Author: NewsDesk

By Rakiya A.Muhammad The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) has underscored the need for the Sokoto State Government to approve the strategic nutrition plan and promptly release adequate funds for implementing nutrition interventions to reduce malnutrition. “With malnutrition affecting at least one in three people in the world today and Nigeria, unfortunately, holding the second-highest number of stunted children worldwide, CS-SUNN’s mission gains even greater significance- the commitment to addressing malnutrition which has become a persistent public health concern in Nigeria,” it said. Speaking at a media roundtable on the ‘increased investment in nutrition to scale-up quality nutrition…

This story is supported by BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, under the 2023 SGBV Media Fellowship Project

Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto has described his victory at the Supreme Court as the victory was for the entire state and not for him or the party.

By Rakiya A.Muhammad The All-Progressives Congress (APC) leader in Sokoto, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, has applauded Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s initiatives to move the state forward, urging him to keep up the excellent work. Senator Wamakko spoke at a large gathering of APC supporters in his Gawon Nama residence in Sokoto following the Supreme Court ruling that upheld Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto’s election as the state’s duly elected governor. “You have, within just 100 days in the office, achieved so much in many areas of development. The way you provided road networks and water projects, renovated some schools, improved the health care system,…

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has prequalified the new oral poliovirus vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), marking it the first time the organisation has ever done so for a vaccine being used under the emergency use listing. In an announcement weekend, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said that the WHO prequalification paves the way for more nations to obtain the vaccine, which has played a vital role in halting outbreaks involving type 2 variant poliovirus (cVDPV2). In the announcement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed the prequalification as a historic public health milestone. “Novel oral polio vaccine type 2 has…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday launched a $1.5 billion emergency appeal to provide care to more than 87 million people affected by ongoing crises in 2024, including in Africa, the occupied Palestinian territory, Ukraine, Sudan, Syria, and the Horn of Africa. The appeal comes at a time when climate change, drought, and other extreme weather events are fueling food insecurity, conflict, and displacement, causing deeper and more complex health emergencies and leaving healthcare increasingly under fire. Every humanitarian crisis is a health crisis, WHO said, and each dollar invested in its lifesaving work nets a return on investment…

Apart from being intersex, Amina had spina bifida, a condition that affects the spinal cord. As a result, the doctor recommended euthanasia, which is illegal in Nigeria. 

Rakiya A.Muhammad   What many young girls in Binji and Shagari Local government areas of Sokoto State see in Hajiya Hafsat Abubakar and Hajiya Kulu Modi are quintessential role models. One of the girls, who was then out of -school, did not mince words. “I want to be like you,” she told Kulu, who subsequently approached her parents, and they enrolled her in the school.   Kulu is one mentor in Shagari trained in strategies and facilitation skills for Girls -for -Girls (G4G), an initiative aimed at increasing confidence, hygiene, and good morals among girls, for improved retention, transition, and…

By Tunde Omolehin, Kaura-Mata- Kano One Monday morning, a 76-year-old, Mallam Yahaya Ado, a community head of Kaura-mata, stood at the eroded bank of Challawa river with his subjects, gesturing as he spoke about many environmental degradation facing his community. Kaura-mata is one of the riverine communities located in Madobi local government area of Kano state, northwest Nigeria.  Its residents have continued to suffer in the hands of illegal miners. Our farmlands have been taken over by these illegal sand miners because their illicit activities have continued to expand gully erosion and affect our source of drinking,” Ado said During…

Rakiya A.Muhammad  We cannot do anything without a safe and secure Nigeria, Governor Aminu of Sokoto has stressed. “That being the case, those at the frontline should receive every attention that they deserve,” he added. The Governor noted this just as he disclosed that the state government has procured surveillance equipment to facilitate operations of the State Security Service in bandits’ prone areas and criminal hideouts. He disclosed this at the presentation of long service awards to operatives of the SSS by the Director -General of the Service in Sokoto. “SPZ machine is on its way and we will continue to reach out to…