Just another day in the ghetto

Cholera outbreak in Lagos prison threatens inmates' lives.

Jul 02, 2024

Good morning, Big Brains. Did I ever introduce myself as a chronic oversharer? Anyway, I adulted too hard yesterday. I actually got up from my bed to make myself French toast for breakfast. That is a big win for me because I’ve not cooked a single thing in God knows how long.

- Margaret

Word count: ~800
Reading time ~ 2 mins

Let’s get into today’s edition:

WHO intervenes as cholera hits Kirikiri prison in Lagos
Australia doubles visa fee for international students to reduce migration
Nigeria's business slows to lowest in 7 months

The Big Deal

WHO intervenes as cholera hits Kirikiri prison in Lagos

One thing about 2024 – it will always hit you with a very interesting plot twist. Just when we thought the cholera outbreak was under control, there is a new report that the deadly disease has now hit the Kirikiri Medium Security Prison.

According to the Lagos State Commissioner for Health Akin Abayomi, there was an outbreak of 25 cases of severe intestinal infection caused by cholera at the prison. The state has, however, started urgent medical and environmental interventions to control the spread.

As of today, 3,200 prisoners are still at risk of contracting the disease but the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stepped in to handle the outbreak. Abayomi said, “ WHO has donated 10,000 doses of pharmaceuticals which have been delivered to the prison to support prison health facilities with prevention strategies.”

He added that there’s no need for residents of the state to be scared because there’s a reduction in new cholera cases and deaths. Abayomi also confirmed that the outbreak has been traced back to street beverages and contaminated water supply.

Why is this a big deal?

Prisons in Nigeria are well known for their substandard facilities. Even Abayomi indirectly confirmed the poor state of the prison’s facilities when he said, “...immediate water and sanitation issues have been corrected and there are ongoing inspections of other correctional facilities in the State.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first and may likely not be the last time that prisoners will be exposed to infectious diseases in Nigeria. In 2022, Premium Times reported that 20 inmates died after contracting tuberculosis in prison while over 100 inmates had painfully long days recovering from the infection which spread fast due to overcrowding and poor management of the disease.

The thought of prisoners being more vulnerable to diseases like cholera might not sound concerning to many people, but they are humans who should be treated better by the government.

Australia doubles visa fee for international students to reduce migration

We don’t know who has suffered more heartbreaks this year, people crushing on Nigerian celebrities or people with Japa dreams.

Australia has joined the list of countries that are trying to manage migration. The country, which currently has over 10,000 Nigerian students, has announced that its international student visa fee has risen to A$1,600 ($1,068) from A$710.

The Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil made this known yesterday saying, “The changes coming into force today will help restore integrity to our international education system and create a migration system which is fairer, smaller, and better able to deliver for Australia.”

The increase in fees has made Australian student visas much more expensive compared to the United States and Canada where the fees are around $185 USD and $150 CAD respectively.

The government also mentioned it would tighten visa rules to prevent foreign students from extending their stay in Australia indefinitely. This comes after the number of students on a second or subsequent student visa increased by over 30% to more than 150,000 in 2022–23 due to higher migration levels following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in 2022.

This is not Australia’s first rodeo…

Australia has been working hard since March to make it harder for international students to get visas by raising the English language requirements. In May, the country also increased the amount of money international students need to have in savings to A$29,710 ($19,823), way higher than the A$24,505 it was before. Japa aspirants are yet to know a tougher year for real.

Nigeria's business slows to lowest in 7 months

It’s a good time to squeeze some naira bundles into the hands of business owners in Nigeria because according to Stanbic IBTC Bank's latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), business in Nigeria is currently at the lowest it has been in seven months.

The index fell from 52.1 in May to 50.1 in June. Scores above 50.0 mean growth, while below indicate a decline.

The report shows that Nigeria's private sector took the biggest L because of weak demand and high prices, which slowed production and new orders.

If you’re wondering how they arrived at this report, they surveyed 400 companies in sectors like farming, factories, services, buildings, and shops. It looks at new orders, how many companies made, how many people they employed, how quickly suppliers delivered goods, and how much they bought in advance.

Muyiwa Oni, who studies businesses in West Africa for Stanbic IBTC Bank, said the PMI drop happened because Nigerians are finding it more difficult to afford what they want and this has made it harder for these companies to stay in business.

This Week’s Big Question

“Would you rather never have to work for money or get your dream job?”

Isioma’s response -”My dream job is to spend all my days spending money I didn’t work for. I see only one option in this question.”

You can also share your response here and if it’s as interesting as Isioma’s response, we’ll feature it in the next edition.

The Big Picks

Obi Demands Breakdown On Utilisation Of Borrowed Funds: The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has requested that the Federal Government provide a comprehensive breakdown of the use of borrowed funds.

Mara, a crypto startup backed by Coinbase, lost $16 million in 2022 as the leadership team fell apart: Mara, a pan-African exchange startup, has run out of cash. CEO Chineyere Nnadi has consequently registered a new entity named Jara in early 2024.

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