Category Nigeria News

More than 35 percent of Nigerian children under five years old are affected by malnutrition, according to the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), making it a crucial issue for public health.

NARD reported that over 35% of children under the age of five are affected in a post on X on Thursday.

Malnutrition is a significant factor in child mortality. Additionally, it has an impact on national productivity, disease susceptibility, and cognitive development,” the association continued.

According to NARD, interventions include distribution of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), community-based acute malnutrition (CMAM), and infant and young child nutrition (IYCF) counseling.

These methods significantly increase child survival and recovery rates, according to research.

The organization stated that “NARD members are at the forefront of conducting research into and implementing malnutrition interventions in Nigeria.”

READ ALSO: Every Year, Nigeria Loses Over $1.5 billion to malnutrition.

The organization reaffirmed the importance of long-term nutrition programs to safeguard children’s health across the country.

The Federal Government declared the malnutrition crisis in Nigeria to be “a national emergency” in August.

According to Special Assistant to the President for Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwuka, annual losses from malnutrition exceed $1.5 billion.

Rochas-Anwuka noted that the nation’s development and human capital are undermined by this crisis.

Vice President Kashim Shettima previously issued a warning about malnutrition that affects nearly 40% of children under five.

He referred to the situation as “a national crisis” at the Abuja National Summit on Nutrition and Food Security.

It serves as a reminder that hunger is not the only cause of food insecurity.

It determines whether people are able to obtain, purchase, and consume food that meets their nutritional needs. Education and human capital are important, according to Shettima.

Shettima urged people to take immediate, collective steps to address the crisis.

In northern Nigeria, over 600 malnourished children died in six months, according to a report from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in late July.

Between January and June, according to the report, cases of the most severe malnutrition increased by 208 percent over the previous year.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady of Nigeria, gave a statement to the delegation that the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance would continue to support women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship on Wednesday at the State House in Abuja.

Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the minister of state for foreign affairs, made the announcement on her official X handle.

Senior executives and academics from the Alliance, who were led by Anna Nesterova, the group’s chairperson, expressed their willingness to work with Nigeria in fields like healthcare, film co-production, labor mobility, financial literacy, and AI-driven medicine.

Sen. Tinubu welcomed the team by highlighting her humanitarian work through the Renewed Hope Initiative while clarifying that government policy and economic programs are still largely driven by MDAs.

“My office will continue to support your mission, but ministries have the statutory responsibilities and budgets to support your mission.” Through my foundation, I run a lot of programs, but the ministries are the best partners for women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship. My duties are complementing, advising, and facilitating, she explained.

Nesterova praised the First Lady as “an incredible woman who not only improves lives but also opens the door for a prosperous future for the Nigerian people.”

The Alliance’s plans to set up a regional office in Nigeria as a gateway for women entrepreneurs to international markets were made public by her.

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To help with maternal health in Nigeria, The Alliance also provided 1, 000 labor and delivery kits.

More than 3, 000 businesswomen from 60 countries are currently connected through Nesterova’s Common Digital Platform, adding that 50 Nigerian women applied for the BRICS Women’s Startups Contest last year alone.

Liudmila Shcherbakova of VET PHARM Group, Natalia Vershinina of the United Migration Center, Orel State University’s Prof. Liudmila Popova, and Third Opinion AI’s Anna Meshcheryakova were among the Russian delegation.

A technical session at the State House Banquet Hall aimed to improve bilateral ties and look into potential investment deals between Russia and Nigeria.

Following the recent layoffs at Dangote Refinery, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has stated that it will continue to work to protect the rights of oil sector workers.

Before calling off the nationwide strike, the union claimed to have acted as the mediator between the Federal Government and the Dangote Refinery.

Festus Osifo, president of PENGASSAN, stated on Thursday that the union’s main objective was to safeguard the lives and rights of the families in question during a discussion on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

In the event that government actions fail to deliver fair outcomes to its members, he noted that PENGASSAN still has the “tools of negotiation, the tools of discussion, and the tools to take it to the maximum level.”

According to him, the union was promised by senior government officials, adding that the government would “force the system to do what is right” in the settlement of the dispute.

PENGASSAN is currently closely monitoring implementation, according to Osifo, and it is still skeptical about Dangote’s willingness to follow the meeting’s instructions.

Do we share any suspicions? Yes, I’ll say that. Do we really think he will act in accordance with his will? Because they have a history of breaking agreements, the union responded, warning that workers will be defrauded, Osifo said.

The Ministry of Labour’s announcement to end the conflict between Dangote and PENGASSAN followed a statement from the union. According to Osifo, the Association’s National Executive Council (NEC) has made a decision to give the government time to carry out the assurances, but the union won’t hesitate to escalate if there isn’t any lasting change.

He continued, “It is not about PENGASSAN; it is about the Nigerian workers who were abruptly terminated because they were exercising their freedom of association,” adding that the union places the welfare of the affected families first.

PENGASSAN Suspends Nationwide Strike Following FG Intervention, READ ALSO.

Osifo came to the conclusion that PENGASSAN will use “every available instrument” to protect members in the event that negotiations break down.

Femi Falana, the current political class’s senior advocate, claimed that politicians failed to maximize Nigeria’s independence.

This was made known by Falana, a human rights lawyer, on Wednesday during a special broadcast on Channels Television to honor Nigeria’s 65th anniversary.

However, he claimed that the colonial structure that was preserved by the British in 1960 gave Nigeria its flag-freedom.

Falana claims that the politicians now lacked ideology and saw political power as a means of acquiring power rather than a means of achieving it.

“The political parties that were established were ideological,” according to the politicians at the time of the first republic and even in the second republic. They were arguing with one another and knew what they wanted, he said.

“Political parties were not used as tools to retake control,” the statement read. They were balancing responsibilities with power-acquisition. What did the British colonial regime give to Nigeria by 1960?

It refers to flag independence as it is. The colonial structure was largely intact. Before the system fell, the first set of politicians “didn’t make the best of it,” he claimed.

Falana recalled how the Murtala Mohammed regime’s presidential system of government was essentially an American creation.