The high prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria originates primarily from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) such as High Blood Pressure (HBP) or hypertension, diabetes, stroke, coronary heart diseases, and chronic obstructive airway diseases including asthma, among others.

For the eighth consecutive time, Nigeria’s national female football team, the Super Falcons, affirmed their superiority on the continent at the recently concluded African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) where they beat Cameroon in the final. It was a record-setting victory for the team handler, Miss Florence Omagbemi, who won the trophy as a player and a coach. The coveted Cup is indeed a Christmas gift to our soccer- loving nation.

The news came like a thunderbolt, and it is almost unbelievable, at least to those who are exposed to the normal ways governments are run in other climes. Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue, Mr Babatunde Fowler, has disclosed that only 13.4 million, or about 16 per cent of an estimated population of 180 million Nigerians (out of which about 80 per cent are adults) pay their taxes.

Tomorrow, Saturday 10th December 2016, will mark the third attempt at concluding the Rivers State elections which started (and ended for most of the states of the Federation) in the March and April, 2015 general elections. But the case of Rivers State was different in that all the senators and all but one of the 13 members of the House of Representatives members were annulled at the electoral tribunals. Similarly, some of the House of Assembly seats were declared vacant.

It is pleasantly surprising to note the peace and calm which have followed the gubernatorial election in Ondo State over the past weekend in spite of the heat and vapour that characterised the electioneering activities. This follows in the pattern of a similar election which took place in neighbouring Edo State only two months ago.