Chioma Umeha

By Chioma Umeha Chris Wulff-Caesar has been appointed Marketing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC with effect from April 1, 2018. A statement weekend, signed by Ore Famurewa, Corporate Affairs Director, FrieslandCampina said that with the appointment, Chris has joined the management team of the company and will report to the Managing Director, Ben Langat. He will be located in Lagos, Nigeria, and will lead the marketing team behind Nigeria’s iconic milk brand – Peak, to drive strong consumer experience and innovation. Managing Director, Ben Langat, said: “We’re making massive strides towards increasing the dairy portfolio for consumer preference and living our mission of providing quality and affordable nutrition for Nigerians; together with Chris, we will continue to put consumer first in realising our business ambitions.” Until his appointment at FrieslandCampina WAMCO, Chris Wulff-Caesar was the Marketing Director, West Africa (Ghana and Nig

By Chioma Umeha In line with its goal to promote good nutrition, education and sports among underserved children and their families, Helen Keller International (HKI) in partnership with Lagos State government and support from Mondelez International Foundation has flag-off healthy lifestyle programmes. The initiative, which runs from January 2018 to December 2020, in partnership with Lagos State government and support from Mondelez International Foundation is part of the foundation’s multi-year $50 million focused on healthy lifestyle programmes. Speaking in Lagos at inception meeting which attracted stakeholders from different Ministries in the State, Philomena Orji, the Country Director, Hellen Keller International said that the aim of the programme is to directly reach 6,000 pupils in Ikeja area of Lagos State. The objectives of the programme is to integrate more nutritious foods into local production by training teachers, parents and volunteers on best pra

By Our Correspondents Irregular periods can indicate that you are ovulating inconsistently or, in some cases, not at all. As you already know, it is impossible to conceive without an egg, so the less you ovulate the less opportunities you have to conceive. So here is a guide to improving your chances of getting pregnant if you have irregular periods. Firstly, it will be important to try to restore some regularity to your cycle and increase the frequency of ovulation. Lifestyle changes can help you improve the balance of your hormones and help to make your periods more regular: •Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet: Try to incorporate more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and avoid foods that are high in refined carbohydrates and fat. •Attain a healthy weight: If you are overweight, losing a few pounds through a moderate calorie restriction and moderate exercise can be very beneficial, especially if you have been diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO

By Chioma Umeha Desperately in need of surgery to alleviate the ravages of sickle cell disease and previous medical care that worsened his condition, Abiodun Bakare a university student, was about to give up hope when he discovered the cost of his surgery would be N18 million (about $50,000). Bakare, his family and friends had done their research and discovered that a hospital in India could provide him with the care he needed, but the cost of the care and the journey was well beyond his reach. Digging deeper, Bakare was determined to solve his challenge locally, and finally his search connected him with a hospital in Nigeria’s northern state of Sokoto where medical experts agreed to perform the operation for a nominal fee. Bakare’s friends jumped in, launched a social media fundraising campaign, and pulled together the money needed for the operation. However, Bakare still had to overcome one huge hurdle: how to get to the hospital. The 18-hour overland j

Dr. Nofiu Aigoro, Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Health, attending to an infant during a malnutrition management training to mark this year’s World Health Day, in Abeokuta, recently. By Chioma Umeha Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) in collaboration with the Ogun State Ministry of Health conducted a   training for primary healthcare professionals in Abeokuta, weekend to mark this year’s World Health Day. According to NNIA, this year’s theme, “Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere,” which focuses on ensuring that all people can get quality health services, where and when they need them, without suffering financial hardship professionals is in line with NNIA’s vision and mandate. Various primary healthcare professionals from 110 from Abeokuta North local government area of Ogun state attended the one-day training tagged, “Malnutrition in the First Years of Life: Its Assessment and Management’’ which held at Nigeria Medical Associ

.10,000 Nigeria Women May Die From Unsafe Abortion - Experts By Chioma Umeha “I was raped in school. As a result of this, I became pregnant. I was 13 at that time. Then, I was in Junior Secondary School (JSS) two. So I did not know that I was pregnant. When my parents found out that I was pregnant, they told me to go for abortion. “They took me to a particular nurse somewhere in Okobaba, which is close to where we live at Otumara Community at Apapa Road, Ebute Metta, in Lagos. The nurse gave me an injection in her house one Saturday morning. I don’t know what type of injection I was given, but the nurse assured us that the pregnancy would be terminated the next two days – Monday. “That fateful Monday, I was in the bathroom when I passed the foetus. It was like a heavy period, all at once. I lost a lot of blood such that I felt dizzy while walking, yet no medication was given to support me. This was the confession of Esther, (not real name) a 17-years-old

By Chioma Umeha Promasidor Nigeria Limited has donated various products to Empower 54 Project in support of its programme aimed at eradicating malnutrition among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria. The donation, which took place last week, would in no small measure help to boost the worthy initiative of the organisation, which is at the forefront of eradicating malnutrition in the country. Promasidor’s support to Empower 54 is in line with its corporate social responsibility policy, which has seen it contribute to worthy causes across the country. Expressing delight at the gesture, Princess Modupe Ozolua, Founder and President of Empower 54, said the products were greatly appreciated and the donation worth emulating as malnutrition is a major concern among IDPs, refugees and underprivileged people not only in Nigeria but also across the African continent. According to Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, 33 per cent of Nigerian children

•Says It Should Accommodate Consumer Protection Directorate, Headed By Registered Pharmacist By Chioma Umeha From left: Idris Pada, member, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), National Executive Council (NEC); Olumide Akintayo immediate past president (IPP); Senator (Pharm) Matthew Uroghide, Chairman Senate Public Accounts committee and Ahmed Yakasai, President, PSN at Senate Public Hearing on the need to check the rising menace of drug abuse in Nigeria at the conference hall,Senate Building National Assembly (NASS), Abuja, recently. The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has advocated an amendment of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act to accommodate a new Directorate of Consumer Protection to be headed by a Registered Pharmacist. This is part of the recommendations of the PSN to the Senate Joint Committee On Drugs and Narcotics And Health at its one-day public hearing on “The need to check the rising menace of drug abuse among y

By Chioma Umeha An NGO, Community Health and Research Initiative (CHR), has appealed to rich Nigerians to emulate Alhaji Aliko Dangote by committing their resources toward the development of child health and primary healthcare in the country. The organisation made the appeal in a statement issued by its Knowledge Management Officer, Mr. Muhammad Auwal on Tuesday in Abuja. The organisation commended Mr Bill Gates and Dangote for supporting six Northern states on sustainable funding for Routine Immunization (RI) and child health. Auwal recalled that on March 21, Gates, Dangote and the governors of Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Sokoto and Bauchi states renewed agreement on strengthening funding for routine immunization. The renewed commitment, he said was aimed at ending vaccine-preventable child deaths in Nigeria. Auwal quoted CHR’s Director, Salisu Muhammad as saying that Gates and Dangote had actively supported efforts targeted at achieving sustainable funding

L-R: Mr Fortune Idu, Nigeria Aviation Awards (NIGAV) Chairman; Dr Ola Brown, Flying Doctors Nigeria Founder and Pirjo Suomela-Chowdhury, Finland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, after Brown received ‘2017 Aviation Most Remarkable Medical Personality Award’ from NIGAV in Lagos, recently. •Win Aviation Award By Chioma Umeha Flying Doctors Nigeria has called on Nigeria and other African countries to incorporate air ambulance services into their health sector. Making the call in Lagos at weekend, Flying Doctors Nigeria Founder, Dr Ola Brown, stated that Nigeria, along with other African countries, needs air ambulance services more than developed countries, because of the various challenges bedeviling their health sector. Dr Brown said this   after receiving 2017 Aviation Most Remarkable Medical Personality Award from the Nigeria Aviation Awards (NIGAV) in Lagos. NIGAV is a prestigious annual award conferred on outstanding individuals and corporate bodies who have dis