News
Alcohol Kills 2.6 Million Drinkers Annually, Says WHO
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Alcohol kills nearly three million people annually, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, adding that while the death rate had dropped slightly in recent years it remained “unacceptably high”.
The United Nations health agency’s latest report on alcohol and health said alcohol causes nearly one in 20 deaths globally each year, through drunk driving, alcohol-induced violence and abuse, and a multitude of diseases and disorders.
The report said 2.6 million deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption in 2019 — the latest available statistics — accounting for 4.7 per cent of all deaths worldwide that year.
Nearly three-quarters of those deaths were in men, it said.
“Substance use severely harms individual health, increasing the risk of chronic diseases, mental health conditions, and tragically resulting in millions of preventable deaths every year,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He pointed out that there had been “some reduction in alcohol consumption and related harm worldwide since 2010”.
“(But) the health and social burden due to alcohol use remains unacceptably high,” he continued, highlighting that younger people were disproportionately affected.
The highest proportion of alcohol-attributable deaths in 2019 — 13 per cent — were among people aged 20 to 39, the WHO said.
Drinking is linked to a slew of health conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver and some cancers.
Of all the fatalities it caused in 2019, the report found that an estimated 1.6 million were from noncommunicable diseases”
Of these, 474,000 were from cardiovascular diseases, 401,000 from cancer and a huge 724,000 from injuries, including traffic accidents and self-harm.
Alcohol abuse also makes people more susceptible to infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV and pneumonia, the report found.
An estimated 209 million people lived with alcohol dependence in 2019 — 3.7 per cent of the global population.
Total per capita consumption worldwide decreased slightly to 5.5 litres of alcohol in 2019 from 5.7 litres nine years earlier, the report found.
However, alcohol consumption overall is unevenly distributed around the globe.
Well, over half of the world’s population over the age of 15 abstains completely
Europe accounted by far for the highest levels of per capita drinking, at 9.2 litres, followed by the Americas at 7.5 litres.
The lowest consumption was in predominantly Muslim countries in Northern Africa, the Middle East and Asia, the report said.
Among people who drank alcohol in 2019, the report determined they consumed 27 grammes of pure alcohol per day on average.
That is roughly equivalent to two glasses of wine, two small bottles of beer or two shots of spirits.
“This level and frequency of drinking is associated with increased risks of numerous health conditions and associated mortality and disability,” the WHO warned.
In 2019, a full 38 per cent of current drinkers acknowledged having engaged in heavy episodic drinking, defined as consuming at least 60 grammes of pure alcohol on one or more occasions in the preceding month.
Globally, 23.5 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds were considered current drinkers.
That jumped to more than 45 per cent for people in this age group living in Europe, and to nearly 44 per cent in the Americas.
The WHO said it was essential to improve access to quality treatment for substance use disorders.
In 2019, the proportion of people contacting such treatment services ranged from below one per cent to 35 per cent in countries providing this data.
“Stigma, discrimination and misconceptions about the efficacy of treatment contribute to these critical gaps in treatment provision,” Vladimir Poznyak, head of WHO’s unit for alcohol, drugs and addictive behaviours, told reporters.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
There was confusion in Lagos on Friday when a trader was crushed by a Lagos-Ibadan train around Oshodi, Lagos.
The incident happened around 2pm with sympathisers and passers-by thronging the area.
Eyewitnesses said the trader was crushed to death in front of Arena Shopping Complex, Oshodi.
The middle-aged man was said to be urinating while standing in the middle of the rail tracks, with his two ears covered with an earpiece.
A witness told out reporter that despite the heavy horn of the train and passers-by shouting to warn the man, he did not hear the alarm.
Sympathetic passers-by who gathered around the dead body said the man killed himself.
Another witness identified the dead man as a trader who owned a shop at a shopping complex called Moyosore.
He said the deceased was chatting with three other persons who heard the honking of the train and ran away from the tracks.
The deceased’s body was still lying on the ground in front of his closed shop while efforts were made to reach his family. Sources said the Police was quickly called upon to evacuate the corpse.
Cases of train crushing people to death have become a recurring incident due to high prevalence of human activities on the railway corridors within the Lagos axis.
In areas like Agbado, Agege, Ikeja, Oshodi, traders often display their wares on the rail tracks while quickly packing the wares as soon as a train approaches, thereby endangering their lives.
A source in the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) who confirmed the train accident to our correspondent, said the identity of the victim had not yet been figured out.
The Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Lagos Police Command, Ben Hundeyin, was yet to respond to our correspondent’s enquiry on the incident as at press time.
Nigerian Tribune
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Reno Omokri, a former Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, has been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
His offence: he allegedly defamed Pastor Paul Enenche.
The NPF secured an order from the Chief Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Wuse Zone 6, Abuja to remand him in prison custody along with a former Dunamis Church Pastor, Abraham Daniel, and two others, Enenche Peter and Alexander Enenche.
The court, presided over by Chief Emmanuel A. Iyanna, issued the remand warrant through an ex-parte motion filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on January 13, 2025.
Granting the ex-parte application filed by Francis Gabriel, Esq on behalf of the Police Chief, in Motion No: ME/07/2025 between the Inspector General of Police as Applicant and Daniel Abraham, Enenche Idoga Alexander, Oboyinlo Enenche Peter and Reno Omokri as 1st to 4th Respondents, the Chief Magistrate directed the Police to produce the respondents on return Court date on January 30.
Iyanna held: “Upon hearing the application and submissions of learned Francis Gabriel and upon careful consideration of the averments, the annextures and issues as raised in the submissions of the applicant, the application is hereby granted as prayed.
“It is hereby ordered as follows: An Order of this Honourable Court for remand warrant of the Respondents (i) MR. DANIEL ABRAHAM (ii) MR. ENENCHE IDOGA ALEXANDER (iii) OBOYINLO ENENCHE PETER and (iv) MR. RENO OMOKRI in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service, pending investigation, arraignment/prosecution.
“It is, hereby, ordered that the Respondents be arraigned before a Court of competent jurisdiction after the conclusion of the said investigation.
“On the return date, the Respondents should be produced.
“The matter is adjourned to 30th Day of January, 2025.”
The remand warrant was predicated on a petition to the IGP by Patrick O. Okolo, SAN against Mr Reno Omokri, Gistlover Blog, Aunty Adul, Peter Obonyiro, Kelechi TV and their agents and co-conspirators for alleged defamation of Pastor Paul Enenche.
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has called on the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) to ensure the clear labeling of all Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) products in accordance with global standards.
This House Committee on Science and Technology gave the resolution during a budget defense session, with the Director General, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha on Thursday in Abuja.
The committee cited the widespread of GMO use in the United States, particularly in maize.
However, committee member Rep. Awaji-Inombek Abiante emphasised the need for transparent labeling, highlighting that Nigerians should have the choice to make informed decisions about the food they consume. He questioned the adequacy of research on GMO products, particularly Tela Maize, before their adaptation in the country.
In addition, Prof. Mustapha presented NABDA’s proposed budget of N5.3 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, which includes N834.4 million for overhead costs and N14.5 million for personnel costs.
Naijablitznews.com reports that the agency employs around 4,000 staff across its 39 centers nationwide. Other agencies, including the Trypanosomiasis Research Institute, PRODA, NBTI, and NOTAP, also submitted their budgets to the committee.
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