Author: NewsDesk

By Rakiya A.Muhammad The National Population Commission (NPC) has assured of its determination to hold the first-ever digital census in Nigeria. Federal Commissioner in charge of Sokoto state, Alhaji Chiso Dattijo, gave the assurance at a meeting with media executives and other stakeholders in the state. “The census will be conducted. The new administration will announce a new date,” he stated. He noted that the postponement allowed NPC to perfect its processes and systems for conducting the exercise. Dattijo lauded the media for their role in information dissemination on the census and urged them to sustain the tempo towards the…

Rakiya A. Muhammad Given the immense contributions of legendary Nana Asmau, daughter of Shehu Usman Fodiyo, to society, stakeholders should set aside a day to commemorate her life and historical achievements. Member Representing Bodinga /Dange Shuni/Tureta constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr Balarabe Shehu Kakale Shuni made the assertation while reflecting on the works of Nana Asmau, an iconic African woman and a great mother of Sokoto Caliphate. He described her as a princess, scholar, author, humanitarian, entrepreneur and a female mass literacy champion. “Arguably the greatest female African intellectual of the 19th century,” he added. “She authored more…

Generic drug manufacturers will make a more affordable version of Merck’s anti-Covid pill for 105 of the world’s poorer nations, in deals announced on Thursday by a UN-backed organisation. The global Medicines Patent Pool signed agreements with 27 manufacturers to produce the oral antiviral medicine molnupiravir, for supply in low- and middle-income countries. “This is a critical step toward ensuring global access to an urgently needed COVID-19 treatment and we are confident that… the anticipated treatments will be rapidly available in LMICs,” said MPP executive director Charles Gore. Merck granted a licence to the MPP in an agreement announced in…

Rakiya A.Muhammad Minister of Police Affairs, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, echoed this during a sensitisation campaign on the Police Public Complaints Committee (PPCC) activities for the South-South zone held in Calabar, Cross Rivers state. He assured of advancing technology-led policing in line with global best practices and deepening community policing and human intelligence in Nigeria. The Minister spoke on the newly revitalised Police Public Complaints Committee, which he noted to eliminate all forms of subjective narrative hitherto hindered cooperation between police and citizens. “Following the directive of Mr President, I inaugurated the resuscitated Police Public Complaints Committee in Abuja on…

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has decried what he noted as a misuse of power in the name of religion. “It is only in Nigeria that religion matters in politics; hence, we have seen misuses of power in the name of religion,” he stated at the commissioning of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Guest House in Sokoto State. He noted religion seemed to have gradually become the citizenship rather than the nationality in Nigeria, adding the misuse of religion had made it a subject of interest in the polity. The bishop also spoke against…

By Rakiya A.Muhammad As Muslims celebrate Eid Fitri, the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar has urged them to pray for the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria. The royal father also reiterated the need to pray for the nation’s newly elected leaders towards the success of their administration. He stressed this at his palace shortly after the two units’ prayer to mark the Eid-El-Fitr at the Sokoto state central Eid ground. The Sultan, who addressed a multitude of Muslims on Sallah Homage led by the State Deputy…

Rakiya A. Muhammad When Maryam Abdullahi’s health deteriorated, her husband carried her piggyback to the health centre in the Dange area of Sokoto State, North-west Nigeria. They travelled for miles across their inhospitable terrain to get to the facility. “Initially, we thought it was the normal pregnancy dizziness and pulling sensations,” she recounts. “The situation worsened with severe abdominal pain and difficulty in breathing. We can hardly get a vehicle in this hard-to-reach area, and my husband had to carry me on his back to reach a health facility. That was about five years ago.” Malam Musa Abdullahi resorted to…

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, has said the incessant farmers-herders crisis threatens food and national security. Abubakar stated this in Abuja at the Regional Summit on Human and Climate Security Challenges and Farmers-Herders Conflict Resolution in the Livestock Sector. He said the regional summit with the theme, ‘Promoting Peace and Climate Security in the Crop and Livestock Farming Sectors’, became necessary as it has provided the opportunity for dialogue and discourse on the way forward for achieving peaceful coexistence between crop farmers and livestock herders whose incessant conflict in the region is threatening food and national…

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Director General, Dr. Mohammed Sambo has advocated for an oil block to be given to the agency to fund the over 83 million vulnerable Nigerians. He opined that if the government could give oil blocks to individuals, why can’t it give them to 83 million vulnerable Nigerians? Saying, a retired General told us some time ago how he sold his oil block for $500 million.” He made this known while addressing the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHeJ) at its 6th Annual Conference in Akwanga, Nasarawa State. The National Health Insurance Authority boss who…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Thursday reported 123 new COVID-19 cases across 12 states. Six COVID-19 related deaths were also recorded by the agency. The NCDC disclosed this on its official website. According to data from the agency, Edo recorded the highest figures for new infections for the day with 38 cases. Osun reported 25 cases of the virus, followed by Rivers – 22, Kaduna – 12, Oyo – 10, Kwara – 6, Ogun – 3, Bauchi – 2, Kano – 2, Borno – 1, Delta – 1 and Ekiti-1. The reported 123 new infections have brought the…