A Nigerian man vows to never buy Davido’s album, says ‘let car hit me if I do’.
Twitter user, AlHassan, has got people reacting after he vowed never to listen or buy singer Davido’s music album.
The young man who looks like a Wizkid fan, went to the extent of wishing a car hit him if he ever tries to buy Davido’s album. According to AlHassan, the singer makes too much noise in his songs, hence his decision to never buy his album.
This is a one-off reaction as the singer and his music is loved by many all around the world.
In one of the videos, one of the men who appeared to be much older than the singer and his team members could not hide his excitement at the moment he was enjoying with the singer. He also made sure to call his family members and have the Aye crooner speak with them, just to give credibility to his story of hanging out with the talented superstar. After getting off the phone, the excited fan made small talks with Davido and his crew members. He revealed that he hailed from Ondo state and also queried the rest of the team as to where they all hail from.
Common real estate contingencies have been explained in this expository article.
Real estate contingencies were the furthest thing from your teenage mind.
When you started dreaming about the home you would live in as a young adult your mind was focused on paint color, furniture, gardens, and such. Oh my!
You’ll have wide rooms here and a pristine swimming pool there.
High ceilings with big windows to welcome the fresh summer air.
It seems a win until you grow up and find out that taxes are high and the world won’t be as kind. Your dream home might need some re-thinking.
But now here you are, thinking about buying your dream home. Guess what? The world seems not so bad after all, especially if you can rely on a ‘contingency’ as you buy a real estate property. One thing for sure, working with a real estate agent that knows how to use contingencies to your benefit will serve you well.
Get to know these real estate contingencies so you can make the most out of them:
What are contingencies when buying a home?
A contingency is a condition that must be satisfied before a deal can close. With this, the buyer can have the right to recover the earnest money if the contingency isn’t met. Real estate contingencies come in various forms. They can be:
Inspection Contingencies
This type of contingency in the home buying process is all for your benefit. It allows you to have a full picture of the house’s condition. You can check the systems and other details of the property from inside out. Even checks for damages from molds and insects will fall under this contingency.
Once you receive the reports for the inspection, you can then negotiate with the seller on the repairs. If the seller is unrealistic about your satisfying your requests, you can freely walk away from the sale.
Financing Contingencies
For buyers planning to purchase their home using a mortgage, financing contingencies are a typically baked into the contract for your protection. It gives you ample time to apply and receive the loan you’ll use to buy the home. This contingency allows you to look for alternative sources if you’re unable to receive financing. You can also walk away from the sale with this contingency if necessary.
Appraisal Contingency
This contingency is another alas for the buyers. The appraisal contingency accompanies the finance contingency.
Note that appraisals determine the fair market value of real estate properties. Appraisal contingency protects you from buying homes with prices not in line with the fair market value.
Title Contingencies
Title contingency spares you from the possibility of contested property ownership. In real estate title is the record the of the home’s ownership. From past to present, this legal document shows all the owners. It also shows all the judgments made against the property as well as contractor and tax liens.
Your attorney or title company will review the title before closing the deal. Resolving issues follows so the title will be transferred to you with nothing questionable.
When you encounter unresolvable problems with the title before closing, you can leave the sale freely.
Home Sale Contingency
Many home buyers need this type of contingency. It’s used specifically by those buyers who are also trying to sell their homes. This contingency lets you use a specified amount of time to find a buyer for your property. If you can’t find one within that time, you can have your earnest money back and walk away from the deal. It can also be used when there is a buyer for your home and you are simply writing an offer on a home that is “contingent” on the closing of your current property.
You can use this contingency, but know that this isn’t so popular among sellers. As it appears to offer more advantage to the buyer than the seller could have. If you use this one, know that it might weaken your offer.
Those are the most common real estate contingencies in 2019. Be sure to consult with your real estate agent about what contingency to use. Also, you need to look out for possible contingency clause issues.
Pay attention to key terms so your deal won’t result into the following.
What happens with your earnest money?
As you read through the contract, make sure to find the lines that makes clear your rights as a buyer and your obligations to remove those contingencies at agreed dates in the contract.
Don’t count on the seller giving you back your earnest money if you fail to properly abide by the contingencies and the contract.
What happens after the contingency deadlines?
Contingency clauses have deadlines. They’re valid and typically last between two weeks to two months. The length of time depends on the type of property you’re going to purchase and the need for the contingency. If you’re running out of time before the contingency deadline, you need to ask the seller for an extension. If the seller refuses, then you better exercise the contingency as agreed or your earnest money may be at risk.
Try not to think of contingencies as your ticket to a cancellation. Instead, view them as tools that give you time to move forward to complete the process of eventually owning your dream home.
If, however, you are in a spot and are unable to move forward because of a contingent item then, by all means, punch your ticket. That’s what the contingency is there for. For example: if you lose your job (not quit your job) and now do not have adequate income to make a house payment then you can cancel the contract due to the finance contingency.
Contingencies are fantastic tools that help buyers and sellers make things happen that would otherwise not be possible. Make sure you are working with a powerful agent who understands how to use them.
John Cunningham is a full-time Greater Phoenix agent since 2002. As a trusted advisor he brings excellence via online digital marketing that make properties get the attention they deserve. Often times John will bring the buyer too. Everything he does as a real estate agent is designed to get his clients what they want. His goal for you to have a 5-star experience every time you buy or sell.
WHO has raised alarm that over one million cases of sexually transmitted infections occur daily.
The World Health Organization has raised an alarm over the lack of progress on curbing sexually transmitted diseases, while one of its experts warned of complacency as dating apps are spurring sexual activity.
The UN health agency said in a fresh report on Thursday that every day globally there were more than one million new cases of treatable sexually transmitted diseases (STD) or infections (STI).
WHO found that there were more than 376 million new cases of chlamydia, gonorrhoea, trichomoniasis and syphilis registered around the world in 2016 — the latest year for which data is available.
That is basically the same number as WHO reported in its previous study, based on data from 2012.
A WHO expert on sexually transmitted infections, Teodora Wi, separately told journalists there were concerns that condom use may be declining as people have lost their fear of contracting HIV in step with the emergence of available and effective antiviral treatments.
People are “complacent about protection,” she said, adding that this was dangerous at a time when “sex is more accessible”.
Peter Salama, WHO’s executive director of Universal Health Coverage, said in a statement that “we’re seeing a concerning lack of progress in stopping the spread of sexually transmitted infections worldwide”.
He called it “a wake-up call” for authorities to ensure that everybody had access to services to prevent and treat STIs.
WHO’s report shows that in 2016, 127 million people between 15 and 49 were infected with chlamydia globally. 87 million contracted gonorrhoea, and 6.3 million contracted syphilis.
In addition, some 156 million were infected with trichomoniasis — a parasital disease commonly known as “trich”.
‘Hidden epidemic’
“On average, approximately one in 25 people globally have at least one of these STIs,” the UN health agency said.
But since they seldom display symptoms early, people never know they have been infected and need treatment. This allows the diseases to continue to spread.
“We consider this a hidden epidemic, a dangerous epidemic,” Melanie Taylor, another WHO expert on sexually transmitted diseases said.
If left untreated, STIs can lead to serious and chronic conditions. These include neurological and cardiovascular disease. Infertility, stillbirths and increased risk of contracting HIV are also effects.
STIs spread mainly through unprotected sexual contact, but some like chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis can also be transmitted during pregnancy and childbirth.
Given the hidden nature of the epidemic, WHO stressed the importantance for sexually active people to get screened for STIs. And especially recommended that pregnant women be systematically screened for syphilis, as well as HIV.
Correct condom use was one of the most effective methods for protecting against STI transmission.
WHO also stressed the importance of comprehensive sexual education and easy access to STI screening as well as treatment.
Shortages in the global supply of benzathine penicillin has recently made it more complicated to treat syphilis. Also increasing resistance to antibiotics used to treat gonorrhea “may lead eventually to it being impossible to treat”, WHO warned.
However, Moesha saw Regina’s’ photo and commented; “Living your best life” And a fan with username @qwojo_bornagain who felt Moesha might snatch Regina’s sugar daddy husband, commented asking her to stay away from the 19-year-old actress as she is best known for snatching husbands.
He wrote; “madam we know you don’t go and snatch her husband.”
Moesha got infuriated by the aforementioned comment and insulted the fan saying; “kwasiaa ,aboa ,fool.”
YEN.com.gh has previously reported a story about Moesha proving that she is versatile when it comes to dressing.
Moesha turned the heads of her fans after releasing four beautiful photos.
N132.5m Housing Loan Disbursed To Lagos Workers By Federal Mortgage Bank Of Nigeria under its (HRL) Home Renovation Loan scheme. Out of this, N132.520 million has been given to members of Lagos State Public Servant Housing Cooperative.
FMBN Managing Director, Ahmed Dangiwa who made this known during the presentation of the symbolic cheque for N56.840 to the cooperative, through its Ikeja office in Lagos, said the beneficiaries, numbering 68 are the third batch under the window.
Dangiwa said the bank remained a leading player in the housing and construction finance sector in Nigeria economy and is determined to provide affordable Mortgages to Nigerian workers among its’ many thrives to complement President Muhammadu Buhari’s housing sector reform.
Dangiwa who was represented by the Executive Director, Loans and Mortgage services, Hajiya Rahimatu Aminu-Aliyu, explained that the loan would assist beneficiaries to put their houses in a suitable manner.
He said, “The fund is sourced from 2.5 per cent of the basic income of Nigerian workers earning the minimum wage and who are 18 years and above. The overall objective is to provide cheap source of loanable funds to nurture and sustain the mortgage industry and eventually facilitate affordable home-ownership for the low and medium income group in the country.”
Section 14 (2) of the National Housing Fund Act Cap N.45 of 1992 stipulates that a contributor to the Fund can access a loan from the Fund for the purpose of building, purchasing or renovating of existing houses.
In order to achieve this, he disclosed that the FMBN has developed concessionary loan windows to enable Nigerians access mortgages for home ownership. He however, said that the realisation of the mandate has been hampered by several challenges in Nigeria, which included lack of access to land.
“Inadequate funding for the housing sector, inaccessibility of mortgage loans due to lack of proper title to landed properties. Others are, low income of prospective borrowers which affects affordability, cumbersome procedures for obtaining Governor’s consent to land transactions which is also costly,” he said.
He also applauded the commitment and cooperation of members of Lagos State Public Servants Housing Cooperative.
Earlier, the State coordinator, FMBN, Ikeja office, Mrs. Margaret Sowande said the HRL is granted for the purpose of renovating existing structure at cheap rate of 6 per cent for tenure of five years.
According to her, the housing cooperative is receiving the HRL for the third time and that FMBN is ready to do more. She encouraged all Nigerians above 18 years working in public and private sectors to register with FMBN and subscribe to National Housing Fund (NHF).
The President of the cooperative, Mr. Samuel Okedara commended FMBN for assisting members over the years.
Okedara said: “The sum of N132, 520million has been disbursed to 157 members in the three batches as at May, 2019. In 2017, N28, 500million was disbursed to 37 members of the cooperative, N47,430 million was disbursed to 52 beneficiaries in 2018 and N56,840 million was disbursed to 68 beneficiaries in 2019”.
Scientists have warned that smoking weed can affect fertility in both men and women. They say that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive ingredient in the cannabis plant – can have an effect on the reproductive organs. For example, it’s believed to reduce the sperm count in men.
Writing in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers have presented studies on how marijuana impacts fertility. ‘For most couples, smoking marijuana does not affect their ability to conceive,’ the journal says. ‘However, for couples with infertility, the changes in ovulatory function and sperm count associated with smoking marijuana could compound their difficulty with conceiving.’
Here are five things the scientists want you to know about marijuana and fertility:
1 The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), acts on the receptors found in the hypothalamus, pituitary and internal reproductive organs in both males and females.
2 Marijuana use can decrease sperm count. Smoking marijuana more than once a week was associated with a 29% reduction in sperm count in one study.
3 Marijuana may delay or prevent ovulation. In a small study, ovulation was delayed in women who smoked marijuana more than 3 times in the 3 months before the study.
4 Marijuana may affect the ability to conceive in couples with subfertility or infertility but does not appear to affect couples without fertility issues.
5 More, and better quality, research is needed into the effects of marijuana on fertility.
The drug is currently being adopted in various parts of the United States and could one day be legalised here in the UK. However, just for the avoidance of any doubt smoking weed while pregnant is a really bad idea. The NHS says that according to research, using cannabis regularly during pregnancy could affect your baby’s brain development. Similarly, regularly smoking cannabis with tobacco increases the risk of your baby being born small or premature.
Every room in your home deserves special attention, particularly if you enjoy spending time in that space, but it seems that the living room is one of those areas that deserve a whole new level of attention. After all, this is where you hang out with your family, enjoy your free time, entertain your guests, and take your afternoon naps. That’s why your living room needs lots of different things you can’t live without, so if you too want to furnish and decorate your living room in accordance with a certain style, here are some of the most essential items you should get.
Check out this handy list of things every living room should have. Are your living room decorations up to the task?
Proper seating arrangements
This is the most important thing in every living room, no matter how big it is, how many people there are in your family, and what you generally use this space for. Without some comfortable chairs, sofas, lounges, bean bags, and other seating arrangements, your living room isn’t a living room at all, but an area that has no real purpose in your home. Luckily, there are lots of different models of furniture to choose from, and you can easily find a few ideas that will work for you.
When picking furniture, there are a couple of things you need to take care of – comfort, visual appearance, practicality, color, materials, and, of course, the price. Finding the right living room furniture may not be the easiest thing in the world, but it’s still something even a layperson can do if they pay attention to all of the aforementioned things and aren’t afraid to think outside the box for a while. That’s what you need to do too, so find bold and appealing solutions that will work for you and your family in the years to come as well.
The right focal point
This is another element of a successful living room design, especially if you put your mind to it and find a unique solution. Most people underestimate the importance and value of a proper focal point, but the truth is that this is among the most vital features of any properly decorated living room. Ultimately, this is something all your guests are going to notice, and it will get them talking.
Again, there are lots of different focal points you can take into consideration when decorating your living room, so be sure to check them all out when searching for one of your own. Fireplaces, small sculptures, paintings, childhood memorabilia, sports souvenirs, and even your kids’ artwork are just some of the most popular ideas out there, and you surely won’t have a problem finding one for yourself.
Lots of natural light and fresh air
No matter how much time you actually spend there, your living room needs lots of natural sunlight and fresh air. These things will make you feel good, help you wake up in the morning, boost your mood, take your confidence to a new level, and motivate you to do something good with your time. Also, natural sunlight will make your living room appear nicer, more welcoming, and inviting, especially if it’s not the most spacious living room in the world – lots of sunshine will make it look bigger than it really is, and that’s something all homeowners want.
One of the ways to let the sunshine and fresh air in is keeping your windows open all day long, but this isn’t an option all people have – those who are stuck with tiny windows, for instance. That’s why they have to look for other ideas, including those amazing timber sliding doors that will open up their living room and connect it to their outdoor space more easily than they could’ve imagined. This is a great way to blend your patio or deck together with your interior space, maximizing the usable area of your home and making sure every corner is always properly illuminated and full of fresh air.
Even more freshness
If you’re not the biggest fan of keeping your windows and doors open, you can always add some freshness to your living room with those practical air fresheners. These will make your living room smell nicer than ever but aren’t too aggressive or unpleasant. On the contrary, they are subtle, effective, and able to make your entire home friendlier, which is particularly important when you’re receiving guests and throwing parties.
Your air freshener can be placed in literally any corner of the living room, as long as it doesn’t ruin the aesthetic appeal of the space and make it too cluttered. If you want to choose the right one, consider getting one of the best air purifiers that will clean the air in your home. Fortunately, they come in various shapes and sizes, and you can surely find a model that’s going to suit your interior design style and even enhance it. Details like these can make a major difference in your living room, but your entire home as well.
Flowers, herbs, plants
You don’t have to be the biggest fan of flowers in the world, but you can’t deny the aesthetic appeal they have on your living room. No matter what sort of flowers you prefer, these will surely make your interior space more intriguing and welcoming, not to mention more colorful – and if you manage to color-coordinate your flowers and your furniture, you’ll end up with a picture-perfect living room nobody else in your neighborhood will be able to match.
In case you don’t want to go with flowers, you can always pick a few plants that are easy to maintain but still quite beautiful. Just ask your local florist to help you with choosing the best plants based on your preferences. There are lots of ideas you can look into, depending on how big your living room and how much free space you have, and you can opt for anything from tiny succulents to massive philodendrons, utilizing every inch of space. In the end, you can even go for a small herb garden and grow your own sage, thyme, rosemary, basil, and mint – not only do these look wonderful, but you can also use them in your cooking on a daily basis, adding more flavor to your meals and saving a ton of money in the long run.
Wall décor
This is another element of every respectable living room design and something that will define your interior space and serve lots of purposes. First, it’s all about surrounding yourself with items that mean something to you and have a special place in your heart – from your childhood memories to photos you and your family took while traveling, your wall décor will always remind you who you really are. In addition to that, it will also help you define your space and make it visually appealing, and that’s quite important when you’re entertaining guests and throwing parties. Your visitors will instantly learn so much about you, and that’s a great way to bond with them on a deeper level.
When it comes to picking what you’re going to put on your walls, this process could take quite a while. There are so many ideas to choose from, and you need to be careful when selecting them. Not all décor is the same, and not every idea is going to work well in your living room, so take your time, don’t rush this decision, and find the best décor you can find. In the end, it’s all about keeping your living room fresh and cool, so you can always update your wall décor and change it from time to time. Luckily, these things are easier to arrange and handle than you can imagine, so you won’t waste too much time hanging a few pictures or picking a mirror that will work for you.
Interesting rugs
Aside from being the necessary part of interiors, rugs can be a great way of adding a piece of style into your living room. If you add a rug into your home, you can tie together different types of styles and make them all work together. In addition to that, you can use rugs to divide space if you have an open concept interior, or to create depth in small living rooms. For those who’d like to add an interesting twist into their interior, there are a few ways you can achieve that. You can start by layering rugs that will certainly add depth into your living room. Use different types of rug sizes and layer them so they create a new style but be careful not to mix too many different colors and patterns.
Apart from that, you can use a few rugs that will create different parts of your living room – one for the focal point, one for the coffee table and one if you have a reading nook. This will keep the design interesting, but also help you to create different segments that will allow you to play with modern styles. If you’d like to implement new trends, rugs are a great way to achieve that without making too many changes and making some bold decisions. Just plan everything ahead before buying different types of rugs and make sure that will all work well together.
Furniture for comfort
An ottoman is a piece of furniture that can be seen in many living room trends in the past few years and there are few reasons for that. Firstly, you can use this trendy piece of furniture for sprucing up your interior and make it a bit more modern and stylish. Depending on the type of ottoman you pick, you can add different styles and play with different patterns and materials. That will allow you to change the look of your living room by adding only one small piece of furniture. In addition to that, this piece plays a major part in adding a cozy element and making sure you’ll be able to add comfort to your interior. Your family members will be happy to have a chance to relax after a long day.
The best part about having an ottoman in your living room is that they can be used as a substitute for coffee tables or as additional seating arrangement. Just place a tray on top of the ottoman and you’ll have plenty of space to put drinks and food close to your guests. You can find ottomans made out from leather, different types of soft materials or even some interesting combinations.
Your own private reading nook
People who love reading also love having all their books nearby and displaying them proudly in their living room, which is why they might consider adding some bookcases or bookshelves to this space. Their size is going to depend on the number of books you own and the size of your living room, and these bookcases can be as big or small as you want. If reading is your one true passion, think about those wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that will solve all your problems – you can even design and build this on your own rather easily, and not worry about storing your books ever again.
In addition to your bookcase, you can design your own custom reading nook in one of the corners of your living room. This doesn’t have to be too big or expensive, as only a simple armchair and a reading lamp will suffice. Of course, don’t forget a small coffee table where you can keep your coffee or your tea, as well as a few scented candles that will help you relax and concentrate on your reading.
If you want your living room to look amazing, keep in mind that decorating, equipping, and furnishing it is a responsible and challenging task, so try to approach it carefully and patiently. Envision what you’re trying to achieve first, and then work towards accomplishing this goal, but don’t be afraid to make bold choices and opt for ideas that will push your boundaries. The end result will be the best living room you’ll want to spend time with your family.
Kim Kardashian recently teased her social media followers with a secret new product for her brand, KKW Beauty. Sharing a photo to Twitter and Instagram, Kim wrote: “My ultimate body perfecting secret is launching to @kkwbeauty on 6.21.19. Can you guys guess what is it is?” The reality tv star may not have been ready for the reactions she got as people responded with “photoshop” and hinted towards plastic surgery. Now Kim has faced “surgery” rumours all through her career. And is unphased by it now.
While admitting to Botox, she hasn’t confessed to going under the knife for cosmetic reasons. Instead she credits make-up for the changing appearances over the years.
Speaking to Harbar’s Bazaar in 2012, Kim said: “Everyone always thinks I have had my nose done or my lips done or just anything to my face like besides Botox, which to me is not plastic surgery.”
Kim continued that: “People always say I have had a nose job and they will use before and after pictures but the after picture is really taken before. It’s so funny, it just depends on how your nose is contoured.”
Following the birth of her first child, North, with rapper Kanye West in 2013, Kim faced rumours that she had used surgery to get rid of the baby weight.
Kim took to Twitter to address the rumours.
“I am very frustrated today seeing reports that I got surgery to lose my baby weight! This is FALSE,” she tweeted. “I worked so hard to train myself to eat right & healthy, I worked out so hard & this was such a challenge for me but I did it!!! I am so proud of my accomplishment & NO ONE will take this away from me with fake reports!”
There was another controversy in October 2017 when paparazzi photos of Kim on vacation wearing bikini sparked cries of possible fillers. The beauty icon addressed the issue in an interview on The View.
Kim maintained that the photos were being altered by the media. “I saw these awful photos of myself when I was on a trip in Mexico and people were Photoshopping them and sharpening them. I mean, I definitely was not in my best shape-I hadn’t worked out in 12 weeks. I had two surgeries on my uterus,” she said. “I was already not feeling like myself. And then when people were sharpening them and making them look way worse, and then those were going around.”
Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN), a Fulani group, has raised 11 points as conditions for the restoration of peace and stability in northern Nigeria and called for the implementation of these points for a prosperous country.
A statement issued Wednesday in Damaturu by the National President of the association, Khalil Mohammed Bello, said the continued escalation of violence in the north was as a result of the failure of state governors to develop and harness the abundant natural and human resources endowments of their respective states.
The National President recalled that the wave of insecurity became more alarming in Nigeria and north in particular when armed robbery, kidnapping, armed banditry as well as terrorism started rearing their ugly heads at different points in time in the national life.
He added that all these culminated in the present reality that is characterised by pervasive security challenges rocking the northern region and parts of the country.
“The worse of all, is what is going on currently where the problems of Boko Haram, cattle rustling, human kidnapping, serious conflict between cattle rearers and farmers and religion crisis become order of the day in almost all parts of the Northern Nigeria which are some times extended to Southern part of the country, more especially the conflicts or crisis between Herders and their host communities,” Bello noted.
The Fulani association, therefore, suggested that for peace to be sustained in north and other parts of the country, there is urgent need for the 19 northern governors to: guarantee the security of the nomads and their livestock, establish special schools for the nomads, preserve and develop grazing reserves.
Others issues raised by the association that could lead to lasting peace in the region include: establishment of functional of veterinary for livestock services, funding of annual mass animal vaccination, provision and distribution of livestock feeds as well as provision of water in nomads’ settlements among others.
The pre-conditions for peace as enumerated by the Fulani Association’s National President Khalil Mohammed Bello are as follows:
1. Security for the Nomads and their livestock across the Nooks and crannies of the entire Northern States.
2. Special Schools For the Nomads.
3. Total preservation and development of grazing reserves across the Northern States of the Federation.
4. Establishment of functional veterinary and livestock services with personnel trained to teach Pastoralists modern livestock practices.
5. Fund adequately annual or retune animals vaccination services.
6. Support Nomads with livestock feed enduring the Lean month of March to June.
7. Provide all Nomads settlement across the North with portable water for human and livestock consumption.
8. Building the capacity of young Pastoralists of modern and lucrative/profitable livestock rearing to prevent them from engaging in a criminal act of human kidnapping.
9. Introduction of massive empowerment program for the pastoralists especially those who no longer own livestock as an alternative source of living.
10. Re-demarcation of all cattle routes that were not blocked as a result of executing developmental projects to prevent herders from destroying farmers’ farms.
11. Making peace and dialogue between the aggrieved parties across the Northern States.
“We wish to emphasize, that the above are some of the measures that KACRAN is of the strong view that, if properly and judiciously taken by our humbled Northern governors, peace and harmony would be restored in the entire Northern region and our beloved Country Nigeria, as well as enhancing our Nation’s economic potentialities,” the association insisted.
To consider that Nigeria, infamous for anti-vaxx campaigns leading to polio outbreaks, has any lessons for Americans may be shocking.
But as measles cases in the U.S. climb to an all-time high after the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, U.S. public health officials have been looking for ways to address the problem.
As a researcher on religious politics and health, I believe that Nigeria’s highly mobilized efforts to eliminate polio can teach America how to reverse the increase in measles cases and shore up its public health infrastructure. Working with international partners, Nigerians have combated misinformation, suspicion of vaccine science and religion-based boycotts to go from ground zero for polio on the African continent in 2003 to nearly polio-free in 2019.
Comparing Nigeria And The US
When the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was established in 1988 with the goal of complete eradication by 2000, several countries could not meet the target.
India needed another 14 years, while Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan faced stiff internal opposition to immunization. GPEI’s big 2003 push came shortly after Nigeria’s northern states implemented Sharia (Islamic law). Some clerics and political leaders encouraged boycotting immunization, citing contaminants that could reduce the Muslim population and mistrust of the government.
The U.S. is facing similar resistance now. Under scrutiny are anti-vaxx Orthodox and Hasidic Jews in New York City and Rockland County, but The New York Times has also uncovered resistance among Muslims, Catholics, Waldorf school parents and other cultural dissenters.
Anti-vaxxers in Clark County, Washington, are not religious opponents but rather Russian-speaking immigrants who, according to a report, harbor “mistrust of government that built up after being exposed to years of propaganda and oppression in the Soviet Union.” A doctor in their community blames tribalism for suspicion of “people coming from outside.”
Tackling Tribalism
Nigerians understood that simply ostracizing religious communities would not work. Anti-vaxx politics tapped into mistrust of government and “others” that ran deep in a diverse but divided society, where religious, regional and ethnic loyalties took priority over national unity.
Nigerians know the ravages of tribalism better than most Americans. By conservative estimates, their nation is home to more than 250 ethnolinguistic groups. The civil war, lasting from 1966 to 1970 after anti-Igbo pogroms in the Hausa-majority north, was a terrifying manifestation of the hatred of difference and a total lack of faith in the government.
To foster reconciliation, Nigerians engaged in efforts to break down tribalism. One experiment, started in 1973 and still going, is compulsory service of college graduates in the National Youth Service Corps in “states other than their own and outside their cultural boundaries to learn the ways of life of other Nigerians.” Notwithstanding problems, the program has instilled in Nigerians a sense that education alone is not enough to build a healthy society. Sometimes it is the source of social separation.
Using this logic to combat polio, Nigerian public health officials took themselves to anti-vaxxers, leaving behind their offices in the city to visit villages with reported polio cases. Their mobility built the “polio infrastructure” that “intensified political and managerial support from all levels of the Nigerian government,” according to a Gates Foundation white paper that analyzed global polio eradication. Traditional leaders like the Sultan of Sokoto also invested time and energy into immunization campaigns and social engagement.
Intensive socialization across class, education and other divisions were as important as traditional public health measures such as scale-up of local technical capabilities and independent monitoring.
Nigerian Physicians In The Field
I accompanied a team to a village outside Kano city in 2011, after years of public health interventions had reduced reported cases of polio to 20 in all of Nigeria for a 13-month period. The doctor leading the team leader had met four chiefs regularly; the eldest was the most supportive, the youngest the least.
The doctor asked the young man to roll up his left sleeve and pointed to a round scar on his upper arm, remarking, “Your parents had you vaccinated against smallpox. This campaign, though for a different disease, is the same. What’s the problem?” The young chief shrugged, ashamed at direct confrontation and unwilling to insult his parents. They bantered for a bit before we left in the Ministry of Health truck, having accomplished seemingly nothing but a social visit.
“Some may never vaccinate,” the doctor told me, “but I feel better equipped than you or another stranger to talk to them about this issue.”
Between mass immunization campaigns, he visited the villagers. “I know them now, their excuses, habits. Some men say the women are unreasonable. Others don’t care. I know their different personalities. And they know I know them.”
The polio infrastructure in Nigeria immerses experts and local communities in an ongoing relationship. It is an elaborate multilayered surveillance system, with many strategies and functions, from mundane visits to weekly record reviews at health centers in polio-affected areas.
Good Strategies Matter More Than Good Stories
The media in the West tend to talk about anti-vaxxers as weird and foreign, because they “make a good story,” writes researcher Amanda Vanderslott. She describes common hidden problems like vaccine delays and equipment shortage that sometimes prevent full immunization coverage, but these reasons are less sexy than anti-vaxxers, who are themselves a tribe sharing false beliefs peddled online by discredited doctors like Andrew Wakefield.
Criticism of parents not vaccinating their children may now be commingling with broader mistrust of, say, Facebook. Propaganda and tribal isolation have always existed but now are proliferating with social media that is, paradoxically, fostering anti-social tendencies.
Fearing negative attention would isolate anti-vaxxers and drive them underground, Nigeria fostered greater social engagement in the public health system. The nation’s polio infrastructure was tested in 2017 by new cases in the Lake Chad basin where Boko Haram’s violence reigned. Although international political observers feared the public health effects of Islamist-inspired terrorism, a common element in the remaining polio-affected countries, Nigeria’s disease surveillance capabilities held strong and surpassed those of Pakistan and Afghanistan in its polio surveillance capabilities in 2018.
One clear lesson for the U.S. from Nigeria’s experience with expanding vaccinations is that we should work to depoliticize public health. Scapegoating religious communities evokes ugly histories of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
Tribalism and insularity affect many communities, even the educated and political classes. Nigerians have rarely held back criticism of the elites who blame the masses for their own poverty and illnesses. Ordinary Nigerians, in turn, blame elite corruption for destroying the public sector including public health. Nigeria’s postwar efforts to reduce social stigma and scapegoating are unfinished business, but the polio eradication campaign is continuing the good fight.
Few American college grads will spend years immersed in a social experiment, but public health officials can prioritize resocialization around measles. For America to strengthen its measles infrastructure, trust to discuss and debate vaccine science needs to develop.
GPEI had to rejigger its own understanding of the interactions between monovalent oral polio vaccine and wild polio behavior. Like it or not, American public health officials must answer American advocacy groups like Informed Choice that highlight “the messy conundrum” of exposure to wild measles versus the existing measles-mumps-rubella vaccination strain. A disease infrastructure built on human capacity can handle disagreement.
It can also adapt. Nigeria spent over US$8 million on surveillance alone and expanded polio capabilities to fight other diseases like measles and rubella. While the system puts a heavy workload on health officials, it points the way for how the American public health system can reshape existing structures for the current era. America led international health partnerships for decades, but the time has come to follow other countries’ lead.
