News

Tinubu: Mixed Reactions As NBC Fines Arise TV

Published

3 years ago

November 14, 2022

Civil society organisations expressed mixed reactions as the National Broadcasting Commission fined Arise TV for airing a reports about the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

NBC on Monday fined Arise TV N2m for breaching the broadcasting code.

Reacting, the Executive Director, Transition Monitoring Group, Auwal Rafsanjani, urged media houses to verify news before pushing them out.

He, however, noted that sanctioning Arise TV was not fair since the media house had apologised.

Rafsanjani said, “It is important that we try as much as possible to verify the information before it is sent out. However, the idea of trial by all means to sanction to media station over a report that did not emanate from it is not balanced and not also fair, especially when the media had openly come out to openly apologise.

“I think the NBC is just trying to show that it is working but that is not the only way to show that you’re actually working. If the media had denied or refuse to apologise, that is a different thing.

“The apology should have been taken in good faith. We don’t need to monetise or commercialise every aspect of our life.

On his part, the Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, expressed disappointment at the publication by Arise TV, which it said its owners and staff had enough experience than to make such mistake.

“Owners and staff of Arise TV are supposed to be thorough-bred journalists. And the rule in journalism is that ‘when you’re in doubt, leave out.’ It is not just one way that you can crosscheck a material before you use it as your content.

“As a matter of fact, they should have their own personnel in places where these news are breaking. There was no point in them rushing to the press with news that they knew could be libelous and scandalous because of the experience they had garnered over the years.

“Yes, they have made that mistake. It is good enough that they have been so humble to apologise, but then, if the rules of the NBC says that anybody that broadcast fake news should be sanctioned, then they should be sanctioned, at least, it would deter others who want to rush to the press.

“Everybody that had done that whether or not with the intention of embarrassing the subject of the issue, if they had violated the rule of ethics, they should be made to face the law,” Adeniran told The PUNCH.

Arise TV had apologised on Sunday after reporting that the Independent National Electoral Commission was investigating Tinubu over alleged criminal forfeiture of money on offenses bordering on narcotics and illicit drugs.

The sanction, however, came after the APC Presidential Campaign Council had petitioned the NBC on Monday, demanding sanctions against Arise TV and Channels Television for airing the report.

The APC’s demand was made in a petition signed by the special adviser on Media, Communications and Public Affairs of the PCC, Dele Alake, and addressed to the Director-General of the NBC, Balarabe Ilelah.

He said, “The case in question, which did not indict our candidate, has since been overtaken by events after interrogation and correspondences between the then Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, in 2003 and the United States government.

“The US Justice Department in a letter dated February 4, 2003, issued by the Lagos Consulate of the United States Embassy cleared our candidate. The letter was signed by Michael Bonner, the Consulate’s legal attaché.

“The Campaign Council was therefore surprised that certain media houses, such as ARISE News and Channels TV among others, went ahead to transmit and broadcast issues purportedly indicting our candidate in violation of section 3,3 I of the Code which says that ‘The Broadcaster shall ensure that any information given in a programme in whatever form is accurate.

“We believe that the operators of the stations, by their professional standing, should have access to research platforms to verify information before dishing it to the public,” the petition partly read.

Alake further accused both stations of using the already cleared document in their interviews of Festus Keyamo and spokesman for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, respectively.

The petition stated that both stations went further to broadcast a fake letter in circulation, purportedly issued by INEC, stating that the electoral body was investigating Tinubu.

“Notwithstanding the broadcast of the falsehood peddled by opposition elements, Arise TV and Channels TV went ahead to transmit and circulate a fake letter insinuating that INEC had initiated an investigation of the APC presidential candidate premised on the fake letter in circulation.

“Section 5.1.2 states that the broadcaster shall present news as factual and in correct and fair manner without distortion, exaggerations or misrepresentation while Section 5.1.3 further states that ‘fake news is prohibited.’

“The fake INEC letter has been proven to be fake and this breach is tantamount to disinformation.

“Arise TV has admitted guilt to this in a broadcast few days ago. We make bold to say that in 2014 the AIT transmitted a TV documentary “The Lion of Bourdillon” to which the NBC sanctioned it and it apologised to the victim.

“However, only last week, a chieftain of the PDP, Chief Bode George, in an interview on Arise TV, referred to materials from the documentary to vilify our presidential candidate in breach of the code and the apology granted the victim.

“These breaches attract a sanction of Class B and we implore the NBC to invoke the aforementioned sections to penalise Arise TV and Channels TV for breach of the broadcast code. Section 5.3.3 of the code states that, “The Broadcaster shall (b) in using political materials for news and current affairs programmes, avoid hate speech, inflammatory, derogatory and divisive remarks or allusions,” he said.

News

Edo Targets 2.2 Million Children For Measles, Rubella Vaccination

Published

6 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Government says it is targeting about 2.2 million children aged between 0 and 14 years for measles and rubella vaccination across the state.

The Director of Disease Control and Immunization at the Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Eseigbe Efeomon, who disclosed this during stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting in Benin City, said this would be done in collaboration with development partners.

Efeomon, while noting that the vaccination exercise scheduled to hold simultaneously from January 20 to January 30, 2026, across the 18 local government areas of Edo State at designated health facilities and temporary vaccination posts, said the campaign aims to contribute significantly to the reduction of measles and rubella in Nigeria.

He explained that achieving this target requires increased population immunity through sustained vaccination.

Dr. Efeomon stressed that only qualified and certified health workers would be recruited as vaccinators because the vaccines are injectable.

According to him, the vaccination strategy would involve fixed posts and temporary fixed posts, and vaccination cards would be issued to all vaccinated children as proof, which parents and caregivers are advised to keep for future reference.

He added that vaccination teams would visit schools, churches, mosques, markets, motor parks, internally displaced persons’ camps and other public places, while children who receive the vaccine would be finger-marked to prevent double vaccination.

He reiterated that the overarching goal of the campaign is to drastically reduce rubella incidence nationwide and protect children from preventable diseases through effective immunisation coverage.

Also speaking, the World Health Organization Local Government Facilitator, Mr. Ajaero Paul, described measles and rubella as major causes of death and congenital abnormalities among children globally.

He said both diseases are preventable through the measles-rubella vaccine, which he described as safe and effective,

He added that sustained advocacy is critical to reducing child mortality and lifelong disabilities.

On his part, UNICEF Social and Behavioural Change Health Officer, Yakubu Suleiman, emphasised that the measles-rubella vaccine is safe and effective for all children aged nine months to 14 years.

He stated that the government has fully paid for the vaccines, making them available at no cost to all eligible children in government health facilities across the state.

Suleiman explained that vaccination not only protects individual children but also safeguards communities from deadly vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and rubella.

He added that even children who had previously received the measles vaccine should still be given the measles-rubella vaccine and appealed to schools and other key stakeholders to support the campaign to ensure that no child is left behind.

News

Togo, Niger, Benin Owe Nigeria Over $17.8m For Supplied Electricity – NERC

Published

11 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Nigeria’s electricity regulator has disclosed that three neighbouring countries, Togo, Niger and Benin, are indebted to Nigeria to the tune of $17.8 million, equivalent to more than N25 billion at prevailing exchange rates, for power supplied under bilateral electricity agreements.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, made this known in its Third Quarter 2025 report, which reviewed market performance within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI.

According to the report, the international customers were billed a total of $18.69 million by the Market Operator for electricity supplied during the third quarter of 2025. However, only $7.125 million was paid, leaving an unpaid balance of $11.56 million for the period under review.

NERC also revealed that the same international offtakers had outstanding legacy debts amounting to $14.7 million from previous quarters. Of this amount, $7.84 million was settled, leaving a residual balance of $6.23 million.

When combined with the Q3 2025 shortfall, the total outstanding debt stood at $17.8 million, which translates to about N25.36 billion at an exchange rate of N1,425 to one US dollar.

The regulator identified the international electricity customers as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin Republic, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger Republic.

NERC stated that the three utilities collectively paid just $7.125 million against the $18.69 million invoice issued for electricity supplied in the third quarter, resulting in a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent.

This meant that more than half of the billed amount remained unpaid at the close of the quarter.

The commission explained that the electricity exported to the three countries was generated by grid-connected Nigerian generation companies and delivered through cross-border bilateral power supply arrangements.

By contrast, NERC reported a stronger payment performance among domestic bilateral customers. According to the report, local customers paid N3.19 billion out of the N3.64 billion invoiced for the same quarter, representing a remittance rate of 87.61 per cent.

The regulator further noted that some bilateral customers, both international and domestic, made additional payments to offset outstanding invoices from earlier quarters.

Specifically, the Market Operator received $7.84 million from international customers and N1.3 billion from domestic customers in settlement of previous obligations.

Beyond bilateral transactions, NERC disclosed that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted a total of N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in the third quarter of 2025. This was out of a cumulative invoice of N400.48 billion, translating to an overall remittance performance of 95.21 per cent.

The commission said the figures were derived from reconciled market settlement data submitted as of December 18, 2025, as part of its statutory evaluation of the commercial health and performance of the electricity market.

News

Expert Identify Foods That Increase Hypertension Medication’s Effectiveness

Published

18 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Editor

Hypertension remains one of the leading causes of premature death worldwide, contributing significantly to heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. Despite the availability of effective antihypertensive drugs, long-term control of high blood pressure is often challenging because of drug resistance, side effects, and poor adherence.

This has fueled growing scientific interest in complementary strategies that can enhance drug efficacy while minimising toxicity. One promising approach is the combination of conventional antihypertensive medications with herbs and spices in many kitchens.

Recent evidence suggests that augmenting modern antihypertensive drugs with foods rich in p-coumaric acid, a naturally occurring phenolic acid, may offer a novel and effective strategy for blood pressure control.

Phenolic compounds, commonly found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and blood vessel–protective properties.

In a study, researchers investigated the combined effects of lisinopril, a widely used antihypertensive drugs and p-coumaric acid on hypertension.

They reported in the Comparative Clinical Pathology that p-coumaric acid enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

The study used an established animal model in which hypertension was induced in rats through oral administration of L-NAME, a compound known to suppress nitric oxide production and raise blood pressure.

Following the induction of hypertension, the animals were treated for 14 days with p-coumaric acid (at two different doses), lisinopril alone, or a combination of both.

Untreated hypertensive rats showed significantly elevated activities of key enzymes linked to high blood pressure such as ACE, arginase, acetylcholinesterase, and phosphodiesterase-5 along with increased lipid peroxidation, an indicator of oxidative stress. At the same time, levels of nitric oxide, a critical molecule for blood vessel relaxation, were markedly reduced.

By contrast, rats treated with a combination of lisinopril and p-coumaric acid experienced notable improvements. Blood pressure was better controlled; harmful enzyme activities were reduced, oxidative stress declined, and nitric oxide levels increased. These improvements were mirrored in the tissues the heart compared with untreated hypertensive animals.

They said that the findings suggest that p-coumaric acid may enhance the antihypertensive action of lisinopril, potentially allowing for improved blood pressure control without increasing drug dosage.

This drug–food interaction model is particularly important in the circumstance of long-term hypertension management. Many patients rely on lifelong medication, and strategies that can improve treatment outcomes while reducing side effects are highly desirable.

The study also reinforces the growing recognition that diet is not merely supportive but can be biologically active in disease control.

The use of medicinal plants and plant-based therapies in the management of hypertension is deeply rooted in traditional medicine across many cultures. While such practices have often existed outside conventional healthcare systems, modern scientific research is now providing evidence-based explanations for their effectiveness.

While these findings are based on animal studies and cannot yet be directly translated into clinical recommendations for humans, they open the door to future research on dietary strategies that can safely complement antihypertensive drugs.

Further clinical studies are needed to determine appropriate dosages, safety profiles, and real-world effectiveness.

In the fight against hypertension, the future may lie not only in new drugs, but also in smarter combinations, where medicine and nutrition work together to deliver better, safer outcomes for patients.

Such nutrition to help maintain healthy blood pressure includes garlic, potatoes, walnuts,tomato and tomato products, legumes and citrus fruits (grapefruits and oranges).
(TRIBUNE)