Nigeria takes Big Tobacco to court about kids

Why kids smoke

Sometimes one can wonder how kids get into smoking and eventually get hooked on the thing for life.

Growing up in Nigeria, there was a bit of a rascal in me and I remember times with my cousins we had a puff at strips of matting (sleeping mats) which had the look and feel of real cigarettes but their potency and efficacy was not known apart from the fact that they were unsmokable.

I had a puff or two before I was a teen but only really started when I was 14, however, it was a secret act of rebellion and quest for adulthood – however, kids caught smoking exacted the highest penalties of corporal punishment and serious ostracism from older members of society along with status amongst peers.

Resisting peer pressure

I always drew the line about what I would try and I remember one episode when I was in company of people more wayward and off the rails than I was, who were smoking pot, I refused to participate whilst others did – a few days after, one of the tough girls in that group leapt out of a first-floor window to escape many things I cannot recount.

She spent a few weeks in hospital and returned to her ways and people usually do.

I did have an inclination to start smoking pipes, but never got that far with the threat that someone at polytechnic was going to inform my parents of my smoking; one had to be more discrete about these vices.

Quitting by religion

At 18, I got religion and it just stopped, the desire, the craving and wanting and I did not have another puff till 17 years later and none since.

Whilst religion seemed a good thing, one must say that there is nothing that preaches against smoking as one can find preaching against alcohol. Basically, smoking is just a “social vice” which has been promoted into a sin because basically, it is what adults do rather than kids.

If however, one sees smoking as an addiction and hence a type of bondage from which one would want to be delivered then there is scope for belief systems to help.

There is also the matter of stewardship of your body in such a way as not to bring it into harm’s way – though not many take the body as seriously as they show even though it is the only shell of representation we have to interact in this world.

Those rotten companies

I am quite interested in the move by Nigeria of suing international cigarette companies on the matter of childhood smoking. They probably have a cause, I am not sure if they have a case.

Indeed, there should be serious educational material that talks about the dangers of smoking and the consequences of the same beyond threats and housewife tales.

When I was a kid, the most glamorous adverts were the smoking ones which showcased Marlboro Man and made every kid want to live their lives like him.

Tobacco companies would want to present a responsible corporate image to the West whilst they aggressively ply their trade in developing and emerging economies because that is where the growth for their market is, until some smart head shows to replace fossil fuels with tobacco.

Intoxicating Africa for Western profits

These emerging economies would usually not have addiction mitigating services or disease amelioration systems to handle cancers and other smoking-related disorders such that once people are hooked, they are truly hooked as they dig their graves with each long draw of the puff.

It is a welcome move and if does not get the companies doing something positive about eliminating access to the toxic weed to children they would know that the times of dumping poisons in Africa to keep their profits in the West are coming to an end.

In general, smoking is becoming less a social statement with smoking bans in New York, London and many other cities, smokers are finding ways of a healthier outlook to life; there are some who see a human-rights element to the freedom to puff, hopefully the quest of a healthier life would outweigh any temporary benefits that lead to long-term terminal illness.

References

Illicit tobacco trade contributes to global disease burden

Smoking curbs: The Global Picture

The African tobacco conundrum

Taking the World Up in Smoke

Tips to stop smoking

The Blood Transfusion con claims another life

Humankind the core of religion

Religious fanaticism becomes ever so much a problem when some interpretation by a branch of religious adherence stands in the way of preserving life.

Jesus in His earthly days contended strongly with the religious leaders who paid much heed to religious observance than the care and nurturing of humanity.

It led His charge that Sabbath was made for man and not man for Sabbath, presaging the context that his hungry disciples could pick grain for food on the Sabbath when religious law forbids work and it forms the crux of the parable of the Good Samaritan where it was someone without the strict religious upbringing of not touching the unclean who exercised compassion to save the victim of a mugging.

Basically, the import of all His teaching was that the care and love of humankind bears the greatest importance and significance to their fellow human-beings beyond traditions, culture, customs, doctrines, diktat or beliefs.

In everyday words, we have done nothing for the advancement of humankind if we sacrifice people on the altar of creeds and laws when we should be focusing on preserving health, well-being and life.

Blood for life in transfusion

This brings a very harrowing tale to the fore, a lady of 22 gave birth to a set of twins, but complications ensued where medicine could have mitigated the situation through a simple blood transfusion, but because of religious beliefs, she refused this life-saving treatment and consequently died leaving her twins motherless and her husband (24) loveless to care for the babies.

I stand on the point that any religious adherence that compels the denial of parenthood is inherently evil, extreme, fanatical, cultish, ungodly and patently of the devil.

Contrived Biblical interpretation

Somehow, someone has read the Bible and come to the conclusion that the exhortation not to touch blood in the Old Testament automatically infers there should be no transfusion – as if transfusion was an everyday occurrence in those times.

I agree that we do need to adhere to certain religious beliefs if we are so inclined, but unnecessary martyrdom where remaining on earth to perform your duty as parent is concerned is folly at best and inexcusable to the top of the church hierarchy that espouses such teaching, at the very least.

One wonders if a parent is then allowed to treat the wounds of their children if they are not to touch blood that is not theirs.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses hold this belief dear and in the process many have met untimely deaths where a simple medical procedure could have preserved life, love and care.

Transfusion is acceptable

They - the Jehovah's Witnesses - went to the extent of providing a Fresenius Continuous Autologous Transfusion System (CATS) to a hospital in the UK, years ago, which allowed for blood from the same person to be collected and transfused if needed – this means they do recognise the medical benefit of blood being transfused to save life; they only cannot countenance the idea of the blood being from someone else, whereas, this in itself is a gift of life where in a majority of cases the donor would never know the receiver. In the vein of a Good Samaritan spirit.

Beyond that, why can blood not be transfused in the family, are they not blood relations? parent-child, sibling-sibling or spouse-spouse.

The whole principle and doctrine begins to fall apart when scrutinised from a very common sense perspective, it saddens and infuriates that we cannot use our God-given faculties to balance the greater good over the nominal evil, if it really be that evil.

Keep religion out of public services

The more reason why the clamour to ban religion in public services and places should prevail, if you choose to use a public hospital, the medical advice should and must take precedence over religious belief, else go to church and let the priest minister through prayer.

It is things like these where the family should be filled with joy, that the wretched hands of fate and sorrow might lead people to curse God when it has been no fault of God but that of men in religious leadership teaching for doctrines the traditions of men to keep others in bondage to a faith that engenders death rather than the preservation of life.

I am so sorry for the Gough family; the church, no matter how benevolent cannot replace the love of a mother or suckle the children to maturity, the man alone with his sorrow, must contemplate the possibility that God’s will would have been so radically different from church doctrine and seek where the preservation of life as a service to humanity is the true calling of religion.

The unassailable Paula Radcliffe

The incomparable Paula Radcliffe once again got the Union Jack flying as she finished the closely run New York City marathon with the winner of the Berlin Marathon – Gete Wami coming second.

It brought a tear to my eye as I watched the return of a woman to the top of her sport after all the disappointments and troubles she has had over the years, take the tape, wrap the flag about her, get baby Isla and kiss husband Gary.

In her wake were champions all, but as holder of the world record, Paula is a class by herself and no doubt would have her place in history as one of the best marathon runners ever that has graced this sport. Bring on Beijing, my voice is hoarse already for the cheering in a year's time.

Her interview before the marathon talks about preparing for the Beijing Olympics and motherhood – this girl makes me proud as an example of dogged determination, supreme confidence, perseverance and self-belief.

Well Done – Paula Radcliffe.

Musharraf cannot fool us again

Guns to the rule

That Pakistan is caught in the throes of those who wield power through the comfort and support of the barrel of the gun rather than popular political mandate is an unfortunate development.

However, that would not have mattered to me because the regime of General/President Pervez Musharraf has thrived on the basis of America and the West putting the war on terror above real democratic reform in Pakistan.

Despite that, there is still trouble in Afghanistan; Osama bin Laden still sends us videos of home life and the Northwest of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan is still as ungovernable as it ever was – terror has visited the main cities as self-interest amongst the leading politicians leaves carnage in their wake.

General Musharraf believes that imposing emergency rule which is in fact martial law in everything but name would stop Pakistan from committing suicide.

We would be fools no longer

Regarding Pakistan, we have been taken for fools for a long time and this would have been believable if Musharraf had just come round to clean out a seething mess, but he is the one who has presided over Pakistan over the last eight years and to pretend he is not only instrumental and central to the problems of today is dishonest to say the least.

To then address the world and contend that our expectations of democracy in Pakistan are too lofty since the democracies in the West have had centuries to mature is to pull the wool over our eyes – Is India’s democracy not the same age as the time Pakistan got its independence?

Pakistan, Bangladesh (East Pakistan until 1971) and India used to be part of the same entity of the British Empire – British India - up until the independence in 1947; India has made the greatest progress in democratic maturity whilst the other two countries have vegetated into quasi-religious militancy with fragile political frameworks that pander to the cult of political dynasties.

General Musharraf has no answers to the problems in Pakistan and egregious exercise of military-backed executive remit in dismissing judges who contend with how the constitution is being abused; the arresting of political minds who would question this power-grab and the suspension of the constitution are only going to make matters worse.

Accepting the unacceptable

Unfortunately, the war on terror would prevent a proper condemnation of these extra-constitutional developments and it sets no template by which other military juntas around the world can be de-politicised.

The people of Pakistan would have to rise up and demand that they be given the right to decide who presides over their nation; it is unlikely that General Musharraf in his uniform or Mr. Pervez Musharraf in a Taliban tunic would win any popular support.

History and case studies all around the world where soldiers have marched rough-shod over the yearnings of real democratic reform show that they only have the terrifying effect of the fear of gun-borne retribution; they bring nothing of political progress to their countries, rather, they entrench corruption, impunity and human-rights abuses.

That is not to say democracy has all the answers, but Pakistan does need to be put back on the road to real representative democracy without some tin-pot General trying to lecture us on government having lost all credibility as a leader that can be trusted.

The sham of civilian government we are told still exists when the political leadership have been placed under arrest, restrictions exist on news reporting and the usurpation of powers that belong to the judiciary and legislature leaves much to be desired – as any government without a popular mandate always finds itself at variance with the judiciary that it tries either to subsume or emasculate that branch of government.

At no time has it become so necessary for General Musharraf to seek political asylum in some far-flung land and allow for Pakistan to be delivered from the throes of suicide that he and him only has created and fostered.

My blonde narration - Stockholm

No freeze yet

It is strange that my first visit to Scandinavia was work-related and definitely not at a time of my choosing. I remember when I was about to be sent to Norway in January, I had visions of myself in a cryogenic experiment where defrosting me back to resuscitation would have taken years.

For someone who has spent more than half his life in temperate Europe, you should have heard my shrill pleadings that I am from the Tropics, I prevailed and really, I told my manager, if I was not in Sweden by the end of October, it would be Summer before I embark on an Arctic journey.

That is the impression you get about Scandinavia, extreme and on the edge of a crevice, one false step and you are in the bottomless oblivion of the coldest darkest place only to be recovered like poor Tutankhamen some 3,000 years in the future.

Anyway, it was not all that bad really, I have decided, part of my 2008 itinerary would be Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, though apart from the land that makes up Denmark excluding Greenland, the other 3 countries are really large expanses of land, one could be deluded into thinking the world ends at the northern reaches of the Netherlands beyond which – dragons be there.

Famous Swedes

As I came through Arlanda airport in Stockholm, the walls were covered with pictures of famous Swedes and you suddenly realise you do have to be informed of who is really of Swedish descent beyond Brigit Nilson, Bjorn Borg, Annika Sorenstam, Sven Goran Eriksson and ABBA.

There was a bit of disorder at the taxi ranks where on the left we had the licensed hackneys and the right had the suspect hailers, not that I saw the difference between the taxis, but on the advice of another traveler, I kept to the left.

I was prepared for Sweden, I had informed a Nigerian blogger (Adeola) living in Stockholm that I was visiting for a night and wondered if he would be free and available, gladly he obliged – he runs the Thy Glory O Nigeria blog space.

Hospitable receptions

I got to the office just before noon, there was a temporary scare when the first tow hosts I mentioned at reception were not available, I saw the face of the receptionist go white and red as I phoned Amsterdam to remonstrate that I had just travelled 800 miles into tundra and my hosts were absence without leave – that was remedied a few minutes later.

We got straight into the business of the day and as it got to 14:00hrs, I had to ask if the Swedes ever had lunch, somehow, they assumed I would have had grass-based baked dough with filling enough to make you vomit your feet from inside out as my lunch – I would not however pass judgment on the hospitality of Sweden, the folk were pleasant enough.

It was dark by 16:00hrs or thereabouts and my hotel was supposed to be down the road and as the day closed, I found myself walking through a tunnel and down a dark and lonely road wondering how I ended up down this path in the middle of nowhere, but the company I work for scrimps and scrapes in the most miserly fashion, there are times I have had to vehemently force them up-market to an acceptable standard.

Apparently, a friend of Adeola works at the hotel which is Scandinavian staple and my room had been upgraded, well, it was apparently – I travel too much to be appreciative of subtleties like this – I apologise.

Then I found I could get a voucher for get online for free only to find that I had to go down to reception to get the voucher – and this a 4-star hotel – I think NOT!

Other hotels in the group I have been to in other countries South have a notice at reception announcing this kind of offer such that one does not have to halt from the far-end of the top-most floor for a voucher that is probably best paid for than suffer the fuss acquiring an entitlement – better still, the reception should ask guests if they would require the service at check-in, just as some ask if guests would take breakfast or use the health facilities.

The room was comfortable and there was at least one English news channel, so, I was fine with that.

Stockholm in the dark

Adeola and Louise the lady would works at the hotel arrived about 20:00 and we decided to go into Stockholm to see some sights and have a meal. Adeola’s knowledge of the roads was exemplary, well, enough to make a comedy sketch titled – “Right here, left there and just straight on” – but for Louise, who knows, I might have had opportunity to plant three flags at the North Pole – Nigerian, British and Dutch.

Not to forget, my stomach was still big trouble for me, there were times I could not keep a poker-face for the pain I was suffering but I ventured on something Swedish at a restaurant in town.

The dish was diced beef, diced potatoes and onions, then a smallish ramekin of egg-yolk – just the kicker to make you see everything again, I said – that was put at arms-length to the meal.

It did however reinforce the generalisation I have held that the further north you go from the Mediterranean the less the colour in the national foods on offer; more so, I was thinking I would be served elk – anyway, considering how cold it gets up North one wonders if chickens have to be shorn of their feathers in the spring like sheep – the crazy thoughts one has about these places.

It was a beautiful clam night and we visited the old palace and even witnessed the changing of the guard, those uniforms most have internal thermal regulation – the things we do for king and country.

When I returned to the hotel, I was glad I did not rely on my hosts to have a social dimension to their abilities which would have been different if I had visited France or Spain – maybe human warmth does depend on nominal regional weather patterns.

The Entrapment of a nation

Adeola has written a book about Nigeria and there is no doubt that he is a believer that the country not only has potential, but there are possibilities that could be exploited in these times.

I need to take more time to read it through, maybe when I am in Barcelona next week, but as I read the first few pages, it clearly exemplified the sad case of a country with great potential and people but a political situation that fails to inspire and lead towards achieving the greatness usually ascribed to Nigeria.

This is no apologia and it can be mistakenly read as a polemic by those who cannot objectively accept the facts and seek solutions – indeed, as a Nigerian, it is probably more comfortable to go aggressively onto the defensive even when our position is patently indefensible.

The Entrapment of a Nation shows how poor governance, rotten representation, a seemingly national mindset in the quest for money at all costs without commendable virtue and complacency with a corrupt political order keeps Nigeria entrapped in low achievement despite our vast resources – but optimism, hope and faith abounds.

Adeola seeks the glory of the great nation of Nigeria, he represents a growing community of smart young Nigerians whose expectations of the country would no doubt lift that country out of its quagmire a lot earlier than many of us sceptics have predicted or surmised – they seek a common good around which we can rally for making Nigeria great for all the good reasons in the world.

My copy is signed by the author.

How was I to know that my hotel was on the shores of a picturesque lake? My realisation at breakfast which was rushed so that I could start the day early – Scandinavia needs another visit and this would be 2008 – Deo volente.

Dusting off my marketing literature

Never changing recurrence

Did I attend a meeting twice and find that one of the people who should have done something came to the meeting without having progressed any further?

It was the very last straw that broke the laden camel’s back, as I returned from Stockholm on Wednesday evening, it had come to a head for me, it was already reminiscent of every other endeavour we have tried to undertake – someone just cannot be arsed to do something.

At which point, I phoned my project manager and informed him that an email would be arriving the same night with the decision to seek other challenges.

Anyone would have seen this coming, the question would have been when; only that some had thought I had settled into a complacency that allows for these things to be ignored or treated as par for the course – they know different now.

Done or almost done

I would clear my desk at the end of November if no one has been hired to understudy me and take over what I am doing, else, I would consider suffering this ordeal till the end of the year.

Maybe, I am too demanding in my requirements that people deliver on what they are supposed to do, probably, I apply too much logic to scenarios requiring immediate resolution, apparently, I am impatient with organisations that are so clogged up in bureaucratic morass, we cannot get anything done.

This would normally not be evident because large organisations are able to cover a multitude of sins because their sales figures allow for other management deficiencies to be excused.

In any event, this job no more represents a challenge and more a running frustration; it would require a root-and-branch realignment of perspectives to change things, however, since I am just a contractor/consultant, my kind of professionalism might be creating business disruption in what is essentially the corporate culture of this organisation – it is time for me to move on.

This might momentarily leave my team in a bit of a quandary, but I hear from certain sources that a fresh-from-school guy might be hired in my place – and really, you can get anyone to do the job; but getting someone who really knows what to do, why it is done and how to fit it in that organisation requires experience – that is what I am selling to anyone who wants real solutions to chronic problems in the enterprise.

Radio tramp speaks trash

Seeing black in the dark

I am quite amused by the fuss being made of over Sarah Kennedy, a BBC Radio 2 presenter who is typically a housewife-type crude humorist who has to do working-class wake-up hours to present her daily show between 6:00AM and 7:30AM.

Apparently, she said of ethnic minority Members of Parliament; she could not spot a black man in a dark street till he opened his mouth.

The BBC advertises her show thus: Sarah presents the show for all Dawn Patrollers. Get news, views and music, plus the morning papers, travel, Pause for Thought and the studio webcam.

Now, for someone who has a public forum as she has, that she is lovingly referred to as “That Bloody Woman” by her fans, one would expect that the “Pause for Thought” element would give the programme an intelligent leaning, but that would be asking for too much in her case; a racial slur is sometimes needed to spice up an otherwise rotten show.

I do worry, that there are many of a feeble sensibility who would take umbrage at her somewhat offensive drivel and I sympathise.

Not 12 years ago, I visited the little sandwich shop that served the office areas in Ipswich and as I walked in, the lady threw that same quip at me; I responded, with all the killings and muggings going on, she would appear a bigger target and I would keep my mouth shut when I should be calling for help to save her.

She never expected that response, though she felt I would grin and bear it as opposed to my other colleague who took extreme offence at that expression, the day before.

It might have been a racist comment, possibly unintended, but it was ill-advised and not very smart – as for Sarah Kennedy, I would not have heard of the silly girl if she had not courted controversy and the newspapers had not devoted excessive newsprint inches to her notoriety.

I expect she would be sanctioned with the clamour now surrounding her programme and the body blows that the BBC has been receiving quite recently – you can be anything you want to be, but consider the responsibility that comes with whatever you become and use it for the good.

As for blacks, the positive side to this is we are safe in our skins and quite visible when we need to be.