APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that President Bola Tinubu has expressed concern over the rising cases of coups in African countries, calling for a comprehensive consensus against the spread of “contagious autocracy” across the continent s one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.
The Punch reports that President Bola Tinubu has expressed concern over the rising cases of coups in African countries, calling for a comprehensive consensus against the spread of “contagious autocracy” across the continent.
The President said he was committed to working with other African leaders to defend democracy on the continent.
Tinubu stated this in his first response to the Wednesday morning coup in Gabon, just as the United States, United Nations, European Union, France and the Commonwealth voiced concerns over the political development in the Central African country.
The military takeover in Gabon is coming one month after a similar incident happened in Niger where Presidential Guards overthrew the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.
A dozen soldiers had appeared on Gabonese national television, announcing the cancellation of election results said to have been won by incumbent Ondimba Ali Bongo and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic.”
The mutineers led by the head of the republican guards, Gen Brice Nguema also closed the borders until further notice.
The announcement came after President Ali Bongo, 64, was re-elected for a third term, extending his family’s half-century rule over the oil-rich Central African country of 2.3 million, but the opposition described the poll as a ‘fraud orchestrated’ by the ruling party.
The newspaper says that petrol queues lingered across Lagos and Ogun states on Wednesday, just as oil marketers predicted tougher days ahead in terms of product availability.
Several motorists were seen on queues at filling stations across the states with some oil sector operators saying the fuel scarcity might not go away any time soon.
In an update on the prevailing situation, the Chairman of Satellite Depot, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Lagos, Akin Akinrinade, told The PUNCH that the situation was “worsening”.
He said, “Nobody is saying anything to us yet. And as we speak, we are still not loading products here. In fact, the situation is worsening because the queues have continued. Even some of NNPCL Retail stations don’t also have products for sale. I believe it’s a stock issue, and the NMDPRA should be able to tell us what is really happening but, I know they won’t want to tell the truth.”
On his part, National Controller Operations, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, said there was no cause for alarm.
“Yes, there are still queues but NNPCL has assured us that there is no cause for alarm. So, let us rely on their statement for some days before we know what to do,” he said.
President, IPMAN, Elder Chinedu Okonkwo said he was in a meeting with NNPCL Retail.
“I just left NNPC Retail, and they assured us that they have plenty of products. Go to the depots, they are loading,” he said.
The Guardian reports that the Chairman of the Committee of Chief Medical Directors/Medical Directors of Federal Tertiary Hospitals, Prof. Emem Bassey, yesterday, lamented that the health sector is facing a manpower crisis as professionals leave the country in droves.
According to him, other African countries are now poaching Nigerian medical doctors and health professionals.
Bassey, who is the CMD of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, disclosed this when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing employment racketeering in Federal Government agencies.
He showed up alongside the heads of other health institutions in the country.
Bassey noted: “Some African countries are beginning to poach from Nigeria. The West Coast is looking for our specialists. So many people are now going to places, like Sierra Leone and Gambia, and the wage they earn is about $3000, $4000. It is about three to four times what they earn back home.”
Explaining the manpower crisis, Bassey told lawmakers: “What we are seeing is that medical specialists, not just doctors…In fact, even more nurses are leaving. Doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists, physiotherapists, radiographers and all manner of health professionals are leaving the country in droves.”
He stressed: “That is part of the problem we are facing. Replacement of these health workers is a very major challenge. This is because even though we are usually granted approvals to recruit, getting the waivers is a tortuous process.”
He said due to the urgency involved in replacing health professionals that leave, “it is difficult to comply with federal character in recruitments”.
The newspaper says that as stakeholders commemorate the African Traditional Medicine Day (ATMD), today, experts have said that an aspect of traditional medicine, which is herbal medicine, was worth N145 trillion in 2021 and is projected to hit N356 trillion by 2030.
They also said Nigeria could make more than $19.4 billion (N19 trillion) yearly from ‘developing’ some aspects of Traditional Medicine (TM).
With a total budget of N21.83 trillion for 2023, stakeholders are optimistic that developing TM practices, including herbal medicine worth over N19 trillion yearly could fund the country’s budget.
They also made recommendations on how TM could be maximised to boost foreign exchange earnings and healthcare in the country.
TM refers to the sum total of knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve, or treat physical and mental illnesses.
The assertion by the experts is corroborated by a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), “Herbal Medicine Market Information By Category, Type of Medicinal Plants, Form, Source, Distribution Channel – Forecast till 2030”, which says the market size was valued $145 billion in 2021 and expected to reach $356 billion by 2030 at 10.9 per cent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) during the forecast period 2022-2030.
CAGR is the mean yearly growth rate of an investment over a specified period of time longer than one year.
According to the global herbal medicine market research report prepared by MRFR, the growing demand for herbal medicines among the expanding populace is anticipated to be a significant factor that can drive the market during the analysis time frame.
GIK/APA