Nation
Sanusi Assures On Better Second Term For Makinde
Renowned billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Chief Dotun Sanusi, has said Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, would do better in his second term to lift the state’s economy.
Sanusi told newsmen at the International Conference Centre of University of Ibadan, after the presentation of Certificates of Return to newly elected political office holders, midweek.
The Tide source reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had presented certificates to Makinde and the newly elected 32 House of Assembly members at the colourful event.
Sanusi, who is also the Otun-Apesinola of Ibadanland, and Chairman, Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort, said Makinde would improve the lives of the people.
He said the Governor’s qualities as the best man for the job earned him overwhelming, landmark and unprecedented victory in the just-concluded governorship election.
“As you all know, one good term deserves another. Governor Seyi Makinde has done so well since he took over the reins of governance about 46 months ago.
“He has shown capacity, character and courage in leadership to merit second term in office. I have come to once again felicitate him as he receives his Certificate of Return.
“I am congratulating the governor and all his associates, including members of his family, on this momentous and joyous occasion”, he said.
Sanusi said the people had spoken with their votes by re-electing the governor for another term of four years.
He urged all and sundry to support as well as cooperate with the governor to succeed in the onerous task of governing the state.
According to him, Makinde will hit the ground running and deliver on all his campaign promises to the people.
Earlier, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Adeniran Tella, appreciated relevant stakeholders for their support before, during and after the general elections.
He appealed to the elected leaders to use their renewed mandate to reawaken the confidence of the electorate on their voting exercise.
The source reports that Sanusi had, on March 21, hosted a victory party at Ilaji Stadium and Sports Resort, which was attended by the governor, deputy governor, PDP leaders, traditional rulers and religious leaders, among others.
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’82,000 Nigerian women die yearly from pregnancy-related complications’
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has said about 82,000 Nigerian women die yearly from complications from pregnancy or childbirth in the country.
It broke it down to 225 women dying every day from maternal mortality, which requires urgent action from the Federal Government and all stakeholders to halt the menace in the country.
The UNICEF Chief of Health in Nigeria, Dr Eduardo Celades, disclosed these in Lagos on Wednesday, at a three-Day Media Dialogue on COVID-19 and Routine Immunization, organised by UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Culture.
The Tide’s source reports that Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.
From 2000 to 2020, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined by 34 per cent – from 342 deaths to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to UN inter-agency estimates.
On the other hand, the global humanitarian intervention agency revealed that the country was now witnessing eight million childbirths yearly, expressing worry that the situation was not commensurate with healthcare indices in the country.
The source recalled that the new death rate arising from pregnancy-related complications doubled the figure released by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) in March 2022, when it said at least 40,000 women in the country lose their lives to pregnancy-related issues annually.
It also said over one million children, under the age of five, also die as a result of losing their mothers to pregnancy delivery complications.
Speaking at the media dialogue, Celades said Nigeria has a very high rate of maternal mortality at the moment, stating that the global maternal mortality report from 2000 to 2020, was recently launched as the source.
According to him, the new figures which he said were received, will help UNICEF in its response to health challenges in the country.
He said: “In the last few months and weeks, we got new data. The report is telling us that the number of women dying from pregnancy-related causes is very high. About 82,000 are estimated to die every year from maternal mortality.
“What we are doing is to strengthen primary health care in the country.
“We hope that the data would help us in our response and the response with the government in Nigeria.
“The other one is the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), an analysis where there is the main issue and how we can face them.
“The other new data is the global maternal mortality trends, 2000 to 2020. This is a new report that was launched a couple of weeks ago and we wanted to share that with you because we think this could influence how we work and define how we work with the government so that we can all align and we can have a common narrative.
“We think that this is the new way of working. We are learning and we are trying to innovate. Nigeria is one of the most complex countries in the world in terms of public health issues facing it.
“It is the second country in the world with more zero-dose children–the ones that have not had any single vaccine. It is the country in the world with high maternal mortality.
“Last year was the biggest outbreak in the world and Nigeria has an extremely weak health system. So, we are trying to think from different angles because we at UNICEF and the UN cannot move alone. To do that, we need the government to work with journalists and social media influencers to make the change that is needed”.
He said that UNICEF is planning to launch antigenes virus vaccines in the country soon, noting that the vaccine would immunise children against some childhood diseases.
He said that the country is moving towards the attainment of SDG three, but, its current pace is insufficient to meet the targets.
“Maternal mortality is not going down. Maternal mortality is the same. We have seen that it has reduced by about 12 per cent in the last 20 years but it is not enough if we want to achieve the target.
“So, from UNICEF, our main approach is to try to accelerate interventions to make an impact. Now, we have seven more years to 2030 and we are halfway. If we continue like this, some donors will leave in the next few years, so we have a window of opportunities”, he explained.
He called for an increase in effective investments in primary healthcare, at the state level as well as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
“The second one is that now, we have a very powerful tool to get Universal Health Coverage, (UHC). To reduce maternal mortality, we must focus on National Health Insurance. So I appeal for expansion of the National Health Insurance as much as we can.
“We must invest in the most vulnerable. We appeal to the state governments to allocate resources and with partners we will allocate enough resources to that.
“Our third appeal is to target the most vulnerable, those women who don’t have access in the most hard-to-reach areas and in the more inaccessible places. We need to invest in getting into these areas”, he said.
He disclosed that UNICEF was working in collaboration with the Nigerian Governors Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to launch what he described as Leadership Challenge.
“The challenge is called the Primary Healthcare Leadership Challenge and the idea is to recognize and reward state governments that are investing more in primary health care.
The launch, he said, would attract different categories of awards with US$200 million as the highest to states that would win from the six geopolitical zones of the country.
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Nation
Oceans Exhibition Understand And Act: Raising Awareness Through French Language

The Alliance Française Port Harcourt recently hosted a- 4 Day programme in conjunction with the 3rd United Nations Oceans Conference ( UNOC:3) to mark the World Environment Day, 2025.
The Programme which was supported by the Embassy of French in Nigeria was focused on ocean protection and held from 9 to 13 June, 2025 at the premises of the Alliance Franchise.
The Tide News reports that the week long event was inspired by the Educational booklet “Understand Ocean And Act” created by the French Development Agency (AFD),was free and open for all.
The exhibition adapts complex environmental challenges into engaging educational contents for learners of all ages. It also placed special focus on French Language Learners at the beginner level( A1-A2) and school students.
According to the Director of Alliance Française Mrs Marina Lacal, 130 pupils from six schools in Port Harcourt and additional 60 students from local Universities participated in the guided visit and interactive activities.
Schools that took part in the Programme include Cornerstone International school, Vine, International, Greenoak, Gold gate Montessori, Helm Bridge and Virgo Praedicanda International school.
Others are the University of Port Harcourt,(UNIPORT) Rivers State University (RSU)and the Ignatius AJuru University of Education (AUE)
Mrs Lacal further said that through this initiative Alliance Française Harcourt and its partners have reaffirmed their commitment to educating younger generations and promoting global awareness through language, culture and environmental engagement
However, the exhibition witnessed interactive tools such as French-Language game, quizzes, memory challenges, fill-in -the -blanks. It also provides a platform to explore major ocean issues including climate change,biomliversity loss, plastic pollution, sustainable fishing and climate induced migration all through a linguistic and civic lens.
In line with it’s eco conscious approach , all displayed banners used for the exhibition will be recycled into eco friendly souvenirs such as(key chains) that would be given to participants after the event, to further help reinforce the message that every action counts.
It would be recalled that all snacks and drinks provided during the visit were served with low plastic packaging in line with the environmental message of the event.
Nation
Deputy Commandant Hails Tinubu For Signing NFSS Bill Into Law
The Deputy Commandant General of the Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS) Anti- Bunkering Agency, Amb Wachukwu Adah, has expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing into law the Nigeria Forest Security Service Bill, describing the gesture as a right step in the right direction. The operatives of the NFSS are known as forest guards.
Amb Adah, who made the commendation during the official structuring of the Nigeria Forest Security Service Anti-Bunkering team and induction of legionnaires in Omoku Town, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State on Friday, described President Tinubu as the best President of Nigeria following his monumental achievements in office.
He said the Local Government Autonomy Bill recently signed into law by the President Tinubu administration has tremendous impacts on the lives of the average Nigerians, especially those at the grassroots level.
He noted that by this singular gesture, the President had hit the ground running, for the meaningful development of the country.
Amb Adah reiterated that Rivers youths would utilise the opportunity to serve the country to the best of their ability, acknowledging their readiness to do the needful by ensuring that the forests across the nation are adequately secured.
The Deputy Commandant General also applauded the transformation of the Federal Capital Territory by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, saying, the Minister has turned Abuja to London.
He, however, appealed to the Minister to assist Rivers youths to get sensitive positions in the new Nigeria Forest Security Service ,saying, there is need for him and other leaders to assist the youths who are interested in jobs at the NFSS to secure them, as it is done elsewhere.
“ We need your backing on securing the jobs at NFSS”, he said.
Amb.Adah, who represented the National Commandant, Amb Joshua Osatimehia, said the youths are fully ready to contribute to the security, progress and growth of the nation, and emphasised the essence of character, professionalism and quality service delivery at the NFSS.
In his address, the Administrator of Ogba/ Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Council, Dr Ndu Ajie assured the security outfit of the total support of the council.
Dr Ajie, who was represented by the Secretary of the council ,Mr.Onyedibia Ndulaka, praised the determination and sacrifices made by the security operatives in ensuring and fostering the peace and security of the State.
On their part, heads of security agencies in the local government area, including the Joint Task Force(JTF); the Police; the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC); and the Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC), commended the efforts of the security outfit in the security of national assets, assuring them of collaboration to achieve common goals.
During the event, the 23 LGA commanders and other ranking officers were commissioned.
Recall that President Tinubu had commissioned the Nigerian Police, the Department of State Services (DSS) and a committee to work out modalities on the operations of the NFSS.
The former State Commander of NFSS, Chief Will Wegwu showered encomiums on the Deputy Commandant General for his sacrifices and untiring efforts to keep the flag flying.
Chief Wegwu assured the participants that the officers and men would continue to support the Deputy Commandant General to succeed in his assignment.
The Omoku Police Area Commander, ACP Mahe Mohammed; and the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Omoku Police Division, CSP John Landan, were among a host of other security chiefs and personalities that graced the occasion.
Nation
Business Mogul Partners Students To Reach The Unreached
Rivers-born business mogul, Chief Clement Anele, has pledged his determination to partner with student groups and other relevant bodies, to reach the unreached and the vulnerable in the society.
Chief Anele, who gave this indication while receiving an Award of Education Ambassador from the Rivers State Postgraduate Students Association in his office in Port Harcourt, said he has a covenant with God to give succour to the needy, especially widows, ,students, clerics and the vulnerable in the society.
Chief Anele ,the Managing Director of Anele Good Heart Foundation,
vowed to continue to partner with student groups and other relevant bodies to reach the unreached, and the vulnerable by providing basic necessities of life to them.
He said, “I cannot be everywhere. I need to partner with students to reach the unreached in the society. The sole aim is to improve the living standard of the vulnerable among us .
It is important we touch lives through the little resources God has made available to us .We don’t expect reward from human beings, but from God.
I feel happy and joyful seeing widows, students and the less- privileged benefiting from the foundation .It was a dream God gave me to assist making the society better. I don’t need anyone to praise me for doing it .It is a divine calling to put smiles on the faces of the vulnerable.”
In his speech, the Secretary of the group, Mr Ken Itari, described Chief Anele as an extraordinary individual, who has impacted on humanity, especially the students and widows through his foundation.
He said the honour done to the business mogul by the students was borne out of their desire to partner with him to build a better future for the youths.
He said the students would continue to stand with the philanthropist in his vision to reduce hunger and change the society for the good of all.
He noted that Chief Anele’s scholarships to the students and providing food on the tables of the widows and many vulnerable persons, using his hard-earned resources, show his immense love for humanity, stressing that his reward for the good works he is doing can only come from God.
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