KNOW YOUR STATUS: NAIIS commemoretes WORLD AIDS DAY 2018

WORLD AIDS Day 2018: KNOW YOUR STATUS

December 1st is WORLD AIDS Day and 2018 marks 30 years of commemorating this special day set aside for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV and identify with those who died from AIDS..

The theme for 2018 WORLD AIDS Day is KNOW YOUR STATUS and for Nigeria, this is apt as testing for status has been deemed a critical problem in the fight against HIV in Nigeria according to the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

The singular most important HIV intervention today is the ongoing Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey, NAIIS.This is the biggest HIV Survey ever conducted in the world, aims to provide accurate data to enable proper planning, allocation of resources and more feasible projections towards HIV epidemic control.

Over 200,000 people are expected to receive testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Cfrom over 100, 000 households across the 774 local Government Areas in the 36 states and FCT.. The tests arefree. Individuals who test positives are immediately linked to treatment facilities.

As the world commemorates WORLD AIDS Day, NAIIS is celebrating its success for completing data collections in 28 states including FCT with over 180,000 persons tested across the country. It is gratifying to know the survey has enjoyed 86% acceptance rate with 8 states left to complete. NAIIS is clearly leading the call on KNOW YOUR STATUS.

“Nigerians need to know their status and those found to have HIV get linked up to start immediate treatment (Test and Start).. Very soon NAIIS will reveal the true burden of HIV in Nigeria to help Government of Nigeria plan towards effective control of HIV”. Dr Aliyu Gambo, NAIIS Chief of Party hinted as Nigeria commemorates the WORLD AIDS DAY 2018.

Join us on NTA as we discuss the theme of the survey in line with NAIIS and also participate in our online quiz and polls on our social media platforms (@naiisng) using the #NAIISToKnow, join our platform as we celebrate WORLD AIDS Day 30th Anniversary.

Poetry: HORIZONS

HORIZONS!
By Khalifa Baba-Ahmed

To have a third eye means you can read between the lines,
Staying woke when everybody else is asleep in these times,
An era full of horror, a scary world full of terror
Uncertain about tomorrow, does it hold joy or sorrow?
For certain you'll never know, so allow your hopes to grow

But what if theres no tomorrow, let's focus on your today
How much can you achieve knowing that you only have a day?
Seconds become minutes and minutes beome hours
Sour becomes sweet and sweet become sour
That's when your conscience tells you that you have a super power

Your holding a pen of life, what you write is your destiny,
Uncertianties are constant factors of life, thats for certain
Your room can be dark  only if you have a curtain, and it can be bright whether or not you have a curtain.
Then you look outside the window and you can see the sun rising
That skyline from far end of the morning sun is the HORIZON.....
  

Effects of substance abuse among women By Rukayya Ibrahim Iyayi

Drug abuse poses various kinds of problems impacting the user, their families and the community at large. The broad impact of drug use on families is tremendous. It is the family to which the dependent user turns to in times of emotional or physical distress or crisis. Relationships suffer, financial sources get depleted, health costs increase. There are greater employment stresses. When the drug user stops taking responsibilities on account of drug use, common family responses include depression, stress and resentment. The non-drug using partner may also take to drugs or alcohol for solace. Those closest to a drug-addicted individual are hardest hit. One can observe common patterns emerge within families where at least one individual is addicted to drugs.

The destructive consequences of drug abuse are often significantly higher for families in poverty-stricken circumstances. There is a serious risk of transmitting HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and other blood-borne viruses to partners of infected drug users. Sexual relationships can become adversely affected. Drug use is also often associated with domestic violence, which aggravates the physical and emotional distress of the family. Within the family, it is often the woman, in the role of wife or mother who is most affected by the individual’s drug use, and has to bear a significant part of the family burden. The impact of such burdens becomes more obvious in a developing country like Nigeria, where women are already disadvantaged.

The aspect of drug use among Nigerian women has received little attention. Like many societies, the Nigerian society is in transition. Changing roles, increased stress and alterations in lifestyle bring with them newer problems. Although the problem of drug abuse among women in Nigeria is becoming increasingly recognized, it is not reflected in most official drug statistics. This is partially due to cultural constraints and societal discrimination on women. Despite the increasing number of women in substance abuse, there are worse consequences for women as a result of drug abuse. It is therefore important to develop alternate methods to identify women with problems related to drug abuse in order to understand its impact on the individual as well as the gender perspective.

Burden on Women due to Drug Abuse by Family Members

There is a perceived burden on women relatives of male drug users and understand the social, familial, economic health and psychological consequences on these women. The drug abusers in the families of these women were all male, with more than two-thirds between the productive ages of 16 to 35 years. A large number (55%) had a history of drug abuse since their teens and 67% had been using drugs for more than 5 years. Although a majority was poly-drug users, the primary drug of abuse was codeine and tramadol (68%). A majority of the women in the study were wives (56%) or mothers (35%) of drug abusers. Almost half of the women were between 20 to 55years of age. A fifth of them was illiterate, and at least 45% had incomes. Forty-four percent were housewives. Many lived in extended families.

A large proportion of the drug users were unemployed (65%). While a majority of those employed spent a sizeable proportion of their income on procuring drugs, many users depended on their families to support their drug addictions. Many of the women were forced to part with their money or goods to support the drug user’s habits. The women usually gave money because of coercion, or because they could not tolerate the desperation faced by the drug user during cravings. Some of the women did not know for what purpose the money would be used. Most women paid back loans made by the drug user, and also their properties such as pieces of jewellery are being stolen and sold for drug use. Only a few women reported themselves occasionally using drugs with the user.

Unemployment or diversion of money for drugs created a huge economic burden, especially in families with low incomes. Some of the women were themselves working and faced tremendous hardship within and outside the house. A considerable number of women in the study were forced to give up large parts of their own earnings to support the drug user’s habit. Some women responded to this by concealing their money, which then led to arguments as well as domestic violence leading to further distress.

One of the major burdens faced by the women was that of the blame of being responsible for the drug use in the family member, the blame of hiding the issue from others, and blame of not getting timely treatment. Thus the woman often became the victim of not just the drug abuser, but also society. This often led to feelings of guilt, shame, embarrassment, depression, anxiety and isolation, and frequent suicidal thoughts. In addition to emotional distress, many of the women faced various health problems including weight loss, aches and pains, and insomnia. A majority of them had not sought any help for these problems or for associated health problems like hypertension or diabetes. Most of them felt that their health problems would vanish if the drug abuser gave up his habit. Many of them had attempted to take the drug abuser for treatment but were overwhelmed by the high costs. Physical violence was reported by 43% of the women and verbal aggression by 60%. Physical abuse ranged from ‘slaps, being pushed around, punched and kicked, being hit against the wall’. Disturbances in the sexual area were apparent, and the awareness and protection against sexually transmitted diseases appeared low.

The lack of social supports was another important observation, with more people living in extended families, relatives shying away especially when there were monetary expectations. Lack of support from the family of origin together with the blame for the drug addict all seems to put an overwhelming burden on these women. And yet, they were still taking on the major responsibility for the family and the drug user.

Substance Abuse among Women

Half the women from northern Nigerian are housewives and unemployed as some are illiterate. Very few had received any technical or professional training. A few of the women were employed, thirty-one percent of the women across the sites were single, and 32% were divorced. Friends had introduced drugs initially of the respondents, whereas, introduction to drug use was by the husband or partner. More than half of the women reported initiation of drug use on account of humiliation, shame, anger, and lack of freedom of choice as a response to their situation. With the married women, marital conflict and abuse of prescription drugs was a common initiating factor of drug abuse. Most of the women are currently using codeine and anti-depressants. The women commonly reported both physical (insomnia, menstrual irregularities) and psychological problems (depression and anxiety about their current and future lives).

Among the women with children, there was a sense of guilt for neglecting the children. About 10 had suffered miscarriages or undergone medical terminations on account of their drug use. About half of the drug-abusing women had been exposed to a drug or alcohol-abusing family member. Domestic violence was often reported by non-drug abusing husbands of the women. Sexual intimacy within the relationship was reported as poor, as was emotional closeness.

The drug-abusing women received little support from their relatives, husbands or friends. While most of the drug-abusing women have not been in contact with treatment services, specific issues that interfered with treatment included concerns for children unattended at home, fear of exploitation, fear of stigmatization, fear of withdrawal, and a lack of supportive systems.

In conclusion, substance abuse is an epidemic and a ticking time bomb that needs urgent attention and systematic approach in our society and also recognizing its impact on mental health.

Ms Iyayi is the founder of  Wagner Aid Foundation (WAF) & NOPDER

Falz - This is Nigeria (Behind the Scenes) Official BTS

TayoAinaFilms: "Took my camera behind the scene of Falz “This is Nigeria” Official music video shoot and was able to capture a lot of what goes on to create a masterpiece which you would eventually see in the final music video.
The whole Video was done in 3 one-take scenes. Its very similar to Childish Gambinos “This is America” but this time reengineered to cover the issues we face in Nigeria as a people, From Drug addiction to Lack of Stable Electricity and a lot more. Do enjoy."

Capture this video with my good friends who were the major factors in bringing this video to life.
Producer https://www.instagram.com/sirwandetho...
Director https://www.instagram.com/bosarehoboth/
Assistant Director https://www.instagram.com/heykome/

Cough syrup with Codeine Banned in Nigeria

Nigeria has just banned cough syrup with codeine.

This announcement came less than 24 hours after the screening of an undercover documentary by BBC Africa Eye and BBC Pidgin, which exposed how some Nigerian pharmaceutical figures are involved in the illegal sale of codeine cough syrup onto the black market.

Watch the full documentary here: https://bbc.in/2re5fk5

A DIGITAL MEDIA REVOLUTION: KRAFT NATION MEDIA

Kraft Nation Media is a full-service digital marketing, media consultancy and business development company.
We are an end-to-end provider of digital marketing services. Whether you’re looking for managed marketing strategy, an independent audit, or services specific to a short-term campaign, our experience and approach are sure to prove to be a valuable asset.
Kraft Nation Media has a primary objective of delivering marketing strategies for brands and business. However, the effective implementation of those strategies also requires a sound and solid marketing structure which brings the factors and elements of both online and offline marketing together.

In today’s digital business world, you need a partner who can help you take advantage of marketing opportunities across a variety of channels in real-time. This combines a data-driven approach with knowledge gained from experience in digital marketing and media consultancy to achieve outstanding results.

OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE

Empirical research: Conducting data based research and collecting relevant  information about any business, like statistical data from market surveys, primary objectives, target market, unique selling point (USP), strengths & weaknesess, trend forecasts & financial  projections.
Digital Content Development:
Content is the king in marketing. The most successful brands in the world have developed detailed content strategies that help them engage, entertain, and educate their target audiences. At Kraft Nation Media, we specialize in helping our clients plan, produce, and promote content that drives audience engagement and conversions. Our full suite of content services includes:
⦁ Digital Content Strategy
⦁ Content Production
⦁ Photography
⦁ Graphic Design
⦁ Animated Logo's
⦁ Voice Overs/ Jingles
Your company will have full access to services directed specifically to their target audience. We will develop content that creates curiosity for each of the mentioned target audience.
Whether you’re producing blog posts, images, or videos, Kraft Nation Media can be trusted to support your company's content marketing efforts.

⦁ Integrated digital marketing:  Marketing the content of  brands on all the Kraft Nation Media  social networks, which include Website & blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, snapchat among others. This is achieved by consistent posts, tweets, retweets/reposts and blog posts to create trends with hash tags in online campaigns to gain maximum online presence through search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing and wed design & development.
⦁ Media Consultancy:  We conduct training programs and workshops on integrated digital marketing to equip your internal team with media solutions to growing your business. We also provide standard content options that will attract your target audience, creating and engaging your brands online community.
⦁ Business Development: Conducting feasibity studies and reports for building ground breaking business ideas & plans, business portofolios, capacity building, growth marketing and process improvement for your business.

MARKETING STRUCTURE

INTEGRATED DIGITAL MARKETING 

One of Kraft Nation Media's unique selling point is our effective and flexible approach to digital marketing solutions, especially for start-ups. We understand that not every company has the same needs or goals, and we excel in developing innovative integrated digital marketing solutions to meet your needs. Whether you need an end-to-end digital marketing package or just a few key services to support your internal team, we’re able to meet your needs. Our packages are:

Search Engine Optimization:
Billions of web browsing sessions begin with a search query every day. With more than a billion websites competing for the top spot in search results, it can be difficult to drive traffic to your site from search engines. At Kraft Nation Media, we specialize in an innovative approach to SEO that uses tactics to put your company's website at the top of your target audience’s searches.

Social Media Marketing:
Social Media has changed how brands communicate with their audiences forever. Social media is a powerful way to build brand awareness, build a positive image, and drive lead generation. More than 1 billion people use social media every day, and platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Snapchat have sophisticated advertising platforms that can help you grow your audience.
We specialize in strategic social media campaigns that focus on building and protecting a positive brand image, creating loyalty among fans, and driving new leads for your business. The social media services we will offer to your company includes:
⦁ Social Strategy Development
⦁ Social Media Consulting
⦁ Social Media Advertising
⦁ Community Engagement
Our data driven approach ensures that you understand the true ROI of your social media efforts, and our team works tirelessly to improve the return on your investment in social media. your company will get monthly report on social media analytics on the performance of their content in terms of people reached, and impressions made with data. This will easily translate the impact of Social media marketing on The Return Of Investment to your company .

Email Marketing: 
Generating an e-mail database of your brands target market, and sending periodic bulk e-mails for  marketing, with updates on services, promos, upgrades.

Web Design & Development
Your website is the center of your digital presence. It’s one of the few places on the internet where you can deliver your brand’s message free of distortion or distraction. Kraft Nation Media’s web development services are perfect for brands at any stage.
Our web development team can help your company build its brand’s website from the ground up. We specialize in building websites that tell a unique brand story while meeting the expectations of today’s most discerning consumers.
If your company's website is already built but isn’t performing to expectations, we can perform a detailed audit and work with you to improve site architecture, design, and responsiveness.

Pay-Per-Click:
More than 60% of website traffic starts with a search engine query. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) puts your brand at the top of search results for queries relevant to your brand and audience. This valuable advertising can provide an immediate source of targeted traffic to your company's website, driving conversions and contributing to revenue growth.
At Kraft Nation Media, we have extensive experience leveraging PPC to drive growth for our clients. Our approach to PPC is data-driven, which allows us to deploy campaigns that focus on efficiency and constant improvement.

PACKAGES

1. CLASSIC PACKAGE:   
⦁ Content creation (New brands) & development (Existing brands): Textual content, infographics, Photos & Audiovisual content.
⦁ Organic Social Media Marketing: Integrating the brands developed content on all social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, LinkdIn)
⦁ Organic SEO:  Landing pages (Blogs, social networks, online Forums) on search engines from keywords on search queries. 


2.    COPRPORATE PACKAGE:
⦁ Content creation (New brands) & development (Existing brands): Textual content, infographics, Photos & Audiovisual content.
⦁ Inorganic Social Media Marketing: Integrating the brands developed content, paid Ads and Boosting of posts on all social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Youtube, LinkdIn)
⦁ Inorganic SEO (Google Adword): Posting paid Ads on Landing pages (Popular Blogs, websites and online Forums) with a huge traffic of your brands target market.

3.     PREMIUM PACKAGE:
⦁ Web page and Mobile App Development & Marketing
⦁ Search engine optimization (On page &Off Page) Inorganic SEO (Google Adword): Posting Ads on Landing pages (Popular Blog/websites and online Forums) with huge traffic of the brands target market, potential customers.
⦁ Content development: Textual content, infographics, Photos,  Audiovisual, Graphics arts, Animated logos, Voice overs, Jingles)
⦁ Inorganic Social Media Marketing: Integrating the brands developed content, paid Ads and Boosting of posts on all social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Youtube).
⦁ Email Marketing: Generating an e-mail database for the brands target market, and sending weekly bulk e-mails and updates on services, promos, upgrades.

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Veteran journalist, Mahmoon Baba-Ahmed, dies at 74

Ace broadcaster, prolific writer, author and media manager, Mahmoon Baba-Ahmed, is dead. He was 74.

Mr Baba-Ahmed died on Thursday night after brief illness, his son, Aminu, told DAILY NIGERIAN.

Mr Baba-Ahmed began his broadcasting career as duty continuity announcer at the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria, BCNN, in 1971.

He briefly joined New Nigerian Newspapers as sub-editor before returning to BCNN for outstation posting.

He served as state correspondent of BCNN in Bauchi, Kano, Borno, Plateau and Lagos as chief correspondent of Radio Nigeria, Kaduna.

He was later appointed a director of information in Kaduna State Ministry of Information. He served for about five years before his appointment as the Managing Director of Kaduna State Media Corporation, KSMC.

In 1983, Kano State governor, Sabo Bakinzuwo, appointed him General Manager, Kano State Media Corporation. Mr Baba-Ahmed served for one year at Radio Kano before going back FRCN as controller of Current Affairs.

After retiring into private media business, he also maintained a column in a Hausa vernacular newspaper, Aminiya, and Blueprint Newspapers.

Culled From: Daily Nigerian Newspaper