The China Railway Signal and Communication (CRSC) Group has launched an international seminar on Rail Transit Intelligent Control Systems for Nigerian engineers, scholars, and transport practitioners. The seminar, ongoing in Beijing, China, was confirmed in a statement by Mr. Umar Usman, spokesperson for the Federal Transportation University, Daura (FUTD). He described the initiative as a major step toward deepening Nigeria’s cooperation in modern railway technology. “The two-week programme, running from November 20 to December 4, brings together representatives from the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), and FUTD,” Usman said. He added that the seminar stems from…
Author: Newsdesk
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a commodity-laden vessel, MV Nord Bosporus (IMO 9760110), arriving from the port of Santos, Brazil, at Apapa seaport in Lagos. A statement by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Mr. Femi Babafemi, on Friday in Abuja, confirmed that 20 kilograms of cocaine were discovered buried under the ship’s cargo. Babafemi noted that the seizure comes barely six months after 10 Thai sailors and their vessel were convicted and fined $4.3 million for smuggling 32.9kg of cocaine into Nigeria. The illicit drug consignment was discovered on Sunday, November 16,…
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), in collaboration with the Sokoto State Ministry of Health, has provided free reconstructive surgeries to 1,074 indigent patients between 2014 and 2025. Mr. Joseph Alick, MSF Head of Mission Operations and Protection Coordinator, disclosed this at the 9th Noma Day celebration held on Thursday in Sokoto. The event carried the theme: “Ending Noma through Strengthening Intersectoral and Global Cooperation.” Noma is a bacterial infection that begins as gum inflammation and rapidly spreads, destroying the soft tissues of the face. Within two weeks, it can affect the facial bones, leaving survivors with severe disfigurement. Alick said the…
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) on Thursday conducted a mandatory disaster emergency simulation exercise at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise was to help identify areas for improvement and inform future planning, correct identified gaps, and enable response strategies. It also aimed at testing the airport’s readiness for a major aviation disaster and how to respond to emergencies. Mr Ahmed Danjuma, Regional General Manager, North Central, described the outcome of the exercise as “fantastic” and praised the agencies for their timely response. “We’re here to conduct one of…
The National Council on Health (NCH) has approved a policy to lower the age of consent for voluntary HIV testing in Nigeria from 18 to 14 years. This, followed hours of intense, wide-ranging deliberations at its 66th meeting in Calabar, Cross River. The debate reflected deep concerns around public health priorities, legal frameworks, adolescent protection, and Nigeria’s high HIV burden, particularly among young people. Chairing the Council, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, on Friday, said the revision was necessary, given the scale of the HIV epidemic among adolescents. He recalled that in 2014, 380,000 children in…
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA), has inaugurated the installation of a 1.5-megawatt solar hybrid mini-grid at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano, to enhance reliable and affordable electricity supply for medical services. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that event also featured the presentation of a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine donated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday in Kano, Mr Abba Abubakar-Aliyu, the Managing Director, REA, said the project was part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to addressing the nation’s electricity challenges. He said the intervention, under…
The China Railway Signal and Communication (CRSC) Group, has launched an international seminar on Rail Transit Intelligence Control Systems for Nigerian engineers, scholars, and transport practitioners. This is contained in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) by Mr Umar Usman, the spokesperson of the Federal Transportation University Daura (FUTD). According to him, the seminar going on in Beijing, China, is a major step toward deepening the Nigerian cooperation in modern railway technology, “The two-week programme, running from Nov. 20, to Dec. 4, brings together representatives from the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC),…
Commercial drivers and other road users have urged the Federal Government to expedite work on the reconstruction of the Sokoto–Gusau–Funtua Road to ease end-of-year vehicular movement. In separate interviews, residents lamented the slow pace of the project despite being handled by three different construction companies. A commercial driver, Mu’assimu Auwal, commended the Federal Government for initiating the project and recalled that drivers celebrated when the reconstruction began due to the poor condition of the road. He said the bad road had caused drivers financial losses, frequent vehicle repairs, tyre bursts and other challenges.“Previously, we spent only two hours traveling from…
A memo seeking a review of the age of consent for HIV testing was on Thursday stepped down at the 66th National Council on Health (NCH) meeting in Calabar. Declaring the session open, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, urged the Council to pause consideration of the memo to allow for deeper consultation and sober reflection. He said Nigeria must confront the realities of adolescent sexual behavior, underage marriage and the rising incidence of HIV among young people. Pate noted that a significant number of adolescents aged 15 to 18 are already sexually active, as…
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday unveiled the Nigerian Child 2025 Report, revealing that despite improvements in health, birth registration and humanitarian support, millions of Nigerian children continue to face severe deprivations. Launching the report in Kano during activities marking World Children’s Day, the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office, Mr. Rahama Farah, said under-five deaths in Nigeria have dropped by 43 per cent since 1990, while full immunization coverage has tripled since 2003. He noted that birth registration continues to rise, and more than 1.3 million people living in humanitarian settings accessed health services in the first…