Diet for healthy students

          Diet for healthy students

Once you’re used to eating nutrient-dense food, your body will feel slow and sluggish if you eat less wholesome fare. Here’s how to get in the habit of eating well.

•REDUCE SODIUM (SALT): It helps prevent water retention and high blood pressure. Look for the “low sodium” label and season meals with garlic, herbs, and spices instead of salt.

•ENJOY GOOD FATS: Reap the rewards of olive oil, avocados, salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, and other monounsaturated fats. The fat from these delicious sources can protect your body against heart disease by controlling “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and raising “good” HDL cholesterol levels.

•ADD FIBER: Avoid constipation, lower the risk of chronic diseases, and feel fuller longer by increasing your fiber intake from foods such as raw fruits and veggies, whole-grains, and beans.

 Nsala soup or White Soup is a tasty, fast and easy soup recipe that has its origins in the Riverine areas of Nigeria. Nsala Soup is perfect for a cold rainy day due to its spicy taste. Because it is so easy to prepare, you can count on it to save the day when you run out on soup a few days before the big soup day

Ingredients

·         Cat Fish: 4 one-inch thick pieces

·         Fresh or dry Utazi Leaves (Gongronema latifolium)

·         Thickener: Raw White Yam / Yam Powder / Potato Puree

·         Habanero peppers: to taste

·         Salt (to taste)

·         Crayfish (a handful for 4 cuts of fish)

·         Seasoning – 1 stock cube (Maggi / Knorr) and Ogiri Okpei / Iru (Nigerian traditional seasoning)

Alternative Ingredients for Nsala Soup

·         You can use Conger Eel (Congrio in Spanish) instead of Cat fish. Buy the part towards the tail because the pieces you'll get from there are smaller and do not have large holes in them.

·         When using yam powder as thickener, mix the powder with hot water first to make a thick smooth paste (as if you are making pounded yam) before adding it to the soup. Adding the powder directly into the soup will make the soup mushy and you may end up with lumps.

·         In the absence of habanero pepper, you can use dry chilli pepper.

·         Utazi leaves do not have any good alternative. If you don't have it, no worries because it only adds a slightly bitter flavour to the soup.

Before you cook Nsala Soup

1.      Cut the catfish into 1 inch thick cylindrical discs and remove the intestines. Place in bowl and pour very hot water on the fish. This process of pouring hot water on the fish toughens the skin of the fish so that the pieces do not disintegrate while cooking the soup. Leave for about 2 minutes and wash the fish with cold water. You should also wash off any slimy substance on the outer skin of the fish at this time.

2.      Boil a few cubes of raw white yam. When soft, pound with a mortar and pestle till a smooth paste is formed, then set aside. You can substitute white yam with yam powder or potato puree for the thickening.

3.      Wash and pound/blend the utazi leaves, the chilli pepper and the crayfish and set aside. Utazi is bitter in taste and only used for flavouring so one or two leaves should be enough especially when using the fresh leaves.

Cooking Directions

1.      Place the catfish in a pot and pour enough water to cover the fish. Add the seasoning and cook till done. Feel free to add beef and dry fish to this soup recipe.

2.      When the catfish is almost done, add the crayfish, pepper and utazi leaves blend. Also add the yam paste in small lumps and salt to taste.

Note: Catfish is what makes Nsala soup what it is, giving it the unique taste that it has so it is essential to this recipe. The only other fish that I have found to be close to Cat fish as regards to this recipe is Conger Eel.

3.      Cover the pot and allow the contents to cook at high heat till all the yam paste have dissolved. While cooking, if you think that the yam paste will make the soup too thick, you can remove some that are yet to dissolve.

The Nigerian Nsala Soup is ready to be served with Eba (Garri), Semolina, Amala, Pounded Yam etc.

Cleric gives scholarship to indigent students

Moved bypitiable condition of some members of the society, the General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangelical Mission (ALEM), Port Harcourt, Apostle Eugene Ogu has given scholarship to about 700 indigent students to enable them to pursue their desired disciplines in various higher institutions in the country.

Most of the beneficiaries of the scholarship are not members of his church. Rather, they cut across orthodox and Pentecostal churches.

Ogu, who made this known in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said he decided to shun ostentatious lifestyle which some men of God indulge in, to enable him to render some helps to indigent people.

Besides offering scholarships to needy students, Apostle Ogu, through his Arm of Hope World Outreach, a non-governmental organisation, has rendered assistance to thousands of orphans, the less-privileged people, widows and other needy persons across the country, not excluding victims of religious crises.

The cleric said: “I have chosen to live for others and derive my own joy from the happiness of others.” He also condemned the wrangling that reared its ugly head in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the past few weeks, even as he said that the body should “to ensure that the family of Christ remains undivided to be able to speak with one voice against any issue of common interest. Such situation should not arise again.

Ogu, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rivers State branch, also noted that despite the various Christian denominations, the body of Christ remains one and should not allow internal strife and bickering.

Since Christians profess “one God, one baptism and one spirit, all Christians in the country should see the need to co-operate and see one another as brothers and sisters,” Ogu advised. He appealed that “the Catholic Church as the father of the big family, is supposed to be proud of the progress of his children (the Pentecostals) and rejoice for the steady growth of the branches of the Christian faith as all the appreciations still go to Him.”

He further condemned the idea of going to press over minor issues that ought to be settled in-house, stressing that threatening to pull out of the umbrella body should not have been contemplated as such could create a false notion of disunity and disaffection in CAN and expose the entire Christians to danger in the face of unprovoked attacks against them as witnessed in other parts of the country in the past.

“The focus,” Ogu noted, “should be righteousness and holy living and using our positions to advance the good news of salvation through good works, evangelism, church projects, helping the less-privileged and sacrificial giving.

“In heaven, it’s all this that will speak and testify for us and not which denomination, since there is no particular church in heaven.”Moved bypitiable condition of some members of the society, the General Overseer of Abundant Life Evangelical Mission (ALEM), Port Harcourt, Apostle Eugene Ogu has given scholarship to about 700 indigent students to enable them to pursue their desired disciplines in various higher institutions in the country.

Most of the beneficiaries of the scholarship are not members of his church. Rather, they cut across orthodox and Pentecostal churches.

Ogu, who made this known in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said he decided to shun ostentatious lifestyle which some men of God indulge in, to enable him to render some helps to indigent people.

Besides offering scholarships to needy students, Apostle Ogu, through his Arm of Hope World Outreach, a non-governmental organisation, has rendered assistance to thousands of orphans, the less-privileged people, widows and other needy persons across the country, not excluding victims of religious crises.

The cleric said: “I have chosen to live for others and derive my own joy from the happiness of others.” He also condemned the wrangling that reared its ugly head in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the past few weeks, even as he said that the body should “to ensure that the family of Christ remains undivided to be able to speak with one voice against any issue of common interest. Such situation should not arise again.

Ogu, who is also the immediate past Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rivers State branch, also noted that despite the various Christian denominations, the body of Christ remains one and should not allow internal strife and bickering.

Since Christians profess “one God, one baptism and one spirit, all Christians in the country should see the need to co-operate and see one another as brothers and sisters,” Ogu advised. He appealed that “the Catholic Church as the father of the big family, is supposed to be proud of the progress of his children (the Pentecostals) and rejoice for the steady growth of the branches of the Christian faith as all the appreciations still go to Him.”

He further condemned the idea of going to press over minor issues that ought to be settled in-house, stressing that threatening to pull out of the umbrella body should not have been contemplated as such could create a false notion of disunity and disaffection in CAN and expose the entire Christians to danger in the face of unprovoked attacks against them as witnessed in other parts of the country in the past.

“The focus,” Ogu noted, “should be righteousness and holy living and using our positions to advance the good news of salvation through good works, evangelism, church projects, helping the less-privileged and sacrificial giving.

“In heaven, it’s all this that will speak and testify for us and not which denomination, since there is no particular church in heaven.”

Coroner blocks AIB’s objection to pathologist’s claims

Dana air crash site
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A Lagos coroner court investigating deaths arising from the June 3, 2012  Dana crash on Thursday rejected Accident Investigation Bureau’s request to call a witness to refute certain claims by Consultant Pathologist, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof. John Obafunwa.

The MD-83 plane belonging to Dana Air crashed in Iju-Ishaga area of the state, killing the 153 persons on board and others on the ground.

Counsel to AIB, Mr. Chinedu Anene, had said that certain claims by Obafunwa during his testimony on the medical examination conducted on the victims of the crash needed to be refuted.

Anene said the AIB disagreed with Obafunwa’s “far-reaching allegations” about his client and Kunbi Banjo, a professor of anatomical pathology at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

Banjo had consulted for AIB to conduct medical examination on victims of certain air accidents in the past.

Referring to an earlier letter written to the coroner urging the court to issue summons on Banjo, Anene said a summon on the woman would serve the interest of fair hearing.

“There were assertions by Prof. Obafunwa at the last proceedings of what AIB did or did not do; what was said and what was not said; what Prof. Banjo said or did not say. We need to have the opportunity to refute, challenge or even corroborate the testimony,” the lawyer said.

But the presiding coroner, Mr. Oyetade Komolafe, turned down Anene’s request, saying it was belated.

“AIB had had the chance to call several witnesses. All parties had had adequate time to come. We are concluding because there must be an end to litigation. Asking the court to summon another witness has no relevance at this time,” Komolafe said.

The lead counsel for AIB, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, had at the previous proceedings on February 8, queried the exclusion of Banjo from the team of pathologists who carried out the post-mortem tests on the deceased.

Obafunwa, a forensic pathologist, had said Banjo was deliberately excluded from the team because she did not share the belief that autopsy needed to be carried out on all the victims.

He said like Banjo, two engineers of AIB he met with in the wake of the incident had said the post mortem tests should only be restricted to the pilot and the co-pilot.

Dana’s lawyer, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), and counsel for Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, Mr. Obi Okusogu (SAN), both supported the call for Banjo to appear before the court.

Meanwhile, the court adjourned till April 18 for Obafunwa to be further cross-examined by Ayorinde.

The coroner however fixed March 15 for further cross-examination of Dana’s Director of Flight Operations, Mr. Oscar Wilson.

Counsel for the state government, Mr. Akinjide Bakare, was unable to finish cross-examining Wilson who was in possession of certain documents needed for the purpose.

Wilson was therefore directed to produce the documents in court, which are his certification licence, his personal logbook as flight operation boss, and the leave roaster for the flight crew of the day of incident.

Crisis looms in varsities over NEEDS report, allowances

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities on Thursday gave a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to stop the implementation of the report on the NEEDS Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities Committee or risk an industrial action.

The association also accused the Federal Government of insincerity in the payment of its members’ allowances.

The association’s Federal University of Technology, Akure branch Chairman, Mr. Benedict Chukwuma, who addressed reporters in Akure, said the NEED report was targeted at retrenching non-teaching staff of the nation’s public universities.

According to him, the association is rejecting the report because it aims at downsizing members of the association.

Alleging that the report was ill conceived, Chukwuma added that it recommended the transfer of non-teaching staff to federal and states ministries of education.

He said, “The government position is unrealistic and unacceptable. We therefore call on the Federal Government to do away with the report submitted by the NEEDS Assessment Committee because it was made in bad fate and therefore leaves much to be desired.”

Chukwuma explained that the Joint Action Committee of the non-teaching staff had met with the Federal Government team led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, where it submitted the association’s reaction to the report.

Calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to review the report, Chukwuma said, the ultimatum was to enable the Federal Government to respond to the association’s grievances over the matter.

Muslims protest punishment of pupils for wearing hijab

Muslims protest punishment of pupils for wearing hijab

Muslim Students under the aegis of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit,protested the punishment of two pupils in Lagos by their principals.

The principal of Kadara Junior Grammar School, Ebute Meta, Mrs. E.C Ukpaka, allegedly flogged Aisha Alabi because she wore hijab, a head scarf worn by female Muslims, on the school premises.

Mafoluku Senior Grammar School principal, Elizabeth Omidele, was accused of harassing Barira by telling her to pull off her hijab outside the school premises.

The protesters, who turned the office of the Lagos State Governor into a praying centre, insisted on seeing Goveror Babatunde Fashola before they would end the protest.

When our correspondent left the scene of the protest at about 2.45pm yesterday , the protest was still on.

Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Religious Matters, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Kosoko, had earlier assured the protesters that government would attend to the matters judiciously.

He said, “The governor is not around. He is not in the state. If he is around, he would have attended to you on the matters. Our governor is a friendly person and does not want crisis in the state.”

The group’s secretary, Shuaib Okuneye, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, complained that the pupils were deprived of their rights.

He said, “Ironically, these principals have no problems with other female students wearing mini-skirt and mini-gowns as school uniform.”

Akwa Ibom to dualise Eket-Ibeno Road

Eket youths protesting

Akwa Ibom State Government says it is set to dualise Eket-Ibeno Road in Eket Local Government of the state.

The government’s promise is coming on the heels of protests by Eket youths.

Reports said that the youths protested the death of some pupils on the road allegedly due to its dilapidated state.

The government in a statement on Thursday by Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Aniekan Umana, stated it did not neglect road as speculated in some quarters.

Umana said the government understood the pains and discomfort the road was causing the people.

However, he explained that the project had been awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission.

He said in a recent inspection tour of the road by Governor Godswill Akpabio in company with NDDC leadership and ExonnMobil helmsmen, the governor was not satisfied with the pace of work.

He said the development made the governor request that the project be handed over to the government for immediate completion.

Umanah said, “Although the contractors seemed to have abandoned the project on account of various issues with the NDDC, it is difficult for the government to mobilise to the site because there is a subsisting contractual obligation and liabilities between the NDDC and the contractors

“The governor, in demonstration his interest in the road project, only last week, called a meeting between the NDDC and other stakeholders in the project.

“The allegation of abandonment of the project by the government does not arise at all.”

He said Eket would soon benefit from the phased urban renewal initiative of the state government.

Cultists kill musician at LASU

Damilola Olaniyan

Some suspected cult members operating on a motorcycle allegedly shot and killed a student of the Lagos State University while the latter was leaving the school through the Iba Gate on Thursday.

It learnt that the deceased, Damilola Olaniyan, was an upcoming Hip Hop artiste who went by the pseudonym Damino Damoche.

According to reports, Olaniyan, a student of Banking and Finance, was killed after writing a test at Faculty of Management Science.

A student of the institution, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said the deceased had a misunderstanding with some members of a cult group over an undisclosed issue.

 The source added that after shooting the deceased, the attackers also stabbed him repeatedly.

He said Olaniyan, a native of Ogun State, was popular on campus having produced songs with DJ Zeez and Konga in the past which had received considerable airplay.

He said, “The incident happened around 4pm when Damoche (Olaniyan) was leaving school. Some guys wielding guns and machetes on a bike started shooting at him and even after he fell to the ground, they stabbed him repeatedly before fleeing.

“At this point, everyone took cover for fear of being hit, but it was obvious that Damoche was the target.”

Asked if the deceased was a cult member, the source said it could not be ascertained immediately saying, “It is very hard to identify a cult member but Damoche was very popular, sociable and was always at every social gathering involving students.”

Meanwhile, it was learnt that policemen attached to Igando Division had evacuated the corpse.

When contacted on the telephone, LASU spokesperson, Sola Fosudo, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, but said Olaniyan was not killed on the school premises.

 “I have just confirmed from the security men on the campus and they told me that a student of the Department of Business Administration was shot. It did not happen on the campus. I was told it happened along Igando Road and he was shot by gunmen on a bike,” he said

The spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, told our correspondent that the Olaniyan’s remains had been deposited at Badagry General Hospital Mortuary.

“The incident occurred around 4pm. He was shot and killed while exiting the school’s other gate located at Iba. Apart from the gunshot wounds, several cuts were observed on the corpse. The remains have been deposited at Badagry General Hospital Mortuary while investigations have begun,” she said.

LASU, which was established in 1983, is no stranger to gang-related violence as many have either been killed or injured in the past.

Meanwhile, our correspondent, who visited the deceased’s Facebook page, discovered that he had over 5000 friends.

On his profile, the deceased, who released an album titled, ‘Fall in the Circle’ on May 2011, said it was his dream to do music collaborations with top Nigerian performers like D’Banj and 2Face.

The deceased was also described as a hardworking artiste who was desirous of making it big in the industry.

The profile reads in part, “Damino Damoche started his music trade with some guys called ‘Middle Guys’ but when things did not go well, he became a solo artiste and got parties rocking, picking up the microphone at a very tender age, doing music underground and as well organising street shows.

“Damoche is well known for being down to earth, genuine and honest. Peace always seemed to roll up naturally around him.”