The Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Mr. Kamoru Ogunlana, has said Hansard/Verbatim reporters remain indispensable in legislative proceedings despite rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and transcription technologies. Ogunlana made the remark on Tuesday at the Annual National Delegates Conference of the Association of Hansard/Verbatim Reporters of Nigeria, held at the National Assembly in Abuja. He was represented by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr. Yahaya Dan-Zaria. “Before technology became this advanced, it was Hansard reporters who ensured that every aspect of parliamentary business was accurately captured in the official votes and proceedings,” he said. He stressed…
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The Bayelsa Government has requested an equity stake in the $3.5 billion Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company project set to commence on Brass Island in the state. Governor Douye Diri made the appeal on Tuesday when the management team of the company paid him a courtesy visit in Yenagoa. Diri said the demand became necessary given the exclusion of oil-producing states and local governments in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which he described as a major flaw causing unrest in host communities. “The federal government now interacts directly with the communities, and that is an affront on the Nigerian Constitution.…
Global education funding is facing sharp reductions that could leave an additional six million children out of school by 2026, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said Official Development Assistance (ODA) for education is projected to fall by $3.2 billion, representing a 24 per cent drop from 2023. Just three donor governments account for nearly 80 per cent of the cuts. Such a decline would raise the number of out-of-school children worldwide from 272 million to 278 million, UNICEF said. “Every dollar cut from education is not just a budgetary decision—it’s a child’s future…
The introduction of the National Emergency Medical Services and Ambulance System (NEMSAS) by the Federal Government prompts questions about the type of ambulances available when the first generation of hospitals and dispensaries were established in Nigeria. My search on whether St. Margaret’s Hospital, the first government hospital built in Calabar in 1889, and the older Church Missionary Society Dispensary in Obosi, established in 1880, had ambulance services, returned negative. Without modern ambulances, how were patients in need of emergency medical care transported to the few healthcare facilities in colonial and early post-colonial Nigeria? Records indicate that various methods of transportation…
Nigeria is aligning itself to become a principled, capable, and forward-looking actor in the evolving sphere of global digital diplomacy, according to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN). The ministers made this commitment on Wednesday in Abuja at the inauguration of a two-day high-level seminar themed “Anticipatory, Cyber and Digital Diplomacy”, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The seminar, which runs from Sept. 2 to 3, is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s foreign policy framework and equipping diplomats with tools to address challenges in…
MTN Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja called on the public and private sectors to collaborate with it in addressing the challenges and opportunities inherent in Artificial Intelligence (AI) development in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Dr. Karl Toriola, made the call in a paper entitled “Toward a United AI Strategy for Africa”, which he presented during a plenary session at the 2025 Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX). The theme of the ongoing four-day event is: “Building Continental Digital Foundations for Equitable AI Development.” While the summit is being held in Abuja between September 1 and 2,…
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has trained Master Bakers in Bauchi State on Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) as part of efforts to improve food safety and strengthen Nigeria’s food security framework. The sensitization programme, themed “Bakery Industry Strengthening GHP Compliance,” brought together bakers, key stakeholders, and regulators, including representatives from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Productivity Centre, the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Speaking during the training, Bauchi State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Hamisu Yahaya, explained that GHP entails measures that guarantee sanitation and food safety across…
Health ministers from African countries met at the 75th World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee in Lusaka, Zambia. They agreed on plans to make health systems stronger and help more people get healthcare across Africa. The meeting lasted three days and included ministers from 47 countries. They approved important actions on topics like dental health, blood shortages, rehabilitation services, care for mothers and children, malaria, health workers, and health security. These plans will guide Africa’s health work for the next few years. In his opening speech, Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema asked African leaders to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic. He…
When I arrived at the Tahir Guest Palace in Kano State on August 31st, I knew the next two days would be about child rights. But I did not anticipate just how much the training, organized by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) in collaboration with UNICEF, would reshape my understanding of journalism itself. For two days, I joined fellow journalists from across Nigeria at the Tahir Guest Palace in Kano for a dialogue that challenged us to rethink the way we report on children. Organized by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and…
The Federal Government has sent a team of engineers right away to fix a damaged bridge on the Shagamu-Benin road, located at the border between Edo and Ondo states. The damage happened on the side of the bridge that leads to Benin. This bridge has two sides, but only one side was affected in one part of the bridge’s structure. According to a government statement, the Tinubu administration is taking quick action to fix the bridge. After the concrete repair is done, it will take up to 45 days before vehicles can start using that part of the road again.…