Dr Rufus Ebegba, the pioneer Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), has called for the responsible application of biotechnology to promote wealth creation and sustainable development in Nigeria. Ebegba made the call in an interview with reporters in Abuja. “Modern biotechnology can transform agriculture, improve food security, strengthen healthcare delivery, support industrial development, enhance environmental management and create employment opportunities for Nigerians across various sectors. “Maximising biotechnology benefits requires strong biosafety governance, effective laws, competent regulatory institutions, risk assessment, monitoring, public participation, research capacity and adequate funding,” he said. According to him, Nigeria’s Biosafety Management Act and the…
Author: Newsdesk
Mrs Ngozi-Stella Atinko, a 70-year-old retired teacher, has attributed her life’s achievements and the success of her children to faith in God, prayer, discipline and selflessness. Atinko, who spoke in Abuja on Sunday while celebrating her 70th birthday, said her unwavering faith in God had remained her greatest source of strength from childhood. She said her faith became especially important after the death of her husband when their four children were still very young. “I could not abandon them. I promised my husband that I would not allow them to suffer, whether there was a father or not,” she said.…
A telecommunications technician, Ajani Taiwo, was reportedly hospitalised after three dogs attacked him while he was installing equipment in the Okhoro area of Benin City, the Edo State capital. The incident occurred on Thursday when Taiwo visited a site behind a police division to install MTN network equipment. The victim, who resides on Adesagbon Street, off Okhoro Road, in Egor Local Government Area, was attacked shortly after the site’s power handler opened the entrance. Sources said the technician contacted the person responsible for the site’s power supply at about 3 p.m. to gain access to the facility. However, shortly after…
The Katsina State Government says it has vaccinated 67,670 eligible persons against diphtheria and secured 650,000 additional vaccine doses to contain an outbreak reported in 29 local government areas. Dr Shaimau Abba, Executive Secretary of the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency (KSPHCDA), disclosed this at a press briefing on Sunday in Katsina. Abba said that as of Epidemiological Week 35, ending August 28, suspected cases of the disease had been reported across 29 of the state’s 34 local government areas. She identified Funtua as the most affected local government area, followed by Kankia, Bakori, Katsina, Mashi and Daura.…
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged senior public relations practitioners to pass on their knowledge and professional experience to younger colleagues. The minister gave the advice in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Rabiu Ibrahim, in Abuja on Saturday. He spoke on Saturday in Kaduna at the maiden Bashir Adamu Chedi Annual Memorial Lecture and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Kaduna State Chapter. “Your experience should not retire with you. One of the greatest measures of professional success is the number of people you help to become better,”…
A paediatrician, Dr Ibrahim, has advised parents to reduce the amount of sugar consumed by children, warning that excessive intake could increase their risk of obesity and other health complications, including Type 2 diabetes. Ibrahim gave the advice while speaking on the health implications of high sugar consumption among children. He cautioned parents, particularly mothers, against routinely adding refined sugar to children’s meals, stressing the need to encourage healthier eating habits from an early age. According to him, excessive consumption of sugary foods and drinks can contribute to unhealthy weight gain and expose children to long-term health problems. He advised…
The Kano State Centre for Disease Control (KNCDC) has identified children who have never received any vaccination as a major factor contributing to the state’s diphtheria burden. The Director-General of KNCDC, Prof. Muhammad Adamu-Abbas, disclosed this on Saturday in Kano while briefing journalists on the state’s diphtheria situation. He said Kano recorded more than 39,000 suspected diphtheria cases between December 2, 2022, and August 26, 2026, with over 32,000 cases confirmed through laboratory, clinical and epidemiological assessments. According to him, more than 16,000 of the confirmed cases involved zero-dose children, while over 9,000 cases were recorded among fully vaccinated individuals.…
The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to prioritise early detection of cancer, saying the stage at which the disease is diagnosed significantly influences treatment options and the chances of a favourable outcome. The National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP), Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Uchechukwu Nwokwu, made this known in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Abuja. Nwokwu explained that cancer was not a single disease but a group of diseases that could affect different organs and behave differently depending on the type and characteristics of the affected cells. He said cancer develops when…
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for candidates offered admission from 2021 to date to accept or reject such offers to Sept. 30. This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin. The Board had earlier fixed Aug. 31 as the deadline for candidates with outstanding admission offers to indicate whether they wished to accept or reject them. Benjamin said the extension was a final opportunity for all affected candidates, including those with regular or Centralised University International Admission (CUIIA) offers, to take the necessary…
Lagos Deputy Governor Dr Obafemi Hamzat has warned state residents against patronising cart pushers for waste disposal. Hamzat urged residents to engage approved Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators instead to ensure proper waste management and prevent flooding. He spoke on Saturday while addressing journalists during the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise at 21 Road, Festac Town, in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area. He said that patronising cart pushers encouraged the dumping of refuse in canals and drains. “What we need our people to do is to make sure that they patronise PSP operators, not the cart pushers, because those ones are…