Author: Editor

My attention has been drawn to some anti-Islam and anti-North campaigns on social media, mainly on Facebook, credited to certain Yoruba bloggers in Nigeria. These campaigns followed a statement issued by the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and signed by its Igbo Deputy National Legal Adviser, Imam Haroun Muhammad Eze Esq., as reported in The DEFENDER from my base in Khabarovsk, Russia. By Orimolagun Obego Before continuing, let me clarify that I am a Yoruba man from Nigeria and a great admirer of Russia, where the ruling class and government do not judge people by religion, race, or…

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This week, under the leadership of the Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, civil society groups and some development partners convened a conference attended by leading politicians, pro-democracy activists and academics to address rising threats to the democratic order and the role we should play in trying to sustain it. Also, this week, three ECOWAS countries – Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso left ECOWAS because of its opposition to the coup they had implemented to overthrow the democratic regimes in their countries replacing it with an authoritarian military rule that has been attacking and subverting the utility of democracy in…

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ASHENEWS reports that one month after its report on the forgotten health center in Damba community in Zamfara state, the health center is currently under renovation. The Damba Primary Health Center, located in Damba community of Gusau local government area of Zamfara State, is now undergoing total renovation, following a report by ASHENEWS and Ripple Newspaper that highlighted how the health center had been abandoned and left to decay for many years. A health worker at the PHC, Dr Rabi’u Damɓa confirmed the development to our reporter in a telephone conversation on Monday, January 27, 2025. According to the health…

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ASHENEWS reports that the Niger State government has invested N1.68 billion in salaries for 1,696 health workers across primary, secondary, and tertiary health facilities in a bold move to strengthen healthcare delivery. The announcement was made during the GAVI-supported PHC System Strengthening MOU close-out ceremony held in Minna. The investment include the absorption of 396 ad-hoc health workers into the state payroll and the recruitment of 1,300 additional healthcare professionals. The Niger state Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr. Ibrahim Dangana, emphasized the government’s commitment to sustaining healthcare improvements, particularly through workforce development and training. “We have recruited over 1,300 healthcare…

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