News

How UNICEF’s Initiative Changes Narrative Of Access To Healthcare Services In Bauchi

Published

3 hours ago

June 21, 2025

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), through its Fathers for Good Health (F4GH) initiative has been making a whole lot of impact and improving the level of people’s access to healthcare services in Bauchi state.

This initiative was developed by UNICEF and funded by the Canadian Government in order to encourage men to support and mobilise their women for clinic visits, routine immunization, antenatal care and better hygiene practices within their communities.

Speaking in an interview with newsmen on Saturday while commemorating Fathers’ Day, John Eki, the Social Behaviour Change Specialist, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, explained that the initiative was specially introduced to ensure that children that have not received any form of vaccine before were reached and vaccinated in Bauchi state.

In doing this, he said UNICEF in collaboration with the state’s Primary Healthcare Development Board did a rapid assessment where they went to two Local Government Areas, Misau and Ningi.

“We went to find out by ourselves the reason behind the parents not allowing their children to be vaccinated.

“It was quite interesting to see some of the underlying reasons why some parents were not vaccinating their children but increasingly, many of the respondents especially, mothers pointed out that the power to give consent to vaccinate a child rests with the fathers.

“They told us that if we want their children to be vaccinated, then we need to work with the men to be able to give them permission to vaccinate their children and that’s exactly what we did and we recorded huge success in this regard,” he said.

According to him, the group had been able to reach a total number of 113 wards, mobilized 9,252 communities as well as 109,444 children to be immunized with different routine immunization antigens in seven LGAs of Bauchi state.

The UNICEF specialist further explained that F4GH has a total number of 1,130 members with more volunteers showing interest in joining the group.

“What this means is that in every LGA we work, there are ten men in each ward meeting the fathers and convincing them to bring their children to health facilities for vaccination.

“We are mainstreaming nutrition, education, and child protection activities into the work the F4GH are doing now.

“This will enable them to address not only the issue of non-compliance with vaccine uptake but all the related issues affecting children and mothers,” Eki said.

While commending the group during a field trip of journalists organized by UNICEF to Misau LGA, Turaki Goje, a father who had once rejected vaccination owing to the fact that he grew up without receiving any form of immunization, admitted that he was ignorant and negligent.

“Members of the Father for Good Health support team visited my house at different times but I chased them away each time until one day I decided to listen to them to receive their messages.

“After listening to them, I was convinced about the message and I immediately allowed all my children that are within the immunization ages to receive the vaccination. Today, I have healthy children and grandchildren in my family.

“In fact, I later invited them and took them to my village where they enlightened the people there and they all accepted it especially, the women. We are now accepting any form of vaccination they bring to us.

“Another reason why I rejected any vaccination before was because we used to think that there was some kind of hidden agenda behind it because we thought these vaccination exercises only took place in the Northern part of the country,” he said.

One of the members of the group, Nura Aliyu, said before the coming of the initiative, there was a lot of resistance to polio immunization, low attendance of antenatal sessions by pregnant women and home deliveries were on the high side which sometimes resulted in health complications.

“Thanks to the Fathers for Good health Initiative, people now recognize the importance of going to the hospital, particularly pregnant women, even our malnourished children have recovered.

”Before now, there was a lot of resistance to immunization, most households were against immunizing their newborns and many of the pregnant women were not educated on attending antenatal and giving birth in a health facility.”

Similarly, another member of the group, Ibrahim Maina, called on the state government to help provide the group with the necessary mobility especially, motorcycles in order to effectively reach some of the hard to reach areas for awareness campaigns in no distant time.

News

NNPCL Spokesperson Soneye Resigns

Published

37 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Olufemi Soneye, has resigned from his position.

Soneye announced his departure in a Facebook post on Saturday, thanking his colleagues for their support over the past 20 months.

“I wish to inform you that I have stepped aside from my role as Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd.

“This decision will allow me to devote more time to my family and attend to personal responsibilities that now require my closer presence,” he wrote, drawing applause and commendation from his followers.

He described his time at NNPCL as an “honour,” saying he was proud to have contributed to the transformation of the national oil company.

Soneye pledged to remain a “steadfast supporter and ambassador” of the company and urged media professionals to continue their “robust, balanced, and constructive reportage” in support of NNPCL’s mission.

“It has been a profound honour to serve both the Company and our country, and to contribute in my own way to the ongoing transformation of NNPC Ltd. I am deeply grateful for the trust reposed in me, the opportunities granted, and the incredible professionals both within and outside the organisation with whom I have worked.

“I remain a steadfast supporter and ambassador of NNPC Ltd wherever I go. I enjoin you, dear colleagues, to continue your robust, balanced, and constructive reportage to support the Company’s noble mission and strategic role in Nigeria’s energy future. With sincere appreciation,” the note concluded.

Appointed on October 18, 2023, Soneye replaced Garba Muhammad, who was appointed in August 2021 during a management reshuffle.

Before joining NNPCL, Soneye built a reputation as an international journalist, having worked in Nigeria, Australia, and the United States. He previously served as Editor of the US Air Force One Magazine in Washington, D.C., and was President of the Nigerian Media Practitioners in the U.S. capital.

He is a member of several professional associations, including the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Society of Professional Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists, and the Guild of Corporate Online Media Publishers.

Soneye was named “Spokesperson of the Year” in 2025 by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, following similar recognition in 2024.

News

Nigeria’s First Female Fighter Pilot Shines In Ghana

Published

38 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

Flt. Lt. Kafayat Sanni, Nigeria’s first female fighter pilot, has made history at the prestigious Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Accra.

Sanni emerged as the Best Allied Student and won the Best Assistant Commandant Paper award at GAFCSC.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, on Saturday in Abuja.

Ejodame said the awards were presented on Friday, during the College graduation ceremony, attended by top military officials and dignitaries from across Africa.

He said that Sanni’s impressive records first made headlines in 2019 when she was decorated as the Nigerian Air Force’s first female fighter pilot after completing her pilot training in the U.S.

“Since then, she has flown the Alpha Jet as well as undertaken training sorties on the Super Mushshak as a prolific instructor pilot, producing and mentoring younger pilots for the NAF.

“Her outstanding performance at GAFCSC not only symbolises personal excellence and resilience but also underscores Nigeria’s growing leadership in regional defence and commitment to gender inclusion in the armed forces.

“This remarkable achievement further reflects the Nigerian Air Force’s strategic investment in human capital development under the visionary leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar,” he said.

(NAN)

News

95% Of Fever Cases In Lagos Not Malaria – Commissioner

Published

52 minutes ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

Data now shows an astounding 95 out of every 100 fevers experienced in Lagos are not caused by malaria, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi says.

The critical finding is at the heart of a new, multi-pronged approach to fever management, designed to combat misdiagnosis and, crucially, to avert a looming crisis of antimicrobial resistance.

Abayomi said this at a three-day Study Kick-Off of Pathway to Pre-Elimination and Digitization Project in Lagos state.

The focus was Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test and Microscopy Comparative Study & Assessment of PPMVS’ Capacity to Manage Malaria and Febrile Illnesses.

Abayomi said: “We need to get malaria out of the region.

“It is very, very important that we do that once and for all, perform the mind shift in our healthcare providers that on average, 95 out of every 100 fevers that you may see are not caused by malaria.”

“For too long, the default response to fever in Lagos, and indeed nationwide, had been to administer anti-malarial drugs, often without proper diagnostic testing.”

This practice, the commissioner warned, was not only wasteful but dangerous.

According to him, the widespread, often unnecessary use of anti-malarials and antibiotics is accelerating Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a global threat where common infections become untreatable.

“We are really sitting on a very major problem of microbial resistance. And we have to be careful how we dispense antimicrobials and how we dispense antibiotics.”

He cited recent research indicating significant AMR in animals, with 60 per cent of human infections originating from them, stressing the interconnectedness of the problem.

Under the new “test, treat, and track” pathway/strategy, he said that Lagos residents presenting with fever will first undergo a Rapid Diagnostic Test for malaria.

“ If the result is negative, which is anticipated for the vast majority, healthcare providers will then conduct thorough examinations and investigations to pinpoint the true cause of the fever, be it pneumonia, gastroenteritis, or other infections.’

“The ministry is also tightening regulations on pharmacies.

“It is illegal to walk into a pharmacy and say, give me an antimalarial, or give me an antibiotic without a doctor’s, or healthcare practitioner’s, accredited healthcare practitioner’s certificate.”

Underscoring the urgency of the situation, he urged the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria to enforce this, stressing, “If we don’t stop that practice, we are going to be the capital of antimicrobial resistance”.

To combat this, the ministry, with support from a World Bank grant, and in collaboration with the Prof. Wellington Oyibo’s Research Team, is instituting an evidence-based “test, treat, and track” pathway for fever management.

“The cornerstone of this approach is rigorous testing for malaria first.

“If negative—which is expected for over 90 per cent of cases in Lagos—healthcare providers are then mandated to investigate other potential causes of the fever, ranging from common colds to more serious bacterial or viral infections like E. coli, salmonella, or dengue.”

Oyibo, Director of the Centre for Transdisciplinary Research for Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, who explained to the News Agency of Nigeria the grave consequences of not testing, also underscored the severity of misdiagnosis.

Oyibo, the study Coordinator, said: “If it’s a child that has pneumonia, pneumonia will present just the way you see some symptoms of malaria presenting.

“And you now give anti-malaria medicine without a test. What will happen to that child? That child will die quickly of pneumonia.”

According to Oyibo, key strategy to eliminating malaria in the state also includes a policy shift toward Rapid Diagnostic Tests over traditional microscopy due to RDTs’ proven accuracy and operational feasibility in low-resource settings.

He noted that Lagos state was the only state that epidemiological parameters qualified as a state at pre-elimination.

“This is significant milestone in the history of Nigeria but fever and other malaria-like symptoms, which are non-specific to malaria, are still diagnosed as malaria. this forms a significant contribution to high malaria burden reporting.

“This bold initiative aims to usher in an era of evidence-based medicine, where intellectual capacity and accurate diagnosis protect society from the cascading harms of incorrect treatment and drug resistance.”

(NAN)