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Why Anti-subsidy Protests Didn’t Turn Violent Under Jonathan – Ex-DSS Director

Published

1 year ago

July 27, 2024

Editor

A former Director, Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, has said the protest staged to kick against attempts by former President Goodluck Jonathan-led government to remove petrol subsidy in 2012 didn’t turn violent partly because of ‘the body language’ of the former President.

Ejiofor, who is the President of the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Security Studies, also said that the protesters also didn’t go irate because the situation in the country was not as bad as it is presently.

The former DSS boss gave the explanation while speaking on the planned #EndBadGovernance August 1 – 10 protests, and the moves of government to dissuade the organisers from storming the street.

Recall the DSS on Thursday warned the organisers of the planned nationwide protests against proceeding with the action, saying it uncovered a plan “by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land.”

Also, the military and police have also warned against the protest scheduled to be held from August 1 to 10 in response to the economic hardship experienced in the country.

“The level of violence being envisaged can only be described as a state of anarchy. The armed forces on its part will not stand by and allow anarchy to befall our nation,” defence spokesman, Major General Edward Buba said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, speaking during an interview on Arise TV Morning Show, Ejiofor on Friday while answering question on why the protest of 2012 was not subjected to threats and a clampdown by security agencies, said it was partly because of the body language of Jonathan who was the then president and the situation of the country as of 2012.

He, however, said the present situation in the country has left a hard condition posing fears that the planned protest if staged, has the tendency to be hijacked because people are now “hungry and desperate”.

“The 2012 protest didn’t turn violent, one, because of the body language of the sitting president then. He allowed everything to go and the situation was not as bad as what we have now. Now, it can be exploited because people are hungry, desperate and want to use anything to vent their anger,” he said.

Arguing that while the right of the people to protest remains sacrosanct, the fear of the protest being hijacked remains high, and could be exploited by people who may seize the situation to push their personal interest.

“It is their legitimate right to protest as enshrined in the constitution. But I think they (organisers of protest) did us a lot of good by giving sufficient notice to the government of their intentions to go on protest and you can see the grounds of appeals from various stakeholders, interests groups appealing to them to shelve the plan.

“No matter how good their intentions are, I believe this will be hijacked eventually,” he said.

Maintaining that “the fear is very high that this protest will be hijacked”, he added that “Some people see this government as the best government whatever because of their personal interest not because of national interest… they would also represent their own interest, not the interest of the government, so that’s why we are afraid it might be hijacked.

“Some people might tell you that this APC government is not doing well, others will tell you that this is the best government.

“So, you have conflicting interests. That is why it is necessary that for now because of the enormous security challenges we have, we should not compound our problems by engaging in more protest.”

Recalling the #EndSars 2020 protest which according to him led to properties being destroyed with losses incurred by the nation and individuals, he added that though the organisers pf the #EndBadGovernance protest may have a course to protest, considering the hardship in the country, people of ulterior motives may hijack the process.

“Looking at their demands, we will all agree that there is economic hardship in the country, there is hunger and anger in the land, but again people who are more hungry now will explore the opportunity to loot people’s shops and it will eventually turn violent and that’s why we will continue to appeal to organisers to shelve the plans and give government time to look at it,” he said.

On the warnings by security agents, Ejiofor said the security agents have the duty to respond with force should the protest turn violent.

“Nobody is saying they should not protest but if you protest and it turns violent, the government has the statutory mandate of protecting the state and the innocent citizens. The point remains that people have the right to protest as long as it doesn’t turn violent,” he said.

He, however, warned against comments by some aides of the President Bola Tinubu which he described as “provocative” and could engender provocations with ethnic colouration and religious connotations.

“There are other issues agitating my mind; the issue of some provocative statements that the president’s aides are making that is likely to provoke people, giving it political meaning, ethnic colouration, religious connotations and what a view. These are not helping issues,” he said.

He called on President Tinubu not just to stop at consulting with interest groups in the country, but to also extend the reach to the common Nigerians at the grassroots while stressing the need for the President to address the nation in a broadcast.

“The ordinary man in the street needs also to know what is happening because some people do not even have electricity to look at the nation to know what is going on. I think the president needs to directly speak to the people, maybe make a national broadcast, this will help in relaxing the situation,” he said

Maintaining a similar position, the National Coordinator, the Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative and former spokesperson for the Coalition of Northern Groups, Sama’ila Musa, called for dialogue, submitting the presidency should “come out and address the people and sympathise with them.”

Also featuring on Arise TV morning show on Friday, Musa mentioned that current cases of rampage and looting of goods of private individuals, particularly as experienced in the Northern part of the country pose a risk of what may become of the protest should it go on.

“There is so much anger in the land. A lot of people are not happy because of some kinds of hardship in the land. It’s obvious people are complaining, prices are rising and all that, and people are suffering and you believe with me that is why people are actually calling for this protest.

“We are afraid with the level of anger right now in the Country, especially in the North as it is, we’ve seen cases where truckloads of food stuffs belonging to traders, maybe got spoilt somewhere on the road and people just move in and start offloading it, helping themselves out and that’s without riot. How much more what’s going to happen when you call for a mass protest, to what extent can the police curtail the excesses when you have situations like this?”, he queried.

He mentioned the situation may degenerate to criminal elements of the protesters “going to start looting people’s properties and vandalising ordinary citizen’s properties, carting away their goods.”
PUNCH

News

Expert Identify Foods That Increase Hypertension Medication’s Effectiveness

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Hypertension remains one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide, contributing significantly to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive drugs, long-term control of high blood pressure is often challenging because of drug resistance, side effects, and poor adherence.

This has fueled growing scientific interest in complementary strategies that can enhance drug efficacy while minimising toxicity. One promising approach is the combination of conventional antihypertensive medications with herbs and spices in many kitchens.

Recent evidence suggests that augmenting modern antihypertensive drugs with foods rich in p-coumaric acid, a naturally occurring phenolic acid, may offer a novel and effective strategy for blood pressure control.

Phenolic compounds, commonly found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and blood vessel–protective properties.

In a study, researchers investigated the combined effects of lisinopril, a widely used antihypertensive drugs and p-coumaric acid on hypertension.

They reported in the Comparative Clinical Pathology that p-coumaric acid enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

The study used an established animal model in which hypertension was induced in rats through oral administration of L-NAME, a compound known to suppress nitric oxide production and raise blood pressure.

Following the induction of hypertension, the animals were treated for 14 days with p-coumaric acid (at two different doses), lisinopril alone, or a combination of both.

Untreated hypertensive rats showed significantly elevated activities of key enzymes linked to high blood pressure such as ACE, arginase, acetylcholinesterase, and phosphodiesterase-5 along with increased lipid peroxidation, an indicator of oxidative stress. At the same time, levels of nitric oxide, a critical molecule for blood vessel relaxation, were markedly reduced.

By contrast, rats treated with a combination of lisinopril and p-coumaric acid experienced notable improvements. Blood pressure was better controlled; harmful enzyme activities were reduced, oxidative stress declined, and nitric oxide levels increased. These improvements were mirrored in the tissues the heart compared with untreated hypertensive animals.

They said that the findings suggest that p-coumaric acid may enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

This drug–food interaction model is particularly important in the circumstance of long-term hypertension management. Many patients rely on lifelong medication, and strategies that can improve treatment outcomes while reducing side effects are highly desirable.

The study also reinforces the growing recognition that diet is not merely supportive but can be biologically active in disease control.

The use of medicinal plants and plant-based therapies in the management of hypertension is deeply rooted in traditional medicine across many cultures. While such practices have often existed outside conventional healthcare systems, modern scientific research is now providing evidence-based explanations for their effectiveness.

While these findings are based on animal studies and cannot yet be directly translated into clinical recommendations for humans, they open the door to future research on dietary strategies that can safely complement antihypertensive drugs.

Further clinical studies are needed to determine appropriate dosages, safety profiles, and real-world effectiveness.

In the fight against hypertension, the future may lie not only in new drugs, but also in smarter combinations, where medicine and nutrition work together to deliver better, safer outcomes for patients.

Such nutrition to help maintain healthy blood pressure includes garlic, potatoes, walnuts,tomato and tomato products, legumes and citrus fruits (grapefruits and oranges).
(TRIBUNE)

News

Researchers Develop Treatment For Advanced Prostate Cancer

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a treatment for advanced prostate cancer that could eliminate a side effect so debilitating that patients often refuse the life-saving therapy.

The innovative approach, according to the researchers, targets prostate cancer cells just as successfully as existing treatments while causing significantly less harm to salivary glands.

For many people with prostate cancer, it relieves the extreme dry mouth that makes speaking, chewing, and swallowing nearly impossible.

According to the findings published in Molecular Imaging and Biology, the treatment targets PSMA (Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen), a protein present in high numbers on prostate cancer cells.

Radioligand therapy (RTL) attaches radioactive material to a targeting molecule that acts like a GPS system, guiding the radiation directly to cancer cells while avoiding healthy tissue.

Current PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy is one of the most promising precision cancer treatments for end-stage prostate cancer because it acts as a “smart bomb” that locates and destroys cancer cells.

The downside, however, is that this therapy often causes severe salivary gland damage, resulting in extreme dry mouth that can be so debilitating that patients choose to stop treatment that might save their lives.

James P. Basilion, professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve and co-leader of the Cancer Imaging Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Centre (Case CCC), explained that various strategies to mitigate this side effect have been attempted before, with limited success.

According to the study, PSMA-1-DOTA has a four-fold greater affinity for prostate cancer cells than current therapies.

In addition to having the same tumour-fighting effectiveness as the current standard radioligand therapy, it also significantly reduced damage to the tear and salivary glands, almost eliminating the risk of dry mouth.

This discovery has the potential to significantly alter the treatment of prostate cancer by making PSMA-targeted therapy an earlier intervention rather than a “last resort.”

The research included comprehensive testing on mouse models and in a human patient with metastatic prostate cancer at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.

The patient study confirmed the lab findings, showing the new treatment avoided the salivary glands (potentially preventing dry mouth) while still finding and attacking prostate cancer cells.

The researchers, from now on, are preparing for clinical trials late this year on about 12 prostate patients to validate the promising results and establish the most effective dosing procedures.
(TRIBUNE)

News

Norway ‘Foolishly’ Chose Not To Award Me Nobel Peace Prize Despite Ending Eight Wars — Trump

Published

3 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

United States President, Donald Trump, has criticised Norway for not awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize, insisting that his actions on global security and diplomacy merited the honour.

In a post on his Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said his administration compelled NATO members to significantly increase their defence spending, arguing that many countries were previously failing to meet their financial obligations while the United States bore the burden.

He maintained that his intervention pushed allies to raise defence contributions to five per cent of their gross domestic product, a move he described as previously thought impossible.

The president also claimed that his involvement prevented Russia from fully taking over Ukraine, adding that his absence from global affairs would have emboldened Moscow.

He further asserted that he single-handedly brought an end to eight wars, a record he said was overlooked by the Nobel committee in Norway, which is a NATO member.

Trump emphasised that his priority was saving lives rather than receiving awards, stating that millions of lives were preserved through his actions.

He warned that without the United States, NATO would command little fear or respect from rival powers such as Russia and China, and expressed doubt that the alliance would come to America’s aid in a moment of need.

Reaffirming his commitment to NATO, Trump said the United States would continue to support the alliance even if that support was not reciprocated.

He also credited his leadership with rebuilding the US military during his first term and sustaining its strength, describing the United States as the only nation that Russia and China truly fear and respect.

He wrote, “Remember, for all of those big NATO fans, they were at 2% GDP, and most weren’t paying their bills, UNTIL I CAME ALONG. The USA was, foolishly, paying for them! I, respectfully, got them to 5% GDP, AND THEY PAY, immediately.

“Everyone said that couldn’t be done, but it could, because, beyond all else, they are all my friends. Without my involvement, Russia would have ALL OF UKRAINE right now. Remember, also, I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Noble Peace Prize. But that doesn’t matter! What does matter is that I saved Millions of Lives.

“RUSSIA AND CHINA HAVE ZERO FEAR OF NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND I DOUBT NATO WOULD BE THERE FOR US IF WE REALLY NEEDED THEM. EVERYONE IS LUCKY THAT I REBUILT OUR MILITARY IN MY FIRST TERM, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. We will always be there for NATO, even if they won’t be there for us. The only Nation that China and Russia fear and respect is the DJT REBUILT U.S.A. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! President DJT.”