It is a very sad situation that we are living in in Nigeria. Everywhere I turn I see the poverty and suffering and I keep on wondering how we are getting on. Just recently we are finding that we are the second largest poorest country after India.
This took many years to fall to this level of low. I want to express myself and direct my message to any well-meaning person who has any influence over matters like this but I realise that I might be talking to myself.
Instead of crawling back into my cave and continuing with this downturn, I want to still rally a lot of Nigerians who want better for this country together.
In this post, however, I am not talking about politics...even though I eventually fall into the temptation of doing so. The title of my post says it is all about what I'm going to be talking about.
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There are certain conditions that are expected to grow as times get harder for Nigerians. I will be grouping them in my talk and I will be talking about them individually. I give the reason for all this in the video.
Diseases: Cancer, Heart disease, stroke & Diabetes
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Cancers that are related to our cooking fuels are expected to be on the rise as women use more firewood to cook as opposed to methane or preferably electric gas. It is no secret that in addition to the low supply that we experience in African countries, there is also a lot of pressure from climate activists to stop oil use.
Firewood use is also associated with similar problems with cooking fuel like kerosene in terms of what it does to the environment but in addition to that are the teratogens found in firewood.
Heart disease is seen more in places with low socioeconomic status. This may be due to the fact that being in such constraints is associated with psychological stress. I do not know for sure
Stroke is a complication of being hypertensive but there are other pathways that can be reached through being poor.
I have not done enough research on the relationship between diabetes and poverty but it appears that the correlation is strong. It might be due to lifestyle choices seen in these populations or directly, the food eaten in these areas.
Dental issues: No routine dental care, unhealthy food
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Even I have not been routine with my dental care and the last time I had to see a dentist was when I went to visit a friend who is a dentist at her workplace.
People can't afford toothpaste so how will we see anything but bad dental health? Poor oral hygiene is just prevalent and comes with the environment
Disabilities:
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They are everywhere if you have ever come to Nigeria. It is the saddest thing because you can not do anything about them.
Nigeria is supposed to be a socialist nation and provide social welfare for this group but we do not see any welfare in general for Nigerians. Their only hope is to continuously beg on the streets for help.
It is an upsetting sight because there is only so many times that you can help a person or a group of persons and you also have your own life to live so you are constantly struck with guilt.
Healthcare: Needs funding
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My hospital just so happens to be one of the few that can stand strong in the area that I am in. There is only one hospital in the whole state for example, that has an MRI.
The number of cases of Protein Energy Malnutrition is on the rise and predictably so.
Fitness: For younger people it is clear but for older people, it is not so evident reduced metabolic needs.
I was about to run out of space while making the video...so I might have to dive deeper into this in another video. Just know that there is no way that a person with no food to eat can be fit.
There is a negative relationship seen in the older according to some studies but this is probably due to reduced metabolic requirements and maintenance of exercise-related in activities.
Open up the borders for trade in Nigeria!
This will remain my hope for Nigeria...that we can open up trade so foreign investors can come into the country and I will end it there.
Get out there do your thing and don't let anybody stop you!!
References
NCBI- Are Differences in Physical Activity across Socioeconomic Groups Associated with Choice of Physical Activity Variables to Report?
NCBI -Associations between socioeconomic status and physical activity: A cross-sectional analysis of Chinese children and adolescents
Scientific Reports-Early-life activities mediate the association between family socioeconomic status in early childhood and physical fitness in early adolescence
