The National Population Commission (NPC) has stressed Nigeria’s urgent need for a National Population and Housing Census, noting that credible and up-to-date data is crucial for achieving the country’s development priorities. Acting Chairman of the Commission, Muhammad Usman, made this known on Wednesday in Abuja at the sixth commemoration of the Nairobi Summit on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25), themed “The Future Can’t Wait: Advancing Rights and Choices for Current and Future Generations.” Usman described Nigeria as being at a “pivotal demographic moment,” marked by rapid population growth, a youthful population, and persistent gaps in health, education,…
Author: Newsdesk
The Ebonyi and Enugu state governments say they are prioritizing improved access to healthcare services, particularly for residents in rural communities. Health officials from both states made the commitment on Wednesday at a training for South-East and South-South journalists on Sexual and Reproductive Health Solution Journalism. The training was organized by MSI Nigeria Reproductive Choices and Nigeria Health Watch in partnership with the Enugu and Ebonyi Ministries of Health and their Primary Health Care Development Agencies (PHCDAs). The Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi PHCDA, Dr Emeka Ovuoba, said Governor Francis Nwifuru’s administration had revitalized and equipped 25 primary healthcare centres.…
The Ondo State House of Assembly Committee on Finance and Appropriation has called on the Ministry of Health to improve healthcare services to enhance access and quality for all residents. Committee Chairman, Mr. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi, made the appeal on Wednesday during the ministry’s 2026 budget defense, emphasizing the urgent need for adequate healthcare facilities across the state for both citizens and government workers. The ministry has been allocated N69.6 billion, representing 14.10 per cent of the state’s N492 billion 2026 budget, reflecting the government’s commitment to strengthening health sector infrastructure. Ogunmolasuyi commended the state health insurance scheme for its prompt…
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) says condom distribution in Nigeria dropped by 55 per cent over the past year, raising concerns about rising vulnerabilities and stalled progress in HIV prevention. The warning came during the launch of the 2025 World AIDS Day report, “Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response,” where UNAIDS said the global HIV response is experiencing its worst setback in decades. According to the report, HIV prevention, testing and community-led programmes have been severely disrupted across multiple countries, with 13 nations recording declines in the number of people newly initiated on treatment. UNAIDS also revealed…
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has approved N500 million as a matching fund for the procurement of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in partnership with UNICEF, strengthening the state’s response to severe acute malnutrition. This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by the Director-General, Press Affairs, Ismaila Uba-Misilli. Uba-Misilli said the intervention, implemented through the Child Nutrition Fund, would expand treatment access for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition across Gombe communities. He noted that Gombe remained among the few states consistently meeting nutrition counterpart funding obligations, adding that the latest contribution reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to protecting vulnerable…
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the territory, outlining plans to improve maternal health outcomes and expand services for women through increased investment. The Mandate Secretary for Health and Human Services, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, restated the administration’s commitment on Tuesday at a symposium in Abuja. She stressed that aligning research, policy and practice was essential for improving maternal care and enhancing PHC capacity. Fasawe said the administration would intensify training, strengthen supervision and expand digital support for frontline workers to improve maternal outcomes and ensure PHCs deliver timely and…
The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has called for the adoption and enforcement of gender-responsive cyber laws to tackle technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV) in Nigeria. The appeal was made by the organizations Founder, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, in a statement signed by the Acting Executive Director, Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, on Tuesday in Abuja, as part of activities marking the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. Akiyode-Afolabi reaffirmed WARDC’s commitment to ending TF-GBV in Nigeria, stressing the need to strengthen survivor support systems, expand digital safety education and push for stronger cyber policies and enforcement mechanisms. She noted…
The Jigawa Government says it is targeting more than 1.5 million children for vaccination against childhood killer diseases in the November immunization exercise. The Executive Secretary of the Jigawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Shehu Sambo, disclosed this on Tuesday during a media dialogue in Dutse. The event was organized by the state government with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Represented by the Assistant Health Educator, Nura Ado, Sambo said a total of 1,516,244 children would be vaccinated between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3. He said the immunization campaign would run alongside the Maternal, Newborn and…
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Temitope Ilori, says Nigeria has made significant progress and remains on course to meet the 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat. Ilori stated this on Tuesday in Abuja at a press conference ahead of the 2024 World AIDS Day (WAD), themed “Overcoming Disruption: Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response.” World AIDS Day, commemorated every Dec. 1, raises awareness about HIV/AIDS, promotes global solidarity, reviews progress, and renews commitments toward ending the epidemic. Ilori said Nigeria has already met two of the three global HIV targets…
The Chairman of Unnicon Group of Companies, Prof. Chuks Ekwueme, has called for partnerships to support the company’s newly launched health application, MySmartMedic, aimed at bridging gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system. Ekwueme made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the official launch of the MySmartMedic app organized by the Unnicon Group. “We have thoroughly studied the Nigerian healthcare sector and identified its gaps, and that is exactly what this innovation seeks to fill,” he said. Explaining how the application works, Ekwueme noted that MySmartMedic was designed with native features that allow it to generate data through edge computing.…