oil and gas sector have availed themselves of the Dragnet overseas testing platform”, He added.

Ikazoboh advised job seekers to avail themselves of these opportunities provided by the firm in realizing their goals and ambitions.

STEM CELL CURE FOR DEAF

UK researchers say they have taken a huge step forward in treating deafness after stem cells were used to restore hearing in animals for the first time. Hearing partially improved when nerves in the ear, which pass sounds into the brain, were rebuilt in gerbils - a UK study in the journal Nature reports. Getting the same improvement in people would be a shift from being unable to hear traffic to hearing a conversation.

  However, treating humans is still a distant prospect. If you want to listen to the radio or have a chat with a friend your ear has to convert sound waves in the air into electrical signals which the brain will understand. This happens deep inside the inner ear where vibrations move tiny hairs and this movement creates an electrical signal. However, in about one in 10 people with profound hearing loss, nerve cells which should pick up the signal are damaged. It is like dropping the baton after the first leg of a relay race. The aim of researchers at the University of Sheffield was to replace those baton-dropping nerve cells, called spiral ganglion neurons, with new ones.

While there is excitement at the prospect of using stem cells to restore nerves in the ear this exact technique will not help the vast, vast majority of people with hearing loss. Most hearing problems are caused by damage to the tiny delicate hairs which convert mechanical vibrations into electricity. This research group have also converted embryonic stem cells into the early versions of the hair cells. However, injecting them into the ear to restore hearing will be no easy task. The hairs cells all need to be in the exact place and pointing in exactly the right direction. Prof Dave Moore said using stem cells to repair the hairs was "almost an impossible task" and that the far-fetched concept of growing and transplanting a replacement ear seemed more likely. They used stem cells from a human embryo, which are capable of becoming any other type of cell in the human body from nerve to skin, muscle to kidney. A chemical soup was added to the stem cells that converted them into cells similar to the spiral ganglion neurons. These were then delicately injected into the inner ears of 18 deaf gerbils. Over 10 weeks the gerbils' hearing improved. On average 45% of their hearing range was restored by the end of the study. Dr Marcelo Rivolta said: "It would mean going from being so deaf that you wouldn't be able to hear a lorry or truck in the street to the point where you would be able to hear a conversation. "It is not a complete cure, they will not be able to hear a whisper, but they would certainly be able to maintain a conversation in a room." About a third of the gerbils responded really well to treatment with some regaining up to 90% of their hearing, while just under a third barely responded at all. Gerbils were used as they are able to hear a similar range of sounds to people, unlike mice which hear higher-pitched sounds.

Stem cell cure for the deafThe researchers detected the improvement in hearing by measuring brainwaves. The gerbils were also tested for only 10 weeks. If this became a treatment in humans then the effect would need to be shown over a much longer term. There are also questions around the safety and ethics of stem cell treatments which would need to be addressed. 'Tremendously encouraging' Prof Dave Moore, the director of the Medical Research Council's Institute of Hearing Research in Nottingham, told the BBC: "It is a big moment, it really is a major development." However, he cautioned that there will still be difficulties repeating the feat in people. "The biggest issue is actually getting into the part of the inner ear where they'll do some good. It's extremely tiny and very difficult to get to and that will be a really formidable undertaking," he said. Dr Ralph Holme, head of biomedical research for the charity Action on Hearing Loss, said: "The research is tremendously encouraging and gives us real hope that it will be possible to fix the actual cause of some types of hearing loss in the future. "For the millions of people for whom hearing loss is eroding their quality of life, this can't come soon enough."

The Business of Religion

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, kill and to destroy: I am come that they might have life and they might have it more abundantly” John 10:10 The exponential growth of churches in recent years has left questions on whether we have true place of worship. Many speculate that religious explosions have come to steal and not to save and give life. Religion in any given society is a sensitive issue. Arguably, Religion is believed to build or break any nation. It can unite or create division among a given society. With this in mind, we expect that for any religious group to be established, the leader must have focus, a goal and a purpose for establishing one.

It is no longer news that Nigeria is a hub of various religious practices with Christianity leading the pack. But long gone are the days where churches are worthy of their roles as havens and sanctuaries because many are being established for other reasons. We have situations whereby people set up churches for commercial purpose, making merchandise of gullible worshippers. In the biblical days, about 3,000 people became new believers when Peter preached the good news about Christ. These Christians were united with the other believers, taught by the apostles, and included in prayer meetings and fellowship. In the early years, churches were seen as places where spirit can be lifted, fellowship with other brethrens and a sanctuary of praise and worship in Nigeria. They were held in high esteem, as people believed that the churches were secret places of the Most High. But in our modern day society in Nigeria, many of these apostles of Christ gather the multitude for their own benefits. These multitudes are lead astray with various doctrines that contradict one another. Several of these churches under the helm of Pentecostal churches are no longer preaching or professing a spirit filled life but money filled life. They are glorified centers of mammon worship and apostasy. Most of these so-called anointed men on the pulpit of the self-christened ‘altar of God’ brainwash most of their congregational members to give the church the best of their time and service as they fleece them in the name of God. It is an open secret that joblessness has compelled a number of Nigerians to seek admission into Bible colleges with the sole aim of setting up churches to defraud unsuspecting worshippers.

Being called into ministry and being led by the Spirit of God to start a church are two different things. Greed and inordinate ambition to acquire wealth overnight now call many into ministry; hence most of these preachers have tainted the image of the church. In Lagos that is considered as the commercial and business hub of the nation, it is not a surprise to see several of these churches. They have become source of commercial activities with her populace patronizing them. Some call themselves new generation church. That is, they are modernized and practice the current trend of religion; are up to date with technological advancement. Others are called Pentecostals, the older generation church. Most of these churches have extremely hilarious names like Jehovah Sharp Sharp (Lagos), Hurricane Miracle Ministry, Healing Tsunami Ministry, Satan in Trouble Ministry, Fire for Fire Ministry, Go and tell Ahab that Elijah is here Ministry (Benin), God is Real Ministry, Strong Hand Of God Ministry, Best Spot In The Land of God church (Apapa), Jesus Of God Mission (Imo), Jesus In The New Global Ministry, Happy Go Lucky church of God Almighty (Abeokuta), Kasabubu Church of God (Ibadan), Face to face Ministry, Power pass Power church of the mountain ministry incorporated. Other includes: Liquid Fire Ministries (Suleja, Niger state), David kill Goliath Ministry (Kaduna), Moving Mountain Gospel church, Holy Ghost on Fire Ministry (Abuja), Devil Go Hear am Jesus Ministry, Accredited Church of God, Ministry of the unclad wire (Bayelsa state), Chukwudi & Son Evangelical Ministry (Aba), High Tension Ministry, Power Foundation Ministries (Aba), God in action Ministry, Angel of Fire Chapel of peace, Perfect Christianity Ministry, Elshaddai shall not Die ministries, Seven Thunder of Jesus, Jesus Living Wonders, God’s Mennonite Church, Guided Missiles church (Lagos), Jesus knows his children ministry (Benin) etc. the list is endless. One common feature of most of these churches is the building. Most are located in slums, uncompleted building, shambles etc. others look for open field and erect a shaky structure where they gather and fellowship. It is a common sight in Lagos to see at least two churches on the same street. On Sunday, when they hold services, it becomes competition of who is louder.

In the 1900’s, churches were seen as a sacred institution as such, only men that are spiritually inclined and are led after several conviction establish churches. These churches were based on truth and laid down doctrines. But in recent years, these have changes especially in the 21st century as Christianity has been proliferated in Nigeria. Churches are now seen as business venture as such, it is what the people want to hear, they preach. Some of these churches talk about success, prosperity, how to make money and other forms of earthly gratification that has no bearing on the spirituality of the faithful Christian. They ask for several offerings and tithes all in the name of God’s work should prosper. They are afraid to preach the truth because they don’t want to get into trouble with the “members” that are paying their bills. Some of the founders of these churches drive expensive cars, their children attend expensive schools and they travel out of the country anytime they want from money emanating from the church. The poor and the needy members of the society are not included in their plans. In some cases, if the pastor wants to build a church or undertake a special project, he calls for 10 people in the congregation. About 50 eventually get up so they don’t miss the ‘blessing’ of ‘giving to God’s cause’. But the irony of the issue is that some members of the congregation of this same church go hungry while their pastor enjoy a fulfilled life. A story was told recently of an Isolo, Lagos-based minister who buys an exotic car after every crusade the church organizes.

In most of these churches, members compete with one another especially in churches that are attended by rich people church. Most of these founders don’t care about what the people who patronise their churches do for a living. As long as tithes and offerings are paid regularly, they are fine. Most of them, the acclaimed Pentecostal churches, are silent on the role of Christians in the society. Apart from the church serving as a source of livehood, some of these churches run schools with them. It is now a common sight to behold that church premises also run a school ventures. They run day care, crèche, nursery and primary schools. Most of the members are coarse into bringing their children into these schools and they pay some exorbitant fees. Some school of thought wonder if the church is being finance by people, they ought to benefit from them. There are more churches in Nigeria than any other nation in the world. Most of these churches practice voodoo and hid under the guise of being a living church. Several of the church owners embark on these acts to gather multitude. They claim to perform miracles, thus enticing unsuspecting worshippers. Many of the unsuspecting members fall for the web of crafted lies and plans before they realize that they have derailed from the real Christian faith. Most of these fake churches capitalize on endless problems that people are facing and they promise to provide solution to them. One recent case of one of cruelty of these churches and it leaders was the death of a teenager who was taken for special prayers to pass her Senior School Certificate Exam (SSCE). The pastor told her mother that the girl needs to stay in the church for a period of seven days, fasting and praying. The unsuspecting mother left her child only to come return seven days later to meet the decomposing body of her child with signs of having been raped severally. To compound her woes, that was her only child.

According to a Pastor of a new generation church in Lagos, Pastor David Bamidele of Gospel Truth International, some of these pastors are not real. They don’t have the anointing of Christ, as they are signs of false prophets, which signify that the end time is near. He said people ought to be cautious of where they go to in search of miracles and blessings. Many of these pastors feed on the ignorance and pains of their congregational members and lead them astray through their preaching and works. Some schools of thought wonder if there are no laws that monitor the formation of churches in Nigeria. But in reality, most of these churches are not registered under the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Most of the founders just build their congregational members from million of ignorance publics. Despite all of these, there are true Bible believing and living church that adhere to moral discipline and integrity. There are still those churches that don’t care about the money or fame but on what the Bible says and stand for. The church says, they want to spread the gospel in our nation. If that is the reason why they set up branches around the world, no one should find fault in them. But when they now become ventures and have to remit some significant amount of money to their headquarter, they are force to join the race of business making church. I believe that a Christian has to be the light of the world. The church is an avenue to achieve this. The church should contribute to nation building. But the critical question is, are churches in Nigeria performing these roles? Are they building the family and the nation? Are they pacesetters in laying credible foundations for others to follow? When will they take the gospel beyond the phase of being a mere religion in my backyard?

http://www.ventures-africa.com/2012/03/the-business-of-religion-in-my-backyard/