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$75m: Pfizer Demands DNA Report from Beneficiaries

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Pfizer International, the US pharmaceutical company that carried out a meningitis trovan test in 1996 on a number of children in Kano State, has demanded a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) report as a pre-condition for beneficiaries to draw down on the $75 million judgment money against it, a retired justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Abubakar Wali, has said.
Speaking at the palace of the Emir of Kano on Friday, Justice Wali, who traced the history of the trovan test, said Pfizer came to Nigeria in 1996 at the peak of the outbreak of meningitis disease in Kano to offer assistance on affected victims. He said, unknown to the government and people of the state, the company had come to test the drug, which resulted to deforming and killing of many children in the state.
The retired Justice also said his team was at the palace to seek the guidance of the emir, Alhaji Ado Bayero, as plans were afoot to sensitise the people against coming in to make wrong claims. He assured that “all the victims must undergo DNA test to ensure that the genuine victims benefit from the settlement.”
Justice Wali also told the emir that out of the $75 million judgement money Pfizer agreed to pay, $30 million would go to the victims and their families. Another $30 million would be used to provide health projects in the state, while $10 million would go for litigations and $5 million used to settle sundry expenses.
Responding, the Emir Bayero explained that he was aware of the task before the committees instituted by the state government to handle both the settlement of compensation to the victims and healthcare issues, as agreed by Pfizer and Kano State government.Bayero said the Kano State Government had constantly been updating him on any development relating to the Pfizer case and commended the government for leading the litigations initially started by the families of victims. He said such an effort had yielded positive results.
According to him, “ I have to commend the efforts of the government in ensuring that justice is done, through the out of court agreement, what I want people to do now is since the monies will be provided soon for settlement of the victims or their families, modalities should be followed to the last letter so that only the affected families benefit”.
He advised that the people should be aware of the modalities to be followed in taking the claims; as such all claimants should be honest because the calibre of persons in the two boards would not in any way allow abnormalities.
He cautioned pharmaceutical companies worldwide to conform to the ethics and avoid testing animal drugs and vaccines on human beings. He said that what happened in Kano in 1996, in which hundreds of children were reported dead or deformed through the application of meningitis trovan test drugs was a great lesson to the whole world.
Other members of the settlement team that accompanied Wali to the palace were Justice S. M Balgore (rtd), Professor Isa Hashim, Dr Musa Borodo, Professor Mutassir Ibrahim and Dr Prosper Igboli.
Besides, Wali said the state government had also instituted a healthcare board under Professor Shehu Ahmed Sa’id Galadanchi as chairman to fast track the implementation of government’s action plan arising from the Pfizer case.
Other members of the board are Professor Auwalu Hamisu Yadudu, Architect Ibrahim Haruna and Dr. Habibu Sadauki, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Kiyawa and Alhaji Adamu Jafiya
Both boards, Wali said, have Mr. David Odiwo and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim of the SSG office as secretary and assistant secretary respectively.
Kano State Government on July 30 formally signed an agreement with Pfizer over the controversial drug trial. The out-of-court settlement in the multi-billion-dollar suit against Pfizer, in the three-year drug test in the state, came after years of litigation.
“We have settled and we are signing an agreement , Kano State government has finally reached a $75 million settlement agreement with Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company, over the 1996 Trovan test in the state,” said Aliyu Umar, counsel for Kano State government, had said then.
Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, had said he was in London with leader of the Trovan test victims’ chairman, the State Attorney-General, and the State Commissioner for Health to finalise agreement and work out modalities with Pfizer executives on how the money would be shared. He said the full payment might take up to 2011.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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