The United Nations (UN) Women and the Sokoto State Government have called on community and religious leaders to lead the conversation against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Harmful Practices in the society. Ms A’isha Sani, Programme Officer for UN Women, made the appeal at a three-day Community Guideline Development on Harmful Practices and GBV on Tuesday in Bodinga local government area of Sokoto. Sani said their involvement would ensure good understanding toward creating a better society. ”We believe that religious leaders have a way of appealing to the consciousness of people. UN Women believes that religious leaders have vital roles to…
Author: Newsdesk
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has said hunger ending by 2030 would cost just $93 billion a year — less than one per cent of the $21.9 trillion spent on military budgets over the past decade. By 2026 a staggering 318 million people would face crisis levels of hunger or worse, more than double the figure recorded in 2019, the food agency reported in its 2026 Global Outlook. International support for the world’s hungriest people is “slow, fragmented, and Underfunded,” meaning that many living in the world’s trouble spots will likely be unable to receive sufficient help next year, underscored,…
The Cross River Government requires over N200 billion for the rehabilitation and new infrastructure at the Obudu Mountain Resort. The Special Adviser to the Gov. Bassey Otu on the Obudu Mountain Resort, Mr Sunday Michael, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Tuesday. Michael said rehabilitation and infrastructure include an airstrip, 3WM power plant, cable car, among others. He also mentioned plans to build housing units which is not included in the cost. ”Several private firms from Egypt, India and host of other foreign countries have shown interest in the rehabilitation…
Google has announced the launch of Gemini 3, described as its most intelligent and capable Artificial Intelligence (AI) model, designed to deliver state-of-the-art reasoning and powerful new agentic capabilities across Google products used daily around the world. The Chief Executive Officer of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the launch marks a major milestone in Google’s mission to make AI more helpful and accessible to everyone. Pichai said the new chapter in AI innovation would see Google continue to advance intelligent agents and personalized experiences. According to him, the rollout of Gemini…
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), South-West Caucus, has declared full support for the ongoing nationwide strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), which is demanding improved welfare and a better working environment. In a jointly signed statement issued on Tuesday in Osogbo, the Caucus Chairman, Dr. Adeniyi Fasanu, and Secretary, Dr. Akinluyi, said the association stood firmly behind NARD’s decision to embark on strike. The statement expressed displeasure with the outcome of the emergency delegates’ meeting convened by the national leadership of the NMA to address the situation. “We condemn the silence of the National Officers Committee (NOC)…
The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has called on the Cross River Government to take urgent action against rising illegal logging activities in the state. RDI made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by its Project Support Officer, Dominion Amupitan. Amupitan expressed concern over the increasing deforestation in Ekuri, Ikom and other forest communities, warning that government inaction could signal “complicity” by influential individuals. He said the organisation’s position followed its own findings and a renewed SOS message from residents of Old and New Ekuri over unchecked logging activities. He added that similar situations were being recorded…
The Nigerian Law Reform Commission (NLRC) has called for stricter regulation of religious activities linked to health practices to prevent human rights abuses and medical negligence in worship and healing centres. Prof. Dakas Dakas, NLRC Chairman, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the 2025 National Medical and Health Law Conference, organised by the Institute of Medical and Health Law (IMHL). He was represented at the event by Associate Prof. Okolocha Eugene. Dakas cited documented abuses in some healing houses, including denial of medical care, forced confinement, degrading treatment, and torture. He urged the creation of a rights-based, risk-focused,…
The Oyo State Government has urged health structures and key stakeholders to support the upcoming Sub-National Immunization Plus Days (SNIPDs) for children aged 0 to 59 months. The appeal was made by the Director of Health Promotion at the State Ministry of Health, Mr. Samuel Olarinde, during a sensitization meeting with education stakeholders and faith-based organizations in Ibadan. Olarinde highlighted the critical role of community structures in vaccination campaigns, noting that the success of the immunization exercise depends heavily on their cooperation. He said Christian and Muslim leaders, the National Orientation Agency, private and public school representatives, and security agencies…
Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Usman, has said that innovation in data and statistics is central to building a just, peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous Africa. Usman made the remarks on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2025 African Statistics Day, themed “Leveraging Innovation in Data and Statistics to Promote a Just, Peaceful, Inclusive and Prosperous Africa.” She noted that the theme reflects current realities on the continent, where technological advancements are transforming how data is produced, analyzed, and applied in governance. “The world has entered a new era defined by rapid advances in…
The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has introduced a crawler bot system to enhance the inspection and management of underground water pipelines across the state. The corporation’s Public Affairs Unit confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday. LWC Managing Director, Mr. Mukhtaar Tijani, said the new technology would provide direct visibility into pipelines that were previously inaccessible. “For decades, the inspection of transmission mains has been difficult, slow, and costly,” Tijani said in a statement made available to reporters in Lagos. He explained that the crawler bot, developed in collaboration with Konsadem Associates and McAlpha Inc., moves through pipelines while…