The Nigerian Mental Health and the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Advocacy Working Group have commended the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approving an amendment to the National Mental Health Act 2021 to decriminalise attempted suicide. The groups, in a statement on Saturday in Lagos, described the decision as a significant step toward treating self-harm as a public health issue rather than a criminal offence. They commended the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and the Federal Government for the action, while urging the National Assembly to urgently pass the amendment. According to the groups, no fewer than…
Author: Newsdesk
Prof. Oyediran Oyewole, a Professor of Public Health Nutrition, has called for greater involvement of dietitians and nutritionists in managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Oyewole, of the Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Ibadan, made the call on Friday in Lagos. He spoke while delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Professional Retreat organised by Lagos State Health Service Commission dietitians and nutritionists. The two-day retreat, held at Lagos Island Maternity, had the theme: “Institutionalising Excellence in Dietetics and Nutrition Services: Strengthen Systems, Standards and Sustainability.” The don said nutritional management should form part of comprehensive patient care, particularly…
Some NEPA/PHCN pensioners on Friday held a peaceful protest at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, demanding payment of pension arrears and other entitlements. The pensioners staged the protest under the aegis of Concerned NEPA/PHCN Pensioners. They said they had been denied various benefits accruing to them from their years of service and called on the Federal Government to intervene. Their Lead Coordinator, Mr Murtala Dunmoye, said some of their members who retired in 2000 had their terminal emoluments calculated with a 42 per cent shortfall, which affected their pensions and gratuities. Dunmoye said the group was also demanding payment of…
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for greater transparency, accountability and community ownership in Nigeria’s energy transition. They made the call at a workshop on energy transition and energy democracy organised by Environmental Rights Action (ERA) Nigeria and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nigeria in Port Harcourt on Friday. The workshop, themed “Who Controls Our Energy? Energy Access and Social Justice,” examined energy access, ownership and control in the Niger Delta. Programme Manager of ERA Nigeria, Mr Kentebe Ebiarodor, said Nigeria’s energy transition should be people-oriented and guarantee access to reliable and affordable energy regardless of location or economic status. According to…
Dr Richard Okoye, Chief Managing Director of Savealife Mission Hospital, Rivers State, has called on stakeholders to collaborate in deploying innovative digital solutions to extend quality healthcare to underserved Nigerians. Okoye made the call during a news briefing with journalists in Port Harcourt on Friday. He advocated the use of digital technology and telemedicine to improve healthcare access and reverse Nigeria’s declining life expectancy. Okoye said digital healthcare could bridge the gap between patients, particularly those in rural communities, and medical professionals. He expressed concern over the shortage of medical personnel, especially in rural areas, saying the challenge was contributing…
The Society for Family Health (SFH) says skills acquisition can improve health outcomes by strengthening livelihoods, resilience and access to healthcare. The SFH Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Omokhude Idogho, made the statement on Friday in Kaduna at the inauguration of a three-month skills acquisition programme for 65 vulnerable women, adolescents and young people across Kaduna State. The programme is organised by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in collaboration with SFH, with support from ViiV Healthcare Positive Action. Idogho, represented by Dr Aisha Dadi, SFH Project Director of the Pediatrics, Adolescent and Women Programme, said economic empowerment and health…
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said the IBB Golf and Country Club in Abuja will be reopened and fully operational by December. Wike gave the assurance on Friday in Abuja while inspecting the ongoing renovation of the club and other road projects in the territory. He said the facility, which was shut down following internal management crises, is being rehabilitated to restore it to full operational status. According to him, the FCT Administration intervened in the management crisis by appointing a caretaker committee, chaired by the President of the Court of Appeal, to restore…
The National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) has welcomed the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval of the revised National Biotechnology Policy 2026. In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, Toyin Omozuwa, Press Secretary of NBRDA, said the revised policy would harness biotechnology more effectively for Nigeria’s economic and national development. She noted that the policy was approved at Wednesday’s FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu, to update Nigeria’s 2001 biotechnology policy after 25 years of scientific and technological advances. The agency said the policy would strengthen biotechnology research, development, application, and commercialisation across agriculture,…
The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has cautioned members of the public against unauthorised recruitment messages and links circulating on social media and other online platforms. In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by its Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Ibraheem Zakariyya, the Commission urged prospective applicants to verify all recruitment information through its official communication channels. It stressed that members of the public should not rely on any recruitment messages or links unless they can be traced to an official announcement issued by the Commission. The Commission advised the public to exercise caution and refrain from…
Gov. Hope Uzodimma says Imo’s strategic investment in robotics and oncology will provide residents access to advanced specialised healthcare locally. Uzodimma stated this during a state broadcast on Thursday in Owerri, outlining measures to eliminate medical tourism and strengthen tertiary healthcare. He said the administration’s objective was to establish a modern specialist institution capable of managing complex medical conditions within the state. “Our objective was very clear: to build a modern specialist institution with the facilities, equipment and professional capacity to manage complex medical conditions here,” he said. According to him, advanced medical technology would reduce the financial, travelling and…