Author: Helen Okechukwu

Nigeria’s growing tax revenues present a significant opportunity to expand funding for vulnerable populations and drive progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) has said. Speaking at the association’s annual general meeting in Lagos, the newly elected HMCAN President, Dr. Abdulkadri Osuma, said the conference theme was deliberately chosen to spotlight the vast opportunities within Nigeria’s healthcare landscape as well as the gaps in existing legislation that could stall sectoral growth if not urgently addressed. He urged the federal government to maximise the fiscal gains through policy alignment and strategic investment in…

Barely 24 hours after Rivers State University’s (RSU) Vice Chancellor reaffirmed the safety of students at the institution’s Emuoha satellite campus, five undergraduates were kidnapped from their off-campus residence in the early hours of Tuesday, casting immediate doubt on the assurances offered by the school management. The attack occurred at Rumuchi/Rumuohia in Emuoha Local Government Area, where gunmen believed to be cultists stormed a cluster of student lodges around 2 am, shooting sporadically before forcefully taking the victims to an unknown destination. The assailants reportedly killed the compound’s security dog to gain access, operating with minimal resistance. Police spokesperson, Grace…

The Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Oreh, has called for deeper collaboration between the state government and traditional institutions to strengthen healthcare delivery across all communities. She made the appeal on Monday while addressing the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers at their combined 123rd and 124th General Meeting at the Council Secretariat. Oreh noted that traditional rulers remain indispensable partners in mobilising citizens, promoting trust in public health interventions, and encouraging the uptake of essential services such as immunisation and maternal and child healthcare. She briefed the monarchs on the state’s community health initiatives currently running across…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has put the Federal Government (FG) on notice, signalling that the clock has begun ticking on a strict four-week window to fulfil all agreed demands or face another round of total, indefinite industrial action. In a communique issued after its Extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on Monday, the association stressed that its recent decision to suspend a 29-day strike was merely a strategic pause to allow the government time to honour commitments captured in a freshly signed Memorandum of Understanding. The document, endorsed by NARD’s President, Dr Mohammad Suleiman; Secretary-General, Dr Shuaibu Ibrahim;…

The Osun State Government has unveiled a new empowerment initiative for People Living With Disabilities, announcing the distribution of free Point-of-Sale (PoS) devices as part of efforts to expand social and economic support across the state. Governor Ademola Adeleke’s latest intervention was disclosed on Monday in Osogbo by the Executive Secretary of the Osun State Health Insurance Scheme, Dr Rasaq Akindele, who outlined a series of welfare and healthcare programmes targeted at vulnerable groups. Akindele, accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the Osun Bureau of People Living with Disabilities, Ayobami Oyetunde, said the PoS distribution forms part of activities marking…

Fubara

Nigeria’s Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) response is pushing forward with renewed determination, even as recurring global and economic disruptions continue to test the resilience of its health system. At the 2025 World AIDS Day commemoration, national leaders highlighted new gains, persistent gaps, and a unified drive towards a more self-reliant, sustainable HIV programme. Nigeria’s National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), which hosted this year’s event in Abuja, set the tone with the theme “Overcoming Disruptions: Sustaining Nigeria’s HIV Response.” The gathering underscored how the country is adapting to challenges such as COVID-19, economic instability, and shrinking donor funding,…

The Society of Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEHPON) has outlined a renewed agenda to elevate the practice of occupational and environmental health nationwide, as it prepares for its 2025 Annual International Scientific Conference, Exhibitions and AGM. Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos to flag off activities for the event, SOEHPON President, Dr Musa Shaibu, said the Society is intensifying efforts to strengthen workplace health systems and promote safer, more productive work environments across the country. Read Also: Stopping Mounjaro reverses key health gains, new study finds He appealed to regulators, industry leaders, international partners and the media…

The Rivers State Police Command has thwarted an alleged car-theft operation after its C4I Intelligence Unit intercepted two men in possession of a stolen Toyota Hilux and a Toyota Corolla fitted with fake registration plates. The breakthrough occurred on 20 November 2025 at about 6pm, says the Commands spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko who acknowledged that when C4I operatives, acting on what the Command described as “credible and actionable intelligence,” closed in on the suspects, Abubakar Abdulsalam, 43, and Shagari Shehu, 35. Iringe-Koko said the pair were arrested shortly after the stolen vehicles were traced to their location. Read Also:Rivers police take…

The Federal Government (FG) has unveiled plans to establish an Emergency Gender-Based Violence Response Fund, a policy move coming on the heels of new research exposing the growing threat of technology-facilitated abuse against women and girls in Nigeria. Announcing the initiative in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, said the proposed fund would serve as a dedicated financial mechanism to bridge long-standing gaps affecting safe spaces, emergency systems and survivor-centred support services. Suleiman-Ibrahim, represented by her Special Adviser on Political Matters, Alhaji Nasir Zakari, noted that the measure is designed to provide rapid and reliable assistance…