Day: May 9, 2024

Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have entered into partnership to strengthen obstetric skills of resident doctors in Nigeria.

Mrs Adanna Maduka, Director, Policy, Partnerships and Grants, WBFA, said in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.

She said that the partnership was aimed at improving the capacity of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) to deliver the advanced obstetrics and surgical skills training to resident doctors.

The project, she said, would establish two centres of excellence in northern and southern Nigeria where the training would be delivered.

“The Emergency Obstetrics and Quality of Care (EmOCandQoC) Unit of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is proud to announce its collaboration with WBFA in an effort to enhance emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) in Nigeria.

“This project is funded through the Global Health Workforce Programme, which is funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC).

“It is managed by Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) for the benefit of the UK and partner country health sectors.

“The partnership is aimed at bolstering the capacity of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) to deliver the Advanced Obstetrics and Surgical Skills training to resident doctors.

“The project will establish two centres of excellence in northern and southern Nigeria where the training course will be delivered,” she said.

She quoted the principal investigator of the project and lead of the LSTM’s EmOCandQoC Unit, Prof. Charles Ameh, as saying the unit has extensive experience in delivering maternal and newborn health capacity.

She said that the unit has the capacity to strengthening interventions in Nigeria and across sub-Saharan Africa, adding that the project offers them the opportunity to further expand impact in Nigeria.

This, she said, would give the organisation opportunity to further tackle high maternal and newborn deaths by training local doctor
s in life-saving skills, for the care of pregnant women and their newborn babies.

The statement also quoted Mrs Toyin Saraki, Founder/President of WBFA expressing her organisation’s commitment to the project.

She stated that WBFA is honoured to partner LSTM and THET in the endeavour, adding that improve access to quality EmONC services in Nigeria.

Saraki said that through the collaboration, her organisation aimed to equip healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to save lives.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 30 lead faculty members have so far be trained to train others at the center of excellence in Lagos.

The initiative marks a milestone in LSTM’s ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare systems in Nigeria and beyond.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has cautioned traders in Apo Mechanic Village against arbitrary protests without following due process.

Wike gave the warning while responding to the traders, who besieged the entrance of the FCT Administration Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.

The traders had explained that the protest was to push the minister to sign the 2015 lease agreement with the FCTA to enable them to move to their permanent site at Wassa District.

Wike, who described the action as attempted intimidation, berated the protesting traders for not writing to his office to discuss the delay in implementing the lease agreement.

The minister said that there was no basis for the protest, alleging it might have been sponsored by unknown persons.

“Is this the way you support the government by barricading the road and obstruction of traffic without informing me of anything?

“You never wrote to me that you want to see me, and we refuse to see you.

Then what you will do is
to wake up in the morning, barricade the road, barricade the gate and then you are saying you are supporting me?

“Then I don’t need your support.

“What I don’t like is intimidation. If you have a problem, channel your problem to me and if I don’t solve it, then you can take another step,” the visibly furious minister said.

Wike pointed out that the lease agreement was entered into in 2015, adding that ministers have come and gone without the traders taking any step until now.

He asked the traders to go back and follow the due process to solve the problem.

“What you should do is write that you want to see me, then we will sit down and talk. I am not one of those ones anyone will come and intimidate.

“Barricading the road is what I don’t like. People coming to tarnish the image of government is not right when we can sit and dialogue.

“If the government had promised to give you land then I will look at the papers,” he said.

Earlier, the Chairman of the traders’ association, Mr Chimezie Ife, said his memb
ers were tired of waiting since 2006 to be allocated their permanent business environment, alleging that they have spent over N100 million.

Ife explained the old Apo Mechanic Village was demolished in 2006, adding that the traders were promised a permanent location which never came.

He further said that the traders applied for land in 2011 but it was still not allocated despite the incurred expenses.

According to him, the protest was organised with the hope that Wike will help to address the lingering issue.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, on Wednesday, took delivery of 20 sets of improved version of Armoured Personnel Carrier (APCs) to boost the ongoing fight against insecurity.

This is contained in a statement by the Acting Director Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Gusau said the delivery was done in a brief ceremony by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana, on behalf of the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru in Abuja.

He said the APCs were improved version with improved weapons and communication systems that could locate adversaries from distance and engage them effectively.

According to him, they also allow for seamless military operations and the APCs were produced and supplied by an indigenous company based in Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary described the consideration for contracting local manufacturers to produce the new APCs as a welcomed development.

He added that it would save the nation a lot of money, c
reate employment and reduce over reliance on foreign currency.

In his response, the CDS thanked the Minister of Defence and pledged to put the carriers to optimum and judicious use.

He added that the machines would definitely boost the ongoing operations to rid the country of insecurity.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Prof. Akeem Lasisi, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, Osun, said the institution admitted more female students for 2023/2024 academic session due to its passion for girl-child education.

Lasisi, said this during the second matriculation and investiture ceremony of the university’s pioneer Chancellor, Alhaji Ibrahim Al-Amin El-Kanemi, the Sheu of Dikwa, on Thursday in Ila-Orangun.

The vice-chancellor said that out of the 673 students that were admitted, 429 were female students, which according to him, constitutes 63.7 per cent.

Lasisi said that 2,069 candidates applied to the university, but only 673 were offered admission into 13 programmes of the university.

“I congratulate the matriculants and your parents for being the successful ones among the 2,069 applicants.

“I must, especially felicitate with the female students who constituted 63.7 per cent out of 673.

“This is the confirmation that our university has keyed, from onset, into the era of the advocacy for girl-c
hild education and female leadership”, he said.

Lasisi urged the new students to be diligent in their studies to justify the labour of their parents.

The VC said that in the last year of his administration, he had worked closely with stakeholders of the university to pursue and realise the purpose of the university.

“My administration has seen to the construction of the faculty of basic sciences, health centre, science laboratory building, library and the university teaching hospital,” he said.

Al-Amin El-Kanemi, after his investiture, pledged to serve diligently and advocate for academic pursuits in the institution.

“Together, we will strive to create an environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and a spirit of innovation”, he said.

The Chancellor urged the new students to go forth with courage, hope and knowledge to achieve greatness.

Earlier in his lecture, Prof. Adewale Akinsola (Emeritus), said the new trend of setting up specialised medical universities was conceivably a
critical strategy to confront the serious and formidable challenges in the health care delivery.

Akinsola, spoke on the topic “Leveraging on the Emergence of Specialised Medical Universities to Bridge the Performance Gaps in Nigeria’s Healthcare Delivery”.

The don said that there was a frequent attrition of the personnel through the famous “JAPA syndrome”.

“In the last one or two years, over 2,000 health professionals, including doctors/nurses/physiotherapist and laboratory scientists have been affected.

“” We should harness the potentials of the specialised medical university to build a resilient, responsive and effective health community, with good health indices, contributing to the socio-economic well-being of the nation”, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 673 admitted students later took matriculation oath.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A total of 81 construction workers have been confirmed to have been on site at the time a building collapsed in George Municipality in the Western Cape on Monday.

The revised number was confirmed on Thursday following a previous report of 75 people having been reported to have been on site when the incident happened.

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi visited the site of the collapsed building, where he interacted with the local and provincial government to get an update from rescuers and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) inspectors from the department, who were dispatched to the site.

Briefing media, Nxesi said the police are currently “in control’ at this stage and will be allowed to do their own work unhindered until their investigation is complete.

‘At some stage, once they are done with their work, the police will hand over to the Department of Employment and Labour, which will be able to start with its own investigation. Our investigations are informed by the Occupational Health and Safe
ty Act, in particular Section 31 and 32, [which guides what] normally happens when we face such incidents,’ Nxesi said.

Giving the different statutory roles played by different levels of government and departments, the Minister said it was agreed that all parties will play their roles collaboratively and in support of one another.

‘Any interested parties who want to do their investigations will do them, but we will also do our own investigation and we will be informed by the police once they are done. At the end, once we get the investigation of the police and our investigations, in particular, we will be able to say what we are going to do,’ Nxesi said.

He emphasised that the department did not want to speculate on what transpired but will leave everything to the investigations.

‘Once the investigations have been able to expose the facts, we will talk to that.’

The Minister noted that a number of national department Ministers, including Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements,
Police and Social Development, also have interest in the matter.

‘We will be following through our people on the ground on what is happening. We were also informed that the Department of International Relations and Cooperation also has an interest because we [will not] be able to communicate with some of the families, in terms of the languages.

‘We need to talk to the various missions who are here in South Africa to send their people… so they can communicate properly with the families,’ Nxesi said.

He noted that while the department has compensation to give, this can only be done once all the people have been identified.

He said there is no timeline for the investigation, as it will depend on what is uncovered during the investigation, and the police will hand over the site to the department.

The Minister further appealed to the employer of the construction workers or the construction owners to come forward and talk with the families of the workers.

‘Thus far, in terms of what I’ve been briefed, we do n
ot know where they are,’ Nxesi said.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan will arrive Nigeria on Friday for a 3-day private visit on the invitation of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

The Director of Sports and Chairman, Organising Committee of the visit, AVM Abidemi Marquis, made this known while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

While providing details of the visit, Marquis said that Prince Harry, who founded the Invictus Game, would along with his wife, visit wounded soldiers at Army Reference Hospital Kaduna on Saturday.

He said the Duke of Sussex would also interact with wounded soldiers and their families in Abuja as well as witness a novelty volleyball match during the visit.

He added that the couple would visit Lagos on Sunday where they are supporting an NGO, before departing Nigeria on Monday.

According to him, the visit scheduled from May 10 to 13, will help wounded soldiers in their recovery efforts.

“We realised that 80 per cent of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery progr
amme and they are getting better.

“Their outlook to life is positive because when you experience a permanent disability, it affects your mental health and also your outlook to life.

“The recovery programme has given them an opportunity to improve their personal self-esteem, mental health, and emotional intelligence.

“So this engagement with Invictus is giving opportunity of recovery for our soldiers,’’ he said.

Marquis said Nigeria would build a state-of-the-art structure for the management of post-traumatic stress syndrome for wounded and injured soldiers involved in counter-insurgency operations.

“They will be proceeding to Kaduna to visit Nigerian Army Reference Hospital where our wounded and injured soldiers are kept for their medical recovery.

“On Saturday, we will have a novelty match where the CDS team and the Duke team will be having a volleyball match at Armed Forces Officers Mess.

“This is just to engage with the wounded and injured soldiers, it’s a sitting volleyball match coming in the morn
ing.”

Source: News Agency of Nigeria