The Adamawa State Government, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has called for improved funding for women and adolescent health to advance rights, justice, and equality. Sulaiman Bashir, Executive Director of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, made the call during a commemorative event marking the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 on Wednesday in Yola. It was reported that IWD is celebrated annually on March 8, with the 2026 theme: “Rights, Justice and Action.” Bashir described the theme as timely, noting that Adamawa was among the states championing maternal and child healthcare initiatives, particularly programmes targeting…
Author: Newsdesk
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has denied allegations by some Nigerian nurses that its licensing and registration portal has been down for an extended period. The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the council, Ndaji Alhassan, said the claim was untrue, explaining that the portal remains operational and accessible to applicants. Alhassan disclosed this in an interview with reporters on Wednesday in Abuja. He explained that the council recently partnered with two firms to manage the licensing process under a two-phase structure covering pre-clinical and clinical services. According to him, the pre-clinical phase involves data collection handled…
A U.K.-based Nigerian podiatrist, Gerald Agbarakwe, has warned that the lack of diabetic foot care specialists in Nigeria is contributing to poor disease management and preventable complications. Agbarakwe told reporters on Wednesday that podiatry as a profession remains largely undeveloped in the country. He explained that in many high-income healthcare systems, diabetic foot care is delivered by multidisciplinary teams including podiatrists, diabetologists, vascular surgeons and specialist nurses, enabling early detection and rapid intervention. “At present, there are no dedicated schools or nationally established training programmes focused on podiatry education, so the number of clinicians trained in specialized foot care is…
Nigeria screened no fewer than 1.5 million people for visual impairment in 2025, according to the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025, highlighting expanded access to eye care services nationwide. The report, made available to reporters on Wednesday in Abuja, was produced in compliance with the National Health Act, which mandates periodic assessment of the country’s health sector performance. It also revealed that more than one million free reading glasses were distributed nationwide in 2025 as part of government-led initiatives aimed at improving access to essential eye care services. The report noted that many beneficiaries received corrective lenses…
Hypertension continues to pose a major public health challenge in Nigeria, affecting an estimated 35 to 40 per cent of adults in 2025, according to the State of Health of the Nation Report 2025. The report, made available to reporters on Wednesday in Abuja, was produced in line with the National Health Act (2014). It noted that although the prevalence of high blood pressure remains high, awareness of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases improved in 2025 compared with 2024, following intensified advocacy by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and professional health bodies. The report stated that the inclusion…
Women smallholder farmers issued a global call for ensuring their equal access to agricultural technology, finance and markets, saying that unlocking women’s full participation in agriculture could significantly boost food production and reduce hunger worldwide. The farmers made the call during a global virtual event hosted by Heifer International and partners to mark the UN-recognized International Year of the Woman Farmer. The participating farmers urged governments, funders and institutions to act on the structural barriers limiting their ability to feed their communities and strengthen food systems. Women produce a significant share of the world’s food, and up to 80 percent of national supplies, yet…
Dryland farmers are set to benefit from faster development of climate-resilient crop varieties following a new partnership between the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and the ARC Training Centre in Predictive Breeding for Agricultural Futures. Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding, ICRISAT will collaborate with the ARC Training Centre to integrate advanced genomic prediction tools and simulation-based breeding strategies into its crop improvement pipelines. The partnership aims to significantly accelerate the development of improved varieties of key dryland crops to help farmers cope with intensifying climate stress, emerging pests and diseases, and rising food demand.…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday arraigned Ufoma Joseph before an Ikeja Special Offences Court over an alleged $1.5 million (N2.9 billion) oil fraud. The businessman was arraigned alongside his company, Intermediate Investment Holdings Ltd., on a two-count charge of obtaining by false pretence and forgery. EFCC prosecutor, Mr Babatunde Sonoiki, told the court that the defendants allegedly obtained $1.5 million from the complainant, Adebisi Adebutu of R28 Holdings Ltd., between April 2022 and October 2023 under false pretences. He said the money was paid as investment in a proposed petroleum development project, with assurances of reimbursement,…
Namibia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform in has announced immediate restrictions on the importation and in-transit movement of cloven-hoofed animals and related products from neighboring Botswana. The restriction was announced following confirmed outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). In a veterinary public notification issued by the Directorate of Veterinary Services on Wednesday, authorities said the measure is aimed at preventing the introduction of the highly contagious livestock disease into Namibia. The restriction affects the movement of cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep and goats, as well as their products, including those intended for personal or household consumption, originating from…
For the second consecutive year, Walmart heiress Alice Walton has claimed the top spot as the world’s richest woman. She was first named the world’s richest woman in September 2024, after dethroning Loreal heiress, Françoise Bettencourt. This is according to the latest Forbes World’s Billionaires ranking. The 134-billion-dollar fortune of Walton shows her dominance among female billionaires, even as global wealth continues to be overwhelmingly male. Adding to the buzz, global superstar Beyoncé made her debut on the list this year with an estimated net worth of $1 billion. The representation of women among the world’s wealthiest continues to grow slowly, according to the latest…