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TEAAF Advocates Halt To Extractive Activities In Niger Delta Communities

Published

1 year ago

July 21, 2024

A Non-Governmental Organization, The Ecological Action Advocacy Foundation (TEAAF), has advocated a stop to all forms of extractive activities in oil and non oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region,

This call was made when the organization had a one day fact finding outreach to ascertain the impacts of extractives on the environment, health and livelihoods of the people of Gelegele community in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State.

The advocacy visit also saw the organisation giving free medical services to the people in the community.

The outreach was themed: Analysing the Environmental & Health Impacts of Extractive Activities in Niger Delta.

Natives of Gelegele community are by nature farmers and fishermen/women but due to oil extractive activities, they are unable to farm nor can they catch fish in the rivers. Their community produces oil yet they dwell in abject poverty.

Anyone who cares to visit Gelegele community does not need to be told the level of poverty among the people; it can be seen all over the faces of the people particularly the malnourished children who run about the streets without knowing what they are passing through.

Residents of Gelegele community literally pass through hell on a daily basis. The weather is permanently hot regardless of the season or time due to a flue-gas stack or smoke stack permanently stationed in the heart of the community. The stack emits gas to the air at round-the-clock, thereby causing heat and endangering lives of the people.

Despite all these challenges occasioned by extractive activities, Gelegele and her people have nothing to show as direct benefit. There is no government presence in Gelegele, and the oil company operating the community has done something next to nothing in the community. The road linking the Gelegele community and Benin is an eyesore; it has completely collapsed thereby making it impassible for motorists. This oil producing community has no portable water, the only borehole sinked by the oil company operating for the people is with a rusted iron tank. Drinking water with iron particles from the rusted iron reservoir causes harm to the people’s health, so said a resident. The people of Gelegele have no access to modern healthcare. The only healthcare centre in the community is not functioning optimally. It is in an abandoned state.

This ugly state of the community and her people perhaps prompted TEAAF to visit the people with a free medical outreach. The foundation visited Gelegele with a team of medical professionals who carried out different types of tests on the people and also dispense free drugs.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, TEAAF, Ann Ajirioghene Offi, said the idea of the medical outreach was to get detail and factual health implications of the gas flaring and other extractive activities going on in communities, adding that Gelegele was chosen as kick start point because of the many stories about the place and its peculiarities.

Offi said the programme was aimed at providing also “free medical support to meet their current lack of care predicament as well as guiding them on how to survive the stress and health challenges they face in their community.”

The Executive Director, who added that the programme also involved sensitisation on health, disclosed that no fewer than 100 residents benefited from the free medical outreach.

“We came here for a visit some time back and we saw the state of the community and the people’s health. So, we deemed it fit that it will be of good sensitising the people in danger of gas flaring and extractive activities in the heart of the community,” Offi added.

The Executive Director continued: “We are taking this medical outreach to other oil producing communities across the Niger Delta but we decided to kick start the programme in Gelegele because of the many stories about the community. And from the medical test we carried out, we discovered that eye challenges, body hitching, high blood pressure and other ailments are rampant among the people. All these are caused by the gas flaring in the heart of the community.”

Also speaking on his findings, Dr. Nicholas Avabore Akpevboghene, a medical practitioner who was among the team, said: “From my observation from the people I have seen today in this community, there are actually adverse effects of the gas flaring in the community. In the sense that most of them have issues relating to hitching, hypertension, and that is as a result of the flare and also, as a result of the pollution that has actually affected the water they use to bathe.”

One of the beneficiaries, Elder Emmanuel Obi, said it has been very difficult for them to get medical care because of the distance and finance, adding that the free medical care has brought relief to many.

Also speaking, another beneficiary, Mr. Goday Kororo, said: “We were given free tests and drugs. This type of free medical care has not happened in this community before, so this is the first time. Even anytime Dubri oil does this kind of free medical care, they give us expired drugs.”

Another beneficiary, Sode Sharon, a nursing mother said: “They ran tests on my baby and I, and thereafter gave us the needed drugs. I want to sincerely appreciate the organisers.”

News

Eating Takeout Food Often May Increase Heart Disease Risk — Study

Published

3 days ago

December 30, 2025

Editor

Research suggests that higher takeout food consumption may increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, like heart disease.

In a new study, published in Food Science & Nutrition, researchers said eating takeout food too often can influence systemic inflammation that underlies much cardiovascular disease.

The study of over eight thousand people in the 2009 to 2018 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) found that those who eat greater amounts of takeout food are likely to have various elevated risk factors for heart disease.

They were interviewed in their homes and also visited a mobile examination centre, where they recalled their food intake, received cardiometabolic health assessments, and had blood collected.

Mammograms may predict heart disease risk in women — Study

The researchers found a correlation between the amount of takeout food a person consumes and their likelihood of developing chronic low-level inflammation, a key driver of cardiovascular pathology.

Deaths from cardiovascular disease and the consumption of takeout foods are both on the rise, and while that does not prove a causal relationship, the study explores whether there is a connection between the two.

The study tracked degrees of systemic inflammation according to the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), a scale that quantifies the risk of inflammation related to the intake of specific dietary substances.

The three major takeaways from the analysis included that a higher level of takeout food consumption corresponded to an unfavourable cardiometabolic profile consisting of lower HDL, as well as higher triglycerides, fasting glucose, serum insulin, and insulin resistance.

Jayne Morgan, MD, cardiologist and Vice President of Medical Affairs in a reaction, who was not involved in the study, explained that “Takeout food raises the cardiovascular risk not because of one ingredient, but because of a predictable combination of nutrients, additives, and preparation methods that adversely affect blood pressure, lipids, insulin sensitivity, inflammation, and endothelial function.”

“This includes excess sodium that increases blood volume and blood vessel stiffness, and unhealthy fats, usually saturated fats or trans fats, that increase cholesterol level and atherosclerosis, a condition that can lead to heart attack and stroke.”

Michelle Routhenstein, Preventive Cardiology Dietitian at Entirely Nourished, also not involved in this study, declared, “It is also important to recognise that frequent takeout use often reflects broader lifestyle pressures such as demanding schedules, limited access to cooking resources, irregular meals, and disrupted sleep, all of which can quietly compound cardiovascular risk.”

News

How To Identify Fake Kiss Condoms In Circulation

Published

3 days ago

December 30, 2025

Editor

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has recently warned Nigerians about the circulation of counterfeit Kiss brand condoms in major markets across the country.

Contents
Original DKT Kiss condoms
Fake Kiss condoms

In a public alert published on its website recently and referenced as Public Alert No. 042/2025, the agency said the warning followed information received from DKT International Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation involved in contraceptive social marketing and HIV/AIDS prevention.

NAFDAC stated, “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is notifying the public about the sale and distribution of fake Kiss condoms in various Nigerian markets.

“The information was received from the MAH-DKT International Nigeria, a leading non-governmental organisation focused on contraceptive social marketing. Its mission is to provide Nigerians with affordable and safe options for family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention.

“The fake Kiss condoms have been reported to be found in Onitsha Market, Idumota Market, Trade Fair Market, and various markets in Kano, Abuja, Uyo, Gombe, Enugu, and others.”

Kiss condom is a brand of male latex condoms designed to offer sexual protection, including the prevention of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, gonorrhoea and syphilis.

To help consumers avoid counterfeit products, NAFDAC outlined key differences between original and fake Kiss condoms.

Original DKT Kiss condoms
The original product comes in a light red box pack with clear instructions printed on the lower part of the pack, including single-use warnings and storage and caution information. The box contains detailed medical device information, including MDSS GmbH, Germany, and a complete Nigerian address at Isolo Industrial Layout, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

The condom pack is light red, with the word “Kiss” closely written on six lines. The wallet outer pack is lighter red, carries the Oshodi-Apapa address, manufacturer details, and a clear product description beside the condom image. The hidden flap includes revision dates, medical device details, and caution information, while the wallet inner contains detailed instructions and eight bullet points under important notes.

The original condom is large, oval-shaped, well-lubricated, and has a large teat end for semen collection.

Fake Kiss condoms
In contrast, fake Kiss condoms come in darker-coloured box packs with little or no additional information. Some boxes are plain white inside and lack condom images. The address is wrongly listed as 42, Montgomery Road, Yaba, Lagos, while the manufacturer’s address is incomplete or missing. Storage and caution information is absent.

The condom pack is darker, with “Kiss” loosely written on five lines and wide spacing. The condom strip is longer than the original. The wallet outer pack is also darker red, carries incorrect or missing addresses, lacks colour wave designs, and shows inconsistencies in barcode lines. Medical device and caution information are missing, and the hidden flap contains no details.

Inside the wallet, information is summarised with only six bullet points. The fake condom is thinner, round-shaped, less lubricated, and has a smaller teat end.
(TRIBUNE)

News

Lagos: Police Arrest 14 Suspected Traffic Robbers On Lekki-Epe Expressway

Published

3 days ago

December 30, 2025

Editor

Fourteen persons suspected to be involved in traffic-related robbery have been arrested at various points along the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos over the past two weeks.

The arrests were confirmed on Tuesday by the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, via a post on her official X handle, @AbimbolaShotayo.

According to her, operatives of the Command’s Tactical Squad based in Elemoro carried out the operations that led to the suspects’ apprehension.

She explained that the arrests followed sustained patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at curbing criminal activities associated with traffic congestion and improving the safety of motorists and other road users along the busy corridor.

Adebisi noted that the development reflects the Command’s determination to strengthen security and uphold law and order on the Lekki-Epe axis, adding that the Tactical Squad has continued to proactively identify crime-prone areas and respond swiftly to threats posed by criminal elements.

She called on residents and commuters to support police efforts by providing timely and credible information that could assist in preventing and detecting crime.

“Security is a shared responsibility. Members of the public are encouraged to stay alert and promptly report any suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station,” she said.

The police spokesperson further reassured residents and road users of the Command’s commitment to maintaining aggressive patrols and security operations to protect lives and property in the area.

She reiterated the Command’s community policing message, “See Something, Say Something,” stressing the importance of cooperation between the police and the public in sustaining peace and security.