THE NUMBER of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed the 6,000 mark, government data showed on Monday. The epidemic has become the largest in the central African country’s history, surpassing the previous worst outbreak that lasted from 2018 to 2020. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. The number of people with confirmed infections has risen to 6,041, and 2,911 of them have died, the communication ministry said on X. Response teams are working in six provinces affected by the outbreak, with a particular focus on…
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A NATIONAL Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dr Chike Okogwu, has backed former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore fuel subsidy if elected president. Okogwu, a former member of the Federal Government’s Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), said any new subsidy regime should address weaknesses in the previous system. He spoke in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. According to him, a reworked subsidy system should be transparent, targeted and supported by digital monitoring mechanisms. Okogwu, who represented Persons with Disabilities on the SURE-P Board from 2012 to…
A UNITED Nation’s committee said countries are legally obliged to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and take other measures to address the enduring legacy of racial discrimination it says persists today. Guidance published on Monday by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated that the obligations arise from a legally binding 1965 convention on racial discrimination, not from the legal standards that existed when the slave trade took place. The committee described the approach as a “paradigm shift” away from debates over historical responsibility that have often been used by governments to resist reparations claims. “States…
LIONEL Messi, who captained Argentina to World Cup victory in 2022 and the final in 2026, is retiring from international football, he said on Monday. The record eight-times Ballon d’Or winner is his country’s record appearance-maker and scorer with 125 goals in 207 games, having transformed a complicated relationship with the national team into a story of redemption and triumph. “It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deep down — but I understand that the time has come. I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years…
THE NIGERIA Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has described the death of Dotun Oladipo, veteran journalist and publisher of The Eagle Online, as a major loss to the media industry and the nation. Oladipo, 56, died on Tuesday, last week. The NUJ, in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi, expressed profound shock and sadness over the death of the journalist, describing him as a distinguished practitioner whose contributions to Nigerian journalism spanned several decades. The union said Oladipo’s death came at a time when the journalism profession required courage, professionalism, integrity…
THE DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals is considering restricting sales of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to major marketers that continue to import petrol into Nigeria, amid concerns over product quality, market transparency and the integrity of products supplied under the Dangote brand. The proposed measure, which could take effect as early as this week, subject to further consultations and any last-minute intervention, reflects growing concerns over the continued entry of imported PMS into a market where substantial domestic refining capacity is now available. Sources familiar with the refinery’s position said the immediate concern relates to the fact that some marketers…
A U.S. official said its forces struck two Iranian launchers on Iran’s Larak Island on Sunday, marking the first known American strikes on Iran since late July. Iranian media said Tehran responded to the U.S. attack on rocket launchers on its island of Larak with an assault on two U.S. bases in Jordan, while the army said it struck the UAE’s Al Minhad air base early on Monday. However, the UAE’s defense ministry dismissed the reports of the air base attack as false. The UAE’s defense ministry later said in a statement that its air force engaged a drone over…
BY LANRE OGUNDIPE THERE is a peculiar irony in taking charge of a machine you have spent years operating. You know where it moves efficiently. You know where it slows down. You know which doors open easily, which ones require persuasion and which ones appear permanently locked. You also know the people who operate the levers. That is the advantage Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan brings to the office of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. It is also the burden. The first task should be to identify precisely where the federal bureaucracy loses time, money and responsibility. Every major…
BY MAX AMUCHIE THE TOUR of Hangzhou was quite revealing and enriching. As I noted in the first part of this experience, we had 12 lectures. But it wasn’t just lectures. Beyond sitting in classrooms and listening to erudite instructors and professors, we had field visits. Each visit revealed something new, something unique, and sometimes what appeared to be an opening to a vista of opportunities. We had 12 field visits, and each was eye-opening. But some left particularly lasting impressions on us. One of them was our visit to the Jiufeng Waste Incineration Plant in Nanfeng Village, Yuhang District,…
THE CENTRE for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called for the resignation of the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Dr. Bisoye Coker-Odusote, over her reported appointment as Director of Data Management in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections. Engr. Ya’u In a statement Saturday, and signed by its Executive Director, Engr. Y.Z. Ya’u, the organisation said the dual roles raise serious concerns about conflict of interest, institutional neutrality and the protection of Nigerians’ sensitive personal data. CITAD described NIMC as a highly sensitive national institution responsible…