Nation
Prioritise Health Issues, Professionals Urge Politicians

Health professionals in Enugu State have called on political party candidates for the March 11 Governorship and State Assembly elections to prioritise health issues.
They said prioritising health issues would deliver quality, accessible and affordable healthcare for all in the state, irrespective of location or economic status.
The health professionals said this during the Maiden Dialogue with Gubernatorial Front-Runners on Health Sector Agenda-Setting and Consensus Building held in Enugu on Saturday.
The Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Enugu State, Dr Celestine Ugwoke, said the purpose of the dialogue was to start early to impress it upon would-be governors that the success of the health sector holds the success of other sectors.
Ugwoke, who articulated the views of other health professionals and associations, said the dialogue was also a catch-them-young programme meant to focus the minds of candidates in building a virile and resilient health system to enhance productivity.
He said: “We aim at having a robust interaction on ways to move the health sector of the state forward, especially providing holistic healthcare to the benefit of rural dwellers and all residents in the state.
“In our interaction, the health professionals will know the political candidates’ blue-print on health; and get their buying into existing and running health system frameworks that needed to be strengthened for further positive results”.
The Chairman noted that the dialogue would be continued through various means to ensure that the voices of health professionals are heard clearly and “sustainable and beneficial actions taken to put the health sector in proper footing in the state”.
Earlier, Prof. Benjamin Uzochukwu, a Professor of Health Management, Systems and Policy, noted that the health professionals and associations/unions remained a critical stakeholders in the good governance project of any government or state/country.
Uzochukwu, who is of the West Africa Medical and Dental Council, said that the in-coming governor must prioritise health and health programmes serving the generality of the people, especailly on health and well-being of the rural people.
He maintained that the vast population of the people of the state still lives in the rural areas and as such an encompassing, holistic and sustainable healthcare would be sought for.
“There is a need to strengthen capacity and reach of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the state as well as make the Primary Healthcare Centres or facilities more functional to attend to the health needs and challenges of people in rural communities,” he said.
The Tide’s source reports that among the four leading political candidates in the state invited for the dialogue, only the Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Dr Chijioke Edeoga, honoured the invitation on a representative capacity.
Edeoga, who was represented by Prof. Augustine Akubue, said that he would stop medical practitioner’s brain drain from the state by checkmating all push factors that cause it through adequate remuneration, training and retraining as well as allowance among others.
He said that his administration would increase budgetary allocation to health, increase inter-agencies collaborations as well as fashion out a robust Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) to increasing number of health facilities, equipment and technology in the state.
“We will also deal with issues of quackery in some health professions by ensuring that all professionals are duly licensed to operate and that all health facilities in the state are duly registered and monitored to ensure high standard.
“The Labour Party will ensure that all health facilities lying fallow in the state are put to beneficial use and provide technology to ensure proper and secured data capture in health facilities among others,” he said.
The dialogue session also featured questions and answers interaction between health professionals and the Labour Party candidate.
Nation
Nasarawa Varsity Student Commits Suicide

A 23-year-old student of Nasarawa State University identified as Jatau Rilokwah, has been reportedly found dead in the university’s senior staff quarters.
A counter-insurgency expert, focused on the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this on his X handle on Tuesday.
According to him, the discovery was made on April 27, 2025, by a security officer at the university, Emmanuel Gyawo.
He stated that Gwayo was directed by Prof. Shedrack Jatau to check on his son upon arriving at the residence, and he found Rilokwah hanging from the ceiling.
“Professor Jatau, who was reportedly out of the State at the time, was informed of the incident. A team of police detectives, led by the Divisional Crime Officer of Angwan Lambu, was dispatched to the scene.
“The body showed no signs of violence, and no suicide note was found. Rilokwah was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor,” he further stated.
He added that the student’s corpse had been deposited in the hospital morgue.
He also quoted police sources as saying that investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Nation
Ogun, Nike Art Gallery Set To Transform Olumo Rock

The Ogun State Government has partnered with Nike Art Gallery to establish a new exhibition space at the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta, a move Governor Dapo Abiodun says is aimed at boosting annual tourist visits from 20,000 to over 100,000.
Abiodun disclosed the plan on Wednesday while receiving the founder of the Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
“I went to Olumo Rock about a month ago and I decided that we needed to do something about restoring Olumo Rock to its old glory. From statistics, Olumo Rock hosts about 20,000 people a year in its current state, and I felt that we could increase that to at least ten times,” the governor said.
As part of the plan, an events hall within the tourist centre will be repurposed as a permanent gallery operated by Nike Art Gallery.
“I told them to shut it down. Practically, we want to bring it down and turn it into a gallery for you to use as an exhibition gallery,” he told Davies-Okundaye.
He added that the gallery will be ready before the National Sports Festival in May, when the State will host about 15,000 visitors.
“I want them to be able to see our tourist sites,” he said, listing attractions such as the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, the Ransome-Kuti family home, and the Adire market among key heritage spots to be showcased.
Highlighting Ogun’s improved infrastructure, the governor said, “Now that we’ve succeeded in having the intra and inter-state roads in place, you can come to Ogun State by rail; you can come by air. We’ve constructed one of the best airports in Nigeria, and very soon, you will be able to come by sea.”
Davies-Okundaye, in her remarks, praised the state’s efforts to promote tourism and pledged to use the new gallery to attract global attention.
“This gallery will bring many Heads of State. The one I opened in Abuja already has more than 10 Heads of State, including those from South Korea and the Czech Republic. The same will happen here,” she said.
She also applauded the Governor for his commitment to the Adire fabric industry.
“Adire is all over Nigeria, but Ogun has been promoting Adire for over 50 years. Today, the only cloth we can call our own is called Adire. This is what we can sell to the Europeans,” she said.
Abiodun reaffirmed his administration’s backing of the Adire industry, citing policies such as the Adire Ogun Digital Marketplace, compulsory wearing of Adire in the state, and provision of solar-powered production equipment to support artisans.
He also revealed plans to open a creative arts and entertainment village in partnership with Bolanle Austen-Peters, expected to be completed within two months.
Nation
CBEX Resumes Operations Despite SEC Ban, N1.2trn EFCC Probe

Despite the alleged N1.2 trillion digital trading fraud that reportedly affected over 600,000 Nigerians, the embattled Crypto Bridge Exchange trading platform, accused of these acts, has resumed operations, announcing fresh withdrawal options in a move to restore investor confidence.
Two traders on the CBEX platform confirmed to The Tide’s source that the digital trading firm has quietly resumed operations, allowing new users to register, trade, and withdraw profits, despite ongoing investigations by regulatory agencies.
According to the sources, an insurance verification process and an external audit of the company’s financial records are currently underway to ascertain the actual amount lost in the scheme, which collapsed in April.
They added that existing investors, many of whom have been unable to access their funds for weeks, will be able to take out their funds starting from June 25, 2025, when the audit is expected to be concluded by an insurance firm based in the United Kingdom.
This development comes barely weeks after the Securities and Exchange Commission declared the platform illegal, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission confirmed an ongoing investigation into the firm’s operations.
CBEX, a digital investment platform, offered investors 100 per cent profit after 30 days of purported AI trading. The trading platform started operations in 2024 after receiving registration approval from the Corporate Affairs Commission on September 25, 2024, and the EFCC’s Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering on January 16, 2025.
No fewer than 600,000 Nigerians reportedly invested in the scheme and lost N1.2tn after it collapsed on April 14, 2025.
Miffed by the development, the EFCC declared eight persons wanted for promoting the programme. They include Johnson Oteno, Israel Mbaluka, Joseph Michiro, Serah Michiro, Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, and Seyi Oloyede.
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