The Bauchi State Government says it has intensified efforts to increase enrolment into science secondary schools as part of measures to encourage more students to study health-related courses and strengthen the state’s healthcare workforce. The Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Sani Mohammed Dambam, disclosed this during the commemoration of the 2026 International Day of the Midwife, organised by the Bauchi State Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the State Primary Health Care Development Board, with support from the United Nations Population Fund, held at the Aliko Dangote College of Nursing Sciences. Dr. Dambam said the study of science…
Author: Editor
Nigeria’s external reserves declined by approximately $855 million within five weeks, dropping from $49.18 billion on April 1, 2026, to $48.33 billion as of May 7, 2026, according to the latest figures released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The development has raised fresh concerns over pressure on the country’s foreign exchange buffers despite reserves remaining significantly higher than levels recorded during the same period last year. Data from the apex bank showed that the reserves recorded a steady decline throughout April and into the first week of May, reflecting growing demand pressures in the foreign exchange market. According…
I had earlier spoken about intubation. It is a medical procedure involving the insertion of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea (windpipe) through the mouth or nose to maintain an open airway, deliver oxygen, or facilitate mechanical ventilation (life-support machine). It is used during emergencies, critical care, or anaesthesia to ensure gas exchange when a patient cannot breathe independently. Or, as in my case, where there is respiratory failure/distress: when a patient cannot breathe sufficiently on their own because of severe pneumonia or COPD. Different people may have different experiences regarding it since it takes one to a hallucinatory…
The Sokoto State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, organised a one-day workshop aimed at strengthening journalists’ capacity in accurate court reporting and ethical news writing. The workshop, held on Saturday, 9th May, 2026, at the NUJ Press Centre along Zuru Road in Sokoto, focused on the theme: “Accurate Court Reporting: A Pillar of Justice and Public Trust.” Addressing the participants, in his welcome address, state chairman, Nigeria Union of journalists NUJ, Usman Muhammad Binji, said the training was organized to provide media practitioners with a basic knowledge on how to write fair, accurate and balanced judicial reports. Binji…
African energy experts, feminists, economists and climate justice advocates have warned that continued dependence on fossil fuels is worsening poverty, inequality and economic instability across the continent, calling instead for a community-driven transition to renewable energy. The experts spoke during a high-level webinar moderated by Kenyan journalist Edith Kimani, where discussions focused on findings from the Pipe Dreams report presented by climate and energy researcher Gregg Muttitt. Participants challenged the long-standing assumption that oil and gas exploitation would automatically translate into economic prosperity for African nations, arguing that decades of extraction have instead left many countries trapped in fragile economies…
Scientists at National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) have declared that Uganda’s newly launched anti-tick vaccine, NAROVAC1, could transform livestock farming across Africa by effectively eliminating ticks without allowing them to develop resistance. The genetically engineered vaccine, which officially entered the market last week, is being hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against tick infestations and tick-borne diseases that have long devastated cattle production in Uganda and across the region. Speaking on the vaccine’s mechanism, Dr. Swidiq Mugerwa, Deputy Director-General in charge of Research Coordination at NARO and a senior member of the vaccine research team, explained that the vaccine…
Nigeria is not short of reforms. It is not short of investment forums either. The real question is more uncomfortable: why does all this activity so rarely convert into bankable, financed, and delivered investment? Over time, Nigeria has refined its reform narratives and multiplied its engagement platforms. Yet the outcome has changed far less than the language. Policy signalling has become more sophisticated, but execution has not kept pace. The result is a persistent gap between what is announced and what is actually financed and built. This is not an investor sentiment problem. It is a conversion problem. Nigeria continues…
Annually, every first Tuesday in May, the world pauses to confront a disease that too often hides in plain sight. World Asthma Day 2026, marked under the theme “Access to anti-inflammatory inhalers for everyone with asthma, still an urgent need,” is not merely a symbolic observance. It is a global call to action. At its core is a simple but urgent truth championed by the Global Initiative for Asthma. People are still dying from asthma not because we lack the knowledge to treat it, but because millions cannot access the medicines that prevent those deaths. Asthma is one of the…
Nigeria’s banking sector is reaping the gains of a high-interest rate environment, posting its biggest interest income and gross earnings growth despite loan provision, which impacted earnings in 2025. According to the 2025 audited financial statements for Zenith Bank, First HoldCo, GTCO, Access Holdings Plc, UBA, FCMB Group, Stanbic IBTC, Wema Bank, Sterling Holdco, and Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, the industry is thriving on elevated yields rather than broad-based credit growth. The financial data indicate that 70.7 percent of gross revenue came from interest income, underscoring how profitability is now tightly linked to monetary conditions. 29 percent was generated from non-interest…
Across Africa today, a silent workforce crisis is unfolding beneath the surface of rising unemployment statistics and corporate recruitment struggles. On the one hand, organisations continue to complain about the shortage of competent professionals. On the other side, millions of educated young Africans insist there are simply no jobs available. At first glance, the contradiction appears illogical. How can unemployment remain high while employers simultaneously struggle to recruit qualified people? Yet this paradox is now becoming one of the biggest threats to Africa’s economic competitiveness, private sector growth and future industrial transformation. Recent debates triggered by comments from the CEO…