From Used Cars to Private Jet: The Story of the Pentecostal Movement

As I sat to tea, ‘Ms. Olutola’ said to me, I remember when we started the ministry somewhere around Surulere. Bishop drove a beetle then, a used Volkswagen. One thing I remember is that despite the challenges we faced as a small fellowship, he always preached the Bible undiluted.

Most people can relate with ministers with used cars, some getting late to church because the rickety vehicle broke down on the highway. We can look back to the years between 1985 and 1990, when worshippers took refuge in not so sophisticated buildings which had become a place of refuge as we cringed from the terror by day masked as Chief of Staff. Those from the shacks of Ajegunle and the shores of Alpine took the battle against the junta in one accord to God. At that time, I would say there were neither Christians nor Muslims, only worshippers with a common enemy. Worship by the leaders and followers at that time could in my opinion be rated genuine.

Time travel from 1985 to 2005 and you’ll see a mind blowing transformation especially in the churches. Wooden benches gave way to high quality upholstery, berets gave way to hats as milliners churn out creativity to outdo one another, cloth banners gave way to large flex prints, wooden altar boards stepped aside for artistically decorated backdrops and of course used cars gradually became accursed amongst men and women of God.

It is easy for many people to zero the transformation down to the high-handedness of Pastors who lord it over their congregation; compelling members to spend beyond their means to give the place of worship a befitting face lift. Some would even go as far as condemning men and women of God for luring members to give their all so that they can live large at the expense of unsuspecting parishioners. But, for a second let’s look beyond the few negative indices at the value that the transformation in the Pentecostal Movement has brought to our nation.

Let’s start with entertainment. The need to turn to praise in the late 80s was a survival strategy. The melancholy that wore down the nation spread into the churches. To give a glimmer of hope most churches saw the need to re-engineer praise in order to keep the gloom out. Naturally the choir was thrown the challenge of giving people a reason to come to church. Today, many entertainers especially singers trace their beginning back to when they were choir or youth group members. To celebrate the exit of the junta, praise got even better which opened the door to better equipments leading to a boom in the music industry with dealers and sellers smiling to the banks.

Rev Jackie McCullough, a native of Jamaica and the Senior Pastor at Betha Rapha Church, recanted to her congregation in New Jersey, the story of how she received a gift of Maxima. This was at a time when she was merely one of the Pastors in a church where she served; long before she started her own ministry. A sister who had been blessed through the occasional sermons she shared walked up to her and handed over the key to the car. Was the sister forced? My guess is no. In my opinion, the lady was merely reacting to the impact Rev. McCullough had created. What the sister may not have known then is that Pastor Jackie had sown her own vehicle to the work of the ministry. Today, she has a ministry that birthed a mission that supported Jamaica with medical assistance and leadership training.

I once gave my pay packet to a Pastor. Yes, I was motivated by a sermon I heard but the truth is I came to a decision to do it weeks or months after because I realised I had benefited tremendously from the wealth of experienced I garnered from the Pastor. I was also motivated by the need to sow into a life that had become a trail blazer for excellence. I made the donation as anonymous so it wasn’t to curry favour of any kind. If the trainings – leadership, financial management, wealth creation, social interaction – I received were given a price tag; I would not have been able to afford it. So for me, parting with my pay packet was the least of the many ways I could say thank you to a man of God who has given so much.

As a tutor in America, I remember a day when one of my students walked up to me with a handmade card with these words: Ms. O, thank you for guarding us! That means a lot and I don’t think your language is funny! Thanks! On the paper she had a huge heart shape decorated in green and red. It was her way of appreciating my effort; her reference to language was in condemnation of her classmates who had laughed when I taught them how to greet in Yoruba. I have no doubt that she would have written the words on a cake if she could afford or make one.

How much do you think Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF Chief would have paid to avoid the shame he has come face to face with? If a man of God had given a revelation that would change his story, how much value would he have placed on the revelation and how would he have rewarded the gesture? Perhaps with a new car, a new church building or even a brand new jet! The Holy Book did say to whom much is given; much is expected.

The Pentecostal Movement despite the claims a number may have about high-handedness, corruption, extravagance etc, which I daresay must not be swept under the carpet, has given the Nigerian economy so much and it is high time we commended that sacrifice. I’ll name some of the industries that have benefitted from the transformation – the media and advertising industry. Before the 80s, how much advert or airtime did churches pay for? Whether it is used to celebrate the gospel or celebrate the gospel bearer, one thing we can all agree on is that these sectors have benefitted from the largesse especially with almost all churches now having media and publicity units. The fashion industry: the creative hats, handmade ties, seamless shirts, well designed shoes and bespoke suits… have upped that industry such that even the Okrika sellers and Aba folks had to rethink quality. Have you ever seen the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Mass Choir, or indeed any mass choir, in their beautiful ankara? You would agree that some tailors smiled to the bank. The aso-oke and george weavers have not been left out as church events often call for one aso-ebi or the other. Fans have given way to air conditioners and “I better pass my neighbour” generators have given way to high powered diesel engines. Bulletins have taken the backseat to well-designed newsletters or even magazines; no doubt the printing business got a boost, not with the specially crafted fliers and invitation cards be it to announce programmes or celebrate weddings. Unschooled cleaners have been compelled to sign up under corporate organisations as garbage collection translated to waste management businesses. How can you leave out the catering and events management sectors? Where an eatery is not located by a church, you can be sure a church member has signed into the business to cash in on the many functions and events that take place in and around the church.

You may still find it hard to comprehend the value of all these to Nigeria’s economy. But, let’s look at three major areas – education, health, human development – and how the transformation in the Pentecostal Movement has positively affected these important areas.

It is a known fact that those in the Nigerian corridors of power have no articulate plan for our children. Ask the incoming President what plans he has for children born last year who will in 4 years be expected to sign into primary education and he’ll send for the Minister of Education who may likely send for the Commissioners and the masquerade dance comes alive. Okay ask an easier question, “How many spaces will be open in tertiary institutions by the end of the next school session and how many students leaving secondary schools can be guaranteed a place?” And he may just be lost in the maze. But one thing most churches have done to bail Nigeria out was to create schools. Catholic, Baptist, Anglican, Methodist, Winners, Seventh Day Adventist, Redeemed, etc can all boast of schools. Unfortunately some schools previously taken over by the government have been driven to the brink of collapse. While the government had no plans whatsoever for children who were forced to stay at home during the registration process for the 2011 General Elections, most churches organised tutoring to ensure the children are kept busy while their parents went to work. A number of churches also organise lessons during holidays. Millions in Nigeria’s work force have the religious bodies to thank for their formal and informal education.

I never felt the impact of the Catholic Churches in the area of health until I was rushed some years back to the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Ijebu Igbo where I was promptly and nicely attended to by I guess a Nun. I remember Ms. Anita Roper, a Baptist Missionary, who taught me so many skills including research skills as a member of the Girls Auxilliary. This was ever before my classroom teachers mentioned the word research. One of the projects she guided me through was the comparison of religions; this saw me visiting an Imam, Herbalist and Prophet just so I can know the difference and strengthen my faith. Ms. Roper gave up her own country, her own people, to sign up for a life of mentoring in Nigeria. What money could have been given or what brain washing could have been done for anyone to sign into celibacy just so she or he can be dedicated to a life of service? But over and beyond that, what value can we place on the millions of lives that have been saved by the hospitals or millions that have been guarded aright by the sacrifice? Many churches today carry out free weekly or monthly medical services, not only for church members but to those within their immediate community.

The contribution to human development is PRICELESS! To start with, churches have become employers of labour. Another way to look at this is the building of personnel. The man that has come to be known as “The Walking Bible”, Rev. George Adegboye of the Rhema Chapel International Churches is an extraordinary human capital expert who has mentored pastors locally and globally. He hardly spends one month of the year with his own family. Look around you and you’d find that most churches in building their workforce through rigorous leadership trainings have provided a ready pool for corporations, civil service, politics etc. Not only have most churches floated training institutes; they have through sermons continued to teach the virtues and values needed for nation building and democratic governance. Initiatives like the training of street urchins, known as Area Boys by the RCCG or rehabilitation of prostitutes by the Real Women Foundation birthed by Pastor Nike Adeyemi or guiding of singles and married by the Bimbo Odukoya Foundation or counselling of prison inmates by The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) has had a multiplying effect on our economy as those who would never have been able to contribute to the nation have been transformed and equipped to do so.

I am not saying that the church is perfect but more effort should be made to harness the benefits that have accrued from the progressive transformation. If all the churches were under one umbrella as a business entity; the entity would have been recorded in the top echelon of the Fortune 500 list. But the church as a place of worship where worshippers strive to give their best in the spirit of excellence should not be overlooked as a worthy business model.

Many more continue to give their widow’s mite not because they are coaxed but because they have benefitted or in religious parlance, they have been blessed. Last year the 1984-1990 Alumni of FGCO Odogbolu decided to give back a N2.5M project to the school. Why? The set members came to the conclusion that the school gave them so much more than they could ever afford to pay back. The students went further to appreciate their indefatigable Principal – Mr. Tunde Adefolaju – in a way that left him speechless. It would not have been enough, if Mr. Adefolaju got a new car or even a jet; after 20 years, we agreed that his contribution to our lives was priceless.

So people give back to churches, pastors, principals, teachers, employers etc but the question is, how well have Nigerians been blessed by Nigeria? Will there come a time when our children will think of giving back? Or are we propping them up to plunder Nigeria for abusing their childhood?



By now my cup of tea was empty. As I made to leave, I asked Ms. Olutola, was he called a Bishop then? No she said; we called him Pastor. Who would have imagined that in just a few years the small fellowship venue would be transformed to an estate and his used beetle given way to a jet? Indeed God is good, she concluded. Well, if a title is all it takes to celebrate a life of service, he deserves to be called an Archbishop.

Omolola Famuyiwa is Project Director of Cares Global Network and Editor of Willows Magazine.

Real or Official Age

The “birther” controversy in the United States against President Barack Obama raises two pertinent issues for us as Nigerians; the issue of age and race.

If our birth were to be contended by anyone, how easy would it be for us (as Nigerians) to pull out our real birth certificates? I know of a young lad who lost an admission to a school abroad because he mistakenly quoted his real age on his application form. To get into primary school years back, his parents had sworn an affidavit for him showing that he was six years when in actual fact he was only four years. So, all his life he was compelled to use his “official” age. I know of a friend who ended up marrying a younger guy against her wish; the guy claimed his “social status” age. The younger “official” age that was quoted on the curriculum vitae was the reason a dear one said no to having a relationship with a great guy; only to find out his real age as he laid in the coffin! I bet you have more stories. Needless to say there is no better time to put your records straight than now when a lot of seemingly honest people are called to the courts to answer for their supposedly hidden past.

Come to think of it, how, when, where, why, and what led to people using the so-called “official age”? Some say it is motivated by social, economic, health, educational or employment reason but I say it is plain dishonesty which has eaten deep into the fabric of our society. Official age, how glamorous! We glamourise what others are put behind the bars for in other countries.

But sadly, this dishonesty is motivated and encouraged by our society. How do you explain that employers of labour continue to ask for 25 years with 5 years work experience? Well, with the advent of private universities, the children of the rich may fit into the profile of 25 with 5 years experience. So what should a middle class 28-year-old do; remain unemployed or tell a lie that has become accepted? Try granting liberty to all those in private service to change their age to real age without repercussion and you’d be shocked at the population that falls into the category of using official age. These days, children (especially of the middle and lower class) enter higher institutions late (if at all); no thanks to the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board, Post-JAMB and of course the almighty strike is there to ensure they are well advanced in age before getting their certificates. So who is to blame; the government, for not providing the enabling infrastructure, the society for asking for the impossible or the court of law for wilfully issuing age declaration affidavits with reckless abandon?

Few years back, some banks sacked workers without university degrees and our government moped. Those who were children then learned one thing: polytechnic is not a place to go. So years down the line, we find millions trying to find a place in the universities that are grossly inadequate. They wait and wait till they gain admission only to spend donkey’s years to make sense of whether it was necessary to have bothered.

The second pertinent issue is the issue of race. At least by virtue of being born by an American mother, Obama can lay claim to his nationality as an American but what of his nationality as a Kenyan? Would he ever have been able to contest for any notable position in Kenya even if Kenya were to become the most important country in the whole world? Despite having risen to become what some may refer to as the world’s number one President, majority of the people he leads still question his nationality. This points to one fact: no matter how well you adapt, adopt, acclimatise; the colour of your skin speaks louder than your voice. At least in the world we live in today.

We as Nigerians need to value our culture and teach it to our children. Obama’s pride of place was fashioned by a mother who ensured he learnt her culture. If Obama were born in Kenya by an American woman, I have no doubt that she would have groomed him not as a Kenyan but an American. But what if his mother were Kenyan and he was born in America? I bet he would have been groomed as an American. How come most Africans, especially Nigerians, edit their culture from their children’s diet especially where such children are born outside Nigeria? As I travel all over the globe, I meet more and more Nigerians who have chosen not to share the Nigerian culture with their children. Versatility is great as long as you master the rudiment of navigating your own turf. It would be foolhardy not to learn the culture of where you reside but why relegate or worse still, forget your root when according to David Diop in the poem, Africa, “your blood flows in my veins.”

While discussing this issue with my Alumni Group, Mr. Ademola Awonaike, a human resource consultant whose family lives abroad had this to say:

My children speak Yoruba in the US and will prostrate for you when you see them. They yearn to come home and remind me of our local television programmes. We cannot forget our source because if we do, we may dry up like the river without a source.

But the truth is most Nigerians in the Diaspora have forgotten their roots. I’m proud of those who haven’t and my face always lit up when our children curtsy to me abroad or speak our language. Local television programmes for children would have been a great medium through which we can teach our culture but are they still in existence? Our poetry, folklores and plays have sunk into the back burners of globalisation.

Mr. Dean Arutoghor who previously worked with primary and secondary schools in London had this to say:

It amuses me when I come across professionals who have always spoken their mother-tongue and also speak good English claiming it confuses their children. Meanwhile millions of other Nigerian children are managing fine. I noticed that even Nigerian and other African children who could speak or understand their mother-tongues never spoke those languages to one another - in or out of school. Meanwhile, Chinese and Indian children are continually yapping away in and out of school in their mother-tongues as soon as they can speak. Another thing on language, African kids seem to be the only kids in the playgrounds in the schools I worked who were actually ashamed or awkward about (their own words) of openly speaking in their mother-tongues. African children seem to be the only children in the playgrounds in the schools I worked who were actually ashamed and felt awkward about openly speaking in their mother-tongue.

According to Mr. Arutoghor, these children – Chinese, Indians etc – come top in primary and secondary school examinations year in, year out in London. Chinese no.1 and Indians no.2 (you may check this out on Guardian Education and other reliable British media websites).

How come Nigerian parent erroneously believe that speaking their mother-tongue will stop you from getting to the top or from being able to speak with a British or American accent?

Every now and then when I insist that Yoruba children should speak Yoruba to me, you begin to hear all the unforgiveable errors! Most of them will say, “Mo gbo (I can hear), only I cannot speak.” A mix of rice and beans is neither rice nor beans it is adalu (mixture). And to think they say such arrant nonsense with a smile! Even my own brother who made so much noise about how his children would speak Yoruba has failed, claiming his wife did not teach them. But believe it or not, in my infrequent visits to the United Kingdom, these children learned Yoruba songs, games and signs. Mr. Awonaike confirmed that the agreement he had with his wife, who is with the children most of the time, is that they must learn, understand and speak the language. Such simple agreement is what is needed in most Nigerian homes not only abroad as this phenomenon of shying away from our language is gaining ground even at home. The job of instilling our culture in our children should not be left in the hands of one parent where both are available and accessible. One parent agreed, “I need to be on top of this [teaching our culture to children] as I seem to fall into complacency at times.”

The job of teaching our culture especially our language is the job for all. It is not enough that local languages are thought in schools. Government should make a conscious effort to celebrate our culture. When I say culture, I do not mean the language alone but greetings, dressing, eating etc. I am yet to see a child who was brought up with the Nigerian culture who would dress indecently given that our culture speaks of self-respect. Unfortunately today, not only have we shied away from teaching our culture, we are beginning to confuse our children even in the English we speak – students now mix British with American spellings, that is if they are not writing in short messaging codes. Most Nigerians commemorate the Mother’s Day for UK and USA. It is very easy to fall for anything when we don’t stand for something. If it is becoming increasingly difficult for adults especially those in the Diaspora to answer the question, who am I, then you may rest assured that our children are in the pit of confusion. I once heard an African say to his mum, “You yell too much!” This is definitely unheard of in the African culture except from children who have become unteachable.

Well, whether our language – be it Hausa, Igbo, Idoma, Egba, Ekiti, or Ishan... – becomes extinct is in our hands as parents, teachers, public servants etc. To corroborate what Mr. Arutoghor said, my Mum had never stepped out of Nigeria at the time I was birthed, in fact as at that time she was a school certificate holder working as a telephone operator with NET, now NITEL (that is a story for another day), yet I learned to speak English enough to dazzle the Queen Mother, making her subjects wonder if I was born abroad, and Yoruba very well enough to make my people wonder whether I have ever been out of Nigeria.

Perhaps I should let folks who believe that speaking “native” language or vernacular (as they now sadly call it) will rob their children of Queen’s English; you are wrong. A child below 5 years has the ability to learn and speak 5 languages she/he is exposed to on a daily basis. Amazing; that’s God’s work.

Another parent’s response to Dr. Akindele’s position is that parental effort might not be enough as the children of those black parents who do not bother to enlighten their children about the positives of their culture sometimes grow up to stab the children of those parents who do. There is too much self-hatred and dislike amongst black youths. And I daresay this can be attributed to the loss of identity. If we don’t tackle the negative image they have to contend with collectively, then who will?

We need to teach our children the simple values of honesty, diligence, self-esteem, respect for self and others and contentment etc. We also need to teach our culture and racial identity and the inner strength it offers. President Obama would never have been able to coordinate affairs in a place called White House if he did not come to terms with his blackness. In our quest for equity and equality, in our struggle for prominence in the global field, we must retain our identity and remain culturally relevant.

Let’s not keep this issue on this page; share it on social networks, at family or social functions; years down the line that man or woman, girl or boy who sneered at you for sharing will acknowledge you by saying adupe, nagode, dalu, merci, gracias, shukran.

For comments you may reach the writer via editor@willowsmagazine.com. The first part of the article was published on Friday, May 13, 2011 while the second was published on Monday, May 16, 2011.

Dr. Adeleke Akindele, a General Practitioner in the UK had a different take on the issue. He affirmed in a recent chat that languages like Chinese/Mandarin and other Asian ones are seen as ‘exotic’ hence the children don’t have a problem speaking them in public and their parents don’t have a problem teaching such language to them. Most black Africans try to lose the ‘African’ tag because it is less exotic and usually the impression of our continent is of the ‘heal the world’ era. These kids have to contend with being black and African which is not an easy task in most UK schools. What’s the solution? Teach you own child and leave the rest.

Media Freedom

What do Dele Giwa, Sunday Bwede, Nathan Dabak, Bayo Ohu, Samson Boyi, Sam Nimfa-Jan, Fidelis Ikwuebe, Okezie Amaruben, Tunde Oladepo, Edo Ugbagwu, Paul Abayomi Ogundeji, Godwin Agbroko, Ephraim Audu, and Baguda Kaltho have in common? They were journalists. A profession that served them the death warrant in the hands of those who hate the freedom of expression. Their contribution to freedom of expression, democracy and peace is etched in the minds of those who continue to fearlessly practice the trade.

The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is UN’s agency with the mandate to evaluate and defend freedom of expression and promote freedom of the press. Article 1 of its Constitution requires the Organisation to “further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations.”

There is no better way to promote this mandate than the celebration of World Press Freedom Day which took place at a three-day conference in Washington DC from May 1 – 3 2011 at the Newseum and the National Press Centre. The event was attended by over 600 journalists, new media innovators, policymakers and press freedom advocates from across the globe including Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters, who was one of the panelists in the Censorship Without Bothers breakout session. The World Press Freedom Day was born 20 years ago by a group of journalists gathered under the auspices of UNESCO in Windhoek, Namibia. Twenty years on, the media landscape has changed beyond recognition but UNESCO’s objective according to the Director General remains the same; “to promote freedom of expression as the foundation of human dignity and as a cornerstone of democracy”. After Windhoek, events every day show that promoting freedom of expression remains as important and as challenging as ever.

While speaking at the opening ceremony, Irina Bokova, first female Director-General of UNESCO says that freedom of expression is vital for strong democracies and for human development and security and UNESCO is dedicated to ensuring that the internet becomes a global public resource as a means of fostering the freedom of expression and access to information. This according to Ms. Bokova calls for media and internet literacy and it requires defending the integrity and safety of journalists everywhere. She reiterated that violations of fundamental human rights cannot go unanswered.

In presenting the results of the annual press freedom report, Karin Karlekar, Senior Researcher at Freedom House said the 8-year decline experienced between 2002 and 2010 may be coming to an end going by the strides made globally especially with Subsaharan Africa showing some improvements. For most region, narrowing of space for independent broadcasting, control of new means of information disemination and suppression of press freedom has continued. The survey rated in terms of press freedom, four countries as improved - Moldova, Guinea, Liberia and Niger, having moved from, “not free“ to “partly free“ or from “partly free“ to “free“ and five as being worse off - Egypt, Mexico, South Korea, Honduras and Thailand, having moved from “free“ to “partly free“ or from “partly free“ to “not free“ as the case may be. A large map showing how countries faired graced the Newseum during the conference. Details of the survey and analysis can be found in the report; Freedom of the Press 2011: A Global Survey of Media Independence.

According to Stephen King, Investment Partner, Omidyar Network, host of opening reception, “For those who share interest or passion in seeing that press freedom is protected and promoted, we can all take advantage of the opportunities presented by new technologies to further these freedoms." As part of its efforts to promote government transparency, Omidyar Network in conjunction with a group of outside donors, including the Gates Foundation and the Mo Ibrahim Foundation will be giving $2 million grant over two years to the Media Development Loan Fund, $450, 000 over three years to the Sahara Reporters, $800, 000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists over the next year and $1.7 million over the next two years to the African Media Initiative, a consortium of private and independent African outlets aiming to strengthen the continent’s media landscape and promote transparency, rule of law and democratic governance.

Nigeria no doubt has made some strides. After 12 years of pushing against the tide, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the Freedom of Information Bill on February 24, 2011 while the Senate passed it on March 16, 2011. However, there are many differences between the versions of the Bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly, some of which are quite significant and have far-reaching implications for the efficacy of the rights guaranteed under and the fulfillment of the obligations created by the Bill. Media Rights Agenda and members of other civil societies are anxious to conclude the harmonisation process so that the plenary sessions of both Chambers of the National Assembly can adopt the harmonised version of the Bill and fast track its transmission to the President for assent as required by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended before the end of the current administration.

The three-day conference, sponsored by the United States, UNESCO and other partners, concluded on Tuesday with a closing ceremony during which the jailed Iranian journalist, Ahmad Zeidabadi was awarded the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Zeidabadi, the Editor-in-Chief of Azad Newspaper, is currently serving a six-year jail term following Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election. Ahmad dedicated the award to his family and “to all whose sons never returned home. I dedicate it to tearful mothers, sisters, daughters and children who live with the pain of having their loved ones in prison. For remembering us, God will remember and reward you.”

“When free media is in jeopardy, all other freedoms are threatened,” said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who made the final remark via a video conference. The theme of the 2011 conference was New Media in the 21st Century: New Frontiers, New Barriers. To honour this theme, participants at the event took part in an online conversation on press freedom. Tweets were marked with the hash tags, #WPFD and #PressFreedom and participants were encouraged to share the event on other social media platforms. At the close of the conference, the Washington Declaration was presented and adopted.

Though the website of the Committee to Protect Journalists report that 861 journalists have been killed globally since 1992 with 15 for Nigeria, it is public knowledge that many more have died just for daring to bring the truth to the attention of all. As we commemorate World Press Freedom Day, we call on UNESCO to update the web page dedicated to journalists who were assassinated in the exercise of their profession. Instead of duplicating effort, UNESCO may work with the Committee to Protect Journalists to ensure that all known journalists felled in the line of duty are listed. This will be a constant reminder that the fight for access to information and freedom of expression must be won for the souls of many that have died or are still in chains for holding up information to the light of truth. In Maya Angelou’s words, we may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.

The power in information can never be over emphasised. In the words of a former American President, Thomas Jefferson, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” As we commemorate the World Press Freedom day, I join millions of people globally to honour the heroism of all those who make great sacrifice to freely express themselves in whatever medium; daring all intimidation. I ask that you stand, as we did at the conference, for a minute of silence to honour our fallen heroes whose ultimate price is reason enough to keep up clamouring for free press everywhere.

Omolola Famuyiwa is Project Director of Cares Global Network. 

Eradicating Mosquitoes or Reducing Malaria?

Kill that mosquito!

On Saturday April 16, 2011 some prominent comedians in the United States of America put together an event at the Nokia Theatre, Los Angeles tagged, “Hollywood Bites Back”, a night of comedy to help support the fight against malaria, helped raise $750, 000 to end malaria in Africa, not because malaria is a comic disease but because they decided to add their quota to human development. According to the Associated Press, celebrities such as John Mayer, Orlando Bloom, Ted Danson and Elizabeth Banks and others recorded public service announcements about the disease, which reached millions nationwide and culminated in the live comedy show. One question to ask would be how much of this $750k made it to Africa. Ironically, the comedy in this for me is the fact that billions of Naira after the discovery of this killer disease and decades after the eradication of malaria in some countries, Nigeria still grapples with this malaria causing nuisance of a disease.

“Idol Gives Back” is another special fundraiser focused on fighting extreme poverty in Africa. In addition to generating more than $140 million in proceeds, this American Idol initiative also raised a great deal of awareness about the need to combat the spread of malaria (which no doubt is a poverty-based disease) in Africa. Many corporate organisations donated handsomely to the initiative aimed at enabling the distribution of hundreds of thousands of bed nets throughout disease-stricken communities in Africa. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation should be commended for their efforts towards human development. The year 2011 also saw ExxonMobil partnering with Family Care to promote and publicly broadcast various prevention and treatment tools and resources in Nigeria and a photo exhibition - Champions to End Malaria – at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. Ironically, some of the oil wells and oil spills by oil producing companies have had the negative effect of causing malaria. According to researchers in Florida, “The Gulf oil spill could wipe out a potential cure for malaria, treatments for cancer and other diseases by killing off marine organisms that are the basis of experimental drugs.”

Anthony Lake, the UNICEF Executive Director, said in his World Malaria Day Address recently that, “Everyday, around 2,000 children die from a mosquito bite.” He went on to confirm that, “We have effective measures to combat this deadly disease - and we must use them to save lives.” The question is, why must we continue to bury our children (or anyone) when simple health procedures can rid us of this killer disease? For emphasis, I grew up learning that malaria is a preventable and curable disease. I grew up taking Sunday-Sunday Medicine (Daraprim) and learning that the use of bed net, spraying of insecticide in one’s bedroom hours before bedtime (to avoid choking, nasal congestion etc) and ensuring one’s environment is rid of breeding grounds for mosquito are great ways to fight the battle against malaria.

Malaria in humans is caused by a protozoon of the genus plasmodium and the four subspecies, falciparum, vivax, malariae, and ovale. The species that causes the greatest illness and death in Africa is plasmodium falciparum. The World Health Organisation reported 247 million cases of malaria and almost one million deaths in 2008, most of whom were African children. The disease is spread through mosquito bites and causes flu-like illness, fever, shaking, headache, chills, muscle aches, tiredness and vomiting and can be fatal if not treated, according to the WHO. The most severe manifestations are cerebral malaria (mainly in children and persons without previous immunity), anaemia (mainly in children and pregnant women), and kidney and other organ dysfunction (e.g., respiratory distress syndrome). Persons repeatedly exposed to the disease acquire a considerable degree of clinical immunity, which is unstable and disappears after a year away from the endemic-disease environment.

Over the years, however, business people have come to benefit immensely from the insecticide treated nets, insecticides with nice scents, repellants etc. Campaigns on malaria have become a source of income to the consultants, the media, printers etc. Malaria has opened more economic doors yet continues to drain out the lives of our precious ones, sending tears and wailings into the homes especially across Africa.

For me, the news about the researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Washington, Seattle genetically modifying large population of mosquitoes that could dramatically reduce the spread of the deadly disease eventually is heartwarming and should be followed through but the question is how many of such mosquitoes would be released into our environments and where? Hopefully, this will not have contra-effects on humans biten by the genetically modified mosquitoes (gmm). “This is an exciting technological development, one which I hope will pave the way for solutions to many global health problems,” said Andrea Crisanti of Imperial’s Life Sciences department, who led the study.

We definitely need to strengthen research capabilities. More biomedical research schools should be established and more young people should be encouraged to sign up for careers in scientific research. Research centres and laboratories should be refurbished, equipped and supplied with adequate technology and resources for field work.

According to the UNICEF, between 2004 and 2010, more than 400 million nets were delivered to malaria-endemic countries, with 290 million delivered since 2008 alone. These 290 million nets are enough to cover approximately 80 per cent of country-stated net need across Africa. These efforts have led to real progress as global malaria deaths dropped by 20 per cent between 2000 and 2009 - a figure that represents many thousands of individual children’s lives. But the question is, should we be talking about a drop in percentage or a landslide reduction or outright eradication? Why must we continue to offer nets when we can offer fishes as far as combating malaria is concerned?

As experts indicate, ninety seven per cent of the Nigerian population is said to be at risk of infection resulting in approximately 300,000 malaria deaths annually. A lot of these deaths occur among children under five years of age. Are we going to continue to respond to these deaths by increasing appropriate malaria treatment or implementing the Affordable Medicines for malaria or distributing millions of long lasting insecticidal nets? Or improving malaria case management with Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies for malaria or convening ministerial conferences on malaria or strengthening of the WHO/AFRO Task Force and the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria in Africa? Or, as many expect, are we going to put the tools for combating this killer disease in the hands of the populace especially people in the endemic countries?

Our forefathers survived the malaria epidemic by keeping their environments clean and instituting sanitation officers, referred to then as wole wole, and by using medicinal herbs. Even though the use of medicinal herbs as curative therapy has been challenged times and again, I grew up knowing about Dongoyaro and how it was researched by the West and is now used as one of the ingredients for malaria drugs. True or untrue, one thing I can confirm is that I have had to drink Dongoyaro, Ewuro (bitter leaf) and lemon grass tea to survive malarial bouts. Today, many people still settle for herbs either because of the real or perceived potency, absence of side effects (no itching) or because they are available and affordable. While I cannot condemn the use of herbs, there is definitely the need to do more research especially to determine how they should be taken, the constituents and of course, their dosage. We have entered into collaborative efforts for many years to combat many diseases; is it not high time we began to look inwards? Collaboration between herbalists, traditional doctors, medical doctors and bio-medical researchers will be a step in a progressive direction. Suffice it to say that this will surely serve the people good.

I remember a couple of people dying while I was in secondary school many years ago. They came down with malaria and because they were not adequately treated or perhaps their immunity was low, the disease graduated to what my matron described then as cerebral malaria (accute malaria of the brain). To me, it appears that the Federal Government like Donald Trump is chasing shadows or may have come down with philosophical ‘cerebral malaria’. Or, how do we explain that malaria has continued to wipe out our most precious assets – humans especially children – and all we do is wait for aid from far lands to combat this daylight killer? Look into our history and you’d see unconventional methods through which we have solved very serious problems and addressed complex challenges. Was it not with Pidgin English that we rewrote the history of colonialism? The Agbekoya Revolt of 1968-1969 was an unusual collective action against unpopular government policies. We have fought the war to remain a united country. Why then should mosquitoes bend our knees and like one of the television adverts and cause us to become shakky-shakky people.

According to Robert B. Zoellick, the President of the World Bank Group and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and the incoming Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, beyond the wide distribution of mosquito nets, ending malaria deaths will require making sure that effective diagnosis and timely treatment become available to every patient. Health authorities need to keep better track of where malaria still exists and which drugs produce the best health outcomes. We want funding to be effective, not simply throwing money at the problem.

Such initiatives as Malaria No More, Malaria Vaccine Initiative – MVI, Medicines for Malaria Venture – MMV, Nets for Life, PSI Malaria Control, Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership, UN Foundation Nothing But Nets, have helped with reducing malaria but really does any of these initiatives have an expiry date? If no exit date, how feasible are plans to eradicate this scourge?

With all the elephant projects with rhinoceros names, malaria continues to gulp as fraudulent people map out ways to steal the funds that should go into education, better health facilities, ensuring our environment is rid of gutters and shanties... If all the funds had gone into enlightening and educating us into changing our behaviour and making our environments liveable, we would have signed off malaria long before now. Perhaps our best efforts are not directed in the best possible ways.

Malaria is a scourge that must be eradicated not merely reduced. If our pregnant women are safe from malaria, they will have healthy children. If the children stay healthy; deaths from malnutrition can be reduced. Fighting malaria not only saves children’s lives, but also yields many other health and economic benefits. Malaria has serious social, economic, and developmental implications for human development. We need not wait until citizens from malaria-endemic countries are disallowed from travelling overseas before taking drastic measures. To successfully combat this killer disease, we need to place the control strategy on a strong research base, enter into locally relevant collaboration and encourage sustainable private and government partnerships and initiatives to sustain their support for the eradication of the disease. “We cannot leave some children exposed to malaria and other children safe,” said Lake. “Whether it is insecticide-treated nets, proper diagnosis, or effective treatment, the challenge is to provide protection and care to every single child who is at risk.”

This article first appeared in Punch Newspaper of Friday, 29th April, 2011 with the concluding part on Monday, 2nd May, 2011. Famuyiwa is Project Director of Cares Global Network.