The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has raised the alarm that Diphtheria is worsening in Nigeria, especially in the northern Nigeria states of Bauchi, Borno and Kano. The MSF said its teams treated 6,707 suspected and confirmed cases in Kano, 110 cases in Borno and 21 cases in Bauchi. “A serious diphtheria outbreak is tearing through Nigeria, where thousands of people have been infected and hundreds more have died. “We’re currently seeing more than 700 people with suspected diphtheria and admitting more than 280 patients on a weekly basis in Kano State’s two diphtheria treatment centres,” says Dr Hashim Juma Omar, MSF emergency project medical doctor. “MSF teams are responding to the outbreak in Kano, Borno and Bauchi states.

Accordingly, the Delta State Police Command has assured that no one would be spared, including politicians, cultists and other bearers of illegal arms in the state. Our correspondent had asked the command’s spokesman if the illegal firearms seizure would be extended to cultists and VIPs, including politicians. They (illegal arms bearers) are part of those we have been parading. She said, “Since IGP has given the directive, no one with illegal arms in the state will be spared. People will continue to source for illegal arms which are readily available in the country if they have money to buy.

Michael Jackson’s historic moonwalk hat, a black fedora he tossed aside just before dazzling the world with his iconic moonwalk dance, is set to be auctioned in Paris on September 26. The much-anticipated sale at the Hotel Drouot is expected to fetch between 60,000 and 100,000 euros ($64,000–$107,000). Organized by Arthur Perault of the Artpeges Gallery, the auction will feature around 200 items of rock memorabilia. The hat was picked up by a man named Adam Kelly, who initially thought Jackson’s staff would retrieve it. A chunk of wall from the now-closed Bus Palladium venue in Paris, signed by various rock stars, is also part of the auction.

Building materials markets and construction industry generally are among sectors that have been predicted to thrive in the last quarter of 2023. According to the latest report from Bismarck Rewane-led Financial Derivatives Company, building materials and construction have been identified among sectors that will thrive in the last quarter of the year (2023). Building materials markets and construction industry generally are among sectors that will thrive in this last quarter of the year (2023) and the signs are there already. The likely driving factors are the products of the building materials markets and the construction industry are basic needs of man. This is not considering the food sellers that will sell food to the workers and the building materials workers.

The Military Pension Board will begin electronic verification for retired military personnel in 2024. The exercise is expected to be held before the end of the first quarter of the year. The immediate past MPB Chairman, Rear Admiral Sabur Lawal, disclosed this during the handover ceremony to his successor on Monday. He said, “I would like the newly appointed military board pension to work on the issues of electronic verification of retirees, which is very important. “We are just going to add to his achievements and prioritise the welfare of our staff and the veterans.”

China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, will begin a four-day visit to Russia for security talks on Monday, his foreign ministry said, the latest in a series of high-level visits and phone calls between the two sides. China and Russia are strategic allies, with both countries frequently touting their “no limits” partnership and economic and military cooperation. China’s foreign ministry said in a statement Monday that Wang would hold strategic security consultations at the invitation of Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s security council. In an earlier briefing, the Russian foreign ministry said Wang would meet with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and the two planned to “focus on efforts to strengthen collaboration on the international scene”. Last month, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu visited Russia and Belarus and called for closer military cooperation.

Nigeria table tennis star, Quadri Aruna, has successfully defended his ITTF Africa Senior Championships crown, defeating Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh 4-0 (11-2, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6) in the men’s singles final in Tunisia on Sunday. Aruna entered the final in style as he left no stone unturned to defeat his compatriot Olajide Omotayo 4-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-9, 11-2) in the semi-finals. Saleh also recovered from a two sets deficit to outclass Congo’s Idowu Saheed 4-2 (12-14, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7) in the second men’s singles semi-final to book the final showdown with Aruna. Aruna however made a lightwork of the Egyptian to win his third continental title. He won the second title last year in Algeria with a 4-3 nerve-wracking win against Egypt’s Omar Assar.

Gas retailers have warned that the price of 12.5kg cooking gas may hit N18,000 by December if the Federal Government does not restrict the activities of the terminal owners. Now, because NLNG has increased price, NNPCL and terminal owners have increased price to N14m. We have not seen anything.”The PUNCH had reported an intended hike in cooking gas prices in August. Prices had since shot up, with 12.5kg cylinder of cooking gas going as high as high as N10,000. “Flat price increase and forex challenges, and LPG responding to crude price increase at the international market,” he said via a whatssap message to The PUNCH.

A Turkish soldier walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's south-east. Photo credit: AFPEarthquake on Monday morning, struck central Italy north of Florence, sending residents into the streets. It was gathered the the earthquake occurred at 5:10 am (0310 GMT). The mayor of Marradi, Tommaso Triberti, told Rainews24 television that firefighters were conducting checks inside private homes. All the people are in the street but no particular damage has been reported.” he said.

At long last, the Presidential Election Petition Court delivered its long-awaited judgments on the three petitions filed in respect of the 2023 presidential election. Electronic transmission of resultsOne of the contentious issues before the Court was that of electronic transmission of results by INEC. In this regard, the Court held that INEC is not under any obligation to electronically transmit election results. The Court should have x-rayed the conduct of INEC in relation to the 2023 presidential election simpliciter, being the subject matter of the petition before it. We surely should not and cannot allow INEC to run away with all the mistakes and failures of the 2023 presidential election.

Today, the visual images of retail as sales strategy will be examined as “productivity essentials” with depths from multiple perspectives. Mutual Benefits Group, an insurance conglomerate has successfully over the years, been running unique retail activities in its expansive specially designated Retail Plaza situated in Lagos Mainland, Nigeria. The growth teams have weekly meetings in the plaza for guidance on specialized retail sales and to also, smoothen rough edges. These retired but not tired citizens, leverage their reach in terms of friends and colleagues, to “retail” insurance values. Buyer types: To succeed in retail sales, you must appreciate the fact that people buy for their own reasons.

The calculus of innovation is really quite simple: Knowledge drives innovation, innovation drives productivity, productivity drives economic growth.” – William Brody (Scientist)Innovation is the specific function of entrepreneurship. How can innovation and entrepreneurship help in fostering sustainable development and mitigate society’s grand challenges? Sustainable entrepreneurship is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Essentially, knowledge economy is driven by innovation (investment in knowledge and information), and human capital (investment in training and education). Sustainable entrepreneurship lies at the core of solving community dilemmas, developing economically sound environments and creating culturally responsible enterprises.

THE local bourse reversed prior week’s gains as the All-Share index declined by 1.10 percent week-on-week (W-o-W) to close at 67,395.74 basis points. Concomitantly, the total market capitalisation of listed equities experienced a decline of N400 billion week-on-week to close at N36.886 trillion. On the contrary, the NGX Banking index was hardest hit in the week as the index lost 3.24 percent week-on-week. However, market breadth for the week was negative as 32 equities appreciated in price, 53 equities depreciated in price, while 70 equities remained unchanged. Capital market analysts had predicted cautious trading on the Nigerian stock market last week, in the absence of strong positive triggers to boost investors’ appetite for risky assets.

Wife of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Taiwo, has begged all Yoruba worldwide to forgive her husband over his statement at Iseyin, Oyo state during Friday’s inauguration of projects executed by the state Governor, Seyi Makinde. God didn’t humiliate King David because of his error and because He is Almighty God, God still accorded respect and honour to a mortal king he created and crowned when he erred. “I am a full Yoruba woman married to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo for over 40 years and l have two children for him both male and female. I do not support the humiliating treatment of the kings of Oyo State by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. The progress has sparked anger among stakeholders such as the Yoruba Council Worldwide and Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdurosheed Akanbi, along with others.

In 2021, MSD’s new CEO, Rob Davis, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to maternal health by committing additional support to global maternal health efforts. Collaboration: The adage “We go far together” rings true in providing truly impactful solutions for maternal health, particularly in Nigeria’s mixed and deeply fragmented health system. By aligning investments, innovations, and collaborations, there should be a seismic shift in maternal health outcomes. Dr. Etiebet explains that a pressing concern is the glaring gender equity gap that continues to plague maternal health outcomes. We propose the following recommendations – the Nigerian government should adopt a collaborative, holistic, and equity-driven approach to maternal health.