News
Experts Warn Nigeria’s Health Surveillance System Is ‘Vulnerable’
Health experts and government officials have raised fresh concerns over the fragility of Nigeria’s disease detection and surveillance systems, warning that declining donor funding is exposing deep structural weaknesses across the country.
The concerns were highlighted on Wednesday in Abuja at the formal presentation of A System in Transition: Nigeria Country Report, a landscape assessment presented by Resolve to Save Lives, on the state of the country’s public health surveillance, laboratory, and specimen transport systems.
Delivering a keynote address, the Executive Director of Resolve to Save Lives Nigeria, Nanlop Ogbureke, described the report as a critical reflection point for the country’s public health system. “This report is not simply a diagnostic exercise. It is a mirror held up to Nigeria’s health security system at a defining moment,” she said.
The report warns that Nigeria’s surveillance, laboratory, and specimen transport systems are coming under increasing strain as funding disruptions expose longstanding weaknesses in the country’s public health architecture. It says heavy reliance on donor funding has created fragmented systems that are now proving difficult to sustain.
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“Systems that rely heavily on parallel funding streams and disease-specific architectures are inherently fragile. When funding shifts, the cracks widen,” Ogbureke added.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Jeremiah Daiko, State Epidemiologist in Kaduna State, emphasized the urgency of domestic investment, particularly at the subnational level where outbreaks are first detected and managed.
“Strengthening our health system in Nigeria has become a priority. For us to survive and strengthen it, we really need funding,” he said.
“This programme is coming at a good time, when donor funding has decreased significantly. So we need to look inward to see how our state and government can support surveillance, laboratory services, outbreak response, and other critical areas.”
Daiko described the initiative as timely and beneficial, especially for states grappling with reduced external support.
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“It is a very good programme for us at the subnational level,” he added.
Findings from the report show that funding disruptions are already affecting surveillance coverage, laboratory turnaround times, workforce stability, and overall system readiness across the country.
Despite these challenges, experts maintain that Nigeria has the foundational capacity to build a more resilient and integrated health system.
“Nigeria already has the building blocks of a resilient health system. The challenge is not capacity, but coordination and integration,” the keynote address noted.
The report identifies current funding opportunities and ongoing reforms as a critical window for Nigeria to reposition its health system toward sustainability and national ownership.
“Decisions made now will determine whether Nigeria’s systems continue to fragment or are deliberately consolidated for the future,” the report warns.
Stakeholders at the event called for urgent, coordinated action to strengthen domestic financing, integrate health systems, and improve preparedness for future public health threats.
News
Migration Agency Warns Migrants Against Irregular Travel Routes
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with Giving is Healing Foundation, has sensitised residents of Ayobo in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State on the dangers of irregular migration and the need to embrace legal travel procedures.
Speaking during a sensitisation programme held at Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association in Ayobo, the founder of Giving is Healing Foundation, Mr. Gbolahan Ayediran, warned intending migrants against using illegal travel routes.
Ayediran said many Nigerians desire to migrate abroad in search of better opportunities but often ignore proper procedures, thereby exposing themselves to several dangers.
“Lots of people want to migrate and most of them do it in the wrong direction. The reason for the programme is for us to advise people on how they can migrate in the right way. As much as migration is their right, they should do it correctly,” he said.
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He advised intending travellers to obtain the necessary travel documents before embarking on any journey, noting that such documents include international passports, visas, flight tickets and yellow cards, depending on the destination country.
According to him, migrants should also gather adequate information about their destination countries to enable them make informed decisions before travelling.
Ayediran further highlighted some of the dangers associated with irregular migration, including abuse, exploitation, discrimination and forced labour.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Megida Ifelodu Community Development Association, Elder Mathews Amusan, commended the organisers for enlightening members of the community on safe migration practices.
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He urged residents planning to travel abroad to always follow legal migration procedures to avoid falling victim to human trafficking and other migration-related challenges.
One of the participants, Mr. Kolawole Adenoko, said the programme enlightened him on the dangers of irregular migration and the importance of travelling through the proper channels.
He added that he would also educate his relatives and friends on the risks associated with illegal migration.
News
Shatta Wale Bailed Burna Boy From Ghana Prison After Arrest For Smoking Weed – Captan
Ghanian singer, Captan, has claimed that his former record label boss, Shatta Wale, once bailed Nigerian singer Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana after he was allegedly arrested for smoking weed.
Speaking in a recent podcast interview, Captan claimed that Shatta Wale sent him and others to free Burna Boy from police custody.
He also claimed that Shatta Wale and his group once accommodated Burna Boy when he was being hunted by some dangerous men.
READ ALSO: Wale Edun Opens Up After Sack
Captan said, “I once bailed Burna Boy out of prison in Ghana when he was arrested for smoking weed. Shatta Wale sent me and some guys to go and free him from police custody.
“There was a time we also accommodated him when some people were after his life. We helped him settle the case.”
He added that he and Burna Boy are no longer in good terms after the Nigerian artist’s fallout with his mentor, Shatta Wale.
He, however, said he and Shatta Wale are open to reconciling with Burna Boy if he asks for it.
Watch the video here
News
Children’s Day: Chaos At Ogbe Stadium As Dozens Faint
Chaos erupted on Wednesday during the Children’s Day celebration as dozens of students reportedly collapsed following a stampede triggered by the use of pepper spray.
The event,
organised by the Edo State Ministry of Education at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium was disrupted after some male students of Ihogbe College allegedly made uncompromising advances towards female students at the venue.
A parent who identified himself as Oboh Emmanuel said, “the behaviour of those uncultured students attracted the attention of bouncers stationed at the stadium as they rebuked the male students.”
Oboh said the affected students later regrouped and attacked the bouncers, leading to a confrontation within the crowded arena.
READ ALSO:Children’s Day: Edo Commits To Child Protection
It was gathered that in the ensuing confusion, the bouncers were reported to have deployed pepper spray in an area occupied by a large number of students.
Several students, particularly female students, reportedly fainted after inhaling the substance, while others sustained injuries after being stepped on during the ensuing melee.
The panic was said to have spread across the stadium as students, teachers and parents scampered for safety.
Many of the affected students were reportedly rushed to the Edo Specialist Hospital for medical attention.
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Reacting to the incident, Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Dr Patrick Ebojele, said the security personnel that fired the tear gas had been detained.
He said all the students, except two, that were rushed to the hospital have been discharged.
Ebojele stated that doctors wanted to observe the students till tomorrow before allowing them to go home.
“The two students are not seriously injured. Doctors want to observe them overnight. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education is still at the hospital. The man who used pepper spray has been detained.
“The incident did not happen the way it is being exaggerated. All modalities were put in place to ensure the children enjoyed their day.”
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