Headline

Malnutrition: Nigeria Ranked First In Africa, Second Worldwide

Published

1 year ago

October 14, 2024

The United Nations Children’s Fund said Nigeria ranks first in Africa and second worldwide in the number of malnourished children.

The Chief of Nutrition for UNICEF Nigeria, Nemat Hajeebhoy, said this on Monday at the ongoing three-day collaborative meeting between the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and the state nutrition managers.

Hajeebhoy said, “When we look at Nigeria, we see that in Nigeria, we have between 35 and 45 million children under five years of age. Now, when we look at children and we say they are malnourished, if they’re not doing well, we say they are malnourished, and you have different types of malnutrition. You have about 12 million children who we say are stunted, which means they are short in terms of their height for their age.

“We have about nine million children who are wasted, which means they’re too thin for their height, and then we have about 24-25 million children who are anaemic, which means they do not have enough iron, or their blood is not healthy. So, with these numbers, Nigeria is number one in the continent and second in the world, after India. So in Nigeria, we need to all come together to address this issue, because if we address the issue in Nigeria, we address it for West Africa, we address it for the continent.”

She, however, said 43 million Nigerian children have received vitamin A supplements.

“During the maternal, newborn, child health week campaigns that were held in all the states of the country in May, June, July and August to deliver vitamin A supplementation, deworming tablets to children under five, iron, folic acid or multiple micronutrient supplements to pregnant women, I’m delighted to share that 43 million children receive vitamin A supplements this time. This is the first time in Nigeria we have had such a high number.

“We also see that all 36 states unlocked resources to get deworming tablets given to children. And 19 million children were reached with deworming tablets. We also see that over two million pregnant women receive supplements of either iron and folic acid or a multiple micronutrient tablet, and this is very important to enable them to be healthy and for the growth of their children.

“What I am hopeful for is that the next round of MNC week which will happen between mid-November and mid-December, that we can have the support from the states, mothers, fathers, grandparents, so that we can reach the same numbers in the second round. If we achieve this, then we will have achieved results for Nigeria, for West Africa, for the continent and the world,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Director and Head of the Nutrition Department, FMoHSW, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, noted that efforts are being made by the Federal Government to check the progress made and prioritise activities that will improve nutrition in the country.

She said, “Nigeria has the highest burden in Africa and the second highest in the world but the government is collaborating with other stakeholders to change that narrative, and we have put in place quite several strategies.

“We have the coordination team through which we interact with stakeholders every quarter to find out what everyone is doing, and the challenges. We are also ensuring that this coordination that is being strengthened at the federal level, it’s also being strengthened at the state level.”

She added that the government was also building the capacity of providers and has trained over 2,000 master trainers on maternal infant and young child feeding practices.

“Right now, the Federal Government is supporting the states to plan for the training of the secondary facility providers on maternal and infant and young child feeding practices.

“What we need to see for nutrition is to leverage that momentum and make sure that every child is well nourished, especially during the first 1000 days of life.

“All stakeholders need to come together and invest in that age, because if we don’t, then we compromise the child for life,” she stated.

The Deputy Director, Nutrition, NPHCDA, Dr Ogechi Akalonu noted that there is a need for strategies for improving the nutritional status in the country.

She said, “It is a good meeting to ensure that nutrition is visible and top of the national agenda.

“So we need to come together to strategise on how best to improve the nutritional status of women and children.”

On his part, the Country Director, Nutrition International, Dr Osita Okonkwo

emphasised the need to increase funding to ensure the implementation of the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health campaigns.

Okonkwo, who was represented by the Programme Officer, Child Health and Nutrition, Junaidu Sani reiterated the organisation’s commitment to supporting the government in the implementation of the MNCH.

Headline

US Revokes Visas Of Foreigners Who Mocked Kirk’s Assassination

Published

13 hours ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

The United States has revoked the visas of several foreign nationals who publicly mocked or celebrated the killing of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The State Department said the decision followed an internal review of social media posts deemed “offensive and contrary to U.S. values,” adding that the country “has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.”

Kirk, 31, co-founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and a strong ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot dead during a political rally on 10 September.

His killing drew widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, with many describing the act as a targeted attack on free speech.

According to U.S. authorities, at least six individuals from Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico, and Germany had their visas revoked after making comments online that celebrated Kirk’s murder or insulted his supporters.

Examples cited by officials included posts calling Kirk a racist who deserved it, and messages mocking grieving Americans.

“We will not tolerate foreigners who promote or celebrate acts of violence against U.S. citizens,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The move underscores Washington’s growing use of immigration powers to respond to online behaviour perceived as threatening or disrespectful towards the country.

The Department said it continues to monitor social media content for evidence of incitement or endorsement of violence.
Civil liberties advocates, however, have questioned the decision, arguing that revoking visas for social media comments could set a worrying precedent.

Officials maintained that the visa cancellations were lawful, limited in scope, and aimed at protecting national integrity.

“Freedom of speech does not extend to foreigners seeking the privilege of entry while glorifying violence,” the spokesperson added.

The United States has increased visa scrutiny in recent years, requiring applicants to disclose social media handles and online activity.

The policy, officials say, is designed to prevent extremist sympathisers or those expressing hostility towards the country from entering its borders

Headline

Israeli PM Netanyahu Back In Court For Graft Trial

Published

14 hours ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020.

The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal.

It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases.

His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump’s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours.

In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot.

During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts.

Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases.

“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?” Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: “Why don’t you give him a pardon?”

The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government’s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza.

Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel’s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.

AFP

Headline

FULL LIST: US Set To Carry Out Four Executions This Week

Published

15 hours ago

October 15, 2025

Editor

A Florida man convicted of murdering two women he hired for sex was put to death by lethal injection on Tuesday, one of four executions to be carried out in the United States this week.

Samuel Smithers, 72, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the 1996 killings of Christy Cowan and Denise Roach in Tampa. They had been beaten and strangled and their bodies were found in a pond.

Smithers was executed at a Florida state prison at 6:15 pm (2215 GMT), the 14th execution in the southern state this year.

Another convicted murderer was also put to death by lethal injection in the midwestern state of Missouri on Tuesday.

The execution of Lance Shockley, 48, was carried out at 6:13 pm (2313 GMT) for the 2005 murder of a police sergeant, Carl Graham.

Graham was gunned down in an ambush at his home. The officer had been investigating a fatal car accident involving Shockley at the time.

Shockley maintained his innocence but his appeals were rejected by numerous courts, including the Supreme Court. Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe rejected his clemency request on Monday.

Two other executions are scheduled this week.

Charles Crawford, 59, is to be put to death by lethal injection in Mississippi on Wednesday for the 1994 rape and murder of Kristy Ray, a 20-year-old college student.

Richard Djerf, 55, is to be executed by lethal injection in Arizona on Friday for the brutal 1993 murders of four members of a Phoenix family.

In a letter last month apologizing for the crime, Djerf said he was ready to die and would not seek clemency.

“If I can’t find reason to spare my life, what reason would anyone else have?” he wrote.

There have been 37 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2013, when 39 inmates were put to death.

Florida has carried out the most executions with 14, followed by Texas with five and South Carolina and Alabama with four.

Thirty-one of this year’s executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and four by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place.

President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and, on his first day in office, called for an expansion of its use “for the vilest crimes.”