National News
VP Shettima Launches Innovation Drive For Indigenous Healthcare Solutions
VP Shettima Launches Innovation Drive For Indigenous Healthcare Solutions
*** Says Grand Challenges Nigeria an avenue to promote groundbreaking research, local expertise
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched ‘Grand Challenges Nigeria’ (GCNg), a national innovation programme aimed at revolutionising Nigeria’s healthcare landscape through locally-developed solutions.
The initiative, which is part of the global Grand Challenges network, will focus on maternal and child health challenges in the first phase.
Speaking on Monday when he launched the GCNg at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Vice President Shettima told the audience that the initiative became necessary following an urgency occasioned by the rapid pace at which the world “is evolving in the realms of science and technology.”
He stressed the importance of contextualizing solutions to national challenges, citing this as “a cardinal message” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, just as he said the initiative will promote groundbreaking research and build local expertise, among others.
“This initiative is more than a response to problems; it is an avenue to promote groundbreaking research, build local expertise, form strategic partnerships, and engage communities in co-creating culturally relevant solutions,” VP Shettima said.
He explained that the programme will integrate with existing government healthcare initiatives, including the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Nutrition 774 programme.
“What Grand Challenges Nigeria promises is transformative: a Nigeria where every child has access to proper nutrition, where every family can rely on the quality of our healthcare system, and where our public health metrics continue to improve year after year,” the VP noted.
The Vice President also announced an immediate call for proposals on “Advancing Innovative Solutions for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, while explaining that the initiative will address various challenges, from infectious diseases to food security and climate resilience.
“Our gateway to innovation is rooted in recognising our place within the global community,” he stated, adding that “we must believe that our progress is intertwined with the progress of the rest of the world.”
VP Shettima emphasised that the Tinubu administration is “steadfast in its resolve to provide the support needed to turn our aspirations into lifelines for our people.”
The Vice President expressed anticipation for witnessing the ingenuity of Nigeria’s best minds, “whose innovations will receive the funding and support they deserve through this initiative.”
In his keynote remarks, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, said the Grand Challenges Nigeria is aimed at developing local solutions to critical issues confronting Nigerians.
The Minister noted that the model aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-point agenda using innovation to drive prosperity and growth, and in the process, empowering researchers and innovators.
Chief Nnaji said the ministry remains committed to fostering growth, using innovation, even as he assured that the Grand Challenges Nigeria will prioritise key goals investment in education and environmentally sustainable projects, among others.
On his part, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, commended the commitment of the Vice President and the dedication of the Federal Government to the launch of the initiative, noting that the programme would go a long way in complementing existing efforts in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in Nigeria.
He pledged the support of the House of Representatives for the Grand Challenges Nigeria framework, especially as it impacts food security and nutrition across the country, noting that he was looking forward to a rewarding collaboration with stakeholders to deliver on its vision.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II, said the responsibility of addressing the issues of malnutrition and food insecurity requires focused efforts and collective actions, which, according to him, the Grand Challenges Nigeria initiative is designed to contain.
He expressed hope that by adopting the framework of the Grand Challenges Nigeria, Nigerians would be at the forefront of finding solutions to problems in the country, thanking the Federal Government for believing in the efficacy of the initiative.
The chairman commended the leadership of the Vice President as chairman of the Nutrition Council of Nigeria and a key promoter of advancing nutrition and related agenda across the country.
In the same vein, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Salisu Abubakar, commended the leadership demonstrated by the Vice President in the launch of the initiative, noting that it would help address health challenges by leveraging locally resourced and researched solutions/approaches.
He pledged the support of the society in ensuring that solutions adopted through the programme are inclusive and adaptable to Nigerians, especially in improving their health and wellbeing.
On her part, the Special Assistant to the President on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwulah, said the launch of the Grand Challenges Nigeria reflects the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to reforming the economy and ensuring food security by leveraging solutions that are homegrown and rooted in the values of communities across the country.
She noted that resources and the framework for solving local problems would be harnessed from the grassroots, adopting an inclusive approach where the expertise and experience of stakeholders at all levels would be taken into cognizance.
VP Shettima Launches Innovation Drive For Indigenous Healthcare Solutions
National News
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria is not taking lightly the shooting of an immigration officer at a Chinese firm in Jos, Plateau State.
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who narrated the story,
The federal government has threatened a serious diplomatic row with the Republic of China over maltreatment of a Nigerian Immigration Service officer shot by a Chinese company in Nigeria for asking for the company’s expatriate list.
Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who narrated the story on Thursday in Abuja at a stakeholders sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa policy 2025, said Nigeria is not handling the matter with kid gloves as it would be taken up as a diplomatic issue.
Tunji-Ojo lamented that the development alone is an attack on Nigeria. It will never be condoned.
He said the Immigration officer, who was on official duty, had visited the Chinese company in Jos, Plateau state, to check the list of the company’s expatriates, but the owner of the company ordered a security officer in the premises to shoot the government official.
Tunji-Ojo said: “I won’t go to China as a Nigerian, open a company and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It’s never done anywhere in the world.
“These officers put their lives on the line. These officers serve this country with their all. And you will not come from anywhere and ask them to shoot them in their fatherland.
“It will no longer happen. We will take it up with you. Because that company, we (Nigerian government) have the power to withdraw their business permit Nigeria and declare them illegal.”
He wondered how it had become an offence for an Immigration officer to visit a foreign company and demand to see their expatriate list.
He said: “It will not happen again. So we’re going to be very hard. We will not stop your business. We will not overburden your business. But don’t make us inferior in our own land. No, please.
“And we’re going to be very tough on this. Because talking to you, I’m not just talking with passion on this topic, I’m talking with a lot of anger, because that guy that was shot is a Nigeria that we all swore to protect by virtue of the laws of Nigeria, by the constitution. That Immigration guy was not shot by a terrorist, is a father, he is a son to somebody. He is a husband to somebody. That cannot happen anywhere in the world.
“We will not tolerate it. Please, no agent, no company is above the law,” the Minister declared
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar has led a high-level delegation on a tour of UROVESA—a renowned Spanish manufacturer of military and industrial vehicles.
The visit focused on exploring potential collaboration in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology for powering Nigeria’s defence and industrial vehicle fleets.
The minister was accompanied on the visit by key figures including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo; Presidential CNG Initiative representative, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi; Engr. Henry Oki; and the Special Assistant for Gas Business and Investment to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), where they all engaged in detailed discussions with UROVESA executives.
During the visit, Tuggar emphasized the longstanding trade ties between Nigeria and Spain, noting that Spain remains one of Nigeria’s top trading partners, with Nigerian crude oil exports reaching $3.64 billion in 2023.
He lauded UROVESA’s innovative approach to producing all-terrain, armoured, tactical, and logistical vehicles, and expressed Nigeria’s growing interest in and implementation of CNG-powered solutions.
Tuggar also highlighted Nigeria’s business-friendly economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which have positioned the country as a prime destination for investment in clean energy technologies. The discussions provided a valuable platform for further exploration of future collaborations between UROVESA and Nigeria’s Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) in CNG-powered vehicle production and supply.
According to a statement by the foreign affairs minister spokesman, Alkasim AbdulKadir, the engagement not only reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to a green energy future but also laid the groundwork for modernizing the nation’s defence and industrial fleets with environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy solutions.
He said the promising outcome of the discussions sets the stage for a strategic partnership that is expected to foster sustainable innovation and drive economic growth for both Nigeria and UROVESA.
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
ECOWAS Hands Over Drug Rehabilitation Centre to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital
By: Michael Mike
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has handed over a drug rehabilitation center to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in North West Nigeria to enhance drug related treatments.
Handing over the facility, the Director Humanitarian and Social Affairs, ECOWAS Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, represented by Head of ECOWAS Drug Prevention and Control Division Dr. Daniel Amankwaah expressed the commitment of ECOWAS in fostering regional cooperation and providing technical and financial assistance to member states in tackling substance abuse.
He explained that, the renovated and equipped facility stands as a symbol of ECOWAS shared responsibility to protect public health, promote human dignity, and offer a second chance to those struggling with drug dependence.
He said: “As ECOWAS officially hand over this facility which was funded through ECOWAS own resources, we reaffirm our commitment to expanding access to quality drug treatment services and strengthening the resilience of our communities across West Africa.”
According to him, the ECOWAS Commission, under its drug prevention and control programme launched the support to its Member States to build or renovate their drug treatment centres.
He said: “the project targets all Member States to have at least one national drug treatment centre. So far, 8 centres in 6 Member States have been completed. Additional 12 centres are currently at various stages of construction. In Nigeria, 4 centres have been completed and additional 3 are at various stages.”
He expressed confidence that, the the facility will contribute to improving social functioning, by reducing the harmful effects of substance use, and enhancing the quality of life for people who use Drugs (PWUDs).
The Chief Medical Director Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Professor Abdurrahman Abba -Sheshe while thanking ECOWAS for the projects, described drug addiction and substance abuse as a pandemic that requires the support of the regional body.
He expressed confidence that, the well equiped facility will transform lives of addicts.
“I commend the NDLEA for their efforts in the fight against drug abuse not only in Kano state but the entire country. It requires all to achieve the desired results.”
The Commander of Narcotics National Drugs Laws Enforcement Agency NDLEA Kano State Ahmad Idris, informed the gathering that, the Kano command successfully counseled and rehabilitated over 100 in clients in 2024 representing a 43% increase from 2023 with significant increase in the campaigns against drug abuse
He noted that, the intensified War Against Drug Abuse WADA activities have contributed to the growth in the rate of client counseling.
“As ECOWAS continues to work towards its vision of a united, prosperous West Africa, its efforts in combating drug addiction will be critical in creating a brighter, healthier future for the region.”
ECOWAS Hands Over Drug Rehabilitation Centre to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital
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