The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) has shortlisted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR) for the 2025 Golden World Awards (GWA). The announcement comes ahead of IPRA’s 70th anniversary celebrations in Accra, Ghana, from October 1–3, 2025. The three-day event will also feature the GWA Gala, the inauguration of IPRA’s first African president, and the 50th anniversary of the Institute of Public Relations Ghana. NCS and IMPR were nominated in the publications category, continuing their successful run on the global PR stage. In 2024, they won in Belgrade, Serbia, with a campaign titled “100 Days…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Executive Director of the International Centre of Excellence (IRCE), Prof. Alash’le Abimiku, says new research showing similarities among Lassa fever virus strains across Nigeria offers hope for a single vaccine that could protect the entire West African sub-region. Abimiku, who spoke in Abuja ahead of the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria’s (IHVN) 3rd Annual Scientific Symposium beginning Monday, said the finding is a major step towards overcoming one of the region’s most persistent health threats. The symposium has the theme: “Combating Viral Threats through Public Health Response and Research.” “One of the first studies we did was to understand…
A decade after its inaugural gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, the Africa Biennial Biosciences Communication (ABBC) Symposium returned—this time in Lusaka, Zambia—with renewed energy and purpose. The 6th edition of the symposium, ABBC2025, became more than just a meeting of minds; it was a reaffirmation of Africa’s determination to confront the growing menace of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation in science. For three days, Lusaka hosted scientists, communicators, policymakers, journalists, and other stakeholders from across the continent. The program was as engaging as it was diverse—featuring plenary sessions, panel discussions, a “bus stop” idea exchange, fireside chats, a field visit to a…
In a renewed effort to bring lasting peace to farmers-herders relations and sustain the cordial relationship between Fulani communities and their host settlements, the Council of Fulani Chiefs of South West Nigeria has rolled out measures aimed at curbing insecurity in the region, extending also to Kwara State in North-Central Nigeria. This was contained in an address delivered by the Chairman of the Council and Sarki Fulani of Lagos, Mohammed Abubakar Bambado II, during a world press conference held in Lagos on Sunday, September 7, 2025. Bambado II announced that the council had unanimously agreed to impose an absolute ban…
Russia has officially announced that a domestically developed personalized mRNA cancer vaccine is ready for clinical use and will be distributed free of charge to cancer patients. The vaccine, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Center, targets tumor-specific neoantigens tailored to each patient’s genetic profile and is expected to launch treatment for patients starting in September-October 2025. The cancer vaccine has shown promising results in preclinical trials, particularly targeting colorectal cancer with tumor size reduction rates between 60% and 80%, and increased survival rates. Further development is underway for vaccines targeting other cancer types, including glioblastoma and melanoma. The vaccine…
The Federal Government has unveiled the Nigeria Postharvest Systems Transformation Programme (NiPHaST), an ambitious initiative aimed at building a resilient, efficient, and inclusive post-harvest handling and storage system across the country. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, announced the programme at the Nigeria Legacy Programme, organized by the Africa Food Systems Forum in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in Dakar, Senegal. Kyari said the initiative is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes poverty eradication, food and nutrition security, and sustainable economic growth. According to him, NiPHaST…
This Sunday, September 7, 2025, a spectacular total lunar eclipse will be visible across Nigeria and many other African countries. The celestial event, also known as a “blood moon,” occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow that fully covers the lunar surface. In Nigeria, the eclipse will begin at approximately 6:31 PM local time with the Moon entering Earth’s penumbral shadow. The total eclipse phase, during which the Moon will be completely obscured by the Earth’s umbra, will start around 6:31 PM and last until about 7:52 PM, spanning a duration of roughly…
Car exhaust. Factory smoke. Wildfire haze. Chances are, no matter where on Earth you live, you’re exposed to some form of air pollution almost every day. The consequences of this pollution can be debilitating – and deadly. Air pollution caused 8.1 million premature deaths in 2021 alone, found one prominent study. On 7 September, the world celebrates the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, which showcases solutions to air pollution. The theme this year is Racing for Air, which reflects the urgent need to address what United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called a “global emergency.” It is also a nod to…
Nigeria’s waterways weave through the heart of our country’s agriculture and economy, carrying the lifeblood of food markets and rural livelihoods. Yet instead of engines of growth, these rivers have become deadly crossings where too many lives—mostly farmers and traders—are lost in tragic boat mishaps. President Bola Tinubu must urgently act to stem this tide of death that is quietly depopulating Nigeria’s farmers and undermining our food security. Since 2018, over 1,200 Nigerians have perished in boat accidents nationwide—averaging 17 lives lost every month. Farming families have been wiped out in terrifying tragedies: in July 2025, 25 souls drowned in…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for cancer, diabetes, obesity, cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, haemophilia and other blood disorders. The revisions, covering the 24th edition of the EML and the 10th of the EMLc, bring the total to 523 essential medicines for adults and 374 for children. The lists are used by more than 150 countries to guide procurement, insurance coverage and access to medicines. Among the cancer medicines added are pembrolizumab for metastatic cervical, colorectal and non-small cell lung cancers, with atezolizumab and…