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Nigeria, Seven Others May Face HIV Drug Shortages – WHO
The World Health Organisation has warned that the United States’ decision to halt foreign aid has disrupted the supply of HIV treatments in Nigeria, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ukraine.
The WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, who said this during a press conference on Monday, noted that to halt foreign aid could put millions of lives at risk.
“The disruptions to HIV programnes could undo 20 years of progress,” he said.
He warned that this setback could lead to over 10 million new HIV cases and three million HIV-related deaths while stating that the efforts to tackle HIV, polio, malaria and tuberculosis have been impacted by the US foreign aid pause implemented by President Donald Trump shortly after he assumed office in January.
READ ALSO: 5 Countries With The Highest HIV Rates
Days after Trump directed the halt in foreign aids, the Federal Government announced plans to strengthen its domestic HIV response.
On February 3rd, the Federal Executive Council approved $1.07bn to finance the healthcare sector reforms under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity programme.
FEC also approved N4.8bn for HIV treatment, according to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun.
As part of government efforts to address the funding gap, the Nigerian Senate also recently allocated an additional N300bn to the health sector in the 2025 budget.
The additional allocation, equivalent to $200 million, will target health programmes such as TB, HIV, Malaria and Polio.
READ ALSO: Nigeria, Seven Others Begin African-led HIV Vaccine Development
Meanwhile, the WHO boss emphasised the impact on TB programmes, with 27 countries in Africa and Asia facing significant disruptions.
He said these include shortages of healthcare workers, diagnostic tools, and collapsing data systems.
He noted that nine countries have already reported problems with the procurement and supply chains for TB drugs, threatening the lives of affected individuals.
“Over the past two decades, US support for TB services has saved nearly 80 million lives, but this progress is now at risk,” he said.
He added that its coordinated Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, with over 700 sites worldwide, also faces imminent shutdown.
Ghebreyesus noted that the US has a “responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it’s done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding.”
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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday
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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.
READ ALSO:Ladoja Coronation Date As 44th Olubadan Revealed
The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.
Details later…
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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.
These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.
The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.
The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.
The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.
READ ALSO:FG Introduces Chinese Language Into School Curriculum
By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.
The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.
“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”
Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.
“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.
READ ALSO:FG Gives Mining Firms Deadline For Community Agreements
“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.
He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.
“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”
In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.
He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.
READ ALSO:FG Gazettes New Tax Reform Laws
He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.
Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.
According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.
This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.
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