Another INEC office set ablaze — second in a week - Newstrends
Connect with us

News

Another INEC office set ablaze — second in a week

Published

5 years ago

on

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Ohafia LGA of Abia state has been set ablaze.

Festus Okoye, INEC spokesman, said in a statement that the incident occurred on Sunday night.

This is happening a week after one of the commission’s offices in Akwa Ibom was razed.

There is no known cause of the fire incidents yet which are suspected to be caused by hoodlums attacking the commission’s facilities.

Okoye said although there are no casualties in the latest fire incident in Abia, all electoral materials and office equipment were destroyed.

He said the attacks could affect the ongoing expansion of voter access to polling units, resumption of the continuous voter registration (CVR), pending bye-elections and ultimately the 2023 General Election.

“The latest incident in Abia State is one too many. These facilities are national assets, which must be protected. Accordingly, the Commission is convening an emergency meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) next week to discuss this disturbing trend,” he said.

“Meanwhile, the Commission wishes to reassure Nigerians that all activities in relation to the ongoing expansion of voter access to Polling Units and preparations for the resumption of CVR as well as all scheduled elections will proceed as planned.”

This is not the first attack on INEC’s facilities in Abia in recent times.

Five months ago, on December 13, its LGA office in Aba south was completely burnt down while that of Arochukwu LGA was vandalised in October 2020.

Loading

Related Topics:
Advertisement

News

Lagos Needs 80,000 More Health Workers to Avert Crisis – Sanwo-Olu Raises Alarm

Published

53 minutes ago

on

August 7, 2026

By

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu

Lagos Needs 80,000 More Health Workers to Avert Crisis – Sanwo-Olu Raises Alarm

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has raised an urgent alarm over the state’s healthcare workforce crisis, revealing that Lagos requires approximately 40,000 additional doctors and another 40,000 nurses to adequately meet the healthcare needs of its rapidly growing population. The governor made this disclosure on Thursday at the opening of the second Eko Health Convention held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. According to Sanwo-Olu, Lagos currently has only about 7,000 doctors in its workforce, a figure far below what is required to serve the state’s population, and he painted a stark picture of the current situation, stating that every doctor practising in Lagos today is effectively doing the work of ten people.

Beyond the severe manpower shortage, the governor identified inadequate funding as the second major challenge confronting the state’s health sector, disclosing a funding gap of at least N100 billion between what the state’s health budget provides and what the system genuinely requires. Sanwo-Olu also warned that donor financing, which has supported disease control programmes for nearly two decades, is contracting sharply and is unlikely to return in its old form, and this declining external support has further compounded the pressure on government resources.

Despite the workforce and funding challenges, the Federal Ministry of Health’s Q1 2026 health sector performance report showed Lagos recorded the highest skilled birth attendance rate in the country at 100 per cent, a significant achievement that underscores the state’s commitment to maternal health. However, the state also recorded 50 maternal deaths in the first quarter of 2026, up from 26 in the previous quarter, as well as the country’s highest neonatal death toll at 231, an increase from 127 in Q4 2025. The scorecard attributed the bulk of the state’s neonatal mortality reports to Lagos Island and Ikorodu local government areas, highlighting the need for targeted interventions in these communities. The report also showed Lagos spent N180.99 billion on health in 2025 out of a N216.71 billion budget, the highest health expenditure by any state during the period, reflecting the administration’s prioritisation of healthcare despite resource constraints.

READ ALSO:

In response to the crisis, Sanwo-Olu said the state government has begun implementing measures to address the workforce deficit, including aggressive recruitment drives, improved welfare packages, provision of accommodation for health workers, and plans to establish a University of Medicine and Health Sciences to expand training capacity. According to the governor, the government recently opened clinical recruitment across all 29 secondary healthcare facilities in the state, and he emphasised that the administration is improving conditions to slow the departures and, increasingly, to attract colleagues back. The governor further stressed that Lagos was moving from delivering healthcare projects to building enduring systems that would guarantee quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare for generations, stating that access without excellence is merely a queue in a clinic within walking distance where the drugs have run out, while excellence without access is a showpiece that a mother in Ajegunle will never enter, and Lagos is not interested in either option.

On health insurance, the governor announced that enrollment under the state’s Ilera Eko health insurance scheme has exceeded 1.5 million residents, with the figure standing at 1,502,994 as of the end of May 2026, and women account for more than half of the beneficiaries with 54 per cent female and 46 per cent male, while residents aged 18 to 60 account for more than 62 per cent of enrollees. The governor noted that utilisation is rising, which indicates that coverage is translating into actual care and not merely into cards in wallets. He also disclosed that the Lagos State Health Management Agency’s Assistance in Distress programme has saved 18 lives since it became operational in March, providing emergency care to victims of road traffic injuries, obstetric crises, strokes, and surgical emergencies regardless of their ability to pay. In an emergency, the governor affirmed, a Lagosian should be stabilised first and asked about payment afterwards, reinforcing the administration’s commitment to compassionate healthcare delivery.

Sanwo-Olu further revealed that the state is leveraging technology through the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform, a digital health information exchange system being implemented across public health institutions, and the platform has reached about 30 per cent implementation covering general hospitals, teaching hospitals, and more than 300 primary healthcare facilities. The platform will enable seamless access to patients’ medical records, improve disease surveillance, and support evidence-based health planning, and the governor explained that when the record travels, the clinician sees the whole patient, and when the data comes together, the policymaker sees the whole city, allowing the system to move from reacting to anticipating. The government is also investing in artificial intelligence and other digital innovations to strengthen diagnosis, medical imaging, and healthcare delivery, and according to the governor, the state recently launched a Digital Health Innovation Challenge to encourage innovators to develop technology-driven solutions for health insurance, emergency response, sickle cell management, neonatal care, and medical research.

Speaking on healthcare infrastructure, Sanwo-Olu highlighted ongoing investments in new general hospitals, climate-smart primary health centres, a children’s hospital, and a mental institute at Ketu-Ejirin, and he also reiterated the government’s zero tolerance for quackery and substandard healthcare practices. The governor reaffirmed his administration’s long-term vision, stressing that ongoing reforms, including Ilera Eko, the health district system, and the digital health platform, are designed to outlive his tenure, and he declared that the administration has kept its promises and is now building the systems that will keep them long after the current leadership. Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to building a more accessible, affordable, and efficient healthcare system, with plans to position the state as a leading medical tourism destination in Africa, and he reiterated that the state government remains committed to achieving universal health coverage for all residents.

Lagos Needs 80,000 More Health Workers to Avert Crisis – Sanwo-Olu Raises Alarm

Loading

Continue Reading

News

Tinubu Approves Recruitment of 3,252 Verified PTA Teachers into Federal Civil Service

Published

10 hours ago

on

August 7, 2026

By

Tinubu Approves Recruitment of 3,252 Verified PTA Teachers into Federal Civil Service

Tinubu Approves Recruitment of 3,252 Verified PTA Teachers into Federal Civil Service

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 3,252 verified Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) teachers into the Federal Civil Service, a landmark decision that ends years of uncertainty for thousands of educators who have kept classrooms running in Federal Unity Colleges across Nigeria. The approval, announced on Thursday by Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa, represents one of the most significant interventions by the current administration to address the persistent shortage of teaching personnel in federal secondary schools. The Minister described the decision as a major milestone that reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to revitalising the education sector and investing in the country’s future through improved teaching and learning. According to the minister, priority will be given to absorbing verified PTA teachers, many of whom have served in Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges for nearly 25 years without being absorbed into the mainstream public service. “This is a President who cares deeply for Nigeria and for the future of our country,” Alausa stated. “The President has approved the recruitment of teachers. Priority will be given to absorbing verified PTA teachers, many of whom have served in our Federal Unity Colleges and Federal Technical Colleges for almost 25 years. This approval provides them with the opportunity to become part of the mainstream public service.”

Dr Alausa explained that the approval followed a comprehensive verification exercise conducted by an Inter-Ministerial Committee, which carefully screened eligible PTA teachers across Federal Unity Colleges nationwide. The exercise verified 3,252 teachers across the cadres of Education Officers, Assistant Education Officers and Technical Instructors, paving the way for their regularisation upon completion of all statutory requirements. The minister noted that the recruitment represents another milestone in the implementation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that it would significantly improve teacher-to-student ratios in Federal Unity Colleges while recognising the dedication of PTA teachers who have continued to serve despite years of uncertainty over their employment status. The minister added that integrating experienced PTA teachers into the federal public service would help preserve institutional knowledge, strengthen classroom instruction and improve learning outcomes across the colleges. He noted that the recruitment aligns with the Federal Government’s broader strategy to enhance teaching quality and restore Federal Unity Colleges as centres of academic excellence. Dr Alausa also reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Ministry of Education to collaborate with relevant government agencies to complete the outstanding statutory procedures required for the issuance of final letters of appointment in line with existing public service regulations. He assured the verified PTA teachers that the ministry would ensure the regularisation exercise is concluded transparently, fairly and in strict compliance with due process and established public service rules.

READ ALSO:

For many years, Federal Unity Colleges have relied heavily on PTA teachers engaged and paid by Parent-Teacher Associations to bridge chronic staffing gaps caused by inadequate recruitment into the federal teaching service. Many of these teachers have worked in the colleges for between 10 and 25 years without permanent appointments, despite performing the same classroom responsibilities as regular government-employed teachers, and without pension benefits or employment security available to regular civil servants. Successive administrations received appeals from the affected teachers and education stakeholders to regularise their appointments, arguing that the prolonged reliance on PTA-funded staff placed a financial burden on parents and created job insecurity for thousands of qualified teachers. The minister stressed that no education system can rise above the quality of its teachers, and that investing in teachers remains critical to building a stronger and more competitive education system. He commended the PTA teachers for their resilience and commitment to duty despite the uncertainty surrounding their employment status. The recruitment approval has been widely welcomed by education stakeholders and the affected teachers, who have long campaigned for regularisation of their appointments.

The recruitment of 3,252 PTA teachers into the Federal Civil Service represents a significant boost for the country’s education sector. By absorbing experienced educators who have already demonstrated their competence in the classroom, the Federal Government is taking a strategic approach to addressing the teacher shortage in Federal Unity Colleges. The move is expected to improve the quality of education in these institutions, reduce the financial burden on parents who have been funding PTA teachers, and provide job security and benefits for thousands of dedicated educators. The regularisation of these teachers also sets a precedent for addressing similar challenges in other sectors where contract or PTA-funded staff have been providing essential services without proper recognition or benefits.

Tinubu Approves Recruitment of 3,252 Verified PTA Teachers into Federal Civil Service

Loading

Continue Reading

News

Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon appointed medical director of US hospital

Published

24 hours ago

on

August 6, 2026

By

Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon appointed medical director of US hospital
Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon, Dr. Salamat Ahuoiza Aliu-Ibrahim

Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon appointed medical director of US hospital

Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon, Dr. Salamat Ahuoiza Aliu-Ibrahim, has achieved another major career milestone after being appointed Medical Director of a children’s hospital in the United States, earning widespread commendation from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) and the medical community.

The appointment further strengthens Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s pioneering medical professionals and highlights the growing impact of Nigerian healthcare experts on the global stage.

The development was announced on Thursday in a statement issued by NiDCOM through its Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

Reacting to the appointment, NiDCOM Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described it as another remarkable achievement for Nigerians living abroad and a testament to the outstanding contributions of Nigerian professionals across the world.

She said Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim’s emergence as Medical Director reflects the excellence, resilience and professionalism that continue to distinguish Nigerians in the diaspora in various sectors.

According to Dabiri-Erewa, the appointment demonstrates that excellence transcends gender, race and religion while serving as an inspiration to young Nigerians—especially girls aspiring to pursue careers in medicine, science and other highly specialised professions.

She noted that Aliu-Ibrahim’s success also dispels stereotypes surrounding Muslim women and reinforces the message that faith and professional excellence can coexist.

READ ALSO:

“Dr. Salamat Aliu-Ibrahim’s appointment is yet another reminder that Muslim women cover their hair, not their brains,” Dabiri-Erewa said.

“Her remarkable achievement demonstrates that faith and excellence are not mutually exclusive. She has become a beacon of hope and inspiration for countless young girls across Nigeria and beyond.”

Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim made history as Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon after completing her neurosurgical residency at the National Hospital, Abuja, becoming one of the country’s foremost pioneers in one of medicine’s most demanding specialties.

After relocating to the United States, she faced the challenge of securing a neurosurgery residency position under the American medical training system. Rather than abandon her medical career, she retrained in paediatrics and successfully established herself as a paediatrician.

Her resilience and determination have since earned her leadership responsibilities within the American healthcare system, culminating in her appointment as Medical Director of a children’s hospital.

Medical experts say her career journey reflects exceptional adaptability and commitment to patient care, demonstrating that professional success often requires resilience, continuous learning and the willingness to embrace new opportunities.

While celebrating the appointment, Dabiri-Erewa also expressed concern over the continued migration of highly skilled Nigerian healthcare professionals abroad in search of better career opportunities.

She acknowledged that Nigerians in the diaspora continue to make invaluable contributions to healthcare, research, innovation and public service across the world, but warned that the persistent migration of experienced doctors and other medical personnel continues to pose challenges for Nigeria’s healthcare sector.

According to her, addressing issues relating to remuneration, welfare, working conditions and career development for healthcare workers remains essential to reducing the country’s brain drain.

She stressed that creating an enabling environment for medical professionals would encourage more experts to remain in Nigeria while strengthening the country’s healthcare system and improving service delivery.

Dabiri-Erewa commended Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim for projecting Nigeria positively through excellence, dedication and professionalism, expressing confidence that she would continue to make significant contributions to healthcare in her new leadership role.

She also reaffirmed NiDCOM‘s commitment to recognising and celebrating Nigerians in the diaspora whose outstanding achievements continue to enhance the country’s global image and inspire future generations.

Dr. Aliu-Ibrahim’s appointment adds to the growing list of Nigerian professionals occupying strategic leadership positions in healthcare institutions across the world, underscoring the country’s reputation for producing highly skilled medical experts who continue to excel internationally.

Nigeria’s first indigenous female neurosurgeon appointed medical director of US hospital

Loading

Continue Reading

Trending