Meta Platforms is preparing to test new subscription plans across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp in the coming months. The paid models are expected to offer users access to additional features and enhanced AI capabilities, aiming to boost productivity and creativity. The subscriptions will integrate Meta’s recently acquired AI platform, Manus, which the company purchased in December for a reported $2 billion. Meta has been investing heavily in AI talent and technology, including its open-source Llama large language models, and the new plans could help the company generate returns on those investments. Features in the subscription packages may include full access…
Author: Newsdesk
Nigeria and Türkiye have forged a landmark partnership to uplift women, children, and vulnerable groups, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that promises enhanced social welfare, family cohesion, and inclusive development. The agreement was signed on Tuesday during President Bola Tinubu’s official state visit to Türkiye. Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and her Turkish counterpart, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Ozdemir Göktaş, put pen to paper, capping a year-long diplomatic push. This MoU targets economic empowerment for Nigerian women via entrepreneurship training, mentoring programmes, and solidarity initiatives to elevate their socio-economic standing. It also backs Nigeria’s…
The House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services has commended Abia State for notable improvements in healthcare delivery. Committee Chairman, Mr. Amos Magaji, made this known on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to Governor Alex Otti at the Government House in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Council. Magaji said the committee was in Abia on an oversight visit to assess the implementation of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and other health interventions. The visit is part of a nationwide assessment ahead of a proposed increase in BHCPF allocation from one to two per cent. “Our assessment observed significant improvements in…
The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases with the introduction of the Measles–Rubella (MR) vaccine into the state’s Routine Immunization programme. Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Lagos State Governor, made this known at the flag-off ceremony held on Tuesday at the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Council Secretariat. She was represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat. Sanwo-Olu described the MR vaccine as critical to improving child survival outcomes and a reflection of the vision and priorities of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration under the T.H.E.M.E.S+ Agenda. She emphasized that health,…
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and media practitioners have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening public trust and promoting gender-responsive policing through effective implementation of the Police Act 2020 nationwide. The pledge was made at a police-media dialogue and workshop on reporting police reform and accountability, organized by the Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative (Partners West Africa Nigeria – PWAN) on Tuesday in Abuja. Mrs Kemi Okenyodo, Executive Director of PWAN, said the initiative is part of the project titled “Enhancing Public Trust and Gender-Responsive Policing in Nigeria Through Effective Implementation of the Police Act 2020.” Okenyodo explained that the…
The Federal Government has warned that Nigeria is grappling with a largely preventable nutrition crisis, with about 58 per cent of women of reproductive age living with anaemia. Mrs Helen Achimugu, Assistant Director in the Nutrition Department of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja. She spoke at a capacity-building workshop organized by the Civil Society–Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) for journalists on anaemia prevention, themed “Media as Catalysts for an Anaemia-Free Nigeria.” Citing the 2023 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), Achimugu said more than half of Nigerian women were affected…
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to promote healthy eating in schools, saying access to nutritious food can help children develop healthy dietary habits for life. The organization made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday to announce the release of a new global guideline on evidence-based policies and interventions for healthy school food environments. According to WHO, the guideline, for the first time, advises countries to adopt a whole-school approach to ensure that food and beverages provided and available within school environments are healthy and nutritious. It said childhood overweight and obesity are rising globally, while…
No fewer than 2,913 smallholder women farmers have accessed improved agricultural services through ActionAid’s Scaling Up of Public Investments in Agriculture (SUPIA II) project between July 2022 and December 2025. Mrs Suwaiba Dankabo, Deputy Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the SUPIA II Project Learning Meeting, organized to mark the close-out of the project. Dankabo said the project, implemented by ActionAid Nigeria and ActionAid International, was designed to strengthen political and budgetary commitments to agriculture in order to scale up public investment in the sector. According to her, the initiative aimed to promote inclusive…
A member of Niger State House of Assembly, Dogari Daji, representing Munya constituency has raised an alarm over a deadly ulcerative disease outbreak in parts of Munya constituency, calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further loss of lives. The matter was presented on the floor of the House as a Matter of Urgent Public Importance during plenary, pursuant to Order 8 Rule 4 of the House Standing Orders, 2019. Moving the motion, the Member representing Munya Constituency, Dagare Daji, informed the House that several communities across Guni, Kabula and Gini Wards are currently affected by the outbreak. “Preliminary community…
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted dust haze across the country from Wednesday to Friday. NiMet’s weather outlook, released on Tuesday in Abuja, envisaged moderate dust haze with horizontal visibility of between two and five kilometres over the northern region on Wednesday. It anticipated localised visibility of less than or equal to 1,000 metres over parts of Katsina, Kano and Jigawa states throughout the forecast period. NiMet also forecast moderate dust haze over the North-Central region throughout the period. It predicted sunny skies with a few patches of cloud over the southern region, with slim prospects of afternoon or…