News

By Anas Abbas

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has called on international media outlets to provide fair, accurate, and objective coverage of Nigeria.

Receiving a BBC delegation in his office on Thursday, August 15, Idris emphasized the importance of balanced reporting, highlighting both challenges and positive developments in the country.

Idris emphasized the importance of balanced and unbiased reporting and highlighted that Nigeria, like other countries, faces challenges. He also urged the international media to provide a complete and nuanced portrayal rather than focusing solely on negative aspects.

While acknowledging press freedom, Idris encouraged international media to showcase Nigeria’s progress and achievements. He commended the BBC’s expansion in Nigeria, including its Hausa Service studio relocation to Abuja, engaging 200 Nigerians.

Idris also appreciated the BBC’s capacity-building initiatives for public media journalists and requested similar support for private outlets.

BBC’s Director of Global News, Jonathan Munro, praised Nigeria’s strong reputation for the BBC, citing 30 million weekly visitors to their news services, making Nigeria their third-largest international audience.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Ibrahim Lawan, the suspended Director of Primary Health Care (PHC) in Yobe’s Nangere Local Government, has confessed to diverting Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) supplements intended to treat severe malnutrition in children.

The PHC board had suspended Lawan indefinitely and established a five-member committee to investigate the matter.

Lawan admitted to tampering with the supplements along with some staff members, acknowledging that his actions were wrong.”I tampered with some of the therapeutic food supplements, but the quantity is not as much as they alleged,” Lawan admitted in an interview.

He added, “However, I take responsibility for all that happened since I was the leader at the time.”

Lawan claimed that the quantity of supplements diverted was not as much as alleged (120 cartons), but took responsibility for the actions.

He appealed for leniency, citing cooperation with the investigation.”I am appealing to the state government to temper justice with mercy since I have cooperated and made the investigation easier for them,” he said.

The RUTF supplements are highly nutritious food packages used to treat severe and acute malnutrition in children.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition is a significant public health problem in Nigeria, with approximately 2 million children under the age of five suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The investigation committee will also recommend strategies to ensure accountability in the distribution of medical consumables.

The Yobe state government has named Ibrahim Disa as the acting director of the PHC in Nangere pending the outcome of the investigation.

James Thomas, 35 and Segun Adesina, 61, were remanded on Thursday by Chief Magistrate Patricia Adetuyibi at a family court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, for the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl.

According to NAN, Adetuyibi, who declined to accept the defendants’ plea due to a lack of jurisdiction, ordered their custody to the Abolongo Correctional Facility in Oyo Town.

She gave the order to forward the case file for review to the Oyo State Ministry of Justice’s Director of Public Prosecutions. The matter was postponed to October 20 for mention by Adetuyibi.

Thomas allegedly had illicit sexual contact with the girl between January and July at Oke-Ola in the Ejioku neighbourhood of Ibadan, according to the prosecution’s attorney, Insp. Folake Ewe.

Ewe claimed the defendant violated the girl’s rights by allegedly committing the crime.

She claimed that Adesina is also accused of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a woman against her will sometime in 2021 at the same home.

Ewe claimed that the offences were in violation of Section 34 of the 2006 Oyo State Child Rights Law.