written by Blessing Anaro

The story, before the advent of Naira Visa Card for international business men and women was one of lamentation in some cases, of inconvenience at other times, among others. It was never a comfortable one.

In some occasions, people who change currencies when they arrive Nigeria or when travelling out of the country have complained about getting fake currencies or being short-changed by the bureau de change or parallel market operators.

Apart from that, the more you transverse the globe the more you are inconvenienced with the problem of changing from one currency to another.

But those and other numerous problems were resolved when the Naira Visa Card was launched in the Nigerian financial market.

It allows you to access foreign exchange from your Naira account while abroad and Naira while in Nigeria. To get the Naira Visa Debit Card, all you need is a Naira account – there’s no need for a domiciliary account. As soon as you open your account, the card will be issued to you. Plus you can look forward to so many more advantages.

Market analysts say it can be used on Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or Point of Sale (POS) globally where the Visa sign is displayed to either access foreign currency or pay for goods and services.

Bismarck Rewane, chief executive officer of Financial Derivatives Limited (FDC) said the introduction of Naira Visa Card will have a tremendous impact on the Nigerian economy.

Rewane said the introduction will make Naira more convertible. By this he said it will be easy to buy and sell the local currency, as well as increase the flow of trade and investment.

He, however, said the convertibility of the Naira will increase pressure on the external reserves.

Wale Abe, chief executive officer of the Financial Market Dealers Association of Nigeria (FMDA), said the development is good for the economy of the country, and will no doubt be a plus. Some of its benefits include convenient-easy access to foreign currency while abroad and it is safer, thanks to latest Chip and PIN card technology.

Once you have it, you can spend anywhere in the world and have your account debited in Naira. High international spending is limited up to $20,000 per annum, while abroad and N100, 000 per day in Nigeria.
It enables exclusive savings on hotels, restaurants, car hire and more, as well as keeps track of all your spending through 24-hour online banking.

Carol Oyedeji, a banker said: “The introduction of the Naira Visa debit card is a demonstration of our pledge to provide solutions to our customers’ financial needs. Easy access to global currencies without necessarily having a domiciliary account is one financial need our customers have and we can now meet with this innovative product.

Standard Chartered Bank in statement said: “The product will be issued to all customers who maintain Naira savings or current accounts with the bank. The card can be used globally at any ATM machine or Merchant outlets/POS terminals where the Visa logo is displayed to make cash withdrawals and payments. Holders of the card can access Naira while in Nigeria and foreign currency when outside the country from over 29 million outlets worldwide (including over 1 million ATMs on the Visa Network).

“The Standard Chartered Naira Visa Debit card also eliminates the hassle of buying travel allowance as customers can fund their Naira accounts and travel anywhere in the world with access to funds on demand.

“For existing customers, all you need to do is to reach us with an expression of interest and the card will be issued to you. For prospects, once an account is opened in any branch of Standard Chartered Bank, the card will be issued immediately all terms and conditions are met.”

About nine Nigerian banks issue Naira Visa Card. These include: Fidelity Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Sterling Bank, Stanbic-IBTC, FCMB, GTB, Zenith Bank, Intercontinental Bank and Keystone Bank.

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The recent disclosure by the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro,Abeokuta, Dr. Adegboyega Ogunlesi, over the increasing number of Nigerians with psychiatric problems, is frightening.

The medic had at a seminar organized for primary healthcare professionals disclosed that mental illness patients at his hospital increased
from 28,000 in 2009 to 42,000 in 2010. If the statistics reflect the situation in other psychiatric hospitals in the country, then the nation has an enormous health problem to contend with. Those in charge of mental health in the country should do something to address the disturbing phenomenon.

He blamed the situation on the “institution-based care practice,” which the nation had focused on in over 70 years of psychiatric care. According to the psychiatrist, the institution-based mental health service has, over the years, short-changed Nigerians and has not delivered the value vis-à-vis the expenditure by government on the mental health of the citizens.

Ogunlesi’s observations must have been informed by the fact that most mental health institutions in the country are located in the urban areas where there are many psychiatrists with virtually no service provision for the rural and semi-rural areas where majority of the citizens live.

As a result of this lopsidedness in mental care provision, the CMD surmised that most people with the commonest types of mental
health problems such as depression, alcoholism and neurotic disorders will not patronize such stigmatized institutions like Aro.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that about 75 percent of people suffering from mental disorders in the developing world do not receive treatment or care. About 90 percent of those suffering from mental illness in the country do not have access to treatment. The 2008 figure of World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) showed that mental disorders affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population. According to the Federation, about 450 million or one out of every four persons around the world is likely to experience a mental illness that would require diagnosis and treatment.

The dearth of specialists in psychiatric medicine and poor funding of the eight neuro-psychiatric hospitals in the country contribute to the growing number of psychiatric patients in the country. Nigeria is among nine African countries that are in dire need of psychiatric specialists. The countries include Liberia, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Burundi, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Available records show that Nigeria has 130 psychiatrists, four neuro-psychiatric nurses and eight neuro-psychiatric hospitals that attend to 140 million Nigerians. The ratio of psychiatrist to patients stands at 1:1 million patients as against 1:25 patients in the western world.

Besides, Nigeria lacks clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, medical sociologists and social workers.
Ironically, of the 506 African psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, 214 are Nigerians. The poor remuneration of health workers in the country accounts for the brain drain.

Beyond the medical and lifestyle causes of mental illness, there is no doubt that stressful socio-economic conditions in the country can, indeed, induce mental illness in the citizenry. The bad governance experienced at virtually all levels of government in the country can easily dispose people to depression and other psychiatric cases. Experts link the onset of mental disorders to poverty, violence, social exclusion and constant insecurity. All these social vices abound in the country.

Apart from providing medical care to all mental illness patients, government should provide social safety-nets to cushion the effects of the prevailing harsh economic realities in the country. The aged and the unemployed should be given social security allowances.

While it is necessary to deploy more resources to mental health research, there is the need to make psychiatry attractive to young
Nigerians. But this can only be possible if there is enhanced remuneration for medical doctors. To bridge the gap in treatment, let government site more psychiatric hospitals in the rural areas where majority of the citizenry live. All those manifesting any form of mental disorders such as anxiety, depression and phobia, amongst others, should seek prompt medical attention.

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written by Abiodun Oluwarotimi

The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) has confirmed that the deputy governor of Imo State, Mr. Jude Ikechi Agbaso is still in the country’s wanted list.

Confirming this in an electronic mail sent to our correspondent, Mrs Hannah Lewis, an official of the US Department of Justice, said that the US still maintains and upholds the arrest warrant issued on December 30, 1994 against the Imo State deputy governor, and that no Nigerian court can quash the warrant of arrest.

The Mineola County Court in New York, on December 30, 1994 issued a warrant of arrest with registration number 861 against Jude Agbaso when he jumped bail on a 17-count charge before the court.

Earlier, a source at the Department of Justice had confirmed to the reporter on phone that the United States government still regrets ever granting a bail to Mr. Agbaso who currently serves as a deputy governor in Nigeria.

The source added that Mr. Jude Ikechi Agbaso, who last resided at Number 112 Front Street, New York before he jumped the bail granted him after he was being arraigned on a 17-count charge of forgery, still remains a criminal in spite of his political immunity in Nigeria, stressing that the US government will do everything to get him arraigned anytime he comes to America.

Hear him: “If it was possible for the United Kingdom government to get former Governor James Ibori back to London to face criminal charges made against him despite his power and influence, then it will be easy for us to make Mr. Agbaso face all the charges against him when the time comes”.
He further confirmed that there were criminal charges against Agbaso, noting that the warrant of arrest with registration number 861 issued against him by the New York court was still existing in the database of the Justice Department.

Also, checks at the United States Immigration department further confirmed that Agbaso, born on the 23rd January, 1958 was and is still the owner of the Social Security Card with Numbers 108761794.

Although, it was clear that the United States Department of Justice may not make any move to extradite Agbaso back to New York at the moment as a result of the immunity he enjoys as a deputy governor of a state in Nigeria, but our correspondent gathered that his name is already on the security watch list that will surely notify the American government anytime he enters the country.

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