News

Polio: UNICEF Engages Traditional Rulers To Ensure Vaccine Compliance

Published

3 months ago

April 5, 2025

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has engaged the traditional rulers in Bauchi state to ensure maximum compliance of the people with Polio vaccine uptake.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Dass, Alh. Othman Usman on Friday, Dr. Nuzhat Rafique, UNICEF Chief of Bauchi Field Office, said the role the traditional institutions would play in ensuring that the people embraced the vaccine could not be overemphasised.

While appreciating the Emir of Dass for his commitment and concern for the children in the state and Nigeria at large, the UNICEF boss urged him to lead other traditional, community leaders and district heads across the state to ensure that all children were reached and immunized.

“This is a very impressive local government and I congratulate you for the leadership and for being the father of this LGA where we don’t have any zero dose children and open defecation free.

“I would like to highlight the need for your leadership and help for all the local governments in Bauchi because unfortunately, Bauchi is showing one of the lowest indicators in terms of all these achievements that Dass LGA already has, like Open Defecation Free and zero dose children.

“As you know, the polio campaign is starting on 24 to 30 of this month, and this is very important for Nigeria as this is the last opportunity for the country to eradicate polio.

“I’m available to go with you or to wherever you ask me to go, especially the non-compliant or resistant houses because we really need to change.

“We have to make all the houses compliant. We have to give them advice to bring out their children and be given polio drops,” she said.

Rafique added that every child must have a polio drop this time around and no child should be left behind, even in the most deprived areas.

This, she said, would be possible if all the traditional, community and religious leaders in the state worked closely with UNICEF.

Responding, the Emir of Dass who is also the Chairman, Bauchi state Emirate Councils Committee on Health (BASECCOH), said that the Traditional Institution in the state had started a renewed strategy in terms of sensitisation on polio.

According to him, the traditional rulers agreed to pay visits to health facilities to ascertain the progress of the immunisation exercise and had also made it a duty for every District Head to visit a health facility within his domain constantly.

“On the part of the Emirate, we are going to embark on supervision. We will choose some of the areas to visit across the state.

“As you said that you are always available to be part of the supervision, we are going to arrange and as well share the itinerary with you so that during the implementation, we will be able to visit all the zones in the state.

“I promise you that we are going to do our best to make sure that we see changes in terms of polio eradication in Bauchi state,” he promised.

News

Edo To Dredge Ikpoba River For Revenue, Flood Control

Published

14 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

Edo State government has proposed the dredging of Ikpoba River to curb flooding and exploring potentials for enhancing revenue generation in the state.

The state Commissioner for Mining, Hon. Andrew Ijegbai, disclosed this when he led a delegation on an inspection of the river in Benin City.

According to him, the initiative was to find a lasting solution to the incessant challenges of flooding and river overflow on the busy road.

He added that his team was on the ground to assess the condition of the river to get a firsthand observation of its impact on communities near its bank.

Also speaking, Director of Mining in the ministry, Mr. Omoruyi Ihianle expressed the state government’s determination to turn challenges into successes.

He stated that the primary objectives of the project were to generate revenue for the state government through mining and to mitigate flooding in the host communities.

“As a government, we have found a way of converting our challenges until success.

“As a result of the silted river channel, the host communities have been suffering from flooding, hence the Edo State Government is stepping in to desilt while raising revenue for the State Government,” he said.

News

JUST IN: Ex-Eagles Goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, Is Dead

Published

15 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

Peter Rufai, the former Super Eagles goalkeeper, has died.

Waidi Akanni, a former teammate and associate, confirmed the legendary goalkeeper’s death to TheCable on Thursday.

Rufai, affectionately nicknamed Dodo Mayana, died at 61 after a reported battle with long-term illness.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria also announced the demise of the former goalkeeper on the team’s official X account.

“Forever in our hearts, Dodo Mayana. We mourn the passing of legendary Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, a giant of Nigerian football and a 1994 AFCON champion,” the post reads.

“Your legacy lives on between the sticks and beyond.”

Rufai is regarded as one of the best football goalkeepers Nigeria has ever produced. He was the Eagles’ first-choice goalkeeper when Nigeria won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

He also represented Nigeria at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the US and the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

Rufai had over 60 caps for the Super Eagles over the course of a decade with the team.

News

AMCON Sells Ibadan DisCo For N100bn

Published

19 hours ago

July 3, 2025

Editor

The Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) has announced the sale of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) for N100 billion.

AMCON’s Managing Director/CEO, Gbenga Alake, disclosed this at a media parley on Thursday.

Apart from IBEDC, AMCON also manages other distribution companies, including the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company.

Alake said, “Today, I announce to you that Ibadan DisCo has been sold. When we came in, it had already been sold, but we renegotiated the price and got almost double of what it was initially going to be sold for.”

Regarding ongoing legal issues, Alake stated, “We have sold it, and whatever is still happening in court, we will face it.”

However, officials of IBEDC did not respond to inquiries about the sale.