Category: Nigerian Tribune

Three years after the Federal Government approved a three-month N25,000 monthly palliative for vulnerable Nigerians following the removal of fuel subsidy, pensioners are still waiting for payment, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The union, in a letter to the President, appealed for the immediate release of the N75,000 total relief to pensioners, saying none of its members had received the approved payment since the measure was announced in October 2023.

The NUP, through its General Secretary, Comrade Godwin Amadin, said the palliative was approved as part of measures to cushion the impact of subsidy removal on vulnerable Nigerians, including pensioners.

According to the union, the approval was received by senior citizens ‘with joy and renewed hope,’ particularly because pensioners have been among those hardest hit by rising costs of food, drugs, transportation and electricity.

‘However, we are constrained to inform Your Excellency that no single pensioner has been paid this approved palliative to date,’ the NUP said.

The union expressed concern that the prolonged delay had further worsened the hardship facing pensioners, many of whom, it said, had served the country for 35 years or more under specialised public service conditions.

It argued that the N75,000 due each beneficiary would have provided significant relief for food, medication and other basic necessities had it been paid promptly.

The NUP therefore appealed to Tinubu to direct the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to commence payment of the palliative to pensioners nationwide.

The union also pointed out that the palliative had already been paid to civil servants ‘almost three years ago,’ further fuelling its demand for immediate action on the pensioners’ outstanding payment.

The pensioners said they had already provided verified data to NASSCO to facilitate ‘seamless, transparent, and direct payment’ to beneficiaries.

The union commended the President for the regular payment of monthly pensions and the recent approval of N25 billion for the implementation of pension harmonisation and payment of other pension arrears.

It urged the administration to extend the same commitment to the outstanding palliative, saying its release would help restore hope and dignity to senior citizens.

‘We have absolute confidence in your ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ and your commitment to ‘leaving no one behind’,’ the union said, appealing to the President to urgently intervene.

I was diagnosed for depression some years ago. Since then, I have been taking anti-depressant pills. I now feel okay and more importantly, I am tired of taking the drugs. Can I stop taking them?

Luke (by SMS)

Don’t do anything until you talk with your prescribing doctor. The name of the game is a slow wean. Since your body has become accustomed to receiving the chemicals from the antidepressant, quickly stopping it will require an adjustment from your body that it’s not ready for.

When this happens, symptoms of depression can come rushing back. In such cases, you may find it takes weeks to months to recover and get back to where you were before. For this reason, it will be better for you continue to take your medications.

The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army (NA), Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, has warned troops to desist from substance abuse, misuse of social media and other related vices.

He gave the warning during his visit to 12 Brigade Area of Responsibility (AOR) from September 2 to 4, 2026, as part of his maiden operational tour of formations and units under his command.

He was received on arrival by the Commander, 12 Brigade, Chari Maigumeri Barracks, Lokoja, Brigadier General Kasim Umar Sidi, who briefed him on the operational activities within the Brigade’s AOR.

Speaking during the visit, the GOC, Major General Mahmuda, commended the commander and his troops for the tremendous operational successes recorded, particularly the recent rescue of 15 National Youth Service Corps members and six civilians abducted in Kogi State.

He further thanked them for their efforts in keeping Kogi and adjoining states safe and calm for socio-economic activities to thrive. He said this was responsible for the sharp decrease in criminal activities.

The GOC emphasised the strategic importance of Kogi State as a corridor to the eastern and southern parts of the country, urging the troops to sustain the operational tempo by ensuring that the state remains peaceful and calm.

Relatedly, the GOC visited the 21 Battalion Headquarters, Ayingba, in Dekina Local Government Area, where he was received by the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Godiya Solomon Monde.

He addressed the troops and commended them for their resilience and dedication to duty, which he said had translated into several operational exploits. He said this had brought sanity to Kogi East and glory to the fatherland.

He urged them to sustain the operational tempo by denying criminal elements freedom of action. The GOC underscored the importance of discipline, adding that it remains the bedrock of the Nigerian Army.

He charged them to maintain the core values of the Nigerian Army, in line with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu’s, command philosophy.

Major General Mahmuda emphasised the need for sustained operational readiness and effective collaboration with other security agencies and critical stakeholders.

A pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ, Iri Orun Parish, Bidemi Odukoya, allegedly killed his wife at their residence in Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, before later dying after jumping in front of a moving truck.

According to Punch, Odukoya, who was the father of three boys, reportedly threw himself in front of a truck along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway shortly after the incident.

The incident reportedly happened around 2am on Monday, August 31, following a fight between the couple.

A neighbour, Oluwatoyin Oseni, said the couple had a history of domestic fights, some of which left the wife injured.

‘Sincerely, Mummy Daniel and her husband, who we fondly called Iri Orun, have always engaged in domestic fights. Recently, I had to help take care of the wife after their usual fight,’ Oseni said.

‘There was even police involvement, after which we thought that the misunderstanding had been settled.

‘It was after the tragedy of Monday, August 31, that we got to understand that both husband and wife had reportedly not been on speaking terms since June as a fallout of their regular squabble.’

Oseni said the couple’s 14-year-old first son, Daniel, alerted her around 2am after his father allegedly attacked his mother.

She said she and another neighbour went to the couple’s home and found the woman dead on the ground.

‘We later got to hear that the Shepherd used a machete and wooden stool to smash the head of his wife. We also saw Daddy Daniel with a cutlass in his hand,’ she said.

‘As I was asking him why he would go to the extent of killing his wife, he calmly said that he too was as good as gone. But because he was holding the cutlass, we could not move closer.

‘He later went inside the house, but we never knew that he had escaped that midnight from the community to go and kill himself at Ifo along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.’

The youth leader of the community, Seun Adelana, said the couple’s disagreement was reportedly linked to allegations of infidelity.

‘The husband was said to have been alleging that the wife was dating another man, and some people also said that the shepherd was dating another woman,’ Adelana said.

‘So, this is what we gathered led to the altercation, which made the husband kill the woman.’

The Baale of the community, Taiwo Akiode, said some residents in Ifo later saw Odukoya on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

‘Some people at Ifo told us that when the deceased got to the expressway, he was crossing the expressway back and forth repeatedly,’ Akiode said.

‘He later sat on the divider, after which he saw an oncoming truck and jumped before it and died.’

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern over the low rate of birth registration among children in Cross River State, urging parents, health facilities and community leaders to ensure that every child is registered at birth.

UNICEF Chief of Nutrition, Nemat Hajeebhoy, raised the concern during an engagement with Ward Development Committees (WDCs) at the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Ekpo Abasi, Ward 12, Calabar South.

Hajeebhoy, who is based at UNICEF’s headquarters in Abuja, said birth registration was not merely an administrative requirement but a fundamental right of every child.

She said UNICEF was concerned that Cross River was ‘lagging a bit behind’ in birth registration, urging WDC members and health workers to mobilise parents and ensure that children in their communities were registered.

‘Birth certificates are very important. You know, we work for UNICEF, so we talk about the rights of children. So this is the right of every child,’ she said.

Hajeebhoy explained that birth registration would become increasingly important as children grow older, particularly in accessing government services and obtaining essential identity documents.

She urged parents, especially fathers, to take responsibility for registering their children, stressing that every child born in Nigeria should have official documentation establishing their identity and birth.

The UNICEF official also called on WDCs to make birth registration a priority at the ward and primary healthcare levels by supporting mothers and fathers to complete the registration process.

She said the National Population Commission (NPC) was already conducting online birth registration, adding that parents could facilitate the process by providing the required identification details.

‘Every ward, every PHC needs to do its best,’ she said, urging community structures to work with the relevant authorities to close the gap in birth registration.

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu Office, Juliet Chiluwe, also identified birth registration as one of the areas requiring greater attention in the state.

Chiluwe said although Cross River had recorded positive progress in child health and nutrition through its collaboration with UNICEF, more needed to be done to ensure that all children were registered.

The officials also raised concerns over declining rates of early and exclusive breastfeeding in Cross River, saying only about half of the state’s children were being fed appropriately.

They urged WDCs to mobilise market women, religious leaders, youths and other community stakeholders to promote early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life.

During their interactions with WDCs, they called for stronger community oversight of nutrition commodities supplied to health facilities, warning against the diversion and sale of items meant to be distributed free to children.

Responding on behalf of the WDCs, Tony Bassey commended UNICEF for its partnership with Cross River State and appealed for support to upgrade the Ekpo Abasi PHC into a cottage hospital to improve child-friendly healthcare services in Calabar South.

He also requested capacity-building programmes for health workers and WDC members to strengthen their ability to support maternal and child health interventions.

Responding, Hajeebhoy said UNICEF could not undertake the proposed infrastructure upgrade because such projects fell outside its mandate, but promised to convey the request to the state and federal governments.

She, however, pledged UNICEF’s support for training and skills upgrading for health workers and WDC members.

A similar engagement was held at PHC, Ediba, Calabar Municipal, where UNICEF officials urged WDC members to advocate for greater government investment in the scheme, which they said could support the procurement of multiple micronutrient supplements, ready-to-use therapeutic food and other commodities for preventing and treating child malnutrition.

Troops of 65 Battalion, Nigerian Army, have rescued two kidnap victims, Mr Kelvin Okafor and Mr Alex Anato, following their abduction at a farm in Igbonla, Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

According to an official operational report made to our correspondent at the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Abuja on Saturday, the victims were reportedly abducted on Friday, 4 September 2026, and were rescued in a coordinated operation involving operatives of the Nigerian Police, local vigilantes and other security agencies.

The report explained that the rescue operation was launched following credible information on the abduction of the victims while they were working on the farm.

According to it, ‘acting swiftly on the intelligence, the joint security team mobilised to the area and closed in on the kidnappers’ location.

‘On sighting the advancing troops and other security personnel, the kidnappers abandoned their captives and fled into the surrounding forest.

‘The joint team immediately pursued the fleeing criminals, resulting in the neutralisation of one of the kidnappers, while two others escaped deeper into the forest.’

It further added that the two victims were rescued unhurt and subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for necessary medical assessment, debriefing and further action, while the remains of the neutralised kidnapper were also handed over to the Police for appropriate action.

It reaffirmed that the Nigerian Army remained resolute in the protection of lives and property. In collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders, troops will continue to sustain aggressive and intelligence-led operations to deny criminal elements freedom of action and enhance the safety and security of communities across the country.

The All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN) has urged the Federal Government to address outstanding payments for completed projects awarded to local contractors.

The association made the call on Saturday in Abuja at the burial of one of its members, Alhaji Mohammed Inusa, who it said died after battling an illness for about three months.

Mr Jackson Nwosu, National President of AICAN, said the deceased had completed projects worth billions of naira but was still owed more than N1 billion.

Nwosu alleged that the outstanding payment had made it difficult for the contractor to access funds needed for medical treatment.

He said the deceased required surgery which, according to him, could have been funded if part of the money owed him had been paid.

‘We are here to bury one of our members that died. He had been suffering from this illness for about three months,’ Nwosu said.

He said the association had been concerned about the financial difficulties faced by local contractors who were unable to recover funds invested in government projects.

Nwosu appealed to the Federal Government to prioritise payment of verified debts owed to indigenous contractors to prevent further hardship in the sector.

He also questioned why, according to him, foreign contractors were sometimes paid upfront while local contractors struggled to recover money invested in completed projects.

Similarly, Mr Rotimi Raheem, National Publicity Secretary of AICAN, said the association had lost several members in different parts of the country.

Raheem said the deceased had outstanding payments running into billions of naira but was unable to access sufficient funds for his treatment.

He said the association contributed some money toward the contractor’s medical expenses but could not raise enough because many members were also experiencing financial difficulties.

‘Two weeks ago, with the little we had, we gave it to him,’ Raheem said.

He said the association was concerned about the impact of delayed payments on contractors and called for urgent intervention by the Federal Government.

According to him, some contractors had not been paid for projects completed over the past two years because such projects allegedly lacked cash backing.

He said the situation was not peculiar to Abuja but affected indigenous contractors across the country.

Raheem urged the government to ensure that verified obligations to local contractors were settled, saying this would enable them to recover investments and continue contributing to national infrastructure development.

He said the association remained committed to engaging relevant authorities on the issue of outstanding payments to indigenous contractors.

Nuhu Inusa, son of the deceased contractor, said his father’s health began to deteriorate about three months before his death.

He attributed the worsening condition partly to the delay in payment for work his father had executed as a contractor.

According to him, the family had made efforts to draw the attention of relevant authorities to the situation and sought assistance from their representative, but without success.

‘Had the money been paid on time, I believe, though I am not God, that he might still have been alive by now,’ he said.

Inusa said his father eventually died from a tumour in his spine.

The Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), Oyo State Command, has urged young people to shun cultism and criminal activities, assuring vulnerable children that they remain valued members of society with a future worth protecting.

The POCACOV State Coordinator, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ayishat Mary Eriaremhien, made the call on Saturday, September 5, during a World Charity Day outreach to children at the Juvenile Correctional Institution and Child Care Unit in Sango, Ibadan.

Eriaremhien said the outreach was aimed not only at providing material support but also at giving vulnerable children a sense of belonging, love and hope for a better future.

She said the police initiative, carried out on the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, was intended to demonstrate that society had not forgotten children facing difficult circumstances.

POCACOV brought essential supplies to the centre as part of efforts to support the vulnerable children and urged the youths among them to avoid crime and secret cults, warning that involvement in such activities could lead to imprisonment and untimely death.

Eriaremhien therefore urged the children to resist negative influences and avoid activities that could jeopardise their future.

The POCACOV coordinator also appealed to parents to take greater responsibility for the upbringing of their children, stressing the need to monitor their activities, friendships and social interactions to prevent them from being lured into cultism and other vices.

She said parents should regard their children as valuable assets and remain vigilant about the people and environments influencing them, noting that effective parental guidance could play a major role in preventing youth involvement in crime.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, the Head of the Institution, Mrs. Adebisi Sonuga, expressed appreciation to the police for their continued support and protection of the facility.

She described the command as a dependable partner that had consistently responded whenever the home required assistance.

Sonuga urged members of the public to remember vulnerable children and regularly visit care facilities to share love and joy with them, particularly during personal celebrations such as birthdays.

She, however, disclosed that the institution was facing persistent challenges relating to logistics and funding, appealing to individuals, corporate organisations and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the home with financial and material donations.

The institution’s head also raised concern over child abandonment, urging parents who could no longer cater for their children to hand them over to registered private or government-owned care homes instead of abandoning them in dangerous circumstances.

The POCACOV State Chairman, Dr. Abraham Adeoye, said the outreach was part of activities to mark World Charity Day in line with a nationwide directive from the Inspector-General of Police, aimed at extending goodwill to vulnerable groups across the country.

Adeoye, who presented relief items donated through the generosity of the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Ayodeji Abimbola, also called on government, philanthropists, political leaders and public-spirited Nigerians to support the facility.

He stressed the need for structured educational and vocational programmes that would equip the children with skills and opportunities capable of securing a productive future for them.

Unlike her elderly siblings, my one month old baby is yet to shed any tears while crying. Kindly let me know if she is okay.

Lizzy (by SMS)

There are several medical conditions that are associated with decreased tear production or collection. Infants can become dehydrated when they are unable to feed well or are losing body fluids due to an illness. The first sign of dehydration is a reduced number of wet (urine) diapers. If ongoing fluid losses are not replaced, dry lips and an absence of tears while crying may be evident.

Sunken eyes, lethargy, or increased irritability are signs of severe dehydration that require emergency medical treatment. It is common for newborns to have a temporary obstruction of the duct that drains tears from the eyes into the nose. In most cases, the lacrimal duct is blocked by a membrane at birth that takes a few days to open. In other cases, there is a problem with the duct itself, usually due to immature development. This causes pooling of tears at the inner corner of the eye. At times, a white mucous may form that can be easily wiped away.

This differs from the kind of mucous that forms during an eye infection which is typically yellow or green. When the lacrimal gland fails to develop during fetal life, this can result in the absence of tears. This very rare occurrence can be an isolated finding or one component of another genetic disorder. Because of there is no lubrication from tears, the eye is prone to dryness and inflammation.

Other common causes of childhood dry eye are medications such as for acne or allergies and contact lens use. Some studies have shown that environmental allergens and pollutants can alter the amount of mucous or fatty acids in tears Most babies produce tears.

Look closely the next time your baby cries. If the eyes appear dry and irritated, contact your pediatrician. There are medical conditions associated with a lack of or a reduced amount of tears, but they are very rare. If you are concerned that something may not be right about your baby’s eyes, it is best to have them checked by a doctor.

A woman, Omoladun, has brought a divorce suit against her husband, Tijani, at Grade A Customary Court, sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, on the account of lack of care, physical assault and domestic violence.

Omoladun stated that Tijani apart from constantly neglecting her and their children, hardly stayed at home.

Omoladun explained that she daily bore the responsibility of feeding their children, inculcating morals in them, and meeting other needs.

She further said that on the few occasions the defendant was at home, he refused that she had peace of mind.

She stated that they were either arguing or quarrelling over an issue, adding that he would end up descending on her with punches.

According to Omoladun, Tijani later left home for four years not leaving a clue about his whereabouts.

The plaintiff told the court that she was later informed that the defendant had taken a new wife who bore him a child.

Omoladun added that Tijani later returned home, and also went back to his old ways of assaulting her physically.

Omoladun told the court she had reached the end of her tether and thus prayed the court to dissolve their union.

She further pleaded for their children’s custody, and also entreated the court to rule that her husband be made responsible for their children’s upkeep, giving feeding, education and health care priority.

She further sought an order restraining the defendant from threatening and encroaching on her private life.

Tijani agreed that their union be dissolved.

He claimed that the milk of kindness seem to have run dry in his wife.

Tijani gave an instance of when his wife burnt the buttocks of their seven- year-old son with hot knife for stealing meat in the pot.

He added that she was careless and that the foot of another child of theirs got caught in a bicycle spoke when she was taking him out.

According to him, the foot has remain permanently deformed.

Omoladun, in her testimony, said, ‘My husband and I started living together shortly after we met.

‘We did not have a wedding ceremony, neither did he pay my bride price.

‘My husband is irresponsible and therefore made a mess of our union.

‘He hardly ever stayed at home and therefore failed to develop a bonding with me and our children.

‘He was in the habit of leaving home for weeks without leaving a clue about his whereabouts.

‘We never enjoyed his attention and affection.

‘He daily failed in his responsibilities towards us as head of the home and breadwinner.

‘he never fed or inculcate in them the right values.

‘I work hard every day to ensure that our children are well fed.

‘My husband is cruel.

‘The few times he was home he would refuse that I had rest of mind.

‘He was in the habit of raising argument over trivial issues and would end up descending on me with punches.

‘He once deserted home for four years without contacting us.

‘I was later informed that he had married another woman who bore him a child.

‘He finally returned home without giving any explanation on where he had been.

‘He went back to his old ways of assaulting me physically, and even became worse.

‘I got fed up with his maltreatment of me and instructed him to stop paying the rent.

‘I also insisted he never returned to the residence.

‘I further warned him to desist from harassing and threatening me.

‘My lord, my husband has pushed me to the wall, which was why I came to court.

‘I pray that our union be dissolved.

‘I also plead for our children’s custody, because he has never been there.

‘I, further appeal that the court direct my husband to be responsible for our children’s upkeep, giving feeding, education and health service priority.

‘I, in addition request an order restraining him from harassing, threatening, and interfering with my privacy.’

Tijani responded, ‘I am also through with our marriage.

‘My wife is wicked, and the milk of human kindness seems to have run dry in her.

‘She has no affection for our children.

‘She put hot knife on the buttocks of one of our children which resulted in a deep wound because he stole a piece of meat in the pot.

‘She is also careless.

‘Another child of ours got his foot trapped in a bicycle spoke when she was taking him out.

‘Our child’s foot remains deformed till date.’

The court president, Mrs O.E Owoseni, delivering her judgment stated that there was no marriage to be dissolved because no customary rites were carried out.

She also stated that the pride price was not paid.

Owoseni granted the plaintiff custody of their children.

She further mandated the defendant to be responsible for their upkeep.

Owoseni gave an order restricting the defendant from harassing, threatening and encroaching on the plaintiff’s privacy.