Following the recent outbreak of cholera in Nigeria and the upsurge of its confirmed cases and fatalities in many states of the federation, a pharmacist, Umeh Camillus Chibueze, MD/CEO of Camillus Pharmaceuticals, says most people are unaware they have been infected. He adds that the government is not doing enough to stem the tide. In this interview with DAILY POST, he x-rays the dangers of the epidemic, causes, symptoms, mode of transmission and the preventive measures to curb its spread. Excerpts:

What is the cholera epidemic all about?

Cholera is an epidemic or infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if left untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.

The disease is most common in places with poor sanitation, crowding, war, and famine and where there are poor latrines and no proper mode of defecation like using a pit toilet. Contaminated hands, eating contaminated vegetables, fruits and drinking from well or tap water are major spreads of cholera.

So, in other words, cholera is an epidemic that spreads very fast and the common symptoms have to do with diarrhea and vomiting and the person that suffers cholera will have what we call dehydration; that is lack of water in the body.

Is cholera currently driven by climate change?

The answer is no. As a scientist, I don’t believe that climate change has to do with cholera. Cholera has no business with climate change whatsoever. Climate change could be as a result of solar radiations which are quite different. Climate change is caused as a result of depletion of ozone layers which is caused by deforestation; that is the reduction of the number of trees that absorbed carbon monoxide and because of the absorption of carbon monoxide, they now go to the ozone layer and cause depletion.

So if you watch, there is no connection whatsoever between cholera and climate change. Though both of them are environmental hazards, cholera is caused by microorganisms while climate change is caused by an inanimate object which is carbon monoxide. Major causes of climate change is carbon monoxide as a result of deforestation. So there is no relationship between the two.

What are the root causes of cholera?

Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, is usually found in food or water contaminated by faeces (excreta) from a person with the infection. However, common sources include: municipal water supplies, ice made from municipal water, foods and drinks sold by street vendors, vegetables grown with water containing human wastes and raw or undercooked fish and seafood caught in waters polluted with sewage.

When a person consumes the contaminated food or water, the bacteria release a toxin in the intestines that produces severe diarrhea.

What are the common symptoms of cholera?

Most people exposed to the cholera bacterium (Vibrio cholerae) don’t become ill and don’t know they’ve been infected. But because they shed cholera bacteria in their stool for seven to 14 days, they can still infect others through contaminated water.

Most cases of cholera that cause symptoms cause mild or moderate diarrhea that’s often hard to tell apart from diarrhea caused by other problems. Others develop more-serious signs and symptoms of cholera, usually within a few days of infection.

Diarrhea is one of the common symptoms of cholera. Cholera-related diarrhea comes on suddenly and can quickly cause dangerous fluid loss. Diarrhea due to cholera often has a pale, milky appearance that resembles water in which rice has been rinsed.

Nausea and vomiting are other symptoms of cholera. Vomiting occurs especially in the early stages of cholera and can last for hours.

Another symptom of cholera is dehydration. Dehydration can develop within hours after cholera symptoms start and range from mild to severe. A loss of 10% or more of body weight indicates severe dehydration.

Signs and symptoms of cholera dehydration include irritability, fatigue, sunken eyes, a dry mouth, extreme thirst, dry and shriveled skin that’s slow to bounce back when pinched into a fold, little or no urinating, low blood pressure, and an irregular heartbeat.

Dehydration can lead to a rapid loss of minerals in your blood that maintain the balance of fluids in your body. This is called an electrolyte imbalance.

How long does cholera symptoms take to manifest?

If an individual is infected with vibrio cholerae; that is the organism that causes cholera or the bacterium that causes cholera, it stays within 12 hours to five days before the symptoms manifest themselves. That is the duration. And as a scientist, we call this an incubation period.

How can someone take care of a cholera patient without being infected?

First of all, you cannot share the same food with a person suffering from cholera. You have to put on gloves while taking care of someone infected with cholera because there may be a drop of faeces from the body of the infected person. So you trying to clean him up can contract it and you have to avoid sharing raw food with him.

It is not that you are trying to avoid him completely, but be aware of safeguarding yourself. So you have to protect yourself by wearing hand gloves and possibly, face masks because it is not air-borne. Avoid drinking from the same cup until the person gets well. So these are the precautions you as a caregiver have to observe while taking care of a cholera-infected person.

What are the preventive measures of cholera disease?

Cholera can be prevented. There are so many measures you will use to prevent cholera. One of the measures is you have to avoid tap water, well water, raw food or undercooked seafood. People contract cholera from food like fresh fish. These are the measures you can use to avoid a cholera outbreak.

Another measure to prevent cholera is drinking bottled water that is treated with chlorine, then eating prepackaged food. Foods that are well packaged, well sanitized by a standard restaurant. Then consider disinfecting your water. Boil it, disinfect your water for at least one minute before you eat any food. Wash your fruits and vegetables with clean water. If possible, add salt. If you are to use vegetables to cook, you have to wash it with clean water.

The reason for the outbreak of cholera, I will tell you that the government policy has not been effective. Primary healthcare has not been effective. The necessary awareness is not there. Because ignorance is a disease, most of the people that suffer cholera, if you watch very closely they don’t even know what the mode of transmission is. Some people today still defecate in an open place. They still drink well water and some people still eat raw food without washing it. Some people feed on raw vegetables. Some people today still use all kinds of contaminated or poorly prepared food as their meal.

So these are the reasons that the epidemic of cholera disease is quickly spreading. One factor is ignorance and the second one is government policy. The government is not doing much about it. In advanced countries like the US, there is what we call the Center for Disease Control, CDC. What these people do is to create much awareness. They provide people with the most basic awareness they need.

When there is an outbreak of cholera, there is always bottled water but in this part of the world, how many people can afford bottled water? How many Nigerians can prepare a very good dish for their breakfast, lunch and dinner? How many Nigerians can live in a decent environment that has a good toilet? Because we know that the mode of transmission of cholera is mainly through poorly prepared food, vegetables, raw fruits and drinking from well water.

In a nutshell, cholera can be prevented when you wash your hands with soap and water frequently, especially after using the toilet and before handling food. Rub soapy, wet hands together for at least 15 seconds before rinsing. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Also, drink only safe water, including bottled water or water you’ve boiled or disinfected by yourself. Use bottled water even to brush your teeth.

Similarly, hot beverages are generally safe, as are canned or bottled drinks, but wipe the outside before you open them. Don’t add ice to your drinks unless you made it yourself using safe water.

Eat food that’s completely cooked and hot and avoid street vendor food, if possible. If you do buy a meal from a street vendor, make sure it’s cooked in your presence and served hot.

Avoid raw or improperly cooked fish and seafood of any kind. Stick to fruits and vegetables that you can peel yourself, such as bananas, oranges and avocados. Stay away from salads and fruits that can’t be peeled, such as grapes and berries.

The Simon Ekpa-led Biafran Republic Government in-Exile, BRGIE, has told South-East governors and other leaders in the region to stay clear of negotiating for Biafra declaration and the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu with Nigeria.

Ekpa, who is known as the Prime Minister of BRGIE, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday through his official X handle.

This comes as South-East governors, lawmakers and other groups from the region and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi recently drummed support for the release of Kanu as a panacea to peace in the region.

However, BRGIE, headed by Ekpa, has warned the governors and the leaders against such negotiation, claiming that they lacked legitimacy.

According to him, it was only BRGIE that had the legitimate right to call for the release of Kanu and Biafra declaration.

He noted that those parading in the name of negotiating for Nnamdi Kanu’s release were sabotaging Biafra liberation.

“Those selfish politicians and traditional rulers who are now jumping up and shouting negotiation with Nigeria after sabotaging the Biafra liberation are warned never to speak again.

“The warning will not come again; none of you have the mandate to speak for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or Biafrans.

“We will not allow anyone to negotiate anything from tonight (Sunday).

“The Biafra Republic Government In Exile remains the only legitimate entity to do that.

“Those selfish individuals now taking center stage and shouting negotiations should stay away. Biafrans are not joking”, he said.

Recall that in the past week, the call for Kanu release resonated in the media space after Southeast governors met in Enugu State.

In a communique read by Governor Hope Uzodinma after the meeting on July 3, 2024, the governors resolved to meet with President Bola Tinubu to secure Kanu’s release.

Ekpa on his part had also earlier in May urged the Nigerian government to engage its Finland counterpart for mediation to end the conflict in the region.

The Nigerian Government released N1.23 trillion to 17 ministries to execute capital projects in the third quarter of 2023.

This is according to the Budget Implementation Report for Q3, 2023 released by the Budget Office on Sunday.

The figure showed that 75.4 percent of the N5 trillion was allocated for capital expenditure in the 2023 budget

Accordingly, from the N1.23 trillion cash backing in the referenced period, MDAs utilized N962.87 billion.

On a sectoral analysis, a breakdown of the report showed that the Ministry of Defence got the highest allocation for capital projects with a cash backing of N189.39 billion but it utilized N180.69 billion leaving a balance of N9.3 billion.

This was followed by the Ministry of Works and Housing with a total cash-backed allocation of N178.62 billion.

It however utilised N118.65 billion leaving a balance of N57.97 billion.

The release of funds to MDAs for capital expenditure as of the third quarter of 2023 was done in tranches based on availability of resources and government priorities.

Data from the OAGF on 2023 capital performance for MDAs as of 30th September 2023 showed that a total of N1.23tn was released to MDAs and cash-backed for 2023 capital projects and programs.

The sum of N351bn was released as the first Tranche, N331.92bn was the second Tranche and N208bn was the third Tranche. A total of N75.35bn was released as AlEs MDAs Budget and N261bn as AlEs Service Wide.

Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the N21.83 trillion 2023 budget in January last year.

Tracka, a subsidiary of BudgIT, has said that Nigeria allocated N732 billion on vague empowerment projects higher than the N646.5 billion allocated to health projects in the 2024 national budget.

Ayomide Ladipo, the Head of Tracka disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Tracka maintained that Nigeria’s empowerment projects were vague and challenging to track due to their nature.

According to Tracka, the huge allocation for empowerment projects would have been channeled to curb the gap in Nigeria’s health sector having the second-highest child mortality rate in the World.

Tracka alleged that empowerment projects were used as a funnel to siphon public resources.

It noted that the National Assembly has 7,447 projects valued at N2.24 trillion in the 2024 budget.

Further analysis of Tracka’s report also showed that over 2,558 projects worth N624 billion were allocated to agencies outside their mandate.

Accordingly, Tracka asked anti-graft agencies in Nigeria to probe these anomalies in the 2024 budget to forestall diversion, misappropriation, and embezzlement.

“Tracka maintains that empowerment projects are vague and challenging to track due to their nature. They are also used as a funnel to transfer public resources to party loyalists, resulting in the misuse of public funds.

“In the 2024 Federal Government budget, there are 4,440 empowerment projects. Previously, empowerment projects were limited to constituency projects, but over the years, they have gradually seeped into capital projects through insertions by the National Assembly. For instance, the National Assembly inserted 7,447 projects valued at N2.24 trillion in the 2024 budget.

“Tracka identifies this as a problematic trend, considering the huge infrastructure gap and budget deficits the nation is grappling with.

“Further analysis also showed that over 2,558 projects worth N624 billion were allocated to agencies outside their mandate. An example is the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) – ERGP20241489 – allocated N5 billion for the Procurement and Distribution of Official Vehicles to Selected Traditional Rulers in the Six Geo-Political Zones in Nigeria (Multiple Lots). Another is the Nigeria Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NiOMR) – ERGP20245718 – allocated N2.32 billion to construct a 3.5km Road from Methodist Church Ibu to the Eri River,” the organisation said.

BudgIT’s Country Director, Gabriel Okeowo commenting on Tracka’s discovery said, “The implications of assigning projects to agencies outside of their mandate are that it undermines monitoring, evaluation, and the sustainability of these projects.

“These agencies lack the expertise and personnel to ensure quality service delivery for these projects, leading to under-delivery and a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money and scarce resources.”

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu signed the N28.7 trillion 2024 budget into law in January this year.

Ahead of the 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, the All Progressives Congress, APC, walks a tightrope.

Anambra has an unwritten zoning arrangement for the governorship position, which rotates between the three senatorial zones in the state.

The arrangement became more pronounced in 2012 during the twilight of the administration of then governor, Mr Peter Obi.

Obi had insisted on the then ruling party, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) producing a candidate from Anambra North as a way to make for balance, after Mbadinuju from the South had finished a four-year-term, and himself from the central senatorial zone finished eight years term.

Before then, Ngige who held sway for three years was also from central.

This prompted Obi to insist on the North, which is perceived as a minority zone in the state, to produce the next governor on the basis of equity, as it was believed that if the contest was declared open to all zones, they may never be able to have a shot at the position.

Obiano’s emergence from the North then sealed the zoning agreement and left it standing.

As Prof Chukwuma Soludo rounds off his first tenure, the clamour for governorship has heightened.

But contrary to claims of zoning, the APC seems to want to scuttle the arrangement, by insisting on throwing open the contest to all interested.

In June, a group of elders from the party under the aegis of All Progressives Congress (APC) Elders Forum, led by Chief Innocent Obi, met and reinforced the Anambra zoning formula.

The group said that if the APC would upstage the ruling party in the 2025 governorship election, it must field a southern candidate in line with the zoning agreement.

Obi said: “For me, an agreement is an agreement whether written or not. There’s a system already at work in Anambra State. Anybody who denies that is not saying the truth. As elders, we should say it the way it is.

“An arrangement is on the ground. During the 2022 election, the party that pretended that zoning is nonsense suffered for it. They suffered because someone who contested under their platform did not come from where that post should go.

“Whatever decision our party comes up with, the elders must go with them because we’re under them.

“The elders will be pleased if the candidate comes from the South. If you ask me, the South has done four years and the South has four extra years.”

There have been various positions on the matter too.

A chieftain of the party, Mr Pope Amaefuna in a recent opinion piece insisted that any attempt by the party not to field a candidate from the South, and a popular one at that, would cost the party victory.

He said: “The politics of Anambra State has enjoyed relative stability, equity and fairness, thanks to the adoption of the zoning principle.

“Major political parties acknowledged the power rotation formula as reflected by the choice of candidates paraded in Anambra elections in the past decade.

“In reality, APC can no longer afford to continue playing opposition politics in Anambra State and all hands must be on deck to ensure a power shift in the 2025 governorship election.

“Considering the disposition of the Anambra electorate, if the APC makes the mistake of failing to field a strong and popular candidate from Anambra South in favour of parading a candidate from any other zone, then it is safe to kiss the governorship aspirations of the party goodbye as the move would truncate the remaining four years tenure of Anambra South.

“The implication is that a new candidate from any other zone might tentatively lay claims to an eight year tenure instead of four and that is the last thing any right thinking Anambra wants at this epoch.

“Very importantly, the proponents and advocates of no zoning should be wary of what they preach as they risk swallowing their own vomit.”

“Considering the political culture of Anambra State today, any party that does not abide by the zoning formula adopted by stakeholders in rotation of the governorship seat of the state stands no chance of winning the forthcoming guber poll and historical indices support this position.

“Any APC member who is currently crusading for no zoning has been compromised and commissioned to work against the party and such a character should be considered an enemy of the party who are actively working against the party interests,” Amaefuna stated.

Meanwhile, another group within the party, under the aegis of APC Progressives Media in a press release argued that the zoning arguments were aimed at misleading the Anambra APC into falling into a political trap designed to annihilate the party’s gubernatorial chances in 2025.

The group said: “After careful examination, we have confirmed that the authors of these articles are unknown to the Anambra APC and are neither card-carrying members of the party nor affiliated with it in any way. Therefore, we can understand their ignorance about the traditions of the APC in Anambra State.

“The APC in Anambra State has no history of zoning the gubernatorial election.

“Instead, every candidate who has contested under the umbrella of the APC since its formation has done so on the strength of their popularity and acceptance within the party fold and that of the voting public.

“For instance, in 2013, when the APGA zoned its candidate to Anambra North, the APC chose its candidate from Anambra Central, with aspirants from all zones contesting in the primaries.

“Similarly, in 2017, the APC candidate won based on his popularity within the party and not due to zoning. Aspirants from all political zones contested in that primary, just like in 2013 and 2021.”

In what looked like support for the Progressives Media, the APC, Anambra State Chapter, says the party is not in for any zoning arrangement.

In a release signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Dr. Valentine Iyke-Oliobi, the party dismissed those clamouring for zoning.

It brushed aside both the elders forum and Amaefuna who had previously spoken in favour of zoning, describing them as unknown to the party.

It said: “The Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wants to categorically state that our party has no zoning arrangements whatsoever.

“Also, APC as a party was not involved in any agreement with any political party or parties as regards to zoning as being falsely peddled by the group in their publications.

“The APC has always provided a level playing field for all governorship aspirants under the platform of the party to participate irrespective of their Senatorial zones.

“This practice has not changed. We, therefore, call on well meaning members of our party to disregard the said publication insinuating any existing zoning arrangement by the APC.”

As the back and forth on zoning continues, political analysts have predicted that the party may shoot itself in the leg by attempting to scuttle the existing zoning arrangement that has run smoothly.

Mr Chijioke Eze, a political Analyst said: “I have read the press release by both the party and the Progressives Media, and I feel compelled to say that APC in Anambra cannot be doing the same thing all over again, and expect a different result.

“They keep saying the contest has always been free to all, and each time they run, they always lose, and every four years they come back again with the same formula.

“I think it is either the party with the change mantra is not ready to change, or they are not desirous of producing a governor here.”

Also, another respondent, Dr Justin Ogoo Nwankwo said Anambra South is the beautiful bride in the 2025 governorship election in the state, and that APC must shun rhetorics and keep their eyes on equity and capacity.

Nwankwo argued that if APC must perform creditably in the election, it must field a candidate from the southern zone who can battle Soludo, and also ensure to pick a popular candidate who has the capacity to upstage the current governor.

“The fact is that the APC as a party has not won the governorship election in the state before, but evidence and data available suggest that with the right choice and strategy, the party can win Anambra State Governorship election.

“It is therefore very urgent to remind Ndi Anambra from this point of departure and especially members of our great party, APC that as a party, the APC is not rejected in Anambra State.

“This is a party that with the right motivation and balance, has always done well in gubernatorial elections.

“It is rather, the lack of circumspect by some party leaders or of the basic principles of power sharing by the stakeholders that continually places the fate of the party in oblivion.

“We therefore call for APC Anambra to project two key indicators heading into the most important election in the life of the party, which are Equity and Capacity,” he added.

So far, two members of the party have indicated their interests in vying for the ticket.

They include Senator Andy Ubah, a serving senator of the party who hails from Anambra South, and Mr Paul Chukwuma, a former National Auditor of the party from Anambra North zone.

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has again identified spread of fake news and hate speech as major threats to peace and progress in the country.

The agency, which lamented that many consumers of news in the country did not verify them before accepting or disseminating them, said such ugly trends could spark rancour in the grassroots and the society at large.

The State Director, Abia State Directorate of NOA, Mrs Regina Iroha said this when she led her management team on a courtesy visit to the palace of the traditional ruler of Ovukwu Abam autonomous community in Arochukwu LGA, Eze Sunday Kalu Okpi.

Mrs Iroha, who said that NOA was a major bridge between the Federal government and the Nigerian citizens, urged every community to seek and maintain peace and avoid every form of misinformation which retards development.

The Director informed the traditional ruler and his cabinet that NOA had been visiting major stakeholders, sending the message of building a people of peace.

She urged the people to constantly verify every information or fact-check the content of any news story that could be misleading to avoid strife and rancor in the society.

In his response, the traditional ruler of Ovukwu Abam autonomous community, His Royal Highness Eze Sunday Kalu Okpi commended the pivotal role of NOA in bringing the government closer to the people, especially those in the hinterlands.

He lamented the negative effects of fake news and hate speech, and promised to further sensitize his subjects about the consequences.

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:

1. President Bola Tinubu has been re-elected as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), about one year after he took over the leadership of the regional bloc. Tinubu was first elected to the position in Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023.

2. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will swear-in 12 new judges of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Wednesday. A statement by the Director of Press and Information at the Supreme Court, Dr. Festus Akande, said the event will hold by 10 am at the main courtroom of the Supreme Court.

3. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has appealed the ruling of a Federal High Court, Abuja, which acquitted Abiodun Agbele, an aide of former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, and three others, in the N1.219 billion money laundering charge brought against them by the commission.

4. Fuel scarcity is gradually surfacing in Lagos and other parts of the country as private depot owners hiked the ex-depot price of petrol from N630 to N720 per litre. This came as fuel scarcity worsened in Abuja and the adjoining states on Sunday with some filling stations dispensing PMS as high as N900/litre.

5. A 40-year-old woman named Rafiat Sheriff and her seven-year-old daughter, Asisat Sheriff, were killed in a gas explosion at their home on Church Street, along Èbúté Road, in the Ibafo area of Ogun State. It was learnt that the incident, which occurred at about 8:30 pm on Saturday, left two other persons with varying degrees of injuries.

6. The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a 46-year-old ritualist while attempting to slaughter a 10-year-old boy hawking pepper in Ilorin, Kwara State capital. The suspect identified as Isiaka Adeniyi was arrested on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at the Oke-Foma area in Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state.

7. Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a community head in Osun State, Ige Babatunde, for alleged possession of cannabis plants. He was arrested with fresh cannabis plants weighing five kilograms. A corps member, identified as Yusuf Abdulrahman, was also arrested with a Loud consignment which weighed 1.250kg at a corpers’ lodge in Kano State.

8. Workers in the Nigerian universities, on Sunday, declared a nationwide protest starting from Thursday July 18, 2024, over their 4 months withheld salaries. The workers, under the aegis of Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, said their meeting with the government officials have collapsed.

9. A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development to account for payments of N729 billion to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months. The court also ordered her to provide the list and details of the beneficiaries who received the payments, the number of states covered and the payments per state.

10. The Kaduna State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the kidnapping of two journalists and their families in Kaduna, Saturday night, at the Danhonu community in Millennium City, Kaduna. Spokesperson of the command, Mansir Hassan, said police operatives were trying their best to secure their releases.