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Lux Tera: Catalyzing responsible leadership and informed citizenship

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Lux Tera: Catalyzing responsible leadership and informed citizenship

By Felix Anayo

In the build-up to the 2023 general elections, the Network and Advocacy Group of Lux Tera Leadership Foundation has been at the forefront of organisations working assiduously to drive citizenship education. It has organised various leadership training programmes, targeted campaigns, public enlightenment programmes, youth development initiatives, and community-based initiatives. The Foundation has also organised developmental workshops, in the course of which it generated and spread advocacy materials, to guide the citizenry toward informed political decision-making.

One of the tools it has deployed most effectively is the media, especially through the facilitation of television discussion programmes in this regard. Besides its own branded television programme, it has also, on various occasions and through its programme partners and members of its Think-Tank, expanded the frontiers of national discourse through the deployment and appearance of third parties to drive its developmental narratives, and the one goal of creating a better society, on various media platforms.

For the 2023 elections alone, the organisation has remained consistently visible in the public space through its well-thematized initiatives, including, and especially, through its ‘Advocacy Thursday” interventions. These are targeted, periodic releases, skits, and educational content, which focus on core legal, statutory, and social responsibility steps and issues that would lead to free, fair, transparent, and credible elections. These issues are central to the integrity of the electoral process/outcomes, as well as lasting development and citizenship education.

By ensuring that each such advocacy message addresses specific, current, and urgent matters of leadership, citizenship, general public interest, and the general public good, the Foundation has created a unique, impactful, and admirable approach to sustainably building public awareness. It is working with a carefully selected person with confirmed voices and credibility in the Nigerian media, public and political space. It, thus, now has a committed group of persons who are held together by their convictions about the paradigms for sustainable leadership and followership in Nigeria.

The Foundation’s installment and targeted advocacy work in such a way as to ensure that each advocacy theme builds on the one before it. The result is a series of mutually reinforcing narratives that allow breathing space for absorption and application in everyday life. This has been the approach in its handling of matters about the coming elections. The communication/campaign on the new electoral Act did not come before the one on display on the voters’ register. Nor did the one on the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC) come before the advocacy message on the need to register, etc.

The approach allows for a period of assessment, a feedback mechanism, and periodic review that monitors impact, the objectives attainment of the desired impact, and the recalibration of subsequent interventions. All the focal issues for communication, advocacy, and public enlightenment are articulated to improve the people’s understanding of the true meaning of development, better leadership, service delivery in office, a sense of community, improved political decision-making among the citizenry, and a better-governed society.

As we walk into the last weeks before the elections, Lux Tera must be counted among the few organisations that have maintained a consistent focus on improving governance, leadership, citizenship, and political engagement in Nigeria. When its Network and Advocacy Group Think Tank is measured against the background of its task as a platform for the birth of new ideas, promoting discourse, and suggesting solutions for extant and emerging leadership, developmental and citizenship issues in Nigeria, the Foundations stands tall in every sense of the word.

The creative initiative of creating a pool of informed persons who, in addition to being active on their own across several socio/political advocacy platforms and activities of their own, are now part of the Lux Tera team of informed advocates is a unique achievement of the Foundation. By generating, and projecting, new ideas toward creating a better Nigerian society, the Foundation’s well-produced Advocacy materials have been effective in this regard.

The print, electronic and social media, as also Talk Shows and Roundtables, have been veritable platforms for advancing the Foundation’s enlightenment and developmental programs. Its outreach and youth leadership training programs, including the programs organized for school teachers, students, and education stakeholders are all now dovetailing into three main focal channels, namely: measurable political education, the expansion of social consciousness/ group cohesion, and confirmed commitment to, and impact on, the imperative of free, transparent, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

Anayo writes from Lagos

Lux Tera: Catalyzing responsible leadership and informed citizenship

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Security challenges contribute to increasing zero dose immunization prevalence in Borno state

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Security challenges contribute to increasing zero dose immunization prevalence in Borno state

By: Bodunrin Kayode

The Director of Public and Community Health in the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (BSPHDA) Dr Mala Abdulwahab has said that security challenges contribute to the high prevalence of zero dose.

Dr Mala regretted that a lot of the “zero-doses” of immunization being recorded in Borno state comes from the lingering level of insecurity plaguing the state adding that a reduction of the prevalence would take place only if these insecurity gaps are closed.

Dr Mala made these assertions during a review meeting of the Borno state annual score card for immunization accountability 2024 as put together by the Committee of Practice (COP) and the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) which held in maiduguri recently.

He said that the lingering insurgency in the state has definitely put a clog in the wheels of a lot of progress which should have been made in the reduction of the zero dose when it comes to immunization adding that it is the hope of the COP that this primary challenge would soon be a thing of the past.

Speaking on further challenges working against health workers during zero dose immunization, Dr Mala regretted that a lot of residents actually assume that because elites are expected to have some form of education, resistance or carelessness will not emanate from them or even core insiders in the medical profession.

Mala’s sadness on this issue stems from the fact that a large chunk of some medical personnel in Borno state are not helping to attack the rising prevalence of the zero dose cases in the state, because they equally take the campaign for granted depriving their kids from having the relevant vaccines as at when due.

The Director of public and community health revealed that Borno state contributes a whopping 60 percent of the measles prevalence in the country adding that something urgently must be done by health workers and educators to reverse this unsatisfactory trend within the sector.

The Director Community health posited that theses kids who are yet to start their regimes of the vaccines especially penta 1,2 and 3 are equally contributing to the embarrassing statistics being reeled out from within the system.

“There is really no reason why we must be having zero-dose cases up till now within this part of the country. It is very unfortunate that this preventable occurrences keep coming up in spite of our efforts.

“Some of the zero-does do come from the elites in the country while some are compromised by prevailing security challenges especially around the state capital areas and some other parts of the state too. But we must keep trying.

” Let me tell you how we used to handle difficult fulani people in the bush, we go with our veterinary doctors and by using the veterinarians they talk to the fulani people to fall in line in terms of taking the vaccines. They see their cattle getting better and their kids too.

” However, it is regrettable that some medical practitioners are not allowing their kids to be immunized against the six killer diseases. This should never be allowed to thrive within the on coming immunization campaigns.

“And this is why I am calling on all of us here to pay relevant visits to VIPs, stakeholders and influencers to ensure that the civil society, media and others are carried along to reduce zero-doses to the nearest minimum.

“For immunity to be maintained, we need to work on the 65 percent coverage of immunization in the state to something better. We must make better progress in the pending campaigns.

” I also urge that advocacies should be done in large numbers to ensure effectiveness. Community leaders will take you more serious when you go in large numbers to make your points heard” Said Mala.

The Director called on field representatives to make deliberate efforts to ensure they anchor their advocacies with the traditional rulers of each domain like the Shehu of Borno in the state capital to make the expected progress.

Also present in the review session, Peace Ambassador, Ahmed Shehu assured the round table of stakeholders that their convergence will close a lot of gaps on the entire vaccination architecture in the state.

He assured that activists like him will do their best to ensure that the zero-dose prevalence becomes a thing of the past as they forge ahead in the 2025 campaigns.

Also speaking, Dr Musa Melton, a senior field coordinator of the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) in Borno state noted that the exercise was meant to open the remaining vestiges of existing challenges caused by the zero dose and dealing with them decisively from the coming campaigns to be mounted by the community of practice (COP).

He however noted that the last review of actualities on ground was not all that gloomy because epidemiological statistics indicated that the number of zero-doses have actually reduced in the state and the entire country.

Melton commended Dr Aminu Magashi the founder of the Africa health network for bringing the vital budgetary issues to the fore adding that with the new push to bringing down the number of zero-doses in the state and the willingness of the state govt led by Prof Babagana Zulum to spend more on health, there is good news at the horizon.

Dr Melton stated that measles has however dropped drastically in the state and the entire country from last year’s statistics to this year’s adding that they will soon celebrate the end of the zero-dose prevalence as the campaigns intensifies.

UNICEF immunization officer and representative in the round table Bashir Elegbede frowned at dishonest immunization officers adding that inspectors will be in the field for the next campaign to hunt down such people and reduce such misbehaving practitioners contributing to the zero dose.

He warned that everyone will answer his or her fathers name this time around as business as usual will never be tolerated from anyone.

Present at the occasion were stake holders from within the state and some from outside like Dr Aminu Magashi who is the global convener of the community of practice (COP) on accountability and social action on health and a member of the global action plan for SDG 3 advocacy group.

A child in contemporary Nigeria is said to be out of the zero-dose prevalence when such a child had been subjected to BCG, OPV O, Hepatitis BO all at birth.

Within six weeks the same child should have taken Pentavalent 1, PCV 1, OPV1, IPV1, and ROTA 1 while at 10 weeks, Pentavalent 2, PCV2, OPV2 and ROTA 2.

At 14 weeks a child is expected to have taken Pentavalent 3, PVC 3, OPV 3, IPV2 and Rota 3.

At five months the malaria vaccine should be infused while at six months the vitamin A 1st dose even as the malaria vaccine is followed at seven months.

By nine months one’s baby should be done with measles first dose, yellow fever, Meningitis vaccine and vitamin A second dose even as the measles second dose and malaria vaccine are administered at 15 months.

Updated data received from the COP indicated that by 9 Years, children should be ready for the human Papilloma virus vaccine and that should make them good to go by world standards to avoid zero-doses.

This is the contemporary ideal and expectations for all children as laid down by the national primary health agency of Nigeria.

Security challenges contribute to increasing zero dose immunization prevalence in Borno state

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Delta Police Arrest Notorious Kidnapper, Recover AK-47 in Rivers State

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Delta Police Arrest Notorious Kidnapper, Recover AK-47 in Rivers State

By Zagazola Makama

The Delta State Police Command has recorded another breakthrough in its fight against kidnapping and gun-running, following the arrest of a fleeing gang member and the recovery of an AK-47 rifle.

According to police sources, the operation was a follow-up to the earlier apprehension of Mohammed Bello, a notorious kidnapper and arms dealer.

Acting on intelligence obtained from Bello’s confession, the police extended their investigation to Rivers State, where they tracked down and arrested one Chedeye Mohamed.

Mohamed, a native of Kogi State, had been hiding in the Trailer Park Area of Onne, Port Harcourt. Upon interrogation, he led detectives to a bush near the trailer park, where an AK-47 rifle loaded with 13 rounds of live ammunition was recovered.

The suspect confessed to carrying out kidnappings and armed robberies in Ughelli, Agbarho, and other parts of Delta State before retreating to Port Harcourt for cover after each operation.

Delta Police Arrest Notorious Kidnapper, Recover AK-47 in Rivers State

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Man Arrested for Killing His Mother and Sister in Ekiti State

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Man Arrested for Killing His Mother and Sister in Ekiti State

By: Zagazola Makama

A 21-year-old man, Victor Lorjaal, has been arrested for allegedly macheting his mother and elder sister to death at Aba Ele Camp, Itaji Ekiti.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred at about 12:30 p.m. on March 25, 2025.

The suspect’s brother, David Ioyzain, reported to the police that Victor attacked their mother, Mrs. Victoria Lorjaal, and their sister, Brenda Lorjaal, while they were picking charcoal on the farm.

David stated that he heard his mother screaming for help and rushed to the scene, only to find both victims lying lifeless with deep machete wounds. After the attack, the suspect fled but was later found at home with blood stains on his forehead, nose, and legs.

The community members apprehended Victor and handed him over to the police. Officers visited the crime scene, documented evidence, and recovered the bodies, which were deposited at General Hospital, Ayede.

Police sources said that the suspect has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) for further investigation.

Man Arrested for Killing His Mother and Sister in Ekiti State

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