Three African journalists have been honoured with the 2026 Open the Knowledge Journalism Awards presented by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation for producing impactful stories that help expand knowledge about Africa. The award organisers announced that the winning stories, which focused on migration, youth sports and maternal health, were recognised for highlighting important African experiences while providing reliable source material for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms. According to ICFJ and the Wikimedia Foundation, the awards celebrate the critical role journalists play in strengthening open knowledge ecosystems by producing accurate, evidence-based reporting that can…
Author: Newsdesk
Girl Effect Nigeria, an NGO, says it has successfully mobilised more than 18 million Nigerians and facilitated the vaccination of 26,000 adolescent girls against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) across five states. The Country Director of Girl Effect Nigeria, Mrs Boladale Akin-Kolapo, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja at the national close-out and dissemination meeting of the “OYA” campaign. The OYA campaign is an adolescent health and advocacy initiative led by Girl Effect Nigeria. It aims to protect girls aged nine to 14 from cervical cancer and address adolescent malnutrition by driving uptake of the HPV vaccine through community mobilisation and…
The Kogi State Government has commenced the Integrated 1st Round Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) campaign across the state. The inauguration, which was held on Thursday in Lokoja, was attended by traditional rulers, religious leaders, development partners, health workers, and community members. The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Adeiza Abdulazeez, described the campaign as “an integrated campaign for life” aimed at tackling maternal deaths, child illnesses, cervical cancer, and NTDs. He said state data showed gaps where children missed vaccines, mothers skipped antenatal care, HPV affected girls, and NTDs kept…
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Rivers State has dismissed claims that a person’s genitalia or any other body part can be stolen through physical or spiritual means. The association’s Public Relations Officer, Dr Siene Orogun, gave the clarification while speaking with journalists on Thursday in Port Harcourt. Orogun was reacting to a viral video showing a man, Mr Daso Ogan, being beaten and allegedly detained over claims that he had “magically” stolen another man’s genitalia. She described the allegation as unfounded and unknown to medical science or Nigerian law. According to her, a handshake or any physical contact cannot…
The Kwara State Government has distributed more than 14,423 Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) during the recent Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Week. The Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, disclosed this on Thursday in Ilorin at the State-Level Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) Costed Implementation Plan Development Workshop. The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Vitamin Angels. El-Imam also revealed that a total of 172,762 bottles of MMS had been supplied to the state between 2021 and 2026. She explained that the workshop was in line with the National Roadmap for…
The Faculty of Agriculture, University of Calabar (UniCal), has commenced commercial sales of palm oil from its newly reinstated in-house milling facility. The Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Ukwapu Undiandeye, disclosed this in an interview with reporters on Thursday in Calabar. Undiandeye described the development as a major milestone in the faculty’s drive for self-sufficiency and increased revenue generation. “This initiative has ended years of selling harvested palm nuts to external processors and repurchasing processed oil at higher costs,” he said. “The faculty now controls the entire value chain, from harvesting palm fruits to extracting and marketing the oil.” The…
Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State has secured 150 trucks of fertilizer for distribution to farmers across the state’s 44 local government areas to boost agricultural productivity and enhance food security. This was contained in a statement by his spokesperson, Sunusi Dawakin Tofa, on Thursday. Yusuf said the fertilizer would be sold to farmers at subsidised rates alongside other agricultural inputs. Distribution will be handled through the offices of district heads in all local government areas to ensure transparency and prevent politicisation. The governor warned local government chairmen against diverting the process to council secretariats, stressing that the programme is…
Nigeria’s currency, the naira, recorded its steepest single-day depreciation since April, closing at N1,389 against the United States dollar at the official foreign exchange market on Wednesday. Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) showed that the local currency weakened by N16, representing a 1.2 per cent decline from the N1,373/$ exchange rate recorded on Tuesday. The latest closing rate marks the weakest level for the naira since April 7, when it also traded at N1,389 to the dollar, underscoring renewed pressure on the foreign exchange market. Market data indicated that the naira traded within a range of N1,368…
The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has inaugurated a vegetable market in Yemaltu Deba Local Government Area of Gombe State to strengthen agricultural value chains, improve market access and reduce post-harvest losses. The facility is expected to enhance market efficiency for horticultural producers, create income opportunities for farmers and boost the marketing of agricultural produce in the state. NALDA Executive Secretary, Mr Cornelius Adebayo, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday. According to him, the market was designed to bridge the gap between agricultural production and market access, a major challenge limiting farmers’ profitability across the country. He…
Persistent theft of electricity cables and vandalism of power infrastructure have left several communities in Munjibir, Makoda and Dambatta Local Government Areas of Kano State without electricity for more than 10 years. The Director-General of the Research and Documentation Directorate (RDD) in the Kano State Government, Dr Nana Asma’u Jibrin, disclosed this during an assessment tour of vandalised electricity transmission corridors in the affected areas. Jibrin, who was represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Malam Bello Garba, said the exercise aimed to identify the causes of recurring vandalism and assess its impact on residents. The assessment, he…