Author: Helen Okechukwu

Macmillan Cancer Support has called for swift intervention to tackle inequalities in cancer care, warning that too many patients are being denied timely access to treatment because of where they live. The charity findings indicated that almost four in ten people with a cancer diagnosis have faced barriers to care linked to geography, with some forced to decline essential tests or therapies due to the travel involved. It warned that such disparities could cost lives if not urgently addressed. Macmillan estimates this equates to nearly 1.4 million people, a figure it describes as “deeply alarming.” A YouGov poll of 2,002…

To avert the resurgence of the polio outbreak in Nigeria after being declared  polio-free since 2020, Rotary International’s President-elect, Yinka Babalola, has warned that children in Nigeria remain exposed to the threat of polio unless routine immunisation rates are significantly increased. Babalola, whose election was confirmed last Thursday, will take office on 1 July 2026 as Rotary International President for the 2026/2027 year, becoming only the second Nigerian and the second African to lead the global humanitarian body. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Babalola reminded Nigerians that the country’s polio-free certification does not mean the virus is gone for…

A former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, has launched a scathing critique against the newly formed opposition coalition, Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), dismissing its members as individuals “united by their hunger for power” without any genuine intentions for development.” Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Ochigbo, Rivers State, organized to rally support for President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, Nwuche stated emphatically that the coalition poses no threat to President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. The coalition, which reportedly includes prominent figures such as former Vice President Atiku…

A team of 25 Chinese investors, led by state-owned China Overseas Engineering Group (COVEC), has toured project sites in Katsina State with plans to inject up to $720 million into agriculture and renewable energy. The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), A’isha Rimi, disclosed this in Katsina, represented by the commission’s Director of Strategic Services, Abubakar Yerima. She said the investors are exploring opportunities in rice, maize, cassava, fisheries, a 10,000-head cattle ranch, and solar power. Other proposals include a leather processing plant, agricultural machinery assembly, and a research institute for livestock breeding. Read Also: Aiyedatiwa seeks U.S.…

A 14-year-old boy has been left in critical condition after a snake bite at one of the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps in Agagbe, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State. The teenager, identified as Chagu Terhemen, was reportedly on his way to the farm with his father, Tse Kyomke Mbapupuu, last Friday in Gaambe Ushin Council Ward when the snake struck. According to fellow displaced person Terna Ibaah, who spoke with Punch newspaper on Sunday, shared that traditional remedies were immediately applied but the boy’s health started deteriorating, indicated the treatment was not working. Read Also: Benue to launch…

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has apprehended a suspected human trafficker, identified as 47-year-old Alex Omosivie from Edo State, and rescued two young victims in Uyo, the state capital. In a statement issued on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Timfon John, disclosed that Omosivie was arrested around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at a hotel along Ring Road 3, following intelligence reports that he was operating a trafficking network. According to John, preliminary findings revealed that Omosivie, a deportee from another African country, had been recruiting and transporting young women to various destinations on the continent for…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged victorious in 20 of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Rivers State in Saturday’s Chairmanship and Councillorship elections. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which controls the state government, secured only three local government areas, according to results announced by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). RSIEC Chairman, Dr Michael Odey, who declared the outcome at the commission’s headquarters along Aba Road, Port Harcourt, on Sunday afternoon, confirmed that the APC dominated the polls across the state. In a major upset, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara lost his Opobo-Nkoro Local Government Area to…

The mother of 21-year-old Moses Mba, who was allegedly murdered by security operatives attached to Governor Bassey Otu’s residence, has cried out for justice, revealing that her late son was mentally stable before his death. Mba’s death has sparked outrage in Calabar, Cross River State, with his family claiming that his death was a result of injuries sustained from police brutality. Moses, who had been preparing to commence studies in Business Administration at the University of Calabar, reportedly sustained severe injuries after an encounter with security personnel on 1 August, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report. According…

Barely a few hours since the Rivers State chairmanship and councillorship electoral process began on Saturday, the environment has remained peaceful as party agents gave accolades to the electoral body and security personnel. The election is scheduled across 23 Local Government Areas (LGA), 319 wards and 4,442 polling units in the state, conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). At various registration centres and polling units, ad-hoc staff, voters, including observers, were seen present while strategic areas remained deserted. The election, which was supposed to be conducted on 9 August, was later postponed to 30 August due to…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that more than 409,000 cholera and acute watery diarrhoea cases, including 4,738 deaths, were reported in 31 countries between 1 January and 17 August 2025. WHO on Friday issued a warning of a very high risk of spread noted that conflict, floods and weak health systems fuel outbreaks. According to the global health organisation, about six countries have recorded fatality rates above 1%, pointing to poor access to timely care. Resurgent outbreaks in Chad and the Republic of Congo, alongside ongoing epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Sudan, are…