Dr Temidayo Oniosun, a space scientist, has called for the full commercialization of Nigeria’s space programme to enable the country to reap economic benefits from the global space industry. Oniosun made this call on Thursday in Abuja during an interview with reporters. He noted that although Nigeria has recorded major achievements in policy, institutions, and infrastructure, it has struggled to capture significant economic value from the sector. According to him, Africa’s space and satellite industry generates about $24 billion annually, with projections showing it could grow to over $38 billion by 2030. “One of the fundamental problems we have is…
Author: Newsdesk
Mr Bashir Onifade, Chairman of the Institute for Dietetics, Kwara State Chapter, has said that nutrients play a crucial role in strengthening the immune system, helping the body prevent, fight, and recover from communicable diseases. Onifade stated this on Thursday in Ilorin while speaking on the sidelines of the commemoration of World Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day. He explained that this year’s theme is “Discover the Power of Nutrition,” which emphasizes the importance of nutrients in restoring immune function and reducing disease severity. According to him, nutritious foods can reverse deficiencies that make individuals more susceptible to infections. Onifade, who is…
Zacharia Yaduma, Director-General of the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), says Nigeria is strengthening policy and legal frameworks to promote the sustainability of biosphere reserves and support ecological research. Yaduma stated this while presenting the national report on the implementation of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) in Nigeria at the ongoing 8th AfriMAB General Assembly in Zambia. It was reported that biosphere reserves are sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and biodiversity management. The assembly, organised by the Government of Zambia and…
Gov. Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers has urged residents of the state to give priority attention to their eye health through regular screening. Fubara made the call in a message to commemorate the 2026 World Glaucoma Day on Thursday in Port Harcourt. He described glaucoma as a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, saying that it is important to ensure early detection to avoid total vision loss. The governor urged Rivers residents to take advantage of available healthcare facilities in the state to check the state of their eyes. “I encourage everyone, especially those that are above 40 years of age…
The Lagos State Government says it plans to fully digitalise the state’s public healthcare system within the next six to nine months as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and data management. This was disclosed by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, during the launch of the Data Science and Medical Image Analysis Training for Improved Healthcare Delivery in Nigeria (DATICAN) and a High Performance Computing Facility at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. According to Abayomi, the state government has already commenced the Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP), an initiative designed to digitise healthcare services across public health facilities. Abayomi said the digitalisation project covers the…
MSC Group has signed a 45-year concession agreement with Nigerdock to develop a state-of-the-art container terminal within Snake Island Port (SIP) in Lagos, and finalized an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract with ITB Nigeria Ltd. and DEME Group to develop it. The project forms part of the Group’s investment in Nigeria’s infrastructure and logistics sector, totaling over USD 1 billion. The terminal is designed to have a 910-meter Quay able to use Ship to Shore (STS) cranes and Mobile Harbor Cranes (MHC) serving both deep-sea vessels and barges. The design also considers an initial dredging depth of -16.5 m Chart…
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has announced plans to release 400 million barrels of oil to ease the global supply shortage. IEA’s Executive Director, Fatih Birol, announced this on Wednesday during a broadcast monitored by Nairametrics. The IEA chief said this followed a unanimous agreement by member countries after disruptions caused by the United States-Israeli war against Iran. Birol said the IEA would be launching what he called the largest oil release in the agency’s 50-year history. “Dear colleagues, as a result of the discussions among IEA members, I can now announce that IEA countries have unanimously decided to launch the largest ever release of emergency oil stocks…
The Federal Government has suspended the issuance of petrol import licences for a second consecutive month as local refining capacity increasingly meets domestic demand. The development follows data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), showing that most petrol supplied in Nigeria in February came from local refineries. The move signals the government’s push to enforce provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which allow imports only when domestic refining capacity falls short. The decision is also seen as a boost for local refiners, particularly Dangote Refinery, which had previously challenged petrol import licences issued by…
Stakeholders in Kaduna on Thursday said cooperative farm hubs, mentorship programmes and improved access to land are practical measures to accelerate women’s participation in agriculture. They highlighted these measures at a policy dialogue organized to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 in Kaduna. It was reported that discussions at the dialogue focused on strategies for implementing the Kaduna State Gender Policy in Agriculture 2026–2030. The event was organized under the Policy and Agricultural Systems Strengthening (PASS) project, supported by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), with technical assistance from Synergos. The Commissioner for Youth Development, Gloria Ibrahim,…
Nigeria’s spending on the importation of food and beverage products surged to N7.65 trillion in 2025, highlighting the country’s increasing reliance on foreign food supplies amid rising domestic demand and structural challenges in the agricultural sector. The figures are based on the latest Foreign Trade Statistics report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The report indicates that the imports consist of both primary food products and processed food items, which are used for industrial production as well as household consumption. Nigeria’s food import bill in 2025 was largely driven by the importation of both primary and processed food products used across industries…