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Banigo Identifies Factors Inhibiting Life Expectancy
The Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Harry Banigo, has identified poor health, infrastructure, food security and economic indices as some of the factors responsible for the low life expectancy in Nigeria.
Banigo disclosed this while speaking virtually at an event to mark the second anniversary of antibiotic manufacturers, St. Rachael’s Pharmaceuticals in Lagos.
The deputy governor, who spoke on the theme, “Improving Life Expectancy in Nigeria’, highlighted factors responsible for the short life-span of most Nigerians.
According to Banigo, statistics by the United Nations Population Fund show that Nigeria has the third lowest life expectancy rate in the world, stressing that life expectancy was 55 years for men and 56 years for women.
The deputy governor said, “We have social problems, infrastructure problems, poor and inadequate potable and safe water supply, poor state of our roads, poor housing and rental challenges, amidst other economic variables”, noting that inequitable distribution of income has wiped out the middle class in the society.
Banigo further stated that, “This has also added to the high level of unemployment, a lot of stress, ranging from students’ school fees, house rent, electricity bills, medical bills, generators and parts, repairs, and fuelling, feeding the family and clothing of family”.
She also identified the huge family demands, siblings’ demands, vigilante bills, work stress, police stress on the road, variable stress, fears of kidnappers and armed robbery attacks as factors that add to the low rate of life expectancy.
She expressed the need for urgent multi-sectorial collaboration to improve life expectancy and standard of living.
“To have a way forward from the current abysmal level, stakeholders and experts in the different fields must team up to address the challenges.
“Our government has a critical role to create conducive environment for businesses to thrive and ensure the sustainability of the ease of doing business in all sectors of our economy”, Banigo stressed.
The Rivers State deputy governor further said, “It must address the numerous challenges breaking the health sector in terms of facility, equipment, manpower, and also curtail preventable and avoidable diseases.
“Also, the government needs to improve on budgetary allocation to the health sector and take measures to control population growth.
“A situation where we have a population growth increase which is higher than our GDP is not sustainable. Hence, we need to educate our people and educate the women on birth control.”
She added that the media was also very key to changing the narrative, adding, “They are the ones that will bring this into the public discourse all the time.
“To keep the issues of unacceptable low life expectancy in our country in the front burner, the media should disseminate at all times, quality and relevant information to equip the people.
“Also, they should interrogate the activities of government and the service providers in taking appropriate actions to improve the living standards for the people”, Banigo added.
In his welcome address, the Chairman/CEO of St. Rachael’s Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Akinjide Adeosun, who said his organization commenced a 20-year journey into living our purpose on the continent of Africa starting from Nigeria two years ago, thanked everyone who had contributed to the success of the company since its inception in 2018.
“This journey will see us launch into many markets on the continent, expand our offering from our core base of antibiotics into brands that will supplement life and brands that will prevent diseases”, he further stressed.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.