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The federal government is stepping up efforts to improve health data management by strengthening the digital skills of health information professionals and ensuring that qualified officers are responsible for managing records in health care facilities.

The Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Records Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Babagana Mustapha, said this was necessary to prepare health information management graduates for the increasing use of digital technology in Nigeria’s health care system.

Mustapha spoke in Abuja at a two-day retreat and training on the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) for tutors across health information management training institutions.

He said the training was designed to improve tutors’ practical knowledge of digital health systems and ensure that students acquired the skills required for effective health data collection, analysis, reporting and utilisation.

The registrar urged heads of departments and coordinators to ensure that the knowledge gained during the exercise was shared with other tutors and integrated into teaching activities.

He also called for improved digital learning facilities, continuous professional development and adherence to data confidentiality, information security and professional ethics.

Representing the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Anthony Adoge said the government would continue to support efforts to position licensed Health Information Management (HIM) officers at the centre of health care data management.

Adoge urged the council to recommend that all public and private health facilities employ licensed health records officers to manage their records departments, regardless of whether they had adopted digital systems.

He also pledged that only licensed HIM officers would be engaged as enumerators during the mini Demographic and Health Survey scheduled for 2027.

According to him, the ministry had deployed laptops to 6,000 primary health care centres on the condition that states provide evidence that licensed HIM officers were managing health data in the facilities.

He said more than 5,000 primary health care centres had been digitalised within six months, while about 11,000 of Nigeria’s 37,000 health facilities were using electronic medical record systems.

Adoge said the government wanted health information professionals to develop competencies that could meet international standards and enable them to interpret data for effective health care planning and decision-making.

He warned professionals against surrendering their responsibilities to technology vendors, stressing that qualified health information officers must remain central to the management and interpretation of patients’ data.

Also speaking, Dr Chizora Opara of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation, said reliable data was critical to achieving Nigeria’s target of ending open defecation by 2030.

Opara said the National Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, launched in 2019, had recorded 184 local government areas as open-defecation-free.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has identified two suspected cases of Ebola disease in the North-East region.

The agency said both individuals had been isolated, while contact identification and listing were ongoing and laboratory tests were being conducted.

In an update on Saturday, the NCDC cautioned against treating the suspected cases as confirmed infections, noting that confirmation would depend on laboratory results.

‘Being classified as suspected cases does not mean they are confirmed Ebola cases; confirmation is subject to laboratory results,’ the agency said.

The NCDC urged Nigerians to maintain good hand hygiene, practise proper sanitation and adhere to guidance from public health authorities.

It added that further updates would be provided as verified information became available.

Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has urged residents of Ogun State to support President Bola Tinubu’s reelection bid in 2027, saying the administration’s economic reforms are attracting investors and stabilising the economy.

Tompolo, the Grand Patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, made the call on Friday during the inauguration of the movement’s Ogun State chapter in Abeokuta, where 26 campaign vehicles and other mobilisation materials were donated.

Represented by the Managing Director of Tantita Security Services, Kestin Pondi, Tompolo commended Tinubu for what he described as bold policies that were restoring investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy.

He said the administration had addressed the perennial fuel scarcity that forced motorists to queue for hours at filling stations, while also recording progress in infrastructure development and the regular payment of salaries and pensions.

‘We have a president who said Nigeria must be better. Today, there is no more capital flight, investors are returning and the naira is stabilising.

‘Go everywhere and tell them that your son, your brother, your father must return to Aso Rock. Make them understand that he is the best. The reforms have no doubt come with challenges, but just like the challenges a woman in labour faces; she rejoices at the birth of her child. We shall all be happy,’ he said.

He maintained that countries that had attained economic development went through similar reform processes, expressing confidence that Nigeria would emerge stronger if the government sustained its policies.

‘Every developed country has gone through this path Tinubu is taking us through and came out stronger. Nigeria will come out stronger with the policies and reforms of Tinubu. Let us keep faith with him. He means well for Nigeria,’ he added.

Tompolo said the movement was in Ogun State to collaborate with other support groups to ensure that the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured victories at all levels in the 2027 elections.

Also speaking, Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, commended the movement for its support, saying its activities would complement other efforts to mobilise voters for the president.

She said Ogun State was prepared to support Tinubu in appreciation of the benefits it had received from his administration’s policies and reforms.

Addressing the electorate, Salako-Oyedele cautioned against complacency, urging residents to come out and vote rather than assume that victory was already assured.

Morocco has lauded the United Nations Security Council non-renewal of the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), describing it as a significant step towards ending the dispute.

A statement issued by the Moroccan Royal Cabinet described the decision as ‘ a major development and a significant step toward the definitive closure of the Moroccan Sahara issue at the United Nations’.

The statement followed the Security Council’s failure, on Friday, to adopt either of two competing draft resolutions seeking to renew the mandate of the MINURSO.

The Security Council voted on two separate draft resolutions on the renewal of MINURSO’s mandate.

A U.S.-drafted resolution, which would make significant changes to the mission’s mandate and future presence, won 11 votes in favor, but was vetoed by Russia.

The council subsequently rejected a Russian-sponsored alternative seeking a straightforward one-year extension of the existing mandate.

The Russian draft won three votes in favor, one vote against, with 11 abstentions, and the United States voted against it.

Reacting to the development, the Royal Cabinet Office said ‘a 35-year chapter has now come to a close’.

‘Rooted in an anachronistic and outdated context, this Mission has long served as a tool for internationalizing the regional dispute concerning the Kingdom of Morocco’s legitimate recovery of its Saharan provinces,’ the statement said.

The statement said the failure to renew the mandate should lead to the withdrawal of MINURSO personnel, vehicles, equipment and other mission symbols from Morocco’s southern provinces.

It further argued that the development should end the Security Council’s consideration of the issue, including periodic meetings and reports by the UN Secretary-General, adding that briefings by the secretary-general’s personal envoy would no longer be necessary.

‘The UN political process, which has unfortunately been marked by the procrastination of other parties and their stubbornness in creating deadlocks and perpetuating the status quo, is thus suspended,’ the statement said.

The Royal Cabinet noted that ‘this major development coincides with the celebration of Unity Day, proclaimed by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, to symbolize a break with the previous approach to managing this issue, shifting from a mere management logic to an approach aimed at profoundly transforming the parameters’.

It added that,while expressing its satisfaction with this development, Morocco remains firmly committed to the ceasefire, with strict respect for its territorial integrity, national security, and the tranquility of its citizens.

It expressed optimism that the international momentum launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI will continue at the bilateral and regional levels.

‘It has already succeeded in garnering significant support, as more than two-thirds of UN members, including permanent members of the Security Council and influential powers, clearly support autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the sole framework for resolving this regional dispute,’ the statement added.

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Leke Abejide, has challenged Yoruba and other non-indigenous communities in Kano state to mobilise at least two million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2027 general elections.

Abejide made the call on Saturday during the 2026/2027 Kano State Empowerment Programme organised by the Leke Abejide Foundation, where hundreds of millions of naira worth of financial and material support were unveiled for women, widows and other beneficiaries from Yoruba, Ebira and Igala communities resident in the state.

The lawmaker, who represents Yagba West, Yagba East and Mopamuro Federal Constituency of Kogi State, said the beneficiaries were drawn from Yoruba communities originating from Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi states, as well as the Ebira and Igala ethnic groups of Kogi State.

Abejide, who is also the Asiwaju of Yoruba people in Kano, explained that the decision to extend his foundation’s empowerment initiative to Kano was informed by his longstanding relationship with the people, having lived and conducted business in the state for about 34 years.

He said the intervention was designed to provide sustainable economic opportunities and lift beneficiaries out of poverty through business support, rather than relying on temporary handouts.

The lawmaker disclosed that the foundation had earmarked N500 million for interest-free loans to women organised into cooperative societies, including widows and other businesswomen, to strengthen their businesses and improve their economic independence.

He also announced the distribution of food items, clothing and direct financial assistance to widows, assuring beneficiaries that the programme would continue beyond the 2027 general elections.

‘The era of our women going to borrow from financial institutions with interest they cannot pay is over for good. As long as you are a serious businesswoman resident here in Kano, your season of dryness is over by the grace of God,’ he said.

To ensure accountability and sustainability, Abejide said the foundation had established a monitoring mechanism to track the loans and ensure repayment. He warned that beneficiaries who failed to fulfil their repayment obligations would not qualify for subsequent rounds of the scheme.

He further disclosed plans to introduce a separate empowerment programme for youths and male entrepreneurs, particularly unemployed young people, to equip them with the resources and opportunities needed to become self-reliant.

However, Abejide urged the beneficiaries and the wider non-indigenous communities to translate their appreciation of the intervention into political participation, calling for massive support for President Tinubu and all APC candidates in 2027.

‘I am not just here to spend my hard-earned resources but I am soliciting for your support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Do not treat the election as a party affair but as a collective responsibility,’ he said.

Former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who attended the event, expressed dissatisfaction with the nearly 500,000 votes President Tinubu received in Kano State during the 2023 presidential election, arguing that the voting strength of non-indigenous communities in the state should not be underestimated.

He challenged the Yoruba and other ethnic communities to consolidate their political participation and work towards delivering a higher number of votes in the 2027 elections.

‘Your voting population in Kano delivered nearly 500,000 votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last presidential election. That performance was not satisfactory, and we must do better this time,’ Bello said.

The former governor expressed confidence in Abejide’s mobilisation capacity, saying he expected the lawmaker to mobilise at least two million votes for Tinubu in the next presidential election.

‘I am convinced that the votes he mobilises for Mr President should not be less than two million, if not more. And this should not be limited to the presidential election. We must also work for all APC candidates, from the President to the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly,’ he added.

Bello also appealed to Nigerians, particularly those in the North, to support Tinubu’s re-election bid, arguing that the president should be allowed to complete two terms in office in the interest of political stability.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto State have exchanged accusations following an alleged attack on the convoy of the ADC governorship candidate, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, by personnel of the Sokoto Marshal and Community Guard.

Dan’iya had alleged that personnel of the two state-owned security outfits attacked his convoy around the Sokoto Airport at about 9pm on Friday, October 30, shortly after he escorted former Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to the airport for his return to Abuja.

In a statement issued by his Media Aide, Aminu Abdullahi, the ADC candidate claimed that the security personnel blocked his convoy and prevented it from passing, allegedly claiming they were acting on orders from above to stop ADC members from entering Sokoto.

He alleged that gunshots were fired during the confrontation, his vehicle was damaged and two Department of State Services (DSS) officers attached to his security team were detained.

Dan’iya described the incident as a threat to his life and called on the police, the DSS and other relevant authorities to investigate the matter and establish those responsible.

He also urged the security agencies to ensure the release of the two DSS officers if they remained in custody, while calling on the state government to clarify the alleged instructions given to the security personnel.

The ADC candidate further alleged that earlier in the day, personnel of the security outfits had been deployed at entry points into the state, where vehicles bearing ADC inscriptions were reportedly stopped from entering.

However, the APC dismissed the allegations, describing them as fabricated claims intended to attract public sympathy and divert attention from the ADC’s political challenges.

The state APC Chairman, Alhaji Haruna Adiya, said the allegations were part of what he described as a propaganda campaign against the state government.

Adiya, who spoke in a statement, questioned the credibility of the account, particularly the claim that personnel of the state security outfits detained DSS officers and interfered with their vehicles.

He also faulted what he described as inconsistencies in the ADC’s account of the incident, arguing that while the party’s media aide reportedly claimed that security personnel prevented Dan’iya from entering Sokoto metropolis, the candidate’s statement indicated that he had visited different locations in the city to pay condolence visits and attend to other engagements.

The APC chairman also dismissed claims that security personnel were deployed to restrict ADC members from entering the state, explaining that Sokoto was preparing to host a major traditional title conferment ceremony scheduled for Sunday.

He said the event was expected to attract prominent personalities and visitors from different parts of the country, making adequate security arrangements necessary.

Adiya maintained that the deployment of security personnel was aimed at protecting residents and visitors attending the ceremony and had nothing to do with the political activities of the ADC.

He further urged the opposition party to address its internal challenges rather than blame the APC and the state government for its political difficulties.

The APC chairman also said Governor Ahmed Aliyu remained committed to peace and political tolerance, adding that he had consistently advised party supporters against engaging in activities capable of causing political tension or violence.

According to him, ADC members have continued to conduct political activities in Sokoto without interference or intimidation from APC supporters.

He urged the opposition party to substantiate its allegations and focus on presenting policies and development plans to the electorate rather than engaging in what he described as manufactured controversies.