Category Nigeria News

1. 1.5 million children in the state are the target of a significant polio vaccination exercise, according to the Jigawa State government.

During a press conference organized by UNICEF prior to the campaign, the announcement was made.

The State Primary Healthcare Board’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Shehu Sambo, who was represented at the event, Zakariya Shehu, the agency’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, &nbsp.

He claims that the state’s 27 local government areas will be covered by the vaccination exercise, which will run from November 29 to December 2, 2025.

According to him, “The state has received the vaccines from the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency in full, and all necessary arrangements have been made to distribute them in accordance with population demands.”

According to Dr. Sambo, the state has already mobilized the workforce to ensure smooth operation. As is our customary practice, he said, “We have recruited ad-hoc staff and formed them into teams under the supervision and coordination of state and local government officials.”

He added that the state has established quick response teams to deal with any emergencies that might arise during the exercise in addition to the house-to-house vaccination teams targeting children aged 0 to 5.

He claimed that “all the necessary mechanisms have been in place for monitoring and tracking coverage.”

READ MORE: Former Bangladesh PM Zia Is In “Very Critical” Zustand

The campaign’s main focus is also on fostering community engagement. For the exercise, we have engaged civil society leaders, volunteers, and community leaders. The media are also being reminded of their role in raising awareness of the importance of the exercise’s success and in generating demand, according to Dr. Sambo.

Ahama Farah, the head of the UNICEF Field Office in Kano, made a comment that was critical of the initiative’s national significance. In the first and second phases of Nigeria’s 2025 polio vaccination campaign, he claimed, more than 42 million children are anticipated to be reached.

He assured that UNICEF would continue to support and collaborate with the government to ensure that no child would be a part of the exercise because “Jigawa is one of the states in the first batch.”

Former President Goodluck Jonathan questioned the recent coup in Guinea-Bissau, blaming Umaro Embalo’s decision to launch the military takeover.

He claims that the West African nation’s recent events were a “ceremonial” coup.

READ MORE: &nbsp, Why I Brought Back to Nigeria From Guinea-Bissau on an Ivory Aircraft.

I wouldn’t refer to Guinea-Bissau as a coup because of what transpired. Not a coup, really. For lack of a better word, I would say it was a ceremonial coup because President Embalo was in charge of the event when the militaryman spoke to the assembled world.

Embalo had already announced the coup, which is odd because Embalo was announcing the coup and was speaking to media outlets all over the world while the coup took place, he claimed in an interview posted on YouTube by Symfoni on Friday.

As a person who believes in democracy, the former governor of Guinea-Bissau claimed that the events there were quite upsetting.

I’m a Nigerian who is close to 70 years old and familiar with the system’s procedures for holding heads of state in a coup. I recently served as an [an] ECOWAS mediator in Mali, and we experienced a military coup that followed.

The president who is currently in power will not be permitted to address press conferences and announce that he has been arrested because the military doesn’t take over governments. Who is being deceived?

I actually feel more pained than when I called [the former president Muhammadu] Buhari to congratulate him after I lost the election as president.

Jonathan demanded the results be made public and described the peaceful elections in Guinea-Bissau.

“The elections took place peacefully. We were field-going. The West African Elders Forum included me. We didn’t use observation teams to cover what we observed in the south, the capital, and the nearby settlements because we are typically not core observers.

Nobody, however, gave anything different during the meeting where all the heads of the observation missions and all the observers presented their accounts. The electoral officials’ conduct, the security, the party agents, the voters, and the peacefulness of the elections resulted in peaceful results counting at the polling stations.

One expected the results to be announced after a successful election.

“And Embalo announced that there was a coup, that they had taken control, and they had arrested him when they were almost finished, and we were all waiting for the outcome to be announced.”

“But based on what all the evidence suggests, no one has taken him into custody. He said, “I believe that ECOWAS and the AU must release that result,” and that’s my message to them.

On Wednesday, Guinea-Bissau military officers took complete control of the nation, suspending the country’s electoral process and closing its borders.

A command, which included members of the military’s various branches, took control of the nation’s leadership following the coup, according to General Denis N’Canha, the head of the presidential military office.

Despite the officers’ arrest, President Embalo left for Senegal and was expected to win the election on Sunday.

Goodluck Jonathan, the former president of Guinea-Bissau, has explained why he flew back to Nigeria on an Ivorian aircraft as a result of the coup.

He explained that the Ivorian team first obtained landing clearance because of its proximity, while President Bola Tinubu and President Côte d’Ivoire’s Alassane Ouattara made arrangements to evacuate him and his delegation from Bissau.

Read more about Jonathan’s return to Nigeria after being captured in coup-hit Guinea-Bissau.

He stated in an interview that he had always been afraid to speak to the media since he left office. However, in this particular instance, I made the decision to speak with the media in order to thank Nigerians for their support and show of compassion.

While we were in Bissau, we learned that, regardless of religious or political divides, the entire nation was agitated, young and old, and that I sincerely appreciate Nigerians. I also want to thank my president, President Tinubu, and President Ouattara, the Ivorian president, President Ouattara.

Although both presidents planned to fly the aircraft to lift us, you are aware that Guinea-Bissau and the Francophone countries have always had a relationship, and that they are both Francophones.

The former president urged them not to bother because the Ivorian aircraft had already been cleared, even though the Nigerian aircraft was about to depart for Guinea-Bissau.

Before Nigeria could do that, the Ivorians’ authorities were able to break into their system and obtain a landing permit. The Ivorian aircraft was already heading our way.

We therefore instructed the Nigerian aircraft not to bother when we learned that they were about to depart. If you look at the pictures, I was flown by an Ivorian aircraft, he said in the interview Symfoni posted on YouTube on Friday.

After being trapped in Guinea-Bissau for the election observation, Jonathan returned to Nigeria on Thursday.

About two days after military forces in the West African nation took control of the airport, he arrived late on Thursday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The West African Elders Forum Observation Mission was led by the former president to monitor the results of the presidential and parliamentary elections.

When the military struck in Guinea-Bissau, his team, which included members of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), were still performing their duties.

The former Bayelsa governor was left stranded, raising concerns for his safety along with others on the observation team as a result.

The former president is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau, according to the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Total Control

On Wednesday, Guinea-Bissau military officers took complete control of the nation, suspending the country’s electoral process and closing its borders.

A command, which included members of the military’s various branches, took control of the nation’s leadership following the coup, according to General Denis N’Canha, the head of the presidential military office.

Umaro Embalo, who had favored winning the election on Sunday despite traveling to Senegal, was taken into custody by the officers.

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Matthew Adepoju, the country’s director general, has explained why Nigeria’s satellites are unable to provide real-time surveillance data to support its security operations.

Adepoju addressed questions on Friday’s Politics Today interview on Channels Television.

He questioned the legitimacy of Nigeria’s ability to track recent mass abductions in the North, citing a misunderstanding about the functions and limitations of Earth-observation satellites.

“Sometimes, there is misinformation about what the satellites should and can do.

The two that the military has and the agency’s new one are “imagers,” they say. He claimed that they don’t record videos.

Read more about Gen Z in Nigeria who supports coups as security experts:

The current satellites in Nigeria are in orbit and only return after a few days, according to the NASRDA DG.

They “travel the globe,” they say. He said that for instance, it takes three days for NigeriaSat-1 and NigeriaSat-2 to return home.

We must launch numerous satellites into orbit if we want to get coverage everywhere. Another should be arriving as one is going, he continued.

However, Adepoju revealed Bola Tinubu’s approval of four additional satellites.

Depending on the orbital slot, this constellation will cut the time gap by four to six hours.

“But we intend to add more satellites to increase our ability to reach near-real-time.” The NASRDA DG stated that there isn’t yet real-time coverage.

Adepoju confirmed that Nigeria currently only has two active satellites when questioned how many.

One was designated for earth observation, according to the NASRDA DG, and the other for communication.

Accessing Advanced U.S. ‘S Systems ‘

Adepoju claimed the organization had partnered with a major US satellite operator when asked whether Nigeria had any alternative surveillance options.

We reached out to technical partners in America because of the issue we face. He claimed it took 18 months to obtain the necessary security clearance.

Nearly 300 satellites, according to the NASRDA DG, are in operation and could provide advanced intelligence to Nigeria.

The MoU and non-disclosure agreement have been signed by us. Only funding is still available.

It offers signal analytics a robust platform. Some of the actions terrorists are taking are so interesting that we can even hear them, he continued.

He also criticized state actions that make mobile networks unavailable as a security measure.

When mobile communication is interrupted by a state, it breaks my heart. The majority of these terrorists don’t use mobile devices.

The NASRDA DG explained that “they communicate through satellites, and I am aware of this fact.

Adepoju demanded a structural overhaul of security planning when asked what Nigeria must do urgently.

The national security architecture needs to be rejigged first and foremost. When national security issues are discussed, an organization like ours is required to be present.

The interpretation of the information you provide depends on who is present during crucial decisions, he continued.

Growing Uncertainty

In response to numerous abductions in northern states, the NASRDA DG’s remarks came as a result of renewed pressure on security forces.

On November 17, the government girls’ comprehensive senior secondary school, Maga, abducted 24 schoolgirls, who later were released.

However, on November 24, 11 residents of the Isapa community in Kwara were taken, including a pregnant woman.

As of November 28th, the situation in Niger State, where 12 teachers and more than 260 students were abducted by bandits, is still in imprisoned, is dire.

Olayemi Cardoso, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stated on Friday that the country’s economy is now stronger.

He specifically noted that Nigeria and Ethiopia are a major contributors to the continent’s economic recovery, noting that the country can withstand external shocks more than ever in its history.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Approves Committee To Drive Implementation Of New Law

Additionally, Cardoso added that the financial stability of the Nigerian banking sector is anticipated to grow into 2026 as a result of the most recent stress tests conducted within the subsector.

At the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN)’s 60th annual dinner in Lagos, the CBN governor made the statement during his keynote address.

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to combating insecurity by urging regional and international allies to work together more closely to combat insecurity.

When a powerful delegation from the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), led by its President, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja, Senator George Akume, the secretary of the Federation, delivered the assurance.

Read more: Nigeria’s Problem Did Not Begin With Tinubu’s Government – Akume.

The Bola Tinubu-led administration, according to the SGF, was working with international allies to secure the security of lives and property, as well as seek cooperation from them.

The director, information and public relations, Segun Imohiosen, cited as saying, “But the government is seriously committed to eradicating insecurity… We need support from our allies to be able to fight terrorists in the land.”

Akume applauded the administration’s decision to grant him the confidence that showed how diligently the administration worked to address insecurity and other issues facing the nation.

He continued, “The present administration has been working with traditional leaders, businessmen, the private sector, political leaders, and religious leaders to create a strong and prosperous Nigeria for all.”