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Garden egg, also known as egg plant is the fruit in season and for its lovers, either eating it raw or having steamed yam and... stew made with it is a delight. It comes in two colours, white and green.

In most African countries, this fruit is a highly valued delicacy and constituent of the African food. It also represents fertility and blessing and thus, not uncommon to find it served during wedding ceremonies in some communities across the African Continent.

No wonder, the Igbo Community in Nigeria can hardly do without eating garden eggs because of the health benefits derived from it.

Botanically called Solanum Melongena, garden egg is an economic flowering plant belonging to the family Solanaceae and widely distributed throughout the temperate and tropical regions. Members are mostly herbaceous plants, and the fruit is berry and the seeds have large endosperm and are grown mainly for food and medicinal purposes.

The fruit is very healthful and among its health benefits are its ability to reduce cholesterol due to the fact that it is very low in calories.

While speaking on the benefits of garden eggs, the Deputy Provost Graduate Administration, Federal College of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos, and Physician/Consultant Acupunturist at Green Leaves Clinic and Acupunture Centre, Ilasamaja, Lagos, Dr Ndubuisi Nwakakwa, said that garden egg is low in calories which makes it wonderful and helpful for reducing cholesterol. “A high level of blood cholesterol level, more particularly low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease and garden egg has the power of reducing these risks”.

Adding: “When compared to apples and oats, garden egg plant is more helpful for reducing cholesterol. This means that eating garden egg is better at reducing blood cholesterol than apple.

“Also Garden egg contains in raw form 15 calories per 100g but this rises when dried. When cooked in oil, it contains more than 300 calories due to absorption of extra fat”, Nwakakwa said.

In addition, he said: “Even though garden egg is generally said not to contain huge amount of

protein and other nutrients, it is low in sodium and very rich in high dietary fibre. It is also high in potassium, a necessary salt that helps in maintaining the function of the heart and regulates blood pressure”.

The Consultant Acupunturist said that garden egg is also rich in some nutrients. “Being a member of vegetable family, it contains nutrients that include beta carotene, vitamins B6, E and folate, calcium, iron and magnesium fibre”.

According to Nwakakwa, garden egg is good for sight as it has positive effects on visual functions. It is also excellent for weight reduction.

“Its consumption may be of great benefits to glaucoma patients”, he said.

A study conducted by some experts, S.A Igwe, Dora Akunyili and C. Ogbogu, published in the 2003 issue of the Journal of Ethnopharmacology on “Effects of Garden Egg on some Visual Functions of Visually Active Igbos of Nigeria”, found that eating plenty of garden egg can help to lower eye pressure in persons with glaucoma.

For weight reduction, “This is the perfect recipe for achieving weight loss within a short period of time because it is very low in calorie content, and it is why experts are encouraging people that want to lose weight to eat more of its fresh form just as they say that people that are told to protect their heart against cholesterol effects should make it their delight”, said Nwakakwa.

By Bukola Fatogun

Extracted from http://www.compassnewspaper.com

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chukwuma Soludo, is under the radar of British crime investigators who want to understand his role in the N29 billion polymer banknote contract issued during his tenure...

Between 2006 and 2009, the Central Bank carried out currency reforms that saw the introduction of polymer bank notes to replace the paper notes of the country’s lower denominations. In late 2009, media reports alleged that top CBN officials had received bribes in order to grant an Australian company, Securency International Pty Ltd, the contract which saw the Australian company supplying Nigeria with at least 1.9 billion pieces of the polymer substrate.

The contract is now the subject of a multi-national investigation straddling Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and Nigeria, from which about N3.5 billion was paid out in slush fund. Investigators believe that millions out of the amount were paid to top Nigerian politicians and bank officials.

Investigating the Scandal

International sources who spoke to NEXT in confidence, said that feelers from the on-going investigations by the British Serious Fraud Office (SFO) point to the fact that Mr. Soludo has become a subject of their investigations. NEXT had earlier reported that the former bank chief directed contract processes in the CBN as well as the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting PLC, of which the CBN has a 77% shareholding.

“SFO is investigating the Nigerian deal in the UK. Soludo may be tied to a lot of those Nigerian deals which explains why the SFO may be investigating him,” our source said.

The SFO’s spokesperson in an email exchange with NEXT however declined to confirm or refute the claims.

“Without wishing to be unhelpful, I am unable to provide any further details. The investigation is ongoing. For guidance; it is not SFO policy to confirm or deny the names of suspects in its investigations,” Katie Winstanley of the SFO said. Ms. Winstanley further said that the SFO has arrested at least five people so far in connection with the on-going investigation.

A source within the EFCC, who asked not to be named, however confirmed that the SFO had indeed contacted the Nigerian anti-graft agency in relation to the investigations involving Mr. Soludo.

“There may be something like that. I know that there has been intelligence exchange between the EFCC and the SFO concerning this matter. It is an on-going investigation which was not initiated by the EFCC,” our source said.

In the months following the media reports, several anti-corruption agencies within and outside Nigeria have launched investigations into the scandal. In Nigeria, the initial enthusiasm showed by the Nigerian Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the National Assembly has since waned. None of the Nigerian investigations have yielded any results..

Efforts to get obtain reactions from the official spokesmen for the EFCC and the CBN were unfruitful.

Sharing the contract commissions

Documents obtained by NEXT show that Securency, whose parent company is the Reserve Bank of Australia, paid about $23 million dollars in suspect commissions to a company domiciled in a tax haven, Seychelles. The company, SPT Limited, further commissioned two other agents to secure the Nigerian contracts.

The Australian media, championed by The Age, is claiming that the agents chosen had close links with top government and CBN officials. One of the agents, Joseph Raad, who was appointed as a ‘confidential sub-agent’ by SPT LTD, is Iceland’s honorary Consul General to Nigeria. SPT, which stood to gain 12% of all contract deals secured from Nigeria, pledged to pay its agents between 4.5-5% of the contracts worth.