The Social Behavioural Change Communications Officer of Marie Stopes International (MSI) Nigeria, Mr. Dan-Baba Muhammad, has urged citizens to embrace reproductive health services to enhance overall health outcomes. Speaking at a family planning outreach in Ilorin East on Thursday, Muhammad explained that the programme aims to expand knowledge, address misconceptions, and support community members in making healthier reproductive choices. He said the initiative focuses on empowering families with accurate information, encouraging men to participate actively in reproductive decision-making, and fostering supportive environments that reduce misinformation while promoting positive attitudes toward family planning. “Eliminating myths surrounding family planning is essential for…
Author: Newsdesk
Three startups emerged winners out of 12 entrants at the iHATCH Cohort 4 National Demo Day, taking home a cumulative prize of over N52 million in seed funding. The event was organised on Thursday in Abuja by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). iHATCH (Idea Hatch) is a free, five-month incubation programme designed to help Nigerian entrepreneurs refine their business ideas through coaching, lectures, and boot camps, enabling the development of viable and scalable business models in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. The winning startups were: Interface Africa – a platform…
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has emphasized that land is a key economic asset that must be managed responsibly to ensure equitable benefits for all citizens. Makinde made the remarks on Thursday at the launch of the Framework for Responsible and Inclusive Land-Intensive Agriculture (FRILIA), held at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office. Represented by his deputy, Mr. Bayo Lawal, the governor noted that misuse of allocated land poses a serious challenge to sustainable development, environmental management, and community stability. He urged residents across the state’s 33 local government areas to actively monitor land usage in their…
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has announced that states demonstrating outstanding performance in primary healthcare delivery will receive a total of $6.1 million through the third edition of its Primary HealthCare (PHC) Leadership Challenge Awards. NGF Chairman, Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, made the announcement while unveiling the awards, scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. in Abuja. A statement issued on Thursday by the NGF Director of Media and Strategic Communications, Yunusa Abdullahi, quoted AbdulRazaq describing the PHC Leadership Challenge as a national initiative that rewards exceptional leadership by state governors. He said the initiative recognizes efforts aimed at…
The My Child’s Psyche Initiative (MCPI) has called for urgent attention to the emotional and psychological well-being of children, emphasizing the need for supportive environments at home, in schools and within communities. Chyna Clifford, Founder and Managing Director of MCPI, made the call at the Ultimate Caregiver Enlightenment Symposium and Book Launch held on Thursday in Abuja. Clifford said children often carry fears, dreams, anxieties and great potential, yet their emotions and concerns are frequently overlooked. “This initiative began with a simple realization that every child carries a world within them — a world of fears, worries, concerns, wonder, dreams…
Patients living with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Nigeria have urged the Federal Government to urgently release and implement the 2025 national budget for NCDs to fulfil its Universal Health Coverage (UHC) commitments. The call was made on Thursday in Abuja by the Patient Advocacy Working Group for NCDs Financing in Nigeria — a coalition of hypertension patients, civil society organizations and health professionals — during a media conference to mark the 2025 UHC Day. Globally commemorated on Dec. 12, the 2025 theme is: “Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!” Representing the patient community, Mrs. Ijeoma Joseph of the Regima…
The Sustainable Women Economic Empowerment and Peace Initiative (BSWEEP), an NGO, has intensified efforts to promote women’s empowerment, peacebuilding and girl-child education across communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Ruqayya Ibrahim-Kewa, Coordinator of BSWEEP, disclosed this during a media engagement on Thursday in Abuja. She emphasized the need to strengthen initiatives that prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV), promote girl-child education and support women’s economic empowerment. Ibrahim-Kewa said the organization had supported 200 girls in the Jiwa community and 150 women across Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and women’s groups through recent advocacy visits and community engagements. She added that plans…
Col. Olalekan Bamiteko formally assumed office as the 12th Rector of the Nigerian Army College of Environmental Science and Technology (NACEST), Makurdi. This was made known in a statement issued by the institution’s acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Nkuma Mba, on Friday in Makurdi. According to Mba, the handing and taking over ceremony is done, and it marks a significant transition designed to consolidate academic excellence and advance staff welfare in the military-owned tertiary institution. He said that in his inaugural address, Bamiteko thanked God for His guidance and expressed deep appreciation to the Chief of Army Staff…
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says prices of beans, garri, tomatoes, beef, rice, and other food items witnessed a slight decrease in price in October 2025. The NBS said this in its Selected Food Prices Watch report for October 2025 released in Abuja on Friday. The report said that the average price of 1kg of brown beans decreased by 37.09 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N2,798.50 recorded in October 2024 to N1,760.53 in October 2025. “On a month-on-month basis, the beans also decreased by 1.74 per cent from the N1,815.76 in September 2025.” Similarly, the report said…
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening sustainable and inclusive family planning services for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to ensure equitable access to reproductive health initiatives nationwide. The assurance was given on Thursday in Abuja at the close-out ceremony of the five-year Inclusive Family Planning (IFPLAN) project. Funded by UK Aid, the IFPLAN project was implemented by a consortium led by Sightsavers, alongside BBC Media Action, the Programme for Evidence to Inform Disability Action, the Network of Women with Disabilities, and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities. The initiative aimed to increase knowledge and uptake of…