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Since the commencement of the ongoing immunization against measles and polio in Kogi State two days ago, more than 7,000 children have benefitted from the campaign in MopAmuro Local Government Area. The program, which has received wide acceptance across the state, targets over 32,000 children in the local government.

This was made known by the Local Government Immunization Officer, LIO, Mrs Comfort Ajagun, during a discussion with journalists. The flag off ceremony for the October 2025 Measles/Rubella integrated SIAs implementation took place on Monday 6/10/2025 at BHC Ileteju, Mopa. She said a total of 32 well equipped teams were on the ground covering all parts of the ten wards of the LGA, and expressed the hope that the campaign will help in keeping the two killer diseases at bay.

The LIO who commended the Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, KGHCDA, UNICEF, and other partners for sponsoring the campaign, however, complained about the security situation which she said hampered access to some children, especially of nomadic parents.

‘The program has been well received by our people. One is satisfied with the level of turnout and participation. The only problem is accessing some people living in the forest. They are not coming out and our members can not risk going into their base in the forest.’ At the flag-off of the campaign in Lokoja on Monday, the Executive Director KGPHCDA, Dr. Musa Muazu Omeiza noted that the campaign against Measles Rubella (MR), including novel Oral Polio Virus (nOPV), Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination, and Routine Immunization (RI) is specifically targeted at One Million, Nine Hundred and Eighty-eight Thousand, Three Hundred and Seventy -one (1,988,371) children.

The campaign runs from the 6th to the 15th of October and enjoys support from the UNICEF. The exercise is tailored towards providing access and increasing vaccine availability and use by children. It is also a major step to the protection of young girls against cervical cancer through the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

While inaugurating the campaign in the office of the KSPHCDA at Old Market, Lokoja, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo commended the development partners and urged traditional and religious leaders not to relent in mobilising women and children to participate in the program.

He pledged his administration’s commitment to health care delivery.

‘Routine immunisation is a powerful tool to end avoidable ailments and to preserve our state. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every child is reached.’

The representative of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Ishola Abdulrazaq, in a goodwill message, praised Kogi State for achieving 100 per cent coverage in previous immunization rounds. He called for the recruitment of more hands in the health sector.

The 1995 Set of St. John/Mary’s Unity Secondary School, Owo, Ondo State, has handed over a newly renovated block of six classrooms to the school in celebration of its 30th anniversary.

The colourful ceremony, held on Sunday within the school premises, drew the attendance of management staff, current students, former teachers, and members of the alumni association. The Principal of the school and Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Godswill Akinlewu, lauded the alumni for their generous intervention, describing it as a powerful statement of gratitude and loyalty to their alma mater.

‘We are elated to see our past students returning to invest in the institution that shaped their journey,’ Akinlewu said.

‘This act of giving back will inspire current learners and other alumni to emulate such noble gestures.’

He assured that the renovated classrooms would be well maintained in honour of the donors and called on other graduating sets to partner with the school and the Ondo State Government in restoring the institution to its former glory. President of the 1995 Set Alumni Association, Mr. Victor Akinsanmi, expressed gratitude to God for preserving members of the set since their graduation three decades ago.

He said the project was inspired by the group’s shared sense of nostalgia and desire to contribute to the development of the school that shaped their lives.

‘We remember those defining years with pride and affection,’ Akinsanmi stated, adding that ‘This renovation is our way of saying thank you to the school for the solid foundation it gave us.’

He also commended the Ondo State Government and the school’s management for their consistent efforts in maintaining standards over the years, expressing hope that the gesture would spur other alumni groups to initiate similar projects.

As part of the anniversary celebration, former teachers of the 1995 Set were specially recognised and honoured for their dedication and lasting impact on the lives of their students. (NAN)

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, has dismissed claim that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man as he noted that the common man has no means to go to court.

Falana said this while expressing concern over delays in the justice system, stating that many people continue to be sidelined, with some legal cases dragging on for 20, 30, or even 40 years. Falana said the Nigerian justice system as presently constituted is the last hope of the elite, the bourgeoisie.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said this on Wednesday while addressing newsmen, after visiting Gov. Alex Otti of Abia, in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area.

He criticised the sluggishness of the courts, noting that it significantly hinders the swift dispensation of justice in the country.

Falana stressed that while political cases were fast-tracked due to legal deadlines, ordinary civil and criminal matters languish in courts for decades without resolution. He said: ‘Only their cases move in court because political cases are time-bound, other cases, for me, must be time-bound.

‘People make the mistake of saying the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, the common man has no means to go to court.

‘The judiciary is the last hope of the elite, the bourgeoisie.

‘So if you want the ordinary people to benefit from the judicial system, you must promote authoritative disciplinary solutions.’

He expressed concern over delays in the justice system, stating that many people continue to be sidelined, with some legal cases dragging on for 20, 30, or even 40 years.

He described the situation as a mockery of justice, emphasising the urgent need for reform and timely resolution of cases.

The rights advocate urged governments to invest in traditional systems of dispute resolution, which many Nigerians still rely on daily. He said: ‘The majority of our people do not go to Western courts, they patronize traditional rulers and community leaders to solve problems. ‘The governments , including that of Abia, must also reform the customary courts, palaces of traditional rulers, where our people access daily to resolve their disputes.

‘I think there is a state in the Southwest where you have palace law reports.

‘If people have confidence in their community leaders to dispense justice, we must promote such fora.’

He emphasised the need for a dual-track judicial system, where formal and traditional courts work together to ensure justice for all.

Falana said that if the people trust their traditional institutions to deliver justice, then such mechanisms deserve recognition and institutional support.

‘What they now call alternative disciplinary solutions is actually African disciplinary solutions. ‘Before the colonialists came, our people had nothing to do with adjudication, because you state your own side, I state my own and the leader or the traditional ruler will pronounce justice, and nobody will go and appeal.

‘There is no provision for appeals, but under the Western judicial system, you have adjudication, and those cases are never ended.

‘You can be in court for 20, 30, 40 years, and that is alien to our traditional judicial system.

‘So I will call on the governments of Nigeria to pay more attention to the traditional judicial system.

‘It is not enough to satisfy the elite; you must satisfy the people and ensure that the judicial system understood by them is supported by the government,’he added.

On his visit to Abia, Falana praised the governor’s development strides, saying he has seen clear signs of governance since the return to democracy in 1999.

‘I have seen good roads, hospitals, schools and I have spoken to the people and they are satisfied; but the governor must not relent,’he said. He warned that public trust comes with responsibility, adding, that ‘the governor owes some of us a duty not to disappoint and we will not spare him if he does.’

The Nigerian government has released a statement to debunk the poverty report released by the World Bank.

The report which was detailed in the latest economy World Bank report stated that about 139 million Nigerian citizens are currently living in the state of poverty. Sunday Dare, the Special Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, rejected this report, while explaining that the figures must be properly contextualised.

‘While Nigeria values its partnership with the World Bank and appreciates its contributions to policy analysis, the figure quoted must be properly contextualised. It is unrealistic. If converted nominally, that figure equals about $64.5 per month, or nearly N100,000 at today’s exchange rate, well above Nigeria’s new minimum wage of N70,000. Clearly, the measure is an analytical construct, not a direct reflection of local income realities. Poverty assessment under PPP methodology uses historical consumption data (Nigeria’s last major survey was in 2018/19) and often overlooks the informal and subsistence economies that sustain millions of households. The government, therefore, regards the figure as a modelled global estimate, not an empirical representation of conditions in 2025. What truly matters is the trajectory, and Nigeria’s is now one of recovery and inclusive reform,’ the statement reads.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has declared that its 16 years of unbroken governance, spanning 1999 2015 was the glorious era in development and hope in Nigeria.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said this while addressing newsmen on the preparations for party’s national convention scheduled to take place from Nov. 15 to Nov.16.

Ologunagba, who is also the Secretary, National convention Publicity Sub-committee, said this was why Nigerians across the board had shown interest in the party’s convention and demonstrated their love and belief in the PDP.

‘Under the PDP rule, our debts were paid. We had double-digit GDP growth. We had inflation contained. We had policies that are invested in people in their human capital development.

‘We had an economy that was number one in Africa and by the time the PDP left government in 2015, we had over a $600 billion economy.

‘Nigeria was then the number one destination for foreign capital investment,’ he said.

‘Nigerians are eager to know what the PDP is doing to put itself together as a party, because they see the party’s vibrancy as the only way to guarantee the sustenance of democracy in the country.

‘The forth coming national elective convention is critical to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria and that explains the enthusiasm, the interest that Nigerians across board have in our party. ‘We had 16 years of unbroken governance by the PDP. Nigerians believe that to be the glorious era in development and hope in this country.

‘Under the PDP rule, our debts were paid. We had double-digit GDP growth. We had inflation contained. We had policies that are invested in people in their human capital development.

‘We had an economy that was number one in Africa and by the time the PDP left government in 2015, we had over a $600 billion economy.

‘Nigeria was then the number one destination for foreign capital investment,’ he said.

Ologunagba said that party members were already keying into the 15 broad-based sub-committees of the convention to make it inclusive and successful.

Fielding questions on the speculations that one of the PDP governors would soon defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, Ologunagba said that PDP is more than an individual, adding that it can’t affect the convention.

Ologunagba also maintained that the PDP had concluded its Congress in Edo.

He said that the state congress was held on Sept. 27 by a committee that was properly constituted by the party leadership, while the appeal panel was also set up to take care of any concern from the Congress.

He added that perhaps the purported congress was just a public show to justify the pay master of those behind the illegality.

With Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup hanging in the balance, Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has urged his players to approach their must-win clash against Lesotho with absolute focus.

The match, scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Nigerian time (6:00 p.m. local time), will take place at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa. It marks matchday nine in the African qualifiers, with Nigeria’s hopes of qualification hanging by a thread.

Chelle, addressing the media at a press conference on Thursday, emphasised the importance of beginning the game with aggression, urgency, and full concentration. ‘We need to start well-start with intensity and be aggressive,’ he said. ‘What we want is to achieve victory. We are 100 per cent focused on this game against Lesotho, who are a good team with a good coach.’

The coach warned of the unpredictability of football, citing factors such as weather conditions, refereeing decisions, and individual errors as potential game-changers. However, he maintained that the team’s mindset must remain fixed on securing all three points. ‘Everybody can’t go to the World Cup. In football, anything can happen. But we must stay focused on what we want to achieve,’ Chelle added.

A draw or loss against Lesotho would virtually end Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 tournament, increasing the pressure on the players to deliver a result. The Super Eagles are currently in camp in South Africa, with key players such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Wilfred Ndidi all expected to feature in Friday’s clash.

Veteran Nollywood actress Ireti Doyle has opened up about her recent break from social media, citing the increasing negativity and toxicity of online spaces as her reason for stepping away.

The award-winning actress, who had been noticeably absent from Instagram for over a month, made a quiet return on Thursday, October 9, 2025, where she shared a heartfelt post explaining her need to retreat. ‘I used to wonder what I’d do with myself once I became an ’empty nester.’ Now I know. Had to disappear again. The streets of SM (nay, the world in general) are becoming too toxic for my quiet soul. How have you been? I hope you’re protecting yourself.

Peace.

#EmptyNest #AnotherSoloTrip #Abundance #Ease #Flow.’

It is a difficult time for veteran Nigerian comedian and actor, Julius Agwu, following the death of his beloved mother.

The entertainer shared the heartbreaking news via his Twitter (X) page, accompanied by an emotional video of himself with his late mother.

Announcing her passing, Agwu wrote: ‘My dearest mother has gone to be with the Lord Mama Gee, you will be dearly missed. Rest in peace .’

The 51-year-old comedian described his mother, fondly called Mama Gee, as a loving and supportive woman who stood by him throughout his career and health challenges.

Agwu’s loss comes just weeks after several Nollywood stars suffered similar tragedies. In recent months, Mercy Aigbe, Odunlade Adekola, Adekola Tijani, Nuella Njubigbo, and Ini Edo all lost their parents, each sharing emotional tributes on social media.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Yusuf Ata, has described the claim of a gang up against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Northern Nigeria ahead the 2027 elections as misrepresentation of facts

Contrary to the claim, Ata said the majority of northerners are ready to reciprocate President Tinubu’s goodwill and politics of ‘regional balancing’ in 2027.

The Minister stated this on Thursday through a Statement by his Aide, Seyi Olorunsola.

Ata said: ‘As the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, I wish to set the record straight: there is no vacancy in Aso Rock Villa in 2027. The insinuation that Northerners have ‘closed ranks’ against President Tinubu is a deliberate misrepresentation designed to foment discord, stir regional prejudice, and undermine national cohesion.

‘It is instructive to recall that since May 2023, President Tinubu has pursued an agenda that is demonstrably inclusive, strategic, and geared toward regional balance. Despite inheriting severe security deficits, he has engaged vigorously with the hydra-headed challenges of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence, deploying new strategies, reinforcing security frameworks, and working hard to restore confidence.

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‘Indeed, Northern stakeholders themselves have publicly acknowledged improvements in security and infrastructure under his watch. On the economic front, the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of exchange rates (among other reforms) have unlocked critical fiscal space for state governments and local governments. More resources are now available for development at the grassroots, while autonomy for Local Government Areas ensures that local priorities are addressed promptly.’

According to Ata: ‘President Tinubu’s tenure has also seen a steady acceleration of infrastructure projects across the North:The Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway is an example of enhanced connectivity within the region. The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, when completed, will further knit the country together, benefiting all regions including the North. In the housing sector, the Renewed Hope Housing Programme is being rolled out nationwide, including significant focus on Northern states. To date, 10,112 housing units are under construction across 14 locations (including Kano) under the Renewed Hope scheme. The overarching plan envisions 100 housing units in each of Nigeria’s 774 LGAs, an ambitious but urgent response to the housing deficit.

‘The portal for Renewed Hope Homes allows interested Nigerians-including Northerners-to apply, with options such as NHF loans at 6% interest or rent-to-own arrangements. Hearkening to recent consultative fora in the North, the Minister of State confirms that Islamic clerics, religious leaders, traditional rulers, cultural stakeholders, and influential civil society personalities have lent their moral authority and backing to President Tinubu’s candidacy for 2027. Their support is rooted not in coercion, but in clear evaluation of policies and results on the ground.’

Ata described President Tinubu’s anti-North propaganda as: ‘The manufactured narrative being sold by a few bitter operators. To the Northern people, I say: do not be swayed by the false rhetoric of failed and retired politicians whose only agenda is to reclaim access to the public purse.

‘Their smear campaign is a smoke screen for their own irrelevance and opportunism. Instead, weigh the record: the inclusion you see, the projects you see, and the benefit you feel. To political appointees, elected representatives, party stalwarts and community leaders in the North: your task is clear. Return to your domains, engage with your people, articulate the tangible gains of this administration, and rally support for what is right.

‘The President’s re-election is not a foregone conclusion-it must be earned through credible persuasion, outreach, and visible impact. In Kano, without any equivocation, the President is assured of over 2 million votes. I again emphasize: there is no vacancy in Aso Rock Villa in 2027. The North remains fully part of the national project, and its voice and its vote matter. Let us all commit to advancing unity, rejecting division, and promoting a politics of substance.’

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been told to walk away from the Etihad by one of his closest and longest-serving allies, Carles Planchart, who believes the Spaniard needs a break to ‘regenerate’ before taking on a new challenge.

Planchart, who worked alongside Guardiola for nearly two decades across Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, said the 53-year-old has reached the end of a cycle and should ‘look for a new project’ to rediscover his spark.

‘It’s a personal decision he’ll have to make. I think a project should last five or six years, no more,’ Planchart told SPORT. ‘But not just for him for everyone. Afterward, you have to regenerate. As a friend, I’d tell him to look for a new project because he still has a long way to go.’

Guardiola’s contract runs until 2027, but the City manager has already hinted that he might take a long break – possibly as long as 15 years – once his spell at the Etihad ends.

According to Planchart, City has been the most comfortable chapter of Guardiola’s glittering managerial career.

‘He’s stayed at City for so many years because they treated us like family,’ he said. ‘They let us work freely, like we were at home. He didn’t feel that way at Barca or Bayern.’ But last season’s struggles, City finishing third in the Premier League after four consecutive title wins, have reignited questions about Guardiola’s motivation.

The Catalan tactician was repeatedly seen exhausted on the touchline, even joking after a chaotic 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that he ‘wanted to harm himself’ – a comment he later apologised for.

Planchart said the underwhelming campaign was down to fatigue and dwindling energy within the squad and backroom staff.

‘Sometimes you lack energy, and when you get into a bad dynamic, it’s hard,’ he explained.

‘In football, you always have to be at 100 percent. We had injuries, players near the end of their careers, and even staff members were drained. The lack of energy made it tough we just fought to make the Champions League, and losing the cup final was the punishment for a poor season.’

Describing Guardiola as ‘a football fanatic’ whose genius lies in his ability to invent, not imitate, Planchart said the coach’s obsession with the game has kept him going for years but may now be taking its toll.

‘He’s a creator. The difficult thing in life is creating, the rest of us just copy. He’s number one at this,’ he added.

With growing talk of burnout and possible exits, Planchart’s words may be the clearest sign yet that Guardiola’s Manchester City era – defined by record-breaking success and footballing brilliance, could soon be nearing its end.