There is a general downward trend in the prices of food commodities across markets in Taraba State, reporters report. Reporters who visited some of the markets observed that the prices of most food items have dropped by almost half compared to their costs in 2024. In Mallum Market, Ardo Kola Local Government Area, a 50kg bag of maize now sells for ₦20,000, down from ₦45,000 last year, while a measure that previously cost ₦1,500 now sells for ₦500. Similarly, a 50kg bag of soyabeans, which sold for ₦90,000 in the period under review, has dropped to ₦45,000, and a measure…
Author: Newsdesk
Cross River State is set to host the 66th National Council on Health (NCH) meeting, a major annual gathering that shapes Nigeria’s health policies and strategic direction. The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare announced the development on its official website on Sunday. The five-day meeting will hold in Calabar from Monday to Nov. 21, with the theme: “My Health, My Right: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage through Equity, Resilience, and Innovation.” The NCH, established under the National Health Act 2014, is Nigeria’s highest health policy-making body. It is chaired by the Minister of Health and comprises State Commissioners for…
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the ongoing health reform in Nigeria is designed to save lives and reduce both physical and financial pains. He disclosed this while handing over medical equipment and consumables to Gidauniyar Alheri Community Health Centre on Friday in Kano. The minister, represented by his Technical Assistant, Dr Ashiru Abubakar, said the reform, in line with the National Health Act, sought to establish a ‘National Health System’ that would guarantee access to quality healthcare for all Nigerians. According to him, achieving such a system requires collective contributions of government,…
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called for the establishment of more dental faculties in colleges of medicine and specialised universities of health sciences across the country. The association’s President, Professor Bala Audu, made the call on Thursday at the opening of the 58th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA) in Abuja. The theme of the conference is “Healthy Smiles, Sustainable Futures: Integrating National Sustainable Development Goals.” Prof. Audu said the dental profession has made significant progress and plays a pivotal role within the NMA and the country’s healthcare delivery system. He said the growth…
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has entered a multi-year pact with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. The agreement is designed to strengthen oversight in the health sector. Under the pact, both institutions will monitor, track, and audit expenditures tied to the nationwide overhaul of health infrastructure projects, ensuring transparency, accountability, and better value for public investments. The initiative spans all Local Government Areas and aims to strengthen transparency, guarantee value for money, and ensure proper delivery of health projects critical to improving Nigeria’s primary healthcare system across diverse communities. Announcing the development via a…
The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), has expanded ICT empowerment programmes to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Dr Adedayo Benjamin-Laniyi, Mandate Secretary for Women Affairs and FCT Coordinator of RHI, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday that the programme targeted women nationwide. She explained that it was designed to equip them with digital skills and provide essential business tools to support entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods. “The nine-day ICT training, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), began on Nov. 11 and will conclude on…
Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has unveiled a major shake-up of the country’s gold industry, ordering the creation of a National Gold Trading Centre to assert stronger state control over a sector long plagued by illicit exports. The move, announced on Wednesday and backed by data from Swiss NGO SWISSAID, comes as the government seeks to plug billions of dollars in lost revenue attributed to gold smuggling. State takes aim at illicit outflows Faye said the decision to form the centre was a ‘sovereign imperative’, citing the scale of unrecorded exports and their growing impact on the national economy. Authorities…
A Deepening water crisis across West Africa is endangering millions, with new research showing that 45 percent of people in Ghana, Niger and Nigeria now live in areas of high water risk. The findings come from From Roots to Rivers: How Deforestation Impacts Freshwater Access, a study released by WaterAid and Tree Aid, which warns that rapid forest loss is undermining access to clean, reliable water across the region. The organisations report that more than 122 million people are now exposed to unsafe drinking water — a rise of 20 million in just five years — and link this surge…
Ghana’s government says the country’s economy has moved decisively beyond its worst crisis in a generation and is now positioned for sustained growth. Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson made the assessment late on Thursday while presenting the 2026 Budget Statement to Parliament, arguing that firm corrective measures have restored stability and confidence across key sectors. Forson said the administration took office in January to find an economy ‘in distress’, marked by rising debt, weakened fiscal discipline, and a collapse in public confidence. According to him, the immediate priority was to confront the crisis head-on and rebuild stability through tighter controls, targeted…
Lagos residents have decried the increasingly irregular services by the Private Sector Participant (PSP) waste operators in the state, leading to indiscriminate littering of refuse in the state. The residents have warned that the situation is heightening environmental and public health risks. They disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos. NAN reports that parts of Ikorodu, Ayobo, Alagbado, Shasha, Ikotun, Akesan, Afariogun Street, Mafoluku , Airport Road and LASU-Iba road, among others showed that long gaps in waste evacuation have pushed many households to burn refuse or dump it in gutters,…