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FG Asks Nigerians Not to Shun Handwashing Culture Insists It is Crucial for Public Health
FG Asks Nigerians Not to Shun Handwashing Culture Insists It is Crucial for Public Health
By: Michael Mike
The Federal Government has encouraged Nigerians not to shun the handwashing culture, insisting that clean hands are crucial for public health and global health security.
Speaking at the commemoration of the Global Handwashing Day in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziaq Salako while noting that about 1.8 million children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, the top two killers of young children around the world, said: “Promoting proper handwashing in Nigeria is a strategic move to equip the nation in its fight against disease outbreaks as well as global threats such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).”

He lamented that children and other vulnerable population are more prone to such diseases like diarrheal diseases and pneumonia, because of poor knowledge about the importance and practice of effective handwashing. In order to create and promote awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing as an easy, effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives, noting that the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 declared 15th October of every year as Global Handwashing Day.
The Minister said this years’ theme: “Why Are Clean Hands Still Important?” reflects an important question which provokes the thought that irrespective of the significant progress made in promoting handwashing with soup under running water, “our journey is far from over. This theme therefore confronts every sector and every individual with the reason to continue practicing and promoting effective handwashing and not to neglect this simple but powerful practice seeing that the benefits are limitless.”
He stated that: “Hand hygiene inclusion in government plans and funding not only improves health but also boosts the economy by reducing the burden on health services and promoting high healthcare standards.
“It also contributes to attaining multiple target’s of the Sustainable Development Goals on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), nutrition, education, health and economic growth.”
He stressed that: “For businesses including markets, effective hand hygiene practices can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases leading to fewer sick days for businessmen/traders, and increased productivity. This enhances marketplace well-being, supports public health, and strengthens overall resilience against disruption of business.
“In schools and workplaces such as hospitals and offices, clean hands are important in preventing diseases including hospital-acquired infections, ensuring consistent school/work attendance, and increased productivity.
“In the home, clean hands are still very much important to maintain good health by reducing the transmission of infectious agents (germs), and lowering the risk of infections such as diarrhea, typhoid and respiratory infections. Clean hands are still important in the home to prevent cross-contamination of food thereby reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Very importantly clean hands help to protects vulnerable family members such as newborns, elderly and immunocompromised individuals who are more susceptible to infections.”
The minister insisted that: “Handwashing with soap under running water helps to reduce diarrhoeal diseases by 30%, respiratory infections up to 20%, and can also help to reduce the transmission of outbreak-related diseases such as cholera, Lassa fever, Ebola, COVID-19, m-pox etc. Handwashing is protective against up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during health care and also prevents the spread of antimicrobial resistance.”
FG Asks Nigerians Not to Shun Handwashing Culture Insists It is Crucial for Public Health
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Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have arrested three suspected terrorist collaborators during a coordinated raid on identified enclaves in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Security sources said that the operation was carried out at about 0610 hours on May 10, 2026, by troops of Sector 3 OPWS deployed at Jimilari.
The sources said the troops conducted simultaneous raids on suspected terrorist hideouts at Binari, Chibi and Andamin communities following credible intelligence on the activities of criminal networks in the area.
According to the sources, three suspects believed to be providing support to terrorist elements were arrested during the operation.
Military authorities said the suspects are currently in custody and undergoing preliminary interrogation to determine the extent of their involvement and possible links to wider criminal networks.
They added that troops will sustain clearance operations and intelligence-led raids across vulnerable communities in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area to dismantle support structures for criminal elements and restore security in the area.
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid
News
Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-
Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-
By: Adeola Labzy
When the Minister-Designate for Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, told the Nigerian Senate that there was “no quick fix” to Nigeria’s electricity crisis, the statement stood out for departing from the familiar rhetoric that has long shaped public conversations about the sector. In a country where ambitious declarations on power reform have often generated headlines faster than measurable outcomes, Tegbe’s remarks offered an early signal of a different leadership posture, one anchored less on spectacle and more on execution.
This matters because Nigeria’s power sector has spent decades trapped in cycles of overpromising and institutional under-delivery. Successive reform efforts have come with bold projections, aggressive timelines, and repeated assurances. Yet the sector continues to struggle with liquidity constraints, weak market confidence, transmission vulnerabilities, collection inefficiencies, infrastructure deficits, and operational instability. Over time, the deeper casualty has not only been electricity supply, but institutional credibility.
Against that background, Tegbe’s emphasis on transparency, execution discipline, and operational realism should be read as a useful starting point, not a completed achievement. Nigeria’s electricity market does not suffer from a shortage of reform language. The problems are already well known to policymakers, operators, investors, regulators, and consumers. What has consistently undermined progress is fragmented implementation, weak accountability, poor coordination across the value chain, and the absence of sustained commercial discipline.
In that sense, Tegbe’s early posture appears calibrated toward restoring confidence in the system’s ability to execute before pursuing grand transformation narratives. This is particularly important in a sector where investor confidence, market liquidity, and operational stability are deeply interconnected. Markets respond not merely to ambition, but to predictability, governance credibility, and measurable execution. Each part of the value chain affects the other. Generation without evacuation capacity creates waste. Tariff reform without metering creates distrust. Investment without payment discipline weakens confidence. Policy statements without visible milestones deepen cynicism.
Financial sustainability will be one of the defining pillars of any credible reform effort. For years, the electricity market has operated within a fragile commercial structure marked by accumulated debts, subsidy pressures, payment shortfalls, collection gaps, and uncertainty over cost recovery. The long-term viability of the sector depends not only on expanding infrastructure, but on restoring commercial discipline and rebuilding confidence in the market itself.
This is where transparency becomes strategically important. Transparent reforms reduce uncertainty, strengthen accountability, and give investors, operators, consumers, and policymakers a clearer basis for judging progress. In practical terms, transparency is not merely a governance principle; it is an economic stabilisation tool. It can help rebuild trust in tariff decisions, improve confidence in sector data, and create a more disciplined environment for investment and performance monitoring.
Equally important is execution discipline. Infrastructure projects rarely fail only because funding is unavailable. Many fail because coordination weakens, procurement becomes opaque, implementation drifts, and accountability is diluted. In the power sector, credibility will not be rebuilt by rhetoric alone. It will require visible, measurable, and sustained improvements in the operating system of reform.
Nigeria’s power sector does not require another cycle of exaggerated optimism followed by institutional disappointment. It requires leadership capable of confronting difficult realities honestly while building a credible pathway toward operational stability, financial sustainability, and long-term reform credibility.
That is why Tegbe’s insistence on transparent reforms and execution discipline is important. Its significance will not lie in the statement itself, but in whether it becomes a governing method. In a sector where credibility has become almost as scarce as stable electricity, restoring confidence in governance may be the first and most important reform of all.
Adeola Labzy writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-
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CDHR Condemns Escalating U.S. Sanctions on Cuba, Warns of Humanitarian Crisis
CDHR Condemns Escalating U.S. Sanctions on Cuba, Warns of Humanitarian Crisis
By: Michael Mike
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has condemned the latest sanctions imposed on Cuba by the administration of Donald Trump, warning that the measures could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe and undermine Cuba’s sovereignty.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Nigerian-based human rights organisation expressed solidarity with the government and people of Cuba amid what it described as a worsening economic and humanitarian crisis caused by renewed sanctions and executive actions from the United States.
The group particularly criticised Executive Order 14380 of January 29, 2026, as well as follow-up sanctions announced on May 1, 2026, targeting Cuba’s energy, financial, defence, mining and commercial sectors.
According to CDHR, the sanctions amount to a dangerous escalation of economic aggression capable of inflicting severe hardship on ordinary Cubans.
The organisation stated that provisions contained in Section 2 of the executive order, which impose restrictions on individuals, institutions and foreign entities engaging with Cuba, threaten the right to life and wellbeing of millions of citizens by limiting access to fuel, trade, financial cooperation and humanitarian support.
“The continued tightening of these sanctions constitutes a huge threat to humanity, particularly to the Cuban people’s internationally recognised rights to life, healthcare, food security, development and self-determination,” the statement read.
CDHR said the sanctions had already disrupted fuel supplies to the island nation, resulting in prolonged blackouts, transportation paralysis, shortages of food and clean water, and disruptions within the healthcare system.
The organisation cited reports of suspended surgeries, interruptions in chemotherapy and dialysis treatments, and worsening shortages of medical supplies as evidence of an avoidable humanitarian disaster.
The rights group further argued that economic coercion which undermines access to healthcare, electricity and basic necessities contradicts the principles of international law, human rights and the sovereign equality of nations as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.
It also expressed concern over what it described as inflammatory rhetoric aimed at destabilising Cuba, warning that such actions threaten global principles of non-interference and self-determination.
Recalling Cuba’s historical support for liberation struggles in Africa, including assistance to anti-colonial movements in Algeria, Angola, Namibia, Guinea-Bissau and South Africa, CDHR noted that the country had consistently demonstrated international solidarity despite decades of sanctions.
The organisation also highlighted Cuba’s deployment of medical professionals during the Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic across parts of Africa and the Global South.
CDHR lamented what it described as the silence of much of the international community while Cubans continue to endure economic hardship.
The group called on governments, regional organisations, civil society bodies, labour unions and humanitarian institutions worldwide to speak against what it termed the “economic strangulation” of Cuba and defend the country’s sovereignty.
It also urged the United Nations and international humanitarian agencies to take urgent steps toward addressing the humanitarian situation in Cuba and opposing policies that endanger civilian lives.
The statement was signed by CDHR National President, Yinka Folarin, and National Secretary, Idris Afees.
CDHR Condemns Escalating U.S. Sanctions on Cuba, Warns of Humanitarian Crisis
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