Author: Helen Okechukwu

The Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, (ABUAD) Aare Afe Babalola, has appealed to wealthy Nigerians to channel more of their resources into strengthening the country’s education and health sectors, saying such investments are vital to national growth and the wellbeing of citizens. Babalola, who made the call while hosting a nine-member delegation of the Nigerian Medical Association led by the NMA First Vice President, Dr Benjamin Olowojebutu, said his university and the ABUAD Multi-System Hospital had continued to demonstrate how private initiatives could transform healthcare delivery, medical training, and reduce dependence on foreign treatment. Read Also: UK Govt ends…

Governor Fubara Siminalayi of Rivers State, has announced is defection from People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) This development was made known on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt, the capital of of the state. This move followed after 17 lawmakers in the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) defected to APC. Fubara joined Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno; Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah; and his Bayelsa counterpart, Duoye Siri, all of whom defected from the opposition PDP. Speaking at the meeting, the governor said, “We can’t support…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sounded a fresh warning to consumers following the widespread circulation of substandard and unregistered edible oils across the country. The agency, in a notice published on its X handle on Tuesday, said several brands of cooking oil currently being sold in major markets have neither undergone regulatory scrutiny nor met minimum safety requirements. It identified the products as FINO, PUR, OKI, SUPER DELICIEX and LA JONIC, noting that they are being smuggled into Nigeria and openly traded under various names. According to NAFDAC, the oils have flooded markets…

The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Area (LGA), Chidi Lloyd, has announced a N3 million reward aimed at tracking down the kidnappers of Rivers State University (RSU) students recently freed from abductors. Recall that New Daily Prime reported on 2 December, four students and a resident at Rumuche/Rumuohia Community, Emohua LGA of the state were abducted from their off-campus residence in Emohua. Following the manhunt, Rivers State Police Command on 4 December announced the release of the kidnapped victims. Read Also: Rivers police rescue five kidnapped varsity students In a statement issued on Monday, Lloyd said N2 million would be given…

Mali has reported its first confirmed case of mpox, with health authorities attributing the infection to a recent traveller from neighbouring Guinea. The World Health Organization (WHO), in its latest multi-country mpox situation update on Monday, said genomic sequencing is under way to determine the clade responsible for the infection. According to WHO, mpox is an illness that is cause by monkeypox and transmitted through people. The case marks Mali’s entry into the list of affected nations amid rising concerns over sustained transmission across Africa. Read Also: Stigma, myths threaten Africa’s Mpox response despite high vaccine demand – Africa CDC According…

Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, on Monday ordered a 24-hour curfew in Lamurde Local Government Area (LGA) following renewed communal violence that erupted on Sunday evening. The directive, communicated through a statement by Hussaini Hammangabdo, Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, came in response to violent clashes and a breakdown of peace in several communities within the LGA. Read Also: ADC inaugurates caretaker leadership in Adamawa Security agencies have been instructed to move promptly into affected areas to stabilise the situation and safeguard lives and property. In a supporting statement, the Adamawa State Police Command confirmed that it is fully mobilised…

WHO said the hospital was struck no fewer than three times, while paramedics and volunteers attempting to evacuate the injured from the kindergarten came under fire.

The Anambra State Police Command has begun a full-scale manhunt for the unknown gunmen who launched a deadly attack near the Afor Market Junction in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area, on Sunday, leaving several persons feared dead. Residents said the assailants stormed the busy junction in the evening and opened fire indiscriminately, causing panic as people ran for safety. Some victims were reportedly killed on the spot while others sustained life-threatening injuries. A community source said the gunmen “invaded Afor Market Junction and immediately opened fire, killing a lot of people,” adding that the motive behind the attack remained unclear.…

In a sweeping series of intelligence-driven operations, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disrupted major drug trafficking networks across the country. This development led to the arrest of several suspects and seizure of millions of opioid pills and tonnes of cannabis from syndicates operating in multiple states. The operations, conducted between 1 and 6 December, led to the recovery of more than 7.6 million tramadol pills and 76,273.4 kilograms of cannabis, including Colorado, Loud and Skunk. The coordinated raids targeted warehouses, forest hideouts, and vehicles used by drug trafficking organisations to move illicit consignments across state lines. Read…

The Edo State Government has announced a renewed drive to improve environmental hygiene and curb pollution as it begins full implementation of its recently enacted Sanitation and Pollution Management Law. During a stakeholders’ engagement in Benin City on Sunday, the Commissioner for Environment and Sustainability, Nosa Adams, said the law would serve as a framework for restoring degraded areas, strengthening sanitation systems, and promoting responsible waste disposal across the state. Adams noted that reversing years of environmental decline required a combination of remediation efforts and sustained public consciousness. He urged residents to embrace cleaner habits at home and within their…