Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Drumming into the hearts of jazz lovers
Dayo Adejobi
Tosin Aribisala started out in his formative years as an artiste at a local church in Lagos in 1987. Gradually, his dexterity grew and drew large followers before he relocated
to the United States of America (USA). While in U S, he honed his creative skills and added other instruments. Aside drum, he plays African percussions like conga, cowbell, shekere and woodblock.
Going down memory lane on how it all started before he travelled, Aribisala said he went through several hands, including his father before he started out on his own.
According to him, his father was a strong influence on his music. “Outside my father, the major influential person in my music career was a man named Kunle Pinmiloye, a great teacher and drummer. He is an instructor who has maintained a reputation among his fans and peers for over 20 years as one of the very finest musicians on the traditional jazz and contemporary Nigerian music scene today. He was the first person who taught me how to read and interpret musical notations and drum rudiments. Another good teacher of mine was a Paris-based drummer called Moktar Samba, who gave me some lessons whenever I met him in France some years ago. Moktar actually expantiated extensively on what Kunle taught me in Nigeria”, he informed.
“I started performing with a professional band in 1996. The Sunny Neji Band was led by Sunny Neji himself, who recently toured the U.S. Initially I was with the band for about two months and was fired because I was not disciplined enough in keeping to time, that I was always late for rehearsals and gigs and overplaying instead of keeping a steady flow of rhythm. It was quite disappointing, but fortunately for me they called me back a few weeks later. At that time I had learned a big lesson about being more professional and disciplined on a gig. However, I was only there for less than a year before another opportunity came my way.”
The experience, he said, changed his whole attitude to music, time management and professionalism. “By then I have become a better person for it. Although as I was growing up, I was influenced by the music of the church in Nigeria which takes its root in the traditional or folk music of the land. So it is impossible to separate the two. The main differences are the lyrics and the hymns. Thus, I absorbed everything equally: church music and secular music at the same time”, Aribisala said.
Pigeonholing Aribisala as a drummer would be far from the point. Aside playing the drums, he also produces music, writes songs and performs. A true musician, he said, should be able to write, read and or interpret music. “The first song I wrote is called Harvester, which was written 11 years ago. I still perform it live. Actually, I just started performing it with my band about a year ago, and it has been rearranged for both vocal and instrumental versions. I always update my songs with new arrangements. It is like painting; you sketch out what you want to paint and you keep going back to the board to add this and that line or colour. I learned that from a Ghanaian painter who worked for my father and so I applied that to my music. Besides, I have come across some composers’ works that have been rearranged by themselves. The funny thing is that the rearrangement always take me by surprise. And that just inspires me to rework some of my compositions, which sometimes gives birth to two versions of the same song. That way the band does not get bored of playing the same song over and over.”
He explained significance of the Hallelujazz Project within this framework. “Besides my native Yoruba language that some listeners may not understand, the instrumental aspect of the music is what brings about the connection or attraction for the general listeners. This is because the instrumentation of my music is not so traditionally African but a marriage of Africa and jazz, and some Latin vibes. As a matter of fact, I also write some songs in English language, which is a more universal language that everyone could understand. I observed that in this age where the world is gradually evolving into a global village, especially with modern technology, Internet, media power, intermingling of cultures and so on, it is not difficult for people around the world to understand or connect with different cultures, music or fashion around us. I was exposed to American music -jazz, country, soul and R&B at a very early age. The same thing with Jamaican reggae music and the Rasta Movement, and many other cultures while I was still in Nigeria years ago. So, I believe the same thing could be happening to someone else in another part of the world. That way we all can easily relate to the same type of music, outfit, food, religion and what have you, think, see and feel.this is what Hallelujazz Project is all about.”
On a final note, Aribisala describes his music as very original and pleasant to the ears. He says his newly released CD, Hallelujazz Project is rarity in jazz, gospel and contemporary. The drummer moved to the U.S. in 2001. Since his arrival, he has been involved in numerous musical projects, one of which was the “Red Hot & Riot” CD - a tribute to the legendary Nigerian musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist and pioneer of Afro beat music, the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died in 1997.
Tapping from his vast experience, Aribisala has developed a wide range of drumming styles, which include fusion, reggae, R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat, gospel, juju and the traditional African drumming patterns associated with what he calls the Konkolo style. In addition to playing, writing and producing music, he is also a teacher of drumming art from which he derives a great deal of satisfaction.
Aribisala is the leader Hallelujazz Project, a band he put together in 2002. Some key members of the band are Cheikh Ndoye on Bass, Ben Bokor on Sax and vocalist Monica Ssali.
Tosin Aribisala started out in his formative years as an artiste at a local church in Lagos in 1987. Gradually, his dexterity grew and drew large followers before he relocated
to the United States of America (USA). While in U S, he honed his creative skills and added other instruments. Aside drum, he plays African percussions like conga, cowbell, shekere and woodblock.
Going down memory lane on how it all started before he travelled, Aribisala said he went through several hands, including his father before he started out on his own.
According to him, his father was a strong influence on his music. “Outside my father, the major influential person in my music career was a man named Kunle Pinmiloye, a great teacher and drummer. He is an instructor who has maintained a reputation among his fans and peers for over 20 years as one of the very finest musicians on the traditional jazz and contemporary Nigerian music scene today. He was the first person who taught me how to read and interpret musical notations and drum rudiments. Another good teacher of mine was a Paris-based drummer called Moktar Samba, who gave me some lessons whenever I met him in France some years ago. Moktar actually expantiated extensively on what Kunle taught me in Nigeria”, he informed.
“I started performing with a professional band in 1996. The Sunny Neji Band was led by Sunny Neji himself, who recently toured the U.S. Initially I was with the band for about two months and was fired because I was not disciplined enough in keeping to time, that I was always late for rehearsals and gigs and overplaying instead of keeping a steady flow of rhythm. It was quite disappointing, but fortunately for me they called me back a few weeks later. At that time I had learned a big lesson about being more professional and disciplined on a gig. However, I was only there for less than a year before another opportunity came my way.”
The experience, he said, changed his whole attitude to music, time management and professionalism. “By then I have become a better person for it. Although as I was growing up, I was influenced by the music of the church in Nigeria which takes its root in the traditional or folk music of the land. So it is impossible to separate the two. The main differences are the lyrics and the hymns. Thus, I absorbed everything equally: church music and secular music at the same time”, Aribisala said.
Pigeonholing Aribisala as a drummer would be far from the point. Aside playing the drums, he also produces music, writes songs and performs. A true musician, he said, should be able to write, read and or interpret music. “The first song I wrote is called Harvester, which was written 11 years ago. I still perform it live. Actually, I just started performing it with my band about a year ago, and it has been rearranged for both vocal and instrumental versions. I always update my songs with new arrangements. It is like painting; you sketch out what you want to paint and you keep going back to the board to add this and that line or colour. I learned that from a Ghanaian painter who worked for my father and so I applied that to my music. Besides, I have come across some composers’ works that have been rearranged by themselves. The funny thing is that the rearrangement always take me by surprise. And that just inspires me to rework some of my compositions, which sometimes gives birth to two versions of the same song. That way the band does not get bored of playing the same song over and over.”
He explained significance of the Hallelujazz Project within this framework. “Besides my native Yoruba language that some listeners may not understand, the instrumental aspect of the music is what brings about the connection or attraction for the general listeners. This is because the instrumentation of my music is not so traditionally African but a marriage of Africa and jazz, and some Latin vibes. As a matter of fact, I also write some songs in English language, which is a more universal language that everyone could understand. I observed that in this age where the world is gradually evolving into a global village, especially with modern technology, Internet, media power, intermingling of cultures and so on, it is not difficult for people around the world to understand or connect with different cultures, music or fashion around us. I was exposed to American music -jazz, country, soul and R&B at a very early age. The same thing with Jamaican reggae music and the Rasta Movement, and many other cultures while I was still in Nigeria years ago. So, I believe the same thing could be happening to someone else in another part of the world. That way we all can easily relate to the same type of music, outfit, food, religion and what have you, think, see and feel.this is what Hallelujazz Project is all about.”
On a final note, Aribisala describes his music as very original and pleasant to the ears. He says his newly released CD, Hallelujazz Project is rarity in jazz, gospel and contemporary. The drummer moved to the U.S. in 2001. Since his arrival, he has been involved in numerous musical projects, one of which was the “Red Hot & Riot” CD - a tribute to the legendary Nigerian musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist and pioneer of Afro beat music, the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died in 1997.
Tapping from his vast experience, Aribisala has developed a wide range of drumming styles, which include fusion, reggae, R&B, hip-hop, afrobeat, gospel, juju and the traditional African drumming patterns associated with what he calls the Konkolo style. In addition to playing, writing and producing music, he is also a teacher of drumming art from which he derives a great deal of satisfaction.
Aribisala is the leader Hallelujazz Project, a band he put together in 2002. Some key members of the band are Cheikh Ndoye on Bass, Ben Bokor on Sax and vocalist Monica Ssali.
Fashola'a 800 days in office provides 156,779 jobs
STORIES BY DAYO ADEJOBI
Fashola Marks 800 Days In Office, Pledges To Provide Platform For Youths To Unleash Potentials.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Thursday,6th August 2009 marked his 800th day in the saddle of leadership, affirming that the responsibility of his administration and the present generation is simply to provide the platform and environment that will unleash the power and potential of the Lagos and Nigerian Youth.Governor Fashola who spoke at the Governor’s Forum with the theme: “Repositioning the Youth for Future Challenges” held at the Blue Roof, Lagos Television, Agidingbi as part of activities marking the event. He however added the country’s problems can be solved by the Youth.Said he: “ We have become the continental leaders in many fields like sports, music, fashion and business to mention a few and that convinces me that we can be leaders in all fields”.“What has kept us back is that we have been engaged for too long in fighting for the survival of our country and development has not taken place at the necessary pace to match the growth in population”, he added.He explained that while the state had a population of only about 5 million people in the 1970’s, it has exceeded 18 million in 2009 with a whooping growth of about 260 percent. He lamented that in those almost thirty years, water supply has not grown in that size and neither have new roads been constructed at the same pace.Governor Fashola added that this has led to the situation where the growing population has struggled to share the existing assets of roads, hospitals, schools, power, water, markets, entertainment centres, sports facilities and much more. “This is why life seems difficult, this is why new jobs are not emerging, this is a 30 year deficit which we are determined to reverse and this is why you must understand why we do what we do”. He eulogized.“We are building at an aggressive pace to provide more roads and create choices to ease traffic congestion; we are rebuilding and repairing classrooms and schools, new hospitals, new stadia, water works as well as markets to expand opportunities for as many of you as we can. We are clearing canals and drainages that in some cases have not been attended to in 15 years or more”.Governor Fashola added that in doing this, the administration is using people and in the process creating jobs for builders, for suppliers of building materials, food for workers, jobs for accountants, engineers, transporters and so much more to keep the economy going, thus keeping parents at work so that they can support the children.The Governor said in the last 100 days after the 700 day, the administration has been very busy in diverse sections of the economy such as transportation where 1,255 new taxis have been added to the growing fleet in Lagos.In the area of education, Governor Fashola reported that, the State successfully convened an education summit whose recommendation it is in the process of implementing, just as the State House of Assembly has been active in passing the Vocation and Technical Education Institutions Law to help accelerate the development of Technical and Vocational Education.The Lagos State Governor also listed the Model City Law which will help stem the incidence of illegal constructions that usually end up collapsing and causing deaths and the Lagos Court of Arbitration and Magistrates Court Law which would help enhance the quality of justice delivery to all as some of the accomplishments in the last 100 days.“One of the many innovative features of the Magistrate’s Court Law is that for the first time in Nigeria, Magistrates will now sit on Saturdays and in the hope that this will end the practice where people are kept in remand over the weekend simply because Courts are not in operation”, he added.Specifically as it relates to the young people, Governor Fashola added: “We have decided to do more this year and in the years to come, by focusing more directly on those things that affect you directly, even as we deal with those things that affect your parents and guardians and from which you indirectly benefit”.He explained that in the last 100 days, the administration undertook its second quarter budget review which not only recorded a 68 percent performance but has led to the creation of 156,779 jobs in 2009 alone.In his words: “We have been busy with sports through the hosting of the Federations Cup in which many of you turned out in large numbers and we have delivered another park and sporting facility at kernel Street in Surulere while we are almost completing the sports facilities in Agege and Campos Square”“We have provided 500 vacation job opportunities again this year for students on vacation within the public service to keep you busy, mentor you and provide some extra cash and pocket money to enable you address those needs that young persons have.We have aggressively through the law enforcement agents tried to protect you from those who try to corrupt you by arresting and prosecuting those who have taken advantage of your innocence to display pornographic material”, he added.He reiterated that in the last 100 days, the State has also received several accolades locally and internationally such as award as the cleanest capital in the Federation by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Award for Good Governance at 2009 African Business Awards in London and the award of transport Planner of the Year 2009 by the Transport Planning Society of United Kingdom.On the on-going ASUU strike, Governor Fashola described it as a manifestation of the imperfect Federation which neglects or fails to recognize the autonomy of states as Federating units who should be competent to take decisions in their areas of constitutional authority without any adverse consequence from decisions taken by the Federal Government.“If states own and run universities like the Federal Government as the Constitution allows, why should a disagreement between employees of the Federal Government in a Federal University paralyze the activities in all State Universities where there is no labour dispute”?. Fashola Questioned.“Why should every university lecturer whether employed by the State or Federal University earn the same wage?. What happened to the principles of competitive advantage in economics?. Can we and must we continue to fund tertiary education in the way we currently do and still attract the best lecturers or should we develop a process of guaranteed scholarships for indigent students while those who can afford to do so pay a fair fee in order to guarantee autonomy to universities and to provide funding for them”, Governor Fashola wondered.He asked rhetorically: “How does the frequency of strikes in our educational system and the uncertain academic calendar affect proper planning and what are its impacts on the job creation capacities of the public and the private sectors”.
According to Governor Fashola, it could be quite difficult for employment to be guaranteed for people if we do not know how many we are, asking: “How successful can a budget based on wrong population assumptions be”.He charged that this is probably the time to re-define the concept of jobs from job seekers to aspiring entrepreneurs, asking, “in an economy where growth is not assured on a sustainable basis should young graduates continue to look for employment or begin to think about being self employed?. Are our School Curriculum limiting job opportunities by producing graduates that the economy needs?The Forum was attended by the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, members of the State Executive Council, pupils and students representing various schools, institutions, voluntary organizations and youth bodies including political parties.
Fashola Marks 800 Days In Office, Pledges To Provide Platform For Youths To Unleash Potentials.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Thursday,6th August 2009 marked his 800th day in the saddle of leadership, affirming that the responsibility of his administration and the present generation is simply to provide the platform and environment that will unleash the power and potential of the Lagos and Nigerian Youth.Governor Fashola who spoke at the Governor’s Forum with the theme: “Repositioning the Youth for Future Challenges” held at the Blue Roof, Lagos Television, Agidingbi as part of activities marking the event. He however added the country’s problems can be solved by the Youth.Said he: “ We have become the continental leaders in many fields like sports, music, fashion and business to mention a few and that convinces me that we can be leaders in all fields”.“What has kept us back is that we have been engaged for too long in fighting for the survival of our country and development has not taken place at the necessary pace to match the growth in population”, he added.He explained that while the state had a population of only about 5 million people in the 1970’s, it has exceeded 18 million in 2009 with a whooping growth of about 260 percent. He lamented that in those almost thirty years, water supply has not grown in that size and neither have new roads been constructed at the same pace.Governor Fashola added that this has led to the situation where the growing population has struggled to share the existing assets of roads, hospitals, schools, power, water, markets, entertainment centres, sports facilities and much more. “This is why life seems difficult, this is why new jobs are not emerging, this is a 30 year deficit which we are determined to reverse and this is why you must understand why we do what we do”. He eulogized.“We are building at an aggressive pace to provide more roads and create choices to ease traffic congestion; we are rebuilding and repairing classrooms and schools, new hospitals, new stadia, water works as well as markets to expand opportunities for as many of you as we can. We are clearing canals and drainages that in some cases have not been attended to in 15 years or more”.Governor Fashola added that in doing this, the administration is using people and in the process creating jobs for builders, for suppliers of building materials, food for workers, jobs for accountants, engineers, transporters and so much more to keep the economy going, thus keeping parents at work so that they can support the children.The Governor said in the last 100 days after the 700 day, the administration has been very busy in diverse sections of the economy such as transportation where 1,255 new taxis have been added to the growing fleet in Lagos.In the area of education, Governor Fashola reported that, the State successfully convened an education summit whose recommendation it is in the process of implementing, just as the State House of Assembly has been active in passing the Vocation and Technical Education Institutions Law to help accelerate the development of Technical and Vocational Education.The Lagos State Governor also listed the Model City Law which will help stem the incidence of illegal constructions that usually end up collapsing and causing deaths and the Lagos Court of Arbitration and Magistrates Court Law which would help enhance the quality of justice delivery to all as some of the accomplishments in the last 100 days.“One of the many innovative features of the Magistrate’s Court Law is that for the first time in Nigeria, Magistrates will now sit on Saturdays and in the hope that this will end the practice where people are kept in remand over the weekend simply because Courts are not in operation”, he added.Specifically as it relates to the young people, Governor Fashola added: “We have decided to do more this year and in the years to come, by focusing more directly on those things that affect you directly, even as we deal with those things that affect your parents and guardians and from which you indirectly benefit”.He explained that in the last 100 days, the administration undertook its second quarter budget review which not only recorded a 68 percent performance but has led to the creation of 156,779 jobs in 2009 alone.In his words: “We have been busy with sports through the hosting of the Federations Cup in which many of you turned out in large numbers and we have delivered another park and sporting facility at kernel Street in Surulere while we are almost completing the sports facilities in Agege and Campos Square”“We have provided 500 vacation job opportunities again this year for students on vacation within the public service to keep you busy, mentor you and provide some extra cash and pocket money to enable you address those needs that young persons have.We have aggressively through the law enforcement agents tried to protect you from those who try to corrupt you by arresting and prosecuting those who have taken advantage of your innocence to display pornographic material”, he added.He reiterated that in the last 100 days, the State has also received several accolades locally and internationally such as award as the cleanest capital in the Federation by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Award for Good Governance at 2009 African Business Awards in London and the award of transport Planner of the Year 2009 by the Transport Planning Society of United Kingdom.On the on-going ASUU strike, Governor Fashola described it as a manifestation of the imperfect Federation which neglects or fails to recognize the autonomy of states as Federating units who should be competent to take decisions in their areas of constitutional authority without any adverse consequence from decisions taken by the Federal Government.“If states own and run universities like the Federal Government as the Constitution allows, why should a disagreement between employees of the Federal Government in a Federal University paralyze the activities in all State Universities where there is no labour dispute”?. Fashola Questioned.“Why should every university lecturer whether employed by the State or Federal University earn the same wage?. What happened to the principles of competitive advantage in economics?. Can we and must we continue to fund tertiary education in the way we currently do and still attract the best lecturers or should we develop a process of guaranteed scholarships for indigent students while those who can afford to do so pay a fair fee in order to guarantee autonomy to universities and to provide funding for them”, Governor Fashola wondered.He asked rhetorically: “How does the frequency of strikes in our educational system and the uncertain academic calendar affect proper planning and what are its impacts on the job creation capacities of the public and the private sectors”.
According to Governor Fashola, it could be quite difficult for employment to be guaranteed for people if we do not know how many we are, asking: “How successful can a budget based on wrong population assumptions be”.He charged that this is probably the time to re-define the concept of jobs from job seekers to aspiring entrepreneurs, asking, “in an economy where growth is not assured on a sustainable basis should young graduates continue to look for employment or begin to think about being self employed?. Are our School Curriculum limiting job opportunities by producing graduates that the economy needs?The Forum was attended by the Deputy Governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, members of the State Executive Council, pupils and students representing various schools, institutions, voluntary organizations and youth bodies including political parties.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Oyemakinde Babajide’s ‘Who Says Lawyers are Liars’ Debuts.
These were the words of Lagos based legal luminary, Babajide Oyemakinde who yesterday publicly presented his book titled ‘‘Who Says Lawyers are Liars’’. This is my contribution to non formal legal knowledge, thus further bridging the gap between the ‘learned and unlearned,’ after all , Lawyers see others see others as ‘unlearned’, and the unlearned see the ‘learned’ as Liars. The idea behind writing the book is to foster formal education and erase the negative perception of the ordinary man, that the Lawyer is a Liar.
‘‘I have made it so easily comprehensible for the common man to digest. No cases and statutes’’. He eulogized.
The Reviewer Speaking on the Book, Barrister Jadesola Amedari described Oyemakinde’s approach and writing style as a very unique method. Oyemakinde has made the process of learning Law simple and fun, to broaden the horizon of the common reader concerning the various issues discussed. One unique feature of this work ,is that each of the twenty-two chapters informs, educates and indeed entertains the reader.
Amedari, however said the book ‘Who Says Lawyers are Liars’ is a unique and interesting publication which has taken the knowledge of law and other related life issues from the four walls of the lecture halls of universities and Law Schools and theories of the various business Schools. It has transferred the knowledge of the few to ‘all’ and has indeed proved a point that Lawyers are not Liars.
In the remarks of the Chairman of the Occasion, he described Babajide as a Man of God endowed with power and knowledge. He further charged this present generation to handle Nigeria well such that it will live up its current rebranding Campaign ‘’Good Nation Good People’’.
Oyemakinde commenting on his 36th, says he feels particularly grateful to God for keeping him alive, attaining maturity and also equipping him to positively impact the society.
The epoch making event which doubled as Babajide’s 36th birthday, was held on Tuesday 4th August, 2009, at the Paul Dike Hall, Nigerian Air Force Camp Headquarters, Ikoyi Lagos.
‘‘I have made it so easily comprehensible for the common man to digest. No cases and statutes’’. He eulogized.
The Reviewer Speaking on the Book, Barrister Jadesola Amedari described Oyemakinde’s approach and writing style as a very unique method. Oyemakinde has made the process of learning Law simple and fun, to broaden the horizon of the common reader concerning the various issues discussed. One unique feature of this work ,is that each of the twenty-two chapters informs, educates and indeed entertains the reader.
Amedari, however said the book ‘Who Says Lawyers are Liars’ is a unique and interesting publication which has taken the knowledge of law and other related life issues from the four walls of the lecture halls of universities and Law Schools and theories of the various business Schools. It has transferred the knowledge of the few to ‘all’ and has indeed proved a point that Lawyers are not Liars.
In the remarks of the Chairman of the Occasion, he described Babajide as a Man of God endowed with power and knowledge. He further charged this present generation to handle Nigeria well such that it will live up its current rebranding Campaign ‘’Good Nation Good People’’.
Oyemakinde commenting on his 36th, says he feels particularly grateful to God for keeping him alive, attaining maturity and also equipping him to positively impact the society.
The epoch making event which doubled as Babajide’s 36th birthday, was held on Tuesday 4th August, 2009, at the Paul Dike Hall, Nigerian Air Force Camp Headquarters, Ikoyi Lagos.
New Board stems patient drift from Lagos Hospitals
Dayo Adejobi
There is no doubt that the high cost of healthcare is a major factor that hinders many citizens in Lagos State from seeking care in Public Health facilities, trends have revealed that the attitude of health staff to work discourages many people from getting services from orthodox health facilities, but the latter would be addressed urgently.
The new Chairman, Health Service Commission Board, Dr .M.o Salako disclosed that reversing this negative attitude of health staff to work is one of the tasks he set for himself during on tenure.
Salako announced this plan during his inauguration as the Chairman of the Board, Health Service Commission Tuesday.
Over the years, the attitude of heath staff workers in Lagos public hospitals has put many people off, resulting in some seeking care in private facilities, traditional and herbal healing homes while others abandon the public hospitals altogether.
Such attitude include lackadaisical attitude to work, coming late to work, absenteeism, poor human relations, lack of proper communications, lack of empathy for patients ordeal amongst others.
In his acceptance Speech, the new Chairman of the HSC in Lagos State identified some challenges within the system, which the Board would address as: the increasing patients load from daily influx of people into Lagos State, in the face of limited resources.
Chronic manpower shortages in the specialties of anesthesia, radiology, radiography, Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T), physical medicine/physiotherapy, and maxillofacial surgery.
He said, the HSC shall work assiduously and within a short period to resolve the improvement in welfare of all public hospital staff, assess performance of health workforce especially on attitude to work and patient centeredness, collaborate with the Ministry of health and other stakeholders in theprimary healthcare to reduce influx of patients to secondary and tertiary health centres and encourage training in rare field such as anesthesia, E.N.T, physiotherapy etc, with the payment of inducement allowance to such healthcare practioners.
Similarly, Dr Salako he would evolve training scheme for medical officers in Family Medicine (General Medical practice) while practicing in their various public hospitals. In addition there will be sustainable staff development programmes with scheduled trainings.
There is no doubt that the high cost of healthcare is a major factor that hinders many citizens in Lagos State from seeking care in Public Health facilities, trends have revealed that the attitude of health staff to work discourages many people from getting services from orthodox health facilities, but the latter would be addressed urgently.
The new Chairman, Health Service Commission Board, Dr .M.o Salako disclosed that reversing this negative attitude of health staff to work is one of the tasks he set for himself during on tenure.
Salako announced this plan during his inauguration as the Chairman of the Board, Health Service Commission Tuesday.
Over the years, the attitude of heath staff workers in Lagos public hospitals has put many people off, resulting in some seeking care in private facilities, traditional and herbal healing homes while others abandon the public hospitals altogether.
Such attitude include lackadaisical attitude to work, coming late to work, absenteeism, poor human relations, lack of proper communications, lack of empathy for patients ordeal amongst others.
In his acceptance Speech, the new Chairman of the HSC in Lagos State identified some challenges within the system, which the Board would address as: the increasing patients load from daily influx of people into Lagos State, in the face of limited resources.
Chronic manpower shortages in the specialties of anesthesia, radiology, radiography, Ear, Nose and Throat (E.N.T), physical medicine/physiotherapy, and maxillofacial surgery.
He said, the HSC shall work assiduously and within a short period to resolve the improvement in welfare of all public hospital staff, assess performance of health workforce especially on attitude to work and patient centeredness, collaborate with the Ministry of health and other stakeholders in theprimary healthcare to reduce influx of patients to secondary and tertiary health centres and encourage training in rare field such as anesthesia, E.N.T, physiotherapy etc, with the payment of inducement allowance to such healthcare practioners.
Similarly, Dr Salako he would evolve training scheme for medical officers in Family Medicine (General Medical practice) while practicing in their various public hospitals. In addition there will be sustainable staff development programmes with scheduled trainings.
Lagos State breastfeeding rates 20%: Multi Indicator Cluster Survey
By Dayo Adejobi
A survey conducted by Multi Indicator Cluster Survey, an International household survey initiative developed by UNICEF to assist countries in feeling data gaps for monitoring human development in general and the situation of children and women in particular, has reflected a 20 percent in exclusive breastfeeding rate for Lagos State.
At a Press Conference on the 2009 Child Health week and World Breast feeding week in Lagos on Wednesday, The Commissioner for Health in Lagos, Dr Jide Idris said the rating was unacceptable, bearing in mind the significant role exclusive breastfeeding in the young child survival and the challenges of attaining MDG 4 by 2015.
A survey conducted by Multi Indicator Cluster Survey, an International household survey initiative developed by UNICEF to assist countries in feeling data gaps for monitoring human development in general and the situation of children and women in particular, has reflected a 20 percent in exclusive breastfeeding rate for Lagos State.
At a Press Conference on the 2009 Child Health week and World Breast feeding week in Lagos on Wednesday, The Commissioner for Health in Lagos, Dr Jide Idris said the rating was unacceptable, bearing in mind the significant role exclusive breastfeeding in the young child survival and the challenges of attaining MDG 4 by 2015.
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