The Yusufu Bala Usman Institute, Zaria, has urged a review of Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act to tackle land-related insecurity across the country. Attahiru Bala-Usman, Director of the institute, made the call on Tuesday in Katsina during the dissemination of research findings on Land Governance, Ecology, and Insecurity in four Northern states. He said the research could help address insecurity challenges, particularly farmer-herder conflicts, in the affected states. Bala-Usman explained that the study, supported by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, was conducted in Bauchi, Jigawa, Katsina, and Kaduna States between 2024 and 2026. He added that stakeholders…
Author: Newsdesk
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday handed over critical nutrition supplies to the Enugu State Government to combat malnutrition among children and pregnant women. The items include Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) and Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), designed to prevent and treat malnutrition. SQ-LNS are nutrient-rich pastes given daily to children aged six to 23 months to prevent malnutrition, while RUTF is an energy-dense paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition. The intervention is part of ongoing efforts to improve nutrition outcomes and ensure a healthier future for children and women in Enugu State. At the handover ceremony…
The Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) has called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to strengthen grassroots campaigns to improve access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) across Nigeria. Mr Benson Attah, National Coordinator of NEWSAN, made the call during a courtesy visit to NOA headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday. He commended the agency for its longstanding support and responsiveness, noting that NEWSAN had benefited from its outreach platforms, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Describing NOA as a critical partner with extensive grassroots reach, Attah said the agency could complement NEWSAN’s efforts to mobilise rural communities and drive behavioural…
Experts have urged increased investment in girl-child education to reduce gender disparities and improve access, retention, and completion rates for millions of Nigerian girls, stressing the need for systemic reforms. The call was made on Tuesday in Abuja during a high-level policy dialogue organised by the Malala Fund on financing the future of Nigerian girls through gender-responsive education planning and budgeting. Stakeholders at the dialogue highlighted financing, policy reforms, and accountability as critical measures to improve education outcomes for girls across the country. The Chief Executive Officer of Malala Fund, Nabila Aguele, said the organisation works toward a world where…
A civil society coalition, The Osun Mastermind, has urged the Osun government to strengthen its capacity for swift emergency response to victims of natural disasters. The group’s Executive Director, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, made the call at a news conference on Tuesday in Osogbo. Oyedokun-Alli described the damage caused by recent heavy rainfall in parts of the state as disheartening. He advised the government to prioritise clearing waterways in preparation for heavy rains that could trigger flash floods. “We sympathise with those affected by the rainstorm and pray they receive timely support for recovery. The need to strengthen the state’s emergency…
A Professor of Psychiatry at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Taiwo Sheikh, has called for a shift in how society addresses suicide and its prevention. Sheikh, who also coordinates the Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group, made the call in an interview with reporters on Tuesday in Lagos. He stressed the importance of treating individuals who attempt suicide with compassion and urged changing the narrative around criminalising such acts to encourage more people to seek help. The psychiatrist criticised provisions in the Criminal Code and Penal Code that classify attempted suicide as an offence punishable by up to one year in prison.…
Nigeria is strengthening its public health system through strategic global partnerships, with a strong focus on learning from China’s pandemic response models. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, stated this on Monday in Abuja at a high-level public health symposium themed “Lessons on Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Insights from China and Nigeria.” Pate underscored the need to build a resilient health system capable of preventing outbreaks, epidemics, and future pandemics. “At the core of resilience is a strong public health system,” he said. Reflecting on Nigeria’s experience with Ebola, COVID-19, and other outbreaks, Pate said the…
Health experts have stressed that trust, community engagement, and effective communication are critical to controlling infectious disease outbreaks. They made this known at a one-day high-level public health symposium themed “Lessons on Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Insights from China and Nigeria,” held on Monday in Abuja. The event brought together public health professionals, scientists, and key stakeholders to review lessons from both countries’ responses to past health emergencies. Dr Liukui Wang of the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said pandemic response is not only a technical challenge but fundamentally a social one. “Even the most effective interventions only…
The Federal Government’s N501.02 billion bond issuance marks a significant step in efforts to address longstanding liquidity challenges in Nigeria’s power sector. Mr Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations to the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja. Tunji said the bond is central to restoring confidence in the electricity market and repositioning the sector for long-term sustainability. He described the issuance—executed through the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET)—as part of the N4 trillion Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme approved by President Bola Tinubu. According to him,…
The Federal Government says it is taking deliberate steps to reduce reliance on external health funding, boost domestic investment, and build equitable global partnerships. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Ali Pate, stated this on Monday in Abuja during a high-level health security dialogue with the People’s Republic of China on pandemic preparedness and response. Reflecting on decades of global assistance, Pate acknowledged that international support had delivered significant gains but noted that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in health systems and the risks of over-dependence. “You cannot outsource the delivery of your health system or the…