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Orodata unveils tool to check primary health centres condition

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Orodata unveils tool to check primary health centres condition

A foremost civic tech organisation, Orodata Science, is set to launch a tool for checking the status of primary health centres in the country.

In a release on Friday, the organisation said the ‘CheckMYPHC’ platform would encourage sub-national participation in governance while strengthening health institutions.

Orodata Science has been combining data science, technology and research for over 10 years, to spearhead advocacy for fiscal transparency and accountability in Nigeria.

The organisation explained that the ‘CheckMYPHC’ platform was developed to empower government, journalists, citizens and all other key stakeholders with access to rich baseline data and resources necessary to understand the true status of primary health centres across the federation towards making more informed decisions in such a sensitive sector.

The statement said: “CheckMYPHC was developed under the African Data Hub (ADH) initiative, and is a part of a larger project called the My PHC Project which has 3 facets; the FrontLine Data Collection Programme, the FrontLine Investigative Programme, and the digital platform called Check MyPHC.

“On the platform, users can explore the status of primary health centres by state and local governments across Nigeria, download data, and request more. They can also search for specific primary health centres (PHC) in their communities, compare them with one in another community, and view key insights on building structure, infrastructure, personnel, and more.

“The platform also has a key feature that allows users to provide feedback based on their experiences using a PHC. This is to enable users—community champions and community organisations to capture continuous and real-time situations of PHCs in their localities to guide better interventions towards revitalising dilapidated and abandoned PHCs across Nigeria.

“With the recent claim by the Nigerian government of disbursing over 12 Billion Naira to NPHCDA Gateway through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), non-state actors need to support stakeholders, with essential baseline healthcare data necessary for effective service delivery through optimised resource allocation, tracking of spending, and strengthening the feedback loop between the government and citizens.

“This maiden version of CheckMYPHC platform holds data from primary health centres from 6 states (Sokoto, Taraba, Benue, CrossRiver, Anambra, Osun) from the 6 Geo-political zones (North Central (NC), North East (NE), North West (NW), South West (SW), South East (SE) and South (SS)) in Nigeria unearthing insights and actual state of over 345 PHCs in these hard to reach areas. Phase 2 of the Data collection anticipates reaching over 1000 PHC in 16 states as this will gain momentum immediately after this Launch.”

USA, Australia teams win 4x100m freestyle relay gold

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USA, Australia teams win 4x100m freestyle relay gold

A United States team spearheaded by Caeleb Dressel stormed to the men’s 4x100m Olympic relay gold medal ahead of Australia on Saturday.

The quartet of Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano, Hunter Armstrong and Dressel came home in 3min 09.28sec with Australia taking silver in 3:10.35 and Italy bronze in 3:10.70.

But they had their work cut after the opening leg with Chinese 100m world record holder Pan Zhanle putting in a scorching two laps.

The dominant Americans hauled themselves back into contention with Dressel powering them to the finish line.

Kyle Chalmers put in a cracking final leg to hand Australia silver, with his 46.59 the fastest split of any swimmer.

The United States have long dominated the event, winning 10 of the 14 times it has been on the Olympic programme before Paris.

They only missed top spot in 2000 (Australia), 2004 (South Africa) and 2012 (France), and as a result of the boycott in 1980.

Meanwhile, Australia swam the second fastest time in history Saturday to clinch the women’s 4x100m freestyle gold medal ahead of the United States at the Olympics.

Their team of Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Emma McKeon and Meg Harris proved too hot to handle, touching in 3min 28.92sec ahead of the Americans (3:30.20) and China (3:30.30).

Harris brought them home with a sizzling 51.94 after O’Callaghan led off to give them an immediate advantage.

It was the fourth successive Olympic gold Australia have won in the event, with the time second only to their own world record of 3:27.96 set last year.

They have held the world record since 2014, lowering it four times since then.

AFP

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UNILORIN students’ agric projects win BAT N6m grant

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UNILORIN students’ agric projects win BAT N6m grant

Four graduates of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, have bagged N1,500,000 each in the 2024 British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation Agripreneur Programme.

The winners, identified as Mustapha Ibrahim, Olajire Adekunle Sherif, Oluwadare Ogunmoye and Anuoluwapo Akinboye, emerged from the eight innovative project proposals presentations in various aspects of agriculture.

According to a statement on Saturday by the BATNF General Manager, Oludare Odusanya, the Agripreneur initiative aimed to empower graduates with entrepreneurial skills and opportunities in the agricultural sector.

While announcing the winners, Odusanya noted that Ibrahim emerged best in the Tomato Awakening Project, Sherif was best in catfish production, Ogunmonye emerged best in maize production and Anuoluwapo was the best in tomato paste scaling production.

Odusanya said, “This initiative aims to empower graduates with entrepreneurial skills and opportunities in the agricultural sector. Out of eight innovative project proposals presented, four outstanding graduates have been selected as winners. Each winner received an award of N1,500,000 to support their agricultural venture.

“The four winners awarded from the University of Ilorin are: Mustapha Ibrahim who presented a proposal on the Tomato Awakening Project, Olajire Adekunle Sherif on Catfish production, Oluwadare Ogunmonye for Maize production and Anuoluwapo Akinboye presented a proposal on scaling up his Tomato paste production.”

“The Graduate Agripreneur Programme is a testament to our dedication to nurturing young talents and promoting innovation in agriculture. We believe in the potential of these graduates to transform the agricultural landscape and drive economic prosperity.”

He added that the winners were selected based on the innovation of their proposal, commitment to sustainable agricultural practices, and potential for scalability.

“They will each receive mentorship and support from industry experts to ensure the successful implementation and growth of their ventures,” Odusanya said.

Reacting to the students’ feat, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Olubunmi Omotesho, who represents the Vice-Chancellor, described the achievement as aligning with the mission of the university in producing graduates with skills that could drive economic growth.

The statement quoted Omotesho stating, “We are delighted by the achievements of our graduates in the BATN Foundation Graduate Agripreneur Programme. This initiative aligns with our university’s mission to produce graduates who are not only academically sound but also equipped with practical skills to drive economic growth.

“We congratulate the winners and look forward to their impactful contributions to the agricultural sector.”

Speaking on the importance of the grant, one of the recipients, Akinboye, noted that the grant would help to contribute to food security in Nigeria.

“I am honoured to be selected as a winner of the BATN Foundation Graduate Agripreneur Programme. This award will enable me to scale up my tomato cultivation project and contribute to food security in Nigeria. I am grateful for the support and mentorship provided through this programme,” he said.

PDP defies court orders, holds ward congress in Rivers

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PDP defies court orders, holds ward congress in Rivers

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday conducted a ward congress in Rivers State in defiance of court orders.
Justice Charles Wali of the Rivers State High Court, Port Harcourt, on Friday, restrained the party and its National Executive Committee (NEC) from holding any congress in the state.
Those affected by the ruling are the PDP National Chairman, Iliya Damagum and National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
The judge, who delivered the ruling filed by some members of PDP in the state, also restrained their agents from gathering anywhere in the 319 wards of the 23 local government areas of the state for congresses pending the hearing and determination of suit no: PHC/2400/CS/2024 before him.
He said the order specifically prevented the respondents from conducting any congresses at the ward, local government, or state levels scheduled for July 27, August 10, and August 31 respectively.
Justice Sobere Hambo of the same court had a few days earlier restrained the party leadership from conducting congresses in the state while ruling on an application brought by the caretaker committee chairman of Emohua local government area of the state, David Omereji, and 10 others.
Saturday’s congress was witnessed by the PDP leaders at various levels in the state.
At the party’s secretariat along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, members of the party were seen with materials for the congress in their various wards.
The post PDP defies court orders, holds ward congress in Rivers appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.

Protest: Give us time – Wike begs FCT residents

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Protest: Give us time – Wike begs FCT residents

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, while inspecting ongoing road projects in the Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday, called on residents to shun any action that could jeopardise the efforts of the government.
The roads inspected are the 11 km Highway 105, which links the Outer Southern Expressway to the Kuje township and the 5 km emergency asphalt carriageway running through Kuje town.
Addressing the residents, Wike called on them to be patient and support the government’s efforts to improve their wellbeing.
The minister, who spoke in pidgin English, said that while hope was lost before, the present administration has brought back hope to the people, adding that the government is taking measures to alleviate the current economic hardship in the country and will also continue to provide basic infrastructure to the people.
This, he said, will ensure that residents have good roads to access their farms and markets, standard hospitals and good schools for their children.
Wike stressed that the challenges in the country cannot be fixed overnight and urged residents to exercise more patience and support the President Bola Tinubu-led administration, adding that with the people’s cooperation, the economic hardship will soon be a thing of the past.
He used the opportunity to call on residents to shun acts that could sabotage efforts made by the administration to bring hope back to the people, urging residents to protect the peace of the nation’s capital.
He said: “For FCT na the centre of the country, the indigenes and the residents, wey dey here, we must protect FCT.
“Even if problem go dey for anywhere, e no go be FCT. Because na here all of us stay. So I appeal say those of una wey get am for mind to dey go do something wey no good, say una wan go do follow people wey no know where dem dey go, wey de do things wey no get head, no get tail, make una withdraw, give us time.”
The minister assured that the projects inspected would be completed before the end of the year and urged the contractors to ensure they deliver the projects at the scheduled time.
Both contractors for the projects, Arab Contractors and Gilmor Nigeria Limited assured that the projects would be completed as soon as possible.
Present at the inspection were the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud; Coordinator, STDD, Hon. Abdulkadir Zulkiflu; Director, Engineering Services, Richard Dauda; other senior officials of the FCTA; former senator representing the FCT, Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda; and officials of Arab Contractors and Gilmor Nigeria Ltd.
Protest: Give us time – Wike begs FCT residents

Don’t allow anybody to lure you with N5,000 or N10,000

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Don’t allow anybody to lure you with N5,000 or N10,000

The Minister of State for Environment, Ishaq Salako, on Saturday, assured Nigerians that the economy is on its way to full recovery following the radical economic reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu in the past year.

This came as the Special Adviser to the President on Tourism, Prince Ademola Adetokunbo begged Nigerians ‘not to allow anybody to lure you with N5,000 or N10,000 to go and protest.

Salako expressed the conviction at the inauguration of new National Working Committee members for the youth league of the All Progressives Congress in Abuja.

The minister’s reassurance was in response to calls for all APC youths to boycott the August 1 nationwide planned protest.

The demonstration, scheduled to run from August 1 to 15, has continued to generate tension and elicit mixed reactions from Nigerians

Several groups who indicated interest in championing the campaign said the call for protest was provoked by the soaring cost of living and economic hardship in the country.

But Salako disagreed, saying the anticipated demonstration is an attempt by some unscrupulous politicians to use the youthful population to destabilize governance in the country.

He said, “Do not allow yourself to be used by people who want to destabilise Nigeria. What the country is going through now is like a patient who has cancer. The cancer has been embedded in his body for so many years. All the past leaders lacked the courage to tackle the problem. Instead of addressing the problems, what did they do? They postponed the evil days.

“Mr President has tackled the cancer by doing a radical surgery. And when you conduct a radical surgery on anything, it takes time for it to heal. Aside from taking time to recover, a cancer that is so long will need to undergo chemotherapy. I believe we all know what it is. During such a process, you will notice that the person will lose weight, hair, and all kinds of things all in a bid to get well.

“So I want to crave your indulgence as your APC youths league president has directed that you should go to your various ward and local governments and let people know what! r President is doing. Before he assumed office, things were extremely bad. That was why I used the example of a cancer that is at a terminal stage. If Tinubu had not done what he did, Nigeria would have been on its way to the mortuary by now. But God forbid it.”

Special Adviser to the President on Tourism, Prince Ademola Adetokunbo, also shared his sentiment when he appealed to the young politicians to discourage their friends and neighbours from going to the protest.

Adetokunbo stated that despite the political shenanigans being deployed by the enemies of the country, Tinubu will complete eight years of his tenure.

“This protest is not for us. Don’t allow anybody to lure you with N5,000 or N10,000. We are pleading that this protest is not in the interest of Nigerians. Just recently, we now have the North West Development Commission along with others. This are avenue for we youths to benefit. Don’t let some people take us for granted. These people’s children are in the UK and the United States. They are not passing through all these things as you are. They will now come up with ways to separate you.

“It is only when they want to use us they will remember we have Nigerian youths. Has any of them called you to come and pick up certain jobs or appointments? But here is a President who has the youth in mind with all the lofty policies he has created. The student loan is there. So why can we give out total support to this present administration? We will use this four years and by the grace of God, we are going to eight years,” he stated.

Earlier in his address, the newly sworn-in President of the APC Youths, Olamide Lawal, called on members of the party at all levels to snub the proposed demonstration

“As progressive youths, Mr President needs our utmost support, not demonstration. He needs our empathy and not protest against the hike in food prices and cost of living. We must demonstrate virtuous ethos to make sure the Renewed Hope agenda is achieved. Let me emphatically call on my comrade youths in the country to stand by President Bola Tinubu so that he to focus on his progressive mission for this country.

“We all worked hard to get him into office last year. Let’s not allow some disgruntled elements who have their political agenda to truncate the present administration’s steady efforts to take Nigeria to greater heights. Let’s avoid being used for demonstrations or protests against this government. Remember that no pain, no gain. The painful moments we are presently passing through shall bring enormous gains to our generation and generations yet unborn,” he assured.

Embrace digital technology to preserve cultural heritage — UNESCO urges Nigeria

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Embrace digital technology to preserve cultural heritage — UNESCO urges Nigeria

The UNESCO Institute for African Culture and International Understanding has urged the Nigerian government to harness the power of digital technology to preserve and promote its diverse cultural heritage.
The director of the institute, Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, stated this during a workshop held on Friday in Abeokuta.
The workshop is themed “Cultivating Cultural Entrepreneurship: Fostering Diversity of Cultural Expression Through the Digital Environment.”
The director explained that the workshop aimed to provide a platform to share knowledge, insights, and creative ideas on how education can help cultural entrepreneurs thrive in a digital world.
According to him, Nigeria has a diverse culture, which should be preserved and promoted.
Okebukola, while addressing the participants, called for a collective commitment to nurturing a vibrant and inclusive cultural landscape in Nigeria.
He said: “In an era where digital technology has become an integral part of our lives, it is crucial that we harness its power to preserve, promote, and enrich our diverse cultural heritage.
“This programme aims to provide a platform for sharing knowledge, experiences, and innovative ideas on how education can empower cultural entrepreneurs to thrive in a digital environment.”
Embrace digital technology to preserve cultural heritage — UNESCO urges Nigeria

Lagos CP warns against attack of #EndBadGovernance protesters

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Lagos CP warns against attack of #EndBadGovernance protesters

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adegoke Fayoade, has warned the people of the state against attacking protesters.
Fayoade made the call while addressing traditional rulers and community leaders in Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe, and Lagos Island local government areas at a town hall meeting on Saturday.
A group of Nigerians had called a nationwide protest tagged: #EndBadGovernce to express their displeasure over the economic hardship and other problems plaguing the land.
The protest is slated to take place from August 1 to 10.
He said: “If there must be a protest, it must be peaceful. We want to know those who want to protest so that we can make arrangements for their security.
“It is your right to protest legitimately as long as it does not affect the rights of others.
“Any group planning a violent protest should rethink. Such a group will meet police and other security agencies. We don’t want a repeat of the #EndSARS.
“The duty of residents is to give the police timely information about any group planning a violent protest, it is not for them to attack them.’
The traditional rulers and community leaders resolved there would be no protest in the state.
They commended the Commander of Area J Police Command, Mrs. Yemisi Ojo, for tackling crime in the area.
The leaders also praised the CP over the recent killing of nine kidnappers in the Mushin area of the state.
The post Lagos CP warns against attack of #EndBadGovernance protesters appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.

FG flags-off work on Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway

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FG flags-off work on Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway

The Federal Government has commenced work on the dualisation of the 375.9-km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway in the North-West geopolitical zone of the country.
Minister of Works David Umahi stated this during the flag-off of work and the site handover of the 38-km dual carriageway section of the road to Dangote Group of Companies on July 27, 2024.
Speaking during the flag-off and handover ceremony, Umahi charged the three companies handling the three sections of the project to show absolute devotion to the completion of the project.
He noted that the ministry would look at the need for a project rate review to cushion the effects of the increase in material costs, given that the last review was done about nine months ago.
This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji.
In the statement made available to TVN, he said: “The first section is 38 kilometres by two, which is 76 kilometres. The work is starting today, with palliatives and earthworks, and then they will now start to put in reinforced concrete pavement.”
The minister used the opportunity to launch the federal government’s ‘Operation Free Our Roads,’ which is aimed at making sure that all the federal roads under rehabilitation are made motorable starting this rainy season.
He said: “We are using this as a point of contact to flag off ‘Free our Roads’ all over the country. They will use a stone base to fill and free all the potholes. In failed portions or where we have potholes, they will all be filled, both carriageways.
“They will continue to maintain one carriageway for vehicles to follow while they consistently work on one carriageway.”
He emphasised the need for the ministry’s engineers to take the task seriously, including those of FERMA.
According to him: “Operation ‘Free Our Roads,’ is not only for the Ministry of Works, but also for FERMA. We’re going to put our eyes; all the directors and all the Zonal engineers of FERMA must take this thing very seriously.”
At the section handled by Julius Berger, the minister commended the contractor for already starting work and doing a good job and maintained that the federal government expected the entire project to be completed and delivered by May 2025.
“What we will be discussing with Berger is what we can do to finish this job by May 29. This is very important because we don’t want to stay here beyond May 29, 2025. What Berger cannot finish, we would also have to take it over and give it to Dangote under tax credit for reinforced concrete pavement,” he said.
FG flags-off work on Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway

Foreign mercenaries involved in planned protest – AIG alleges

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Foreign mercenaries involved in planned protest – AIG alleges

The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone Six, Jonathan Towuru, has alleged foreign mercenaries’ involvement in the planned public protest scheduled to hold August 1–10, 2024.
The zonal PRO, Nelson Okpabi, disclosed this in a statement he signed on behalf of the AIG on Saturday evening.
The AIG said they have taken cognizance of those who have spoken out against any form of protest and expressed fear that enemies of the country may be manipulating the process.
Towuru said: “It is confirmed that these fears are genuine based on credible intelligence on foreign mercenaries’ involvement in the planned protest.”
He added: “The police commend patriots who have withdrawn from the protest due to the apparent sinister motives and ignorance of those calling for violence.”
Towuru called on all Akwa Ibom and Cross River state residents to exercise caution and think twice before joining any protest group, stressing that even a peaceful protest at this time is ill-timed.
“The Zone is therefore issuing a stern warning to clandestine groups plotting to destabilise the country and hoodlums seeking to exploit protests for their criminal intentions that the police and other security agencies will not tolerate the killing of innocent citizens, destruction of public infrastructure and private property, or looting of private businesses,” he warned.
He advised all groups planning to protest to provide necessary details to the Commissioners of Police in the states where the protest is intended to facilitate a successful and incident-free protest.
He urged them to identify the routes and assembly points where the protest is to hold, the duration, names and contact details of protest leaders and organisers, amongst other necessary information.
Foreign mercenaries involved in planned protest – AIG alleges

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