**”Demands emergency funding, tighter airport screening, modern quarantine law after reported Abuja case Twelve years after Nigeria earned international recognition for containing the Ebola outbreak of 2014, the Senate has raised the alarm over gaps in airport screening, emergency funding and public health laws, warning that the country cannot afford to repeat the mistakes that could allow the deadly virus to spread. The concern followed reports of a confirmed Ebola case in Abuja, prompting lawmakers at Tuesday’s plenary to demand urgent measures to strengthen surveillance, protect public health and prevent further transmission. Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar, representing Kwara North, said…
Author: National Update
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has slammed President Bola Tinubu over his decision to extend the tenures of the heads of the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service by 18 months, warning that the move could undermine career progression, weaken institutional discipline and fuel suspicions of nepotism. HURIWA said the government had no justification for retaining serving chiefs beyond their scheduled exit dates when qualified officers within the services could take over, describing repeated tenure extensions as a threat to innovation and orderly succession. In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,…
Thirteen State Houses of Assembly have backed the proposed creation of state police, raising fresh hopes for the long-awaited reform as pressure mounts on state legislatures to meet the constitutional requirements for decentralising Nigeria’s policing system. Eight assemblies — Kwara, Taraba, Nasarawa, Ogun, Delta, Cross River, Plateau and Enugu — approved the proposal on Tuesday, bringing the number of states supporting the measure to 13. The development came as the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill submitted the proposed legislation and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice for review. The Chief of Staff to…
The Federal Government is tracing 44 contacts of Nigeria’s newly confirmed Ebola patient in Abuja, as health experts warn that delayed detection could trigger further infections and disrupt economic activities ahead of the festive season. The patient, a woman who arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda, was treated at a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory for several days before laboratory tests confirmed the infection on October 20. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the government had activated emergency response measures involving the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and…
Former Federal Minister, Professor Jerry Gana, has blamed Nigeria’s nation-building challenges on what he described as leaders’ deliberate refusal to respect citizens’ aspirations, warning that personal interests and poor governance continue to undermine sustainable development. Gana argued that Nigeria could make significant progress if political leaders prioritised integrity, justice, accountability and the welfare of citizens over personal interests. He spoke while delivering a lecture titled “Rethinking Nation Building for Sustainable Development: Bridging the Leadership/Citizenship Disconnect” at the fifth national conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN) in Abuja on Tuesday. The former minister said Nigerians were…
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has told Nigeria’s ex-officeholders that mentoring the next generation is an obligation, not a favour, warning that neglecting it will condemn young politicians to repeat old mistakes. “If we fail to guide the next generation, we risk leaving them to learn the lessons of leadership through avoidable mistakes,” he said. The message was delivered in Abuja on Tuesday by Bala James Nggilari, former Deputy Governor of Adamawa State, who spoke on Jonathan’s behalf at the fifth national conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN), where Jonathan is grand patron. Held at Abuja…
Former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has questioned how Nigeria can reform its judiciary if those expected to drive the process are themselves apprehensive about the institution. Ganduje raised the concern on Tuesday at the fifth national conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN) at Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, where he spoke on the challenges of institutional reform and sustainable development. “I wonder who will reform the judiciary in this country because the person expected to reform it may also be afraid of the judiciary, having to rely on the same institution,” he said. Although he…
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 does not mean he will allow the All Progressives Congress to take every elective position in Rivers State. Wike, who urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party and other opposition parties to support Tinubu’s second-term bid, said political negotiations would continue after the presidential election. Speaking at a meeting with Rivers State stakeholders, the minister said politicians were competing to demonstrate their contributions to Tinubu’s expected victory in order to secure a share of the political benefits. “There is something…
The National Chairman of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN), Dr Chris Alozie Akomas, has warned that Nigeria’s development will remain elusive unless political leaders embrace accountability, integrity and empathy in the discharge of their duties. Akomas said power without character was destructive, while governance without compassion could not address the everyday struggles of ordinary Nigerians. He spoke on Tuesday at the fifth national conference of the forum at Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, where he identified the growing disconnect between political leaders and citizens as a major obstacle to national development. The conference, which runs from October…
The Federal Government on Tuesday confirmed a case of Ebola Virus Disease in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and began an emergency response that includes tracing 44 close contacts of the patient. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed this in a statement following laboratory confirmation of the case. According to the minister, the patient is a woman who recently arrived in Nigeria on an international flight from Uganda. She was admitted to a private hospital in the FCT, where she was treated for several days before the diagnosis was confirmed. She is now…