Drama as young man calls out lady who said ‘God forbid’ when he told her he is Igbo

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According to Instagram user, Khene, while chatting with a 30 year old lady, he told her he is Igbo and she said ‘God forbid’.

He then shared a DM message he sent to her and called her out. See after the cut…

“When you know you are a very much old hag looking like a depleted self-con and yet you still want to be sliding into a younger guy’s dm asking his age and what he does just so you will know if he can marry you.

WTF?? @princess_kayajibade this is me calling you out. The bitch went on asking my age and what I do and when I told this fair kangaroo I was Igbo she opened her stinking gutter of a mouth to say God forbid look at how she looks at 30 and actually feels she still has a chance to be picky. It’s just February and yet this fool is a strong contender for the moron of the year award. With a stupid tattoo on her breast like the writings on the sign board of driving school centre.

River goat. The 2017 model of imbecile blocked me I would have posted a full screen shot of the messages. #dontinsultmytribe #goandgetyourselfahusband
#Igboandproud
#auntywontmarryanytimesoon
#leekwaAnuohia”

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Tech sector leads resistance to Trump travel ban…Read full details

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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: Activists participate in a protest against President Donald Trump's immigration policies in front of the Department of Homeland Security New York headquarters on February 6, 2017 in New York City. The event was sponsored by Amnesty International and called for a repeal of Trump's controversial Immigration order. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP

A coalition led by some of the world’s biggest tech firms is taking on President Donald Trump’s travel ban, signaling the contentious relationship between the sector and the White House could be about to get worse.

Scores of technology giants — including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter — filed a joint legal brief arguing against the temporary ban on refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Tesla and SpaceX were among another 30 companies that added their names to the filing late Monday, pushing the total to more than 120.

Elon Musk, chief of Tesla and SpaceX, is on a Trump advisory group and it remained to be seen what siding against the president’s order in court might mean to his role on that panel.

Uber founder Travis Kalanick quit Trump’s business advisory board last week, saying he did not want to be seen as endorsing the president’s policies.

The legal challenge suggests the important tech sector — which overwhelmingly opposed Trump in the November election — is likely to be headed for more battles with the new administration.

“The tech sector will stand up to the president when they see him threatening industry interests, and on the immigration issue all these companies depend heavily on foreign scientists and engineers,” said Darrell West, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation.

“I think there is likely to be an adversarial relationship because many tech companies are staffed by millennials, and dominated by young and progressive people who are opposed to what Trump is doing now.”

While the sector enjoyed cooperation and access to the White House during the presidency of Barack Obama, West said that “the technology sector doesn’t need much from government.”

“Almost all the tech innovation is funded by the private sector,” he added. “All they really want is a light regulatory touch.”

– Fear of next move –
The brief filed in a federal appeals court — in support of a suspension of the travel ban — said the order has already created disruption in the sector, which depends heavily on foreign-born talent.

“This instability and uncertainty will make it far more difficult and expensive for US companies to hire some of the world’s best talent — and impede them from competing in the global marketplace,” said the brief endorsed mostly by companies in the technology industry with some non-tech firms such as Levi Strauss and yogurt maker Chobani.

It argued that highly skilled people “will not wish to immigrate to the country if they may be cut off without warning from their spouses, grandparents, relatives, and friends.”

Companies backing the brief include Airbnb, Dropbox, eBay, Intel, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Lyft, Mozilla, Netflix, PayPal, Uber, Yelp, Pandora, and HP Inc.

Executives from several top Silicon Valley companies previously spoken out against the ban, which temporarily closed US borders to all refugees and travelers from seven mainly-Muslim nations — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Technology analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said the sector is fearful of Trump’s intentions.

The travel ban has raised concerns, but “it’s what that order heralds in terms of what’s likely to come next,” Kay said.

“The belief is that Trump hasn’t even started warming up yet. He hasn’t even gotten close to what he would like to do to the society. He’s just firing a few warning shots.”

Vivek Wadhwa, a tech entrepreneur who is a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering at Silicon Valley, echoed those sentiments, saying Trump “showed that he could at his whim target any group he wanted.”

“The fact that green card holders could be denied admission back into the country, that was the scariest thing possible,” Wadhwa added, referring to the contradictory messages issued in the wake of the decree over the status of green card holders on foreign travel.

– Creating distance –
Bob O’Donnell, a Silicon Valley analyst and consultant with Technalysis Research, foresees more clashes ahead including on Trump’s plan to tighten rules for the H1-B visa program for skilled workers and his vow bring manufacturing back to the United States.

Both of these issues are “huge potential concerns” for the tech industry, he said.

O’Donnell said most tech firms are loathe to cooperate with Trump, fearing it could hurt their image among his opponents — and hit their bottom line.

“Companies are concerned about impacting their perception among their employees as well as their customers,” O’Donnell said.

“They’re trying to figure out how to distance themselves” from the White House.

But in some areas, he says, the two sides may be forced to work together, such as complex matters related to law enforcement access to encrypted devices.

“You can’t put an executive order on encryption, there’s way too much involved,” he said.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2jWIM4A

Tech sector leads resistance to Trump travel ban

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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: Activists participate in a protest against President Donald Trump's immigration policies in front of the Department of Homeland Security New York headquarters on February 6, 2017 in New York City. The event was sponsored by Amnesty International and called for a repeal of Trump's controversial Immigration order. Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP

A coalition led by some of the world’s biggest tech firms is taking on President Donald Trump’s travel ban, signaling the contentious relationship between the sector and the White House could be about to get worse.

Scores of technology giants — including Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter — filed a joint legal brief arguing against the temporary ban on refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Tesla and SpaceX were among another 30 companies that added their names to the filing late Monday, pushing the total to more than 120.

Elon Musk, chief of Tesla and SpaceX, is on a Trump advisory group and it remained to be seen what siding against the president’s order in court might mean to his role on that panel.

Uber founder Travis Kalanick quit Trump’s business advisory board last week, saying he did not want to be seen as endorsing the president’s policies.

The legal challenge suggests the important tech sector — which overwhelmingly opposed Trump in the November election — is likely to be headed for more battles with the new administration.

“The tech sector will stand up to the president when they see him threatening industry interests, and on the immigration issue all these companies depend heavily on foreign scientists and engineers,” said Darrell West, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation.

“I think there is likely to be an adversarial relationship because many tech companies are staffed by millennials, and dominated by young and progressive people who are opposed to what Trump is doing now.”

While the sector enjoyed cooperation and access to the White House during the presidency of Barack Obama, West said that “the technology sector doesn’t need much from government.”

“Almost all the tech innovation is funded by the private sector,” he added. “All they really want is a light regulatory touch.”

– Fear of next move –
The brief filed in a federal appeals court — in support of a suspension of the travel ban — said the order has already created disruption in the sector, which depends heavily on foreign-born talent.

“This instability and uncertainty will make it far more difficult and expensive for US companies to hire some of the world’s best talent — and impede them from competing in the global marketplace,” said the brief endorsed mostly by companies in the technology industry with some non-tech firms such as Levi Strauss and yogurt maker Chobani.

It argued that highly skilled people “will not wish to immigrate to the country if they may be cut off without warning from their spouses, grandparents, relatives, and friends.”

Companies backing the brief include Airbnb, Dropbox, eBay, Intel, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Lyft, Mozilla, Netflix, PayPal, Uber, Yelp, Pandora, and HP Inc.

Executives from several top Silicon Valley companies previously spoken out against the ban, which temporarily closed US borders to all refugees and travelers from seven mainly-Muslim nations — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Technology analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates said the sector is fearful of Trump’s intentions.

The travel ban has raised concerns, but “it’s what that order heralds in terms of what’s likely to come next,” Kay said.

“The belief is that Trump hasn’t even started warming up yet. He hasn’t even gotten close to what he would like to do to the society. He’s just firing a few warning shots.”

Vivek Wadhwa, a tech entrepreneur who is a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering at Silicon Valley, echoed those sentiments, saying Trump “showed that he could at his whim target any group he wanted.”

“The fact that green card holders could be denied admission back into the country, that was the scariest thing possible,” Wadhwa added, referring to the contradictory messages issued in the wake of the decree over the status of green card holders on foreign travel.

– Creating distance –
Bob O’Donnell, a Silicon Valley analyst and consultant with Technalysis Research, foresees more clashes ahead including on Trump’s plan to tighten rules for the H1-B visa program for skilled workers and his vow bring manufacturing back to the United States.

Both of these issues are “huge potential concerns” for the tech industry, he said.

O’Donnell said most tech firms are loathe to cooperate with Trump, fearing it could hurt their image among his opponents — and hit their bottom line.

“Companies are concerned about impacting their perception among their employees as well as their customers,” O’Donnell said.

“They’re trying to figure out how to distance themselves” from the White House.

But in some areas, he says, the two sides may be forced to work together, such as complex matters related to law enforcement access to encrypted devices.

“You can’t put an executive order on encryption, there’s way too much involved,” he said.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2jWHTsM

Leicester fairytale lurches into nightmare…See full details

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Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (R) makes a save to prevent Manchester United's Spanish midfielder Juan Mata having a shot on goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Manchester United at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on February 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Ben STANSALL /

The urgent tone in Kasper Schmeichel’s voice said everything about the fate that has befallen Leicester City, fairytale Premier League champions become shock relegation candidates.

“We’re the reigning champions and quite frankly it’s been terrible. It’s been embarrassing,” the Danish goalkeeper told a television reporter after Leicester’s 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

“It’s time for every single one of us, right from the top to the bottom of this club, to stand up and be counted because if we don’t, we’re going to end up getting relegated.”

A year on from a stunning 3-1 win at Manchester City that sent them five points clear at the league summit, the loss to United left Claudio Ranieri’s men a solitary point above the relegation zone.

Just nine months after the dizzy climax to their 5,000-1 title triumph, Leicester face the prospect of becoming England’s first defending champions to be relegated since Manchester City in 1938.

Beaten only three times last season, they have lost 13 times already this term — losing their last four league games without scoring a goal — and are still to win a single game away from home.

“Last season was a freak, so this is what you’d expect from Leicester: fighting relegation,” said former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

“They have got to do something before the end of the season because one of the great sporting stories of all-time could become a story for all the wrong reasons.”

Leicester’s woes are embodied by the dismal form of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, the rough-cut attacking stars whose goals and assists catapulted the Foxes to the title last May.

Leicester’s top scorer in 2015-16 with 24 goals, Vardy has found the net only five times since the start of the campaign.

Mahrez won a glut of individual awards after scoring 17 goals and supplying 11 assists last term, but the Algeria winger has scored only three times and created just two goals since the start of the season.

– Tactical tinkering –
One-man midfield N’Golo Kante, Leicester’s other stand-out player last season, was the only departure during the close season and the club have failed to plug the hole created by his move to current leaders Chelsea.

“(Robert) Huth and (Wes) Morgan without Kante in front of them are like Huth and Morgan,” Leicester old boy Gary Lineker tweeted sardonically as United’s forwards gave Leicester’s centre-backs the runaround on Sunday.

Injury has hampered Nampalys Mendy since he signed from Nice and with Daniel Amartey an unconvincing stop-gap, Leicester splashed out £15 million ($18.7 million, 17.4 million euros) to sign Wilfred Ndidi last month.

Leicester lost head of recruitment Steve Walsh to Everton after last season’s triumph and their transfer activity since has been patchy.

Islam Slimani, a club-record £30 million acquisition from Sporting Lisbon, has been a useful addition, his six goals to date including winners against Porto and West Ham United.

But Ahmed Musa has not convinced, Mendy has barely played, Ron-Robert Zieler has looked a less than capable deputy for Schmeichel and Luis Hernandez lasted just half a season before being sold to Malaga.

Ranieri’s tactical tinkering has also come under the spotlight.

Leicester stuck with a tried and tested 4-4-2 system throughout last season, but the Italian’s attempts to broaden his players’ horizons this term have produced some confused performances.

Reports emerged last week that Ranieri is facing squad unrest over his tactics and selection decisions and he is now the British bookmakers’ favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.

Leicester face a potentially defining run of fixtures, with Wednesday’s FA Cup replay at home to east Midlands rivals Derby County followed by a trip to fellow strugglers Swansea City.

They will then visit Sevilla for the club’s first ever Champions League knockout game, a reminder of glories past that are rapidly retreating into memory.

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Gel alternative to vasectomy works in monkeys

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monkeys squatting a facade of the defence ministry building. A gel squirted into the sperm ducts of monkeys has been effective at preventing pregnancy, said a study on February 7, 2017 which offered hope of a solution for men reluctant to go under the knife for family planning. While several birth control options exist for women, the race is on for a non-surgical, long-term and reversible male contraceptive without the side effects of hormonal changes. / AFP PHOTO / CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT

A gel squirted into the sperm ducts of monkeys has been effective at preventing pregnancy, said a study Tuesday which offered hope of a solution for men reluctant to go under the knife for family planning.

While several birth control options exist for women, the race is on for a non-surgical, long-term and reversible male contraceptive without the side effects of hormonal changes.

The only short-term solutions available today are condoms, which many people complain interfere with sex, and withdrawal before ejaculation, which comes with a high risk of pregnancy.

Longer term, the sole option is a vasectomy, which involves tying or cutting the sperm-conducting tubes called vas deferens. This prevents sperm from mixing with seminal fluid ejaculated during sex.

Vasectomies can be reversed in some cases, but the procedure is technically challenging and leads to low rates of fertility.

Researchers in the United States are developing a possible alternative, dubbed Vasalgel, which has proven effective in rabbits and now also in rhesus monkeys — more closely related and anatomically similar to humans.

Vasalgel is a polymer gel injected directly into the vas deferens, creating a blockage in the tube that transports sperm from the testes out through the penis.

In an experiment at the California National Primate Research Center, 16 adult male monkeys were treated. They were housed with females, and monitored for up to two years — covering at least one breeding season per animal.

“Treated males have had no conceptions since Vasalgel injections,” the research team wrote in the journal Basic and Clinical Andrology.

– Minimal complications –
Normally, the expected pregnancy rate among females housed with males would have been about 80 percent.

“The presence of Vasalgel appears to be well tolerated and placement resulted in minimal complications,” the researchers wrote.

One monkey of the 16 had symptoms of sperm granuloma, a buildup in the vas deferens which is a common complication in about 60 percent of human vasectomies, they added.

Not yet tested in monkeys, the reversibility of the method was tested in earlier experiments in rabbits, when the gel was successfully flushed out with solution of sodium bicarbonate.

Preparations are underway for a clinical trial with Vasalgel in humans, said the Parsemus Foundation, a non-profit organisation funding the product’s development.

The research has benefits for the monkeys as well, researchers added.

It is ideal to house captive rhesus monkeys in groups for their social welfare, but populations can quickly explode due to high fertility.

And vasectomy in monkeys is more complex than in humans, with many complications.

“We were impressed that this alternative worked in every single monkey, even though this was our first time trying it,” said Angela Colagross-Schouten, the project’s lead veterinarian.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kglZlh

Leicester fairytale lurches into nightmare

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Leicester City's Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel (R) makes a save to prevent Manchester United's Spanish midfielder Juan Mata having a shot on goal during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Manchester United at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on February 5, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Ben STANSALL /

The urgent tone in Kasper Schmeichel’s voice said everything about the fate that has befallen Leicester City, fairytale Premier League champions become shock relegation candidates.

“We’re the reigning champions and quite frankly it’s been terrible. It’s been embarrassing,” the Danish goalkeeper told a television reporter after Leicester’s 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

“It’s time for every single one of us, right from the top to the bottom of this club, to stand up and be counted because if we don’t, we’re going to end up getting relegated.”

A year on from a stunning 3-1 win at Manchester City that sent them five points clear at the league summit, the loss to United left Claudio Ranieri’s men a solitary point above the relegation zone.

Just nine months after the dizzy climax to their 5,000-1 title triumph, Leicester face the prospect of becoming England’s first defending champions to be relegated since Manchester City in 1938.

Beaten only three times last season, they have lost 13 times already this term — losing their last four league games without scoring a goal — and are still to win a single game away from home.

“Last season was a freak, so this is what you’d expect from Leicester: fighting relegation,” said former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

“They have got to do something before the end of the season because one of the great sporting stories of all-time could become a story for all the wrong reasons.”

Leicester’s woes are embodied by the dismal form of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, the rough-cut attacking stars whose goals and assists catapulted the Foxes to the title last May.

Leicester’s top scorer in 2015-16 with 24 goals, Vardy has found the net only five times since the start of the campaign.

Mahrez won a glut of individual awards after scoring 17 goals and supplying 11 assists last term, but the Algeria winger has scored only three times and created just two goals since the start of the season.

– Tactical tinkering –
One-man midfield N’Golo Kante, Leicester’s other stand-out player last season, was the only departure during the close season and the club have failed to plug the hole created by his move to current leaders Chelsea.

“(Robert) Huth and (Wes) Morgan without Kante in front of them are like Huth and Morgan,” Leicester old boy Gary Lineker tweeted sardonically as United’s forwards gave Leicester’s centre-backs the runaround on Sunday.

Injury has hampered Nampalys Mendy since he signed from Nice and with Daniel Amartey an unconvincing stop-gap, Leicester splashed out £15 million ($18.7 million, 17.4 million euros) to sign Wilfred Ndidi last month.

Leicester lost head of recruitment Steve Walsh to Everton after last season’s triumph and their transfer activity since has been patchy.

Islam Slimani, a club-record £30 million acquisition from Sporting Lisbon, has been a useful addition, his six goals to date including winners against Porto and West Ham United.

But Ahmed Musa has not convinced, Mendy has barely played, Ron-Robert Zieler has looked a less than capable deputy for Schmeichel and Luis Hernandez lasted just half a season before being sold to Malaga.

Ranieri’s tactical tinkering has also come under the spotlight.

Leicester stuck with a tried and tested 4-4-2 system throughout last season, but the Italian’s attempts to broaden his players’ horizons this term have produced some confused performances.

Reports emerged last week that Ranieri is facing squad unrest over his tactics and selection decisions and he is now the British bookmakers’ favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.

Leicester face a potentially defining run of fixtures, with Wednesday’s FA Cup replay at home to east Midlands rivals Derby County followed by a trip to fellow strugglers Swansea City.

They will then visit Sevilla for the club’s first ever Champions League knockout game, a reminder of glories past that are rapidly retreating into memory.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kBVWpP

Want to avoid miscarriage? Enjoy avocado, nuts, spinach

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*Skipping breakfast associated with obesity, heart disease
Eating nuts, kale and avocado could help protect women from suffering a miscarriage, new research suggests. Being deficient in vitamin E starves an embryo of vital energy and nutrients it needs to grow, scientists have found.

This can cause severe neurological damage – ultimately leading to the loss of a pregnancy. Experts now claim women planning to become pregnant should consume foods high in the mineral or take supplements.

Researchers from Oregon State University conducted their study on zebrafish embryos – which have a similar neurological development to humans. They found that a severe deficiency caused the depletion of essential fatty acids, specifically the omega-3 DHA.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for the growth and functional development of the brain in infants.

When the growing embryo is diminished of these, cells start to use glucose to prevent and reduce damage in the womb. However, this prevents glucose from being used for its main purpose – providing humans with energy. This then prevents many physical and neurological features – especially the brain – from forming correctly.

Ultimately, this can lead to the loss of a pregnancy, the researchers warned in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

They discovered that in zebrafish, a severe vitamin E deficiency is responsible for 80 per cent of miscarriages.

Despite also being found in sweet potatoes, avocados and sunflower seeds, US researchers previously noted that 96 per cent of women consume inadequate amounts of the vitamin. And given these statistics, experts warn women should take supplements to ensure they have sufficient amounts if they desire children.

Meanwhile, skipping breakfast raises the risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, a major review has concluded.

Heart experts in the United States (U.S.) issued new advice stressing the importance of a morning meal. And they warned up to a third of adults skip breakfast and then snack and graze throughout the day – a pattern which could play havoc with their health.

The new guidance, issued by the American Heart Association, was backed by British experts, who said similar trends are all too common in this country.

Victoria Taylor, a dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “In the United Kingdom (U.K.) our lifestyles have become more demanding and as a result our meal patterns have become more varied and irregular.

“Compared with 30 years ago, more meals are skipped or eaten on the go, and later in the day. This study shows that it’s not only what we eat but also when we eat it that affects our risk of heart disease.”

The review, led by experts at Columbia University in New York, US, concluded people who eat a regular healthy breakfast are less likely to pile on calories later in the day.

This means their body has more time to burn off energy before they go to sleep.

People should also try to restrict their eating to main meals and not snack between them, the experts said, warning people of the danger of ‘emotional’ eating.

They should aim to consume between 15 and 25 per cent of their daily energy intake at breakfast time, between 300 and 500 calories for a woman and between 375 and 625 for a man.

The scientists did not define exactly what people should eat, but said a healthy breakfast should be high in nutrients such as fibre, calcium, potassium and vitamin D.

Professor Marie-Pierre St-Onge of Columbia University, who led the review panel, said: “Meal timing may affect health due to its impact on the body’s internal clock.

“We suggest eating mindfully, by paying attention to planning both what you eat and when you eat meals and snacks, to combat emotional eating.

“Many people find that emotions can trigger eating episodes when they are not hungry, which often leads to eating too many calories from foods that have low nutritional value.”

Her team cited previous studies, which have shown people who usually skip breakfast have a 27 per cent increased risk of suffering a heart attack, and are 18 per cent more likely to have a stroke.

Other studies found people who ate breakfast every day were less likely to have high cholesterol and blood pressure, and people who skip breakfast are more likely to be obese be diagnosed with diabetes.

Growing evidence suggests the demise of the family meal eaten at a dinner table, and the boom in sandwich chains and fast food restaurants, means we are increasingly snacking on the go.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2jWIJWh

United Capital’s Wealth for Women Fund offers high-tield investment opportunities for financial empowerment

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Oluwatoyin Sanni, Group CEO, United Capital Plc and Alex Osunde, Managing Director, Sewa Capital (Lead Issuing House)at the signing ceremony in Lagos for United Capital's two new mutual funds: the United Capital Nigerian Eurobond Fund and the United Capital Wealth for Women Fund

As the number of working women who earn a steady income increases, there has been a steady rise in the demand for financial advice and investible products suited particularly to the needs of women. Conversely, with more women in managerial and entrepreneurial roles in small and large organisations across the nation, the opportunities for investing in female-led companies have never been so plentiful.

Recognising these realities, one of Nigeria’s leading investment banks, United Capital, has launched an investment vehicle that enables women to invest profitably in Nigeria’s capital markets, particularly in companies run by women.

The investment firm, through its new ‘Wealth for Women Mutual Fund’, will invest in publicly quoted companies who have women as the majority in their board and senior management.

In doing this, United Capital’s Wealth for Women Fund is meeting the pressing need of investing in, and showing support for African women. Some goals it aims to achieve are: enhancing the financial security of women; encouraging women to imbibe a progressive savings culture; increasing women’s participation in Nigeria’s capital markets; and creating a sustainable foundation for women’s financial empowerment and development in Nigeria.

For women (and men) choosing to invest in this fund, there are a number of benefits that they can enjoy, such as tax-exempt dividend payments, professional expertise from United Capital’s fund managers, and flexibility in terms of an easy entry and exit plan, such that they can invest and withdraw as they please. Additionally, they can enjoy redemptions within five days.

Financial service providers in other climes have caught wind of this trend and are offering a fully developed niche of woman-centric financial services that offer special advantages for women. These services empower them by giving them an opportunity to transform their savings into strong financial assets that will see them diversify their income and build lasting wealth. United Capital, with the launching of this fund, has demonstrated its interest and commitment to women by pioneering this niche in the Nigerian capital market.

This article is brought to you by United Capital, and written by Guardian Brand Studio. To learn more about United Capital Asset Management’s Mutual Funds, visit http://ift.tt/2kHr1uw

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2kHpkNM

Medical trip re-ignites calls for specialised healthcare facilities (Read full details)

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President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the United Kingdom has reignited calls for a quaternary hospital to be located at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Stakeholders in the health sector, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), also called for the refurbishing of the existing 20 teaching hospitals nationwide and increasing of the budgetary allocation for health from 3.75 per cent in the 2016 budget to at least 15 per cent in that of 2017.

Tertiary and quaternary healthcare refers to specialised care available in referral centres and very rarely accessible to the general public. The term quaternary care is sometimes used as an extension of a tertiary care in reference to advanced levels of medicine, which are highly specialised and not widely accessed.

Experimental medicine and some types of uncommon diagnostic or surgical procedures are considered quaternary care. These services are usually only offered in a limited number of regional or national healthcare centres. A quaternary care hospital may have virtually any procedure available, whereas a tertiary care facility may not.

The past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan had concluded plans for the establishment of a quaternary hospital but could not execute it due to lack of funds and low budgetary allocation to the sector. It, however, transmitted the plans to President Buhari’s government.

According to an ‘Update on the On-going Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/VAMED Engineering Teaching Hospitals Rehabilitation Project’ submitted to the President Buhari by the Federal Ministry of Health, Jonathan, based on the advice of the then Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Minister of Finance and Infrastructure Concession Commission (ICRC), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, approved the third phase of the project to be implemented through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) considering the tight economic situation in the country.

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FG dismisses HIV/AIDS cure claims (Read full details)

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PHOTO: Shutterstock

The Federal Government through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has dismissed the claims by a Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Clinical Virology at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Maduike Ezeibe, to have discovered a new drug for the cure of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

An editorial in a Nigerian newspaper, not The Guardian, quoted the professor as saying that the drug, produced with “Aluminum Magnesium Silicate” was tested on ten persons living with HIV. The newspaper reported a clinical outcome of an ability to “reach all cells” and making HIV “a conquered organism.”

Director-General, NACA, Dr. Sani Aliyu, and Chief Executive Officer NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, in a joint statement yesterday said there was no evidence from the publication that the authors obtained ethical clearance from an appropriate body in Nigeria to conduct this study, and only ambiguous evidence that informed consent was sought from the evidently vulnerable patients.

They said there is really no basis for a claim to cure of AIDS in this study and are concerned that the publicity given to this claims will stop patients with HIV from taking life-saving anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and give them false hope of a cure.

The statement noted: “It will be a great disservice to this vulnerable group of patients for the media to disseminate this claims in the absence of sound scientific evidence. There are long established, tried and tested routes for the discovery, development and validation of modern medicines before they can be registered and used for treatment in humans and animals.”

NACA and NCDC called on all academics to follow legal and scientifically acceptable methods in conducting their research and to avoid making premature claims capable of derailing the huge progress made in the last two decades on the war against HIV/AIDS.

The government agencies said millions of lives have been saved as a result of modern antiretroviral treatment and people living with HIV can now look forward to a normal healthy future. They, however, said they will continue to support the hard and diligent work being done by scientists in Nigerian universities and research institutions around the country. “We are always ready to partner with our scientists on all aspects of HIV research provided this is in line with international best practice,” they noted.

NACA and NCDC called on editors of media houses in Nigeria to seek comments from the leadership of relevant government parastatals and professional bodies when it receives new research findings related to their areas of responsibility. “We assure you that we will respond rapidly and constructively to any queries. We also urge the editors of media houses in Nigeria to support their reporters to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in the clinical trial process. In the run up to the next deadline, it is easy to fall into the trap of doing more harm than good, and the consequences of this can be deadly in the health sector. We will support the evolution of robust science journalism in Nigeria,” they noted.

They called on all patients living with HIV that are currently taking their medications to continue to do so and to see their doctors if they have any concern.

According to the statement, the NACA helpline (6222) is available on working days from 8am-8pm for the public seeking more information on HIV disease.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2kN1TlV

Medical trip re-ignites calls for specialised healthcare facilities

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President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the United Kingdom has reignited calls for a quaternary hospital to be located at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Stakeholders in the health sector, including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), also called for the refurbishing of the existing 20 teaching hospitals nationwide and increasing of the budgetary allocation for health from 3.75 per cent in the 2016 budget to at least 15 per cent in that of 2017.

Tertiary and quaternary healthcare refers to specialised care available in referral centres and very rarely accessible to the general public. The term quaternary care is sometimes used as an extension of a tertiary care in reference to advanced levels of medicine, which are highly specialised and not widely accessed.

Experimental medicine and some types of uncommon diagnostic or surgical procedures are considered quaternary care. These services are usually only offered in a limited number of regional or national healthcare centres. A quaternary care hospital may have virtually any procedure available, whereas a tertiary care facility may not.

The past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan had concluded plans for the establishment of a quaternary hospital but could not execute it due to lack of funds and low budgetary allocation to the sector. It, however, transmitted the plans to President Buhari’s government.

According to an ‘Update on the On-going Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN)/VAMED Engineering Teaching Hospitals Rehabilitation Project’ submitted to the President Buhari by the Federal Ministry of Health, Jonathan, based on the advice of the then Coordinating Minister of the Economy/Minister of Finance and Infrastructure Concession Commission (ICRC), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, approved the third phase of the project to be implemented through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) considering the tight economic situation in the country.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2ldWzIX

FG dismisses HIV/AIDS cure claims

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PHOTO: Shutterstock

The Federal Government through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has dismissed the claims by a Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Clinical Virology at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Maduike Ezeibe, to have discovered a new drug for the cure of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

An editorial in a Nigerian newspaper, not The Guardian, quoted the professor as saying that the drug, produced with “Aluminum Magnesium Silicate” was tested on ten persons living with HIV. The newspaper reported a clinical outcome of an ability to “reach all cells” and making HIV “a conquered organism.”

Director-General, NACA, Dr. Sani Aliyu, and Chief Executive Officer NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, in a joint statement yesterday said there was no evidence from the publication that the authors obtained ethical clearance from an appropriate body in Nigeria to conduct this study, and only ambiguous evidence that informed consent was sought from the evidently vulnerable patients.

They said there is really no basis for a claim to cure of AIDS in this study and are concerned that the publicity given to this claims will stop patients with HIV from taking life-saving anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and give them false hope of a cure.

The statement noted: “It will be a great disservice to this vulnerable group of patients for the media to disseminate this claims in the absence of sound scientific evidence. There are long established, tried and tested routes for the discovery, development and validation of modern medicines before they can be registered and used for treatment in humans and animals.”

NACA and NCDC called on all academics to follow legal and scientifically acceptable methods in conducting their research and to avoid making premature claims capable of derailing the huge progress made in the last two decades on the war against HIV/AIDS.

The government agencies said millions of lives have been saved as a result of modern antiretroviral treatment and people living with HIV can now look forward to a normal healthy future. They, however, said they will continue to support the hard and diligent work being done by scientists in Nigerian universities and research institutions around the country. “We are always ready to partner with our scientists on all aspects of HIV research provided this is in line with international best practice,” they noted.

NACA and NCDC called on editors of media houses in Nigeria to seek comments from the leadership of relevant government parastatals and professional bodies when it receives new research findings related to their areas of responsibility. “We assure you that we will respond rapidly and constructively to any queries. We also urge the editors of media houses in Nigeria to support their reporters to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in the clinical trial process. In the run up to the next deadline, it is easy to fall into the trap of doing more harm than good, and the consequences of this can be deadly in the health sector. We will support the evolution of robust science journalism in Nigeria,” they noted.

They called on all patients living with HIV that are currently taking their medications to continue to do so and to see their doctors if they have any concern.

According to the statement, the NACA helpline (6222) is available on working days from 8am-8pm for the public seeking more information on HIV disease.

Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lj7uOq

Egypt salutes team after ‘dignified’ performance…See full details

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A handout picture released by the Egyptian Presidency on February 6, 2017 shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (2nd-L) welcoming the Egyptian National Team players at Cairo International Airport. AFP

The Egyptian president and newspapers applauded the “dignity” of the national football team yesterday, calling them champions despite agonisingly losing the Africa Cup of Nations final 2-1 to Cameroun.

Arsenal midfielder, Mohamed Elneny, gave Egypt the lead midway through the first half on Sunday and they looked to be on course to win an unrivalled eighth Cup of Nations crown in their first appearance at the tournament since 2010.
But Cameroun hit back and Vincent Aboubakar came off the bench to score a stunning winner with two minutes left to break Egyptian hearts.

“We have lost with dignity,” read the headline of the privately owned Al-Shorouk newspaper.

“The Pharaohs have lost 2-1 in the finals after a dignified performance,” said the state-owned Al-Akhbar newspaper.

The private Al-Watan newspaper chimed: “The cup was lost but we won the national team.”

“You have honoured us, champions… We’ll meet at the World Cup,” the privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper added.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his “great appreciation” to the players on their “dignified performance” in Gabon.

“Despite the result of the game the national team has won the appreciation of the entire Egyptian people and the respect of all football fans around the world,” said Sisi in a statement.

Thousands of fanatical Egyptians gathered in front of massive screens in the 6 October suburb in western Cairo, as they did all over the country, blowing Vuvuzelas and waving Egyptian flags.

The Vuvuzela horns fell silent at the final whistle.

“I’m in shock,” said 30-year-old engineer Ayman Abou el-Nour, who was watching the game with his wife and two children. “We needed something to bring us happiness. Our problem now is that we don’t have anything to make us happy.”

Egyptians, grappling with skyrocketing prices and political turmoil, hope next year’s World Cup will offer some more respite. “We have lost the cup but we still have a chance to reach the World Cup. That is the big dream,” said 20-year-old student Ahmed Alaa.

•Culled from AFP.

Vía Uzomedia http://ift.tt/2ljiqeV