5 Unavoidable Auto Mechanic Services

At Web2Carz, we like to help you work on your car yourself whenever you can. But there's only so much you can do. Even with a garage full of tools, there will inevitably come a time when all but the most experienced of shade-tree mechanics will have to seek the help of a professional.

If you've forgotten what it's like to shell out huge dollars for your car, here's a reminder. These are five services better left to the pros.

5. Tires

New Car Shoes Will Make You Sad

This seems like an obvious one, yes? But how many of us budget for tire replacement? There is almost nothing as unsatisfying for a car owner as driving a car with $500 worth of new tires. When the time comes, know your tire size and needs. This could definitely help you snag a better deal on something you'll probably never think about again ... until you have to replace them ... again.

4. Alignments

How does that even work?

No one outside of the offroading community plans on getting their wheels aligned. Most of us get in the car and go. If after awhile, the car feels like it's pulling in one direction, many of us just deal with it. But you shouldn't. It can lead to premature tire wear and road vibrations. A proper alignment is not something you can accurately do on your own, despite what your former-mechanic cousin might try to convince you of.

3. Axle Work

Plan on shelling out big bucks

If you're willing to roll up your sleeves, simple things, like swapping hubs and installing axle shafts, are fairly straight forward. If, however, you find yourself in need of something more extensive — a new pinion seal, or something that requres carrier removal — don't even bother attempting it. Find a trustworthy mechanic who's comfortable with axle work. It won't be cheap, but it will be well worth the investment.

2. Transmission Work

Striking fear into the hearts of most car owners

Craigslist is full of ads listing cars that need "transmission work". Why? Because the modern automobile transmission might as well be the Large Hadron Collider. Most of us will never understand how they work. We just know that when they start to act up, we'll have to make a decision as to our car's future. Put it down like a lame dog, or mortgage the house to fix it? Either way, you won't be diagnosing it on your own.

1. Head Gaskets

Could it get any worse?

The thing about head gaskets is, a bad one spells doom, and only the most seasoned DIY car owner has the gumption to tackle it. The vast majority of us will have to tow our rigs to a shop. And what's worse, this is never going to be a cheap fix. If you find yourself in this position, it's best to hand over the keys before you overthink the decision to have it taken care of.

2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Guns Are Bigger than Ever

This ain’t no stinkin’ refresh. The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is an all-new car, marking the venerable nameplate’s sixth generation. With the Ford Mustang receiving a hefty update in the past year, the pony-car wars are once again in full swing. For 2016, the Camaro brings all sorts of updates — new engines, new tech, you name it. The next year is going to get very interesting as we await the arrival of this beast.

As with most new-generation updates, the 2016 Camaro features plenty of all-new sheet metal. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a piece of the fifth-gen anywhere — the only two parts to transfer over untouched are the rear Chevrolet bowtie emblem and the SS badge. Despite all the new body parts, the Camaro retains the same silhouette that owners have held dear for ages — even if it does still come at the expense of rearward visibility.

The 2016 Camaro now rides on Chevrolet’s Alpha platform, which also underpins the ATS (and the bonkers ATS-V). Despite the platform-sharing, over 70 percent of the Camaro’s components are unique to this model. Through additional utilization of aluminum, the new Camaro is over 200 pounds lighter than the previous generation, and structural rigidity has been increased by a whopping 28 percent. The car’s physical dimensions are also slightly smaller than before, to make it feel like less of a land barge.

Just like its competition, the Camaro is rolling out a new slew of engines that includes a four-banger; only, unlike the Mustang, the Camaro has its hierarchy such that the I-4 is the base engine. The Camaro’s I-4 is a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit, rated at 275 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. GM believes it will achieve a sub-six-second 0-60 time, while also returning upwards of 30 mpg on the highway.

As for the bigger motors, the mid-range offering is an all-new 3.6-liter, naturally-aspirated V-6 with direct injection and cylinder deactivation. That one will put out 335 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque. If you want the big boy, though, you’re in for a real treat. The Camaro SS will now rock a variant of the Corvette’s 6.2-liter LT1 V-8; in the Camaro, it will spit forth 455 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque.

In terms of transmission choices, each model has two. A six-speed manual is available on all Camaro models, although the SS is the only model to receive the Corvette’s rev-matching tech. An eight-speed automatic is also available, if that’s more your flavor. In the SS, it’s the Hydra-Matic 8L90, ripped straight from the ‘Vette. For the I-4 and V-6 models, it’s the Hydra-Matic 8L45, a variant aimed at vehicles with lower power outputs.

Of course, there’s more than just some new motors kickin’ around. The new Camaro brings with it plenty of fancy new technology, some of which you’ve likely seen on other GM models, specifically the Corvette. The car now gains a drive-mode selector, with an available Track mode for SS models. The SS also receives GM’s magnetorheological shocks for the first time. Brembo brakes are an option for all vehicles, and they’re standard on the SS. Also, both V-6 and V-8 models are available with dual-mode exhaust flaps, which lets the car transition between silence and violence at the flip of a switch.

The interior is, frankly, leagues better than it used to be. You can have not one, but two eight-inch screens, one in the dashboard (featuring Chevy’s MyLink infotainment getup) and one in the instrument cluster. The parking brake was removed in favor of an electronic switch for the sake of better shifting ergonomics. Like the new Audi TT, the Camaro’s HVAC controls are now incorporated into the central air vents to simplify the layout a bit. The Camaro also comes with a segment-first LED ambient lighting setup with 24 different effects and colors that change based on the vehicle’s current mode. Fancy.

Naturally, Chevrolet didn’t give out every inch of information yet. There are no performance figures for the larger engines, and the EPA is still a ways away from determining fuel-economy figures. Pricing and release date are still “to come,” as well. Nevertheless, the second a new piece of information about the 2016 Camaro comes out, we’ll bring it to your attention. This is a big deal for Chevrolet, and we think their modernization gambit will pay off in spades.

Related Vehicles: chevrolet camaro

Women Enpower in ICT by Vodacom

Vodacom Business Nigeria, in line with its commitment to empowering youths through ICT, says it has collaborated with e-Business Life Communication Limited to support female senior secondary school students interested in studying Information and Communication Technology at tertiary education level.

Vodacom stated this after more than 100 Nigerian girls from private and public senior secondary schools in Lagos came together to celebrate the International Girls in ICT Day.

Speaking on the partnership, the Senior Manager, Product Portfolio, Vodacom Business Nigeria, Mrs. Obafunke Atanda, said that the number of women currently employed in ICT firms in Nigeria was extremely low when compared to their male counterparts. “This can be attributed not only to the relative lack of females studying science and technology at secondary and tertiary institutions but also the number of females given access to formal education,” she said.

According to her, the partnership is aimed at encouraging youths, especially females, to include science and technology among their career choices.

The intention, she said, was to increase the number of females in the ICT sector of Nigeria, “which is currently dominated by men.”

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She said, “The company promotes the education and training of girls in primary and secondary schools, thereby empowering them at a much earlier stage of their lives.

“We feel it is our responsibility to support initiatives aimed at increasing the number of skilled and qualified women in Nigeria, and we enjoin other companies to contribute to this course.”

She added that empowering female students would address the root cause of female backwardness such as poor education, unwanted teenage pregnancy and domestic violence.

The Chief Executive Officer of e-Business Life Communication Limited, convener of the Girls in ICT for Lagos, Mrs. Ufoma Emuophedaro, said companies like Vodacom were playing a key role in the global push to get young women and girls excited about a future career in ICT.

“You educate a woman, you educate a generation. We are grateful for Vodacom’s participation and support for this event,” she said.

Girls in ICT Day is a time when girls have the opportunity to reflect on the importance of ICT. It is a day girls gain hands-on skills in ICT development, and realise that coding, blogging or app development is a fun and creative way to make a difference in the digital world.

Rise Of Tech: World Of Phones

The Executive Director, Mobile Business Group, Lenovo Technologies Middle East & Africa, Mr. Shashank Sharma, speaks to OZIOMA UBABUKOH about the imminent extermination of feature phones in Nigeria, among sundry other issues

Some Nigerians buy premium devices that cost up to N120,000 or more while others go for devices in the range of N20,000 and below. How do you ensure that every user group enjoys a great smartphone experience?

There is a great number of customers that are looking for suitable products in the smartphone segment. You will see that the products that we are coming out with in our A series of smartphones cater to individuals looking for devices that are affordable. We also have our S series and premium Vibe series smartphones that come with more features and more functionality. We have a wide range of products at different price points that cater to the majority of users. Each product comes with its own unique functionality and the ability to deliver value while exceeding customer expectation.

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Despite the ubiquity of smartphones, most consumers do not make optimal use of their mobile devices. Reports indicate that features utilisation is at 30 per cent for the average consumer.

What do you think can be done to help users integrate their smartphones more into their daily lives?

Since the advent of smartphones, we have had increasing access to services that we did not have previously, from social media engagement to communication. People are using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social websites to interact and communicate with one another. But there are a lot of areas where themes remain unexplored. I think it is just a matter of time before most people get exposed to what they can do with their phone and start utilising it in more facets of their lives than they do today.

What fate do you think will befall feature phones in the coming years? Do you think the world as it is today has room for anything less than a smartphone?

All over the world, we are seeing the migration from feature phones to smartphones where customers feel they can get more value in terms of what they want from their mobile devices. That trend began in Nigeria in the last couple of years and is now accelerated. There would be a small number of feature phones around in the next two to three years in Africa, but a majority of feature phone users are going to migrate to smartphones within this period

What do you think are the three most important factors that a buyer should consider when investing in a smartphone?

A reliable brand with a global scale that can protect the customers’ interest – this comes as a first point for me; the second is the kind of service that the brand is able to provide the consumer with and the third would be the features of the device, including display and battery life.

What key trends do you see defining the mobile segment in 2016?

The future is always difficult to predict, but I think that display technology will see some changes. We are already seeing a lot of innovation in this area and I expect that we will have more in the coming year. Also, we will see fingerprint security getting more acceptability, more products that respond to gestures and some innovation in the kind of material that is being used to manufacture smartphones today. I think that we will see interesting things happening in these four areas next year.

Lenovo currently leads the global scene as the number one personal computer maker. What is your strategy to replicate this success with smartphones, especially in emerging markets?

We currently have 20 per cent market share and we are leading in that space, a fact we are very proud of. We are also one of the leading players in the smartphone segment, especially with our acquisition of Motorola. To lead in the smartphone segment, you require innovation and efficiency. Lenovo has a great balance of these qualities. We possess the global scale that is required to compete and win in the smartphone segment. That, combined with the global supply chain, allows me to say that Lenovo is going to be a strong contender for the top spot in the world’s smartphone market. It is important to understand the market that one operates in. At Lenovo, we are right now coming up with products that have designs that are appealing to Nigerian consumers; smartphones which have features that are required and used by Nigerians. We are making products with functionalities that are much in demand by Nigerian consumers, including flash and long battery life.

What has the experience been like for Lenovo across African markets, especially here in Nigeria?

The experience has been very good. We are happy with the response that our products have received here till date. And based on the success we have had, we have actually invested more in this market. We now have more people on the ground. We have strengthened our service network even more by investing in resources. The response we have received has been very good and we believe that Nigeria is right now in a good position to embrace the Lenovo brand even more, especially with the new products that we are coming out with.

Early entrants into Nigeria’s smartphone market seem to have gained footholds and are already controlling large chunks of the market. How are you able to compete?

In every market you enter, you will find other organisations that are already present and own percentages of market share. This has been our experience since we started expanding outside China in the last two years. We have gone into other markets with other brands already on the ground, so it is something that we are ready for; we believe that we are well equipped to compete and get mindshare and market share by providing Nigerians with products with the right kind of design, features and functionalities.

You also recently introduced your P70 and S60 smartphones. What can users expect with these devices?

The Lenovo P70 is a very lovely story for people who need to use their phone for extended periods. The battery of the device can last for up to three days. This is great for people who have a routine that does not allow them to charge their smartphone often. Also, in spite of the P70 smartphone having a 4,000mAh battery, it is not a heavy phone at all. It is slim and very light – much slimmer than smartphones with the same battery size. We are positive that our Nigerian consumers will really like this phone because a lot of people have this kind of requirement. Another unique feature of the P70 is that it can be used to charge other mobile phones. The S60 is a much slimmer device with an eye-catching form. It is easy to hold, lightweight and packed with features that showcase users’ fun and social sides.

What about wearable technology? Do you have any product that fits this description?

Lenovo has been monitoring developments in the wearable technology segment very closely. We will be launching wearable bands this year. The devices will be able to track health and fitness parameters, among others. But the wearable technology segment is still evolving. There are innovations that we will see in the segment in the coming years but I believe that it is still in its nascent stage. We are yet to see the true dimensions of wearable technology.

Tell us about your recent acquisition of Motorola. How will this move affect your smartphone business?

Lenovo has always been a strong player in the global smartphone market, even before the acquisition of Motorola. With the acquisition, it has become even stronger. Motorola gives us a strong brand name, it gives us presence in major markets, it gives us a strong IT portfolio and access to a huge pool of innovation engineers and researchers. For us, it is a great acquisition in every sense. With the help of Motorola, we are able to expand and have a presence in markets where Lenovo products are not being sold today. In addition, our range of products for the customer, including wearables, have grown even bigger as a result of the acquisition.

Hacking laws in UK

The UK government has quietly passed new legislation that exempts GCHQ, police, and other intelligence officers from prosecution for hacking into computers and mobile phones.

While major or controversial legislative changes usually go through normal parliamentary process (for example, democratic debate) before being passed into law, in this case an amendment to the Computer Misuse Act was snuck in under the radar as secondary legislation, according to Privacy International stated, “It appears no regulators, commissioners responsible for overseeing the intelligence agencies, the Information Commissioner’s Office, industry, NGOs or the public were notified or consulted about the proposed legislative changes… There was no public debate.”

Privacy International also suggests that the change to the law was in direct response to a complaint that it filed last year. In May 2014, Privacy International and seven communications providers filed a complaint with the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, asserting that GCHQ’s hacking activities were unlawful under the Computer Misuse Act.

On June 6, just a few weeks after the complaint was filed, the UK government introduced the new legislation via the Serious Crime Bill that would allow GCHQ, intelligence officers, and the police to hack without criminal liability. The bill passed into law on March 3 this year, and it went into effect on May 3.

Mtn Vs Oracle, Battle For ...............

MTN Foundation, the corporate social investment vehicle of Information and Communications Technology company in Nigeria, MTN, has joined Oracle, a company that engineers hardware and software, to work together in the cloud and in the data centre, to give further ICT training to select MTNF scholars.

The collaboration will see two projects come to fruition: a bursary funded by Oracle for one student to attend the CERN openlab Summer School in Switzerland, and plans to train up to 2,000 MTNF scholars in database design and SQL and Java programming skills.

“At MTN, we believe that education is pivotal to the growth of any nation, which is why we are delighted with this collaboration that will see Mufutau Akuruyejo, an MTN Foundation scholar, leave for Switzerland to participate in the nine-week CERN openlab programme.

“Akuruyejo will be the first Nigerian to participate in this intensive programme, which would not have been possible without Oracle’s support,” Corporate Service Executive, MTN Nigeria, Akinwale Goodluck, said.

CERN openlab is a unique public-private partnership between CERN and leading ICT companies. Its mission is to accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions to be used by the worldwide LHC (large hadron collider) community.

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“Our highly competitive student programme is a cornerstone of CERN openlab, with the students bringing new ideas and invigorating our collaboration,” the Head of CERN openlab, Di Meglio, said, adding, “This year, we received over 1,500 applications from all over the globe and have selected students of the highest possible calibre. We’re very excited to be welcoming them to CERN very soon.”

The MTNF Science and Technology Scholarship Scheme has afforded hundreds of brilliant but indigent students the opportunity to acquire qualitative tertiary education. The programme is expected to encourage Nigerian students to take interest in science and technology-related courses for the ultimate benefit of the country.

The second initiative focuses on teaching database design and SQL and Java programming skills to MTN Foundation Scholars, using Oracle Academy curriculum and hosted online learning materials. Students will be taught by two Oracle Academy trained faculty from the Ajayi Crowther University and Aived International who have attended and passed the formal Oracle Academy faculty training courses.

Commenting on the Oracle Academy programme, Goodluck said it would help to further boost the ICT skills in beneficiaries and avail them of valuable opportunities after completing the database design and SQL and Java programming courses.

The Country Managing Director, Oracle Nigeria, Adebayo Sanni, was quoted as saying that, “With the rapid adoption of technology in Nigeria, it is imperative that students are equipped with the right skills to take advantage of career and entrepreneurial opportunities.

“We support the country’s efforts to undertake a digital transformation to help secure its place as a leader in the global economy. We are delighted to offer Mufutau Akuruyejo the opportunity to attend CERN openlab’s unique summer programme for students. When public and private organisations collaborate, we have the opportunity to effect innovative change and create new opportunities,” he added.

The MTNF Scholarship Scheme covers tuition, books and pocket allowance. It is renewable provided recipients maintain a minimum of 3.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average in their course of study and an overall 2.5 CGPA. In 2012, the scholarship was extended to visually impaired students in public tertiary schools across the country who meet the requirements.

“Corporate social responsibility is at the core of MTN’s organisational philosophy and in a few months, the Foundation will be celebrating giant strides it has made in the past decade,” Goodluck added.

Rise of Tech: Coming of 5G Network

The International Telecommunications Union has established a new Focus Group to identify the network standardisation requirements for the ‘5G’ development of International Mobile Telecommunications for 2020 and beyond.

These “IMT-2020” systems will enable wireless communication to match the speed and reliability achieved by fibre-optic infrastructure, ITU said in a report.

The potential application fields of IMT-2020 systems, in addition to voice and video, span from health care to industrial automation, virtual reality, automated driving, and robotic systems controlled with an imperceptible time lag.

One-millisecond end-to-end latency is necessary for technical systems to replicate natural human interaction with the environment, a goal that experts say should be within the reach of future networks.

In 2012, ITU established a programme on International Mobile Telecommunications for 2020 and beyond, which provides the framework for IMT-2020 research and development worldwide. ITU’s Radiocommunication Sector is coordinating the international standardisation of IMT-2020 systems. ITU-T is expected to play a similar convening role for the technologies and architectures of wireline networks.

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ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, was quoted in the report as saying that, “Air interfaces and radio access networks are progressing rapidly, but there is a need to devote more attention to the networking aspects of IMT-2020. Wireline communications will transform significantly in support of IMT-2020, and the coordination of ITU’s standardisation and radiocommunication arms will ensure that the wireline and wireless elements of future networks develop in unison.”

The Director of the ITU Radiocommunications Bureau, François Rancy, was also quoted as saying that, “Following on from the successful development of IMT-2000 and IMT-Advanced, the standards for all of today’s 3G and 4G mobile systems, the work to be carried out by ITU-T on the network aspects will be an important complement to the activities undertaken by ITU-R in developing the radio interface standards for IMT-2020.”

The Director of the ITU Telecommunication Standardisation Bureau, Chaesub Lee, said, “Today’s network architectures cannot support the envisaged capabilities of IMT-2020 systems. Innovation in standardisation is essential across core networks, access networks, virtualised data clusters and masses of smart networked units. Moving beyond convergence, the concepts underlying networking must evolve to support the development of integrated fixed-mobile hybrid networks.”

The Head of 5G Research and Development at Huawei, Wen Tong, also said, “5G will power a wide range of new user experiences, but the bottleneck remains the speed of the network. Everyone in the ICT ecosystem needs to work together. This is the most important condition for us to realise 5G, and this is the reason Huawei is contributing to ITU’s efforts to consider what the road to 5G demands of all parts of the ecosystem.”

The new Focus Group, which is open to participation by any interested party, will provide the launching point for ITU-T’s contribution to IMT-2020 standardisation. The group will follow an intensive work plan to complete its study prior to the December meeting of ITU’s standardisation expert group responsible for future networks, cloud computing and network aspects of mobile communications, ITU-T Study Group 13.

Abortion Location Nigeria

Since independence, Nigeria and indeed Africa have experienced different forms of abortions in their quest to birth sustainable economic development.

This situation is further exacerbated by the absence of audacity to hurdle over the obstacles faced as a result of past endeavours to give birth to it and economic independence. Many African nations have tended to clutch on the straw of Gross Domestic Product figures and have taken it to mean economic development. The question then arises: What has stopped Nigeria and Africa from becoming economically developed in the last 60 years?

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Economic development entails much more than our economic growth – GDP per capita figure. It also includes actual improvement in infrastructure and living standards, the well-being and quality of life of our entire population. Nigeria has and continues to experience economic growth without economic development. To attain economic development, we must seek out what we have been doing wrong, in order to appreciate fully what we must do correctly now.

In the 1960s, there was a push towards manufacturing basic consumer goods in Nigeria. The country had followed Kwameh Nkrumah’s/Ghana’s lead and adopted the import substitution industrialisation strategy. This was an inward development policy that called for the replacing of imported basic consumer goods with home produced ones and continuing towards replacing complex imported manufactured goods with home manufactured ones. Nigeria and some other African nations rejected the notion that they had to import manufactured products according to their raw natural resourses exports.

However, at the time, the import substitution industrialisation strategy did not yield the intended results of eliminating economic dependence on the West and creating an internal consumer and capital goods industrial manufacturing base in Nigeria. This became the first experience in abortion.

In my view, this is because Nigeria was economically dependent on her former colonial master and the West for her technology, industries for consumer and capital goods, strategic management, marketing skills, and even finance. Consequently, the newly established import substituting industries were making very heavy demands on our foreign reserves. It is my view that a nation cannot use economic resources primarily from nations on which it is economically dependent to gain its economic independence and development. Furthermore, what I call an abortion of economic development occurred because Nigeria and much of Africa lacked the audacity to innovate a long term strategy to remove or reverse the reasons why the ISI was not working, instead it was eventually dropped as the strategy to achieve economic development.

Crude oil reserves in Nigeria and the subsequent oil boom in the 1970s helped in distorting the knowledge of what Nigeria’s future economic realities would be as a result of not ensuring that the ISI strategy worked in the long term.

Crude oil exports during the oil boom helped dampen the effects of the global recessions and the failed attempt at the ISI strategy. However, other African nations were feeling much more the effects of their failed attempts at implementing the ISI. Much of Africa was in economic crisis. Some African leaders knew the continent’s future was gloomy and they had to do something about it.

Not happy with the status quo of exporting raw materials and importing almost all consumer goods, it was clear to such African leaders that the solutions to their problems would not come from the international economic system. This led to the Monrovia Strategy for economic development which was formulated in 1979. In 1980, African leaders convened in Lagos to devise a plan for the implementation of this strategy, and the resultant plan became known as the Lagos Plan of Action. It called for, national self-reliance, accelerating internal autonomous processes of growth, diversifying of self-sustained development processes and the accelerating of the process of regional economic integration.

In my view, it sounded like a good plan, as it would have made Nigeria realise that the reasons for the ISI strategy failure just had to be tackled and overcome in order to achieve economic development in the long term.

However, the World Bank preferred another plan developed by it called the Accelerated Development in sub-Saharan Africa Action Plan. This plan was a sharp contrast to the Lagos Plan of Action. It stressed on Africa continuing the system of exports of unprocessed agro and raw materials. It blamed poor agricultural and raw material export performance for Africa’s poor overall economic performance at the time. It seemed to disagree with Africa’s push for self-reliance.

The Lagos Plan of Action was never implemented by Nigeria or Africa. With the encouragement of the World Bank, it was dropped in favour of the Accelerated Development in sub-Saharan Africa Action Plan. In my view, this was Nigeria’s second abortion of economic development. This abortion occurred because Nigeria lacked the audacity to show or convince any concerned that she should develop and implement internally developed strategies that she felt would achieve her sustainable economic development at her own pace, and in the long run such would be beneficial to its international partners.

The Accelerated Development in sub-Saharan Africa Action Plan led to the Structural Adjustment Programme, which was adopted by Nigeria in the mid 1980s. Nevertheless, it did not bring about the desired economic development for the country. Reforms and reviews to the SAP did little to change its ineffectiveness in delivering the expected results. Strikingly, economic policy and strategy in Nigeria have not resulted in the much desired and needed inclusive economic growth and development. The quality of life expressed in infrastructure, health and educational masses inclusive development in Nigeria speaks negative volumes about the action plan, SAP and most economic policies imposed on or adopted by Nigeria including programmes such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. Interestingly, 50 years after her first attempts at the ISI strategy, Nigeria is still dependent on external entities for her technology, industries, consumer and capital goods, management and financing of major development projects. The time has come for Nigeria to face her economic development problems with audacity, demanding veracity from herself as well as all concerned for her economic development. I do not see how any nation can achieve economic independence and development without its own technological base for its consumer and capital goods. Neither do I think it is possible for any nation to achieve the former and later when it imports everything from toothpicks to candles.

The time has come for Nigeria to start implementing a Neo-import substitution industrialisation strategy with a Neo – Lagos Plan of Action. This essentially is the same as the original ISI strategy, but adapted to the realities of Nigeria today and includes strategies that overcome the reasons for its implementation failure the first time. Let us not be fooled or distracted by the GDP growth figures in a system that benefits a few and leaves the nation’s youths with no sustainable jobs that enable them to participate and benefit from the global economy.

Health Care: Sugar, World rising Treat

For many of us, the day isn’t complete without popping a bottle of our favourite soft drink.

Soft drinks look and taste good. They come in all sorts of packaging, colours and flavours that appeal to all the senses.

On the average, it’s difficult to convince a growing child that regular consumption of soft drinks does have untoward effects on health. Indeed, ask the average school kid what he spends his lunch allowance on, and the first item on the list is likely to be a bottle of … you fill in the gap!

Sugar eating is not peculiar to kids, though; as some adults seem unable to control their appetite for sugary beverages, especially those reportedly designed for weight watchers, which researchers say, contain as much sugar as do those that could be taken by those who don’t claim to be on any diet.

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Indeed, a recent study by scientists at Imperial College of London suggests that daily consumption of just a 50cl bottle of sugar-sweetened beverage can raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 22 per cent.

The research, published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes), was carried out by a team of scientists comprising Drs. Dora Romaguera, Petra Wark and Teresa Norat. Other researches in Germany, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, France and The Netherlands also support their findings.

Experts describe diabetes mellitus as a metabolism disorder. “This refers to the way our bodies use digested food for energy and growth. Most of what we eat is broken down into glucose – a form of sugar in the blood. High blood sugar after meals is a key risk factor in the progression from impaired glucose tolerance (pre-diabetes) to type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” says diabetologist/Medical Director of Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Lekki Phase 1, Dr. Afokoghene Isiavwe.

Asked what constitutes the normal range for blood sugar levels, and what blood sugar level constitutes a true emergency, experts say when a healthy individual eats, the blood sugar will not exceed 135mg to 140mg per deciliter, giving a fairly narrow range of blood sugar throughout the entire day.

In diabetics, however, the story is remarkably different. Scientists say a diabetic patient’s blood sugar can exceed 180mg to 200mg per deciliter, exceeding the capacity of the kidneys to reabsorb the glucose, making the patient to spill glucose into the urine. That’s when people pass what is generally called ‘sugar-spiked urine.’

Diabetes comes in two types – types one and two. Isiavwe says, “Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin that is needed for sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy.”

She explains that various factors may contribute to someone having type 1 diabetes, including genetics and exposure to certain viruses. “The exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown. In most people with type 1 diabetes, the body’s own immune system – which normally fights harmful bacteria and viruses – mistakenly destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Again, genetics and family history may play a role in this process, while exposure to certain viruses may trigger the disease,” she says.

Experts reveal that glucose is a main source of energy for the cells that make up muscles and other tissues and it comes from two major sources – food and your liver.

“Sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, where it enters cells with the help of insulin. Your liver stores glucose as glycogen. When your insulin levels are low, such as when you haven’t eaten in a while, the liver converts stored glycogen into glucose to keep your glucose level within a normal range.

“In type 1 diabetes, there’s no insulin to let glucose into the cells, so sugar builds up in your bloodstream, where it can cause life-threatening complications,” experts say.

They also say that the far more common type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin or doesn’t make enough insulin.

Lamenting the problem, Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Jide Idris, once said that “diabetes affects an estimated six per cent of Lagos populace.” This, he says, was responsible for the initiatives of the state government in organising free screening for diabetes and hypertension – two potential killer conditions.

Experts say apart from genetics, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, probably because people tend to exercise less as they get older, gaining weight in the process.

“Maintaining a healthy weight through a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly are ways of preventing and managing diabetes,” Isiavwe counsels.

She notes that in particular, abdominal fat puts you at increased risk. “This is because the fat releases chemicals that can upset the body’s cardiovascular and metabolic systems. This then increases your risk of developing various conditions, such as heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer,” she says.

In conclusion, experts say though you may be helpless against developing type 1 diabetes, you can save yourself from a debilitating disease like type 2 diabetes by living responsibly.

“The consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks increases your risk of diabetes. So, for every can of soft drinks that you drink per day, the risk is higher,” lead researcher, Dora Romaguera, warns.

Beat type 2 diabetes

• Eat healthy foods. Choose foods low in fat and calories. Focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Get physical. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. Take a brisk daily walk. Ride a bike. Swim laps.
• Lose excess pounds. If you’re overweight, losing five to 10 per cent of your body weight can reduce the risk of diabetes.
• A 15-minute walk after each meal could prevent older people from developing type-2 diabetes, a study has found.
• Elevated blood sugar after meals could increase the risk of type-2 diabetes. So, resting after eating “is the worst thing you can do,” the study says.