LaPromotif

Dr Temitope Ilori, Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), says the recent U.S. waiver on lifesaving medicines and medical services provides relief for global HIV treatment. President Donald Trump previously issued an executive order halting foreign aid spending for 90 days. Ilori, in a statement on Thursday, said  the waiver would allow continuous distribution of HIV medications and medical services supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Nigeria. She noted that the reassessment of U.S. foreign aid raised concerns among stakeholders regarding HIV/AIDS and TB technical support and funding. Nigeria has the highest number of people living with HIV in West and Central Africa. “Over two decades, global AIDS response partners have supported Nigeria in scaling up HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care, and support. “The U.S. government, through PEPFAR, has significantly supported Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response, partic...

Azu Ishiekwene I can understand if many people outside the US wish to forget about President Donald Trump and get on with their lives. However hard you try, you can’t keep up with the chaos in the White House since January 20. It would be a defamation of the animal kingdom to call Trump a bull in a China shop. He is worse. Regrettably, Trump is inspiring copycats around the world, and it won’t be long before they start following his example, especially his anti-immigration hysteria. Trump didn’t create the migrant crisis facing the world. He wasn’t there when the Huns, Goths, and Vandals invaded Europe, marking the first recorded significant migration and reshaping European demographics. Conquests, geography, tyranny, wars, or the sheer human desire for new frontiers have always led to different kinds of migration. Even the contemporary rise in migrations had nothing to do with Trump. Before Trump For example, the Syrian Civil War, the destabilisation of Central Asia, and later the con...

Adakoriko Adaviriku Adumaza The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has warned that the proposed Bill for Ecclesiastical (Christian) Courts in Nigeria will lead to anarchy and should be stopped. The organization's Secretary-General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stated that demanding Christian courts is an act of intolerance, considering Muslims have Shariah courts. Oloyede argued that Christians already enjoy Sunday as a Sabbath day, and the cross is a symbol used in hospitals, yet Muslims don't complain. He believes that if Christians insist on having Christian courts, Muslims may demand Wednesday as a work-free day. The proposed bill, sponsored by Hon. Gyang Dung and eight other members of the House of Representatives, aims to establish Christian courts to complement regular courts in matters related to the Christian faith. However, Oloyede thinks this demand is not in the nation's interest and may lead to a cycle of intolerance. Some people have rea...

By Adakoriko Adaviriku Adumaza FewChore Finance Company Limited, a leading CBN-licensed financial institution, has made a groundbreaking commitment of ₦500 million to support creative entrepreneurs in Osun State. This pledge is part of the Osun SDG Creatives initiative, which aims to foster innovation and sustainability in the state's creative sector. The announcement was made at the maiden edition of the Osun SDGs Creative Conference, which brought together over 500 participants in-person and twice that number virtually. Governor Ademola Adeleke expressed his excitement about the initiative, emphasizing the importance of creativity and innovation in building a sustainable future. Key Highlights of the Initiative are ₦500 million pledge through FewChore Finance Company Limited's commitment to support creative entrepreneurs in Osun State; Osun SDG Creatives initiative by aiming to foster innovation and sustainability in the state's creative sector; Support for SM...

THE Kwara House of Assembly on Tuesday passed the 2025 Appropriation Budget of N584.69 billion, indicating an increase of N44.33 billion, as against the N540.37 billion initially presented by the executive. The Speaker, Kwara House of Assembly, Mr Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, passed the appropriation bill after it was read the third time by Clerk of the House, Alhaji Kareem Ahmed. Danladi-Salihu, consequently, directed the Clerk to prepare a clean copy of the proposed budget estimate for the governor’s assent. Earlier, Fatimah Lawal (APC/Ilorin East Constituency), Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, laid a report of the bill before the house, which was considered before the budget estimate was passed. Lawal said that the approved estimate contained a Recurrent Expenditure of N205,296,792,087, against N204,711,117,857; indicating an increase of N585,674,233. She said that the Capital Expenditure stood at N379,396,694,597, as against N335,657,001,908 presented b...

THIRTY African Heads of State and government have committed to concrete reforms and actions to expand access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to power economic growth, improve quality of life, and drive job creation across the continent. The leaders pledged their commitment in a declaration during the two-day Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in the Tanzanian commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Mission 300 partners pledged more than $50 billion in support of increasing energy access across Africa. The Dar es Salaam Energy Declaration represents a key milestone in addressing the energy gap in Africa, where more than 600 million people currently live without electricity. The commitments in the Declaration are a critical piece of the Mission 300 initiative, which unites governments, development banks, partners, philanthropies, and the private sector to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030. The Declaration will now be submitted ...

VICTOR Eseigbe, a politician from Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo, on Thursday, testified as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s witness at the ongoing governorship election tribunal, insisting that the poll was marred by irregularities. Eseigbe, who had the witness code: WW1M/9, gave his testimony while being led in evidence by the petitioners’ counsel, Ken Mozia, SAN, in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was moved to Abuja following reports of violence at the tribunal venue in Edo. The petitioners; Dr Asue Ighodalo and the PDP are challenging the victory of Gov. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship election. At today’s sitting, three witnesses testified. Eseigbe, while giving his evidence, identified and confirmed the submission of Form EC8A for 28 polling units, including certified copies and agents’ copies as exhibits. During cross-examination, the Indepen...

By Adakoriko Adaviriku Adumaza The All Progressives Congress (APC) youths in Abuja Municipal Area Council of the FCT are at odds with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the scheduled date for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections. INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu announced that the elections would take place on February 21, 2026, during a consultative meeting with political parties on January 22, 2025. However, Robert Ach-Ugbede, the APC youth leader in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), expressed concerns that the date fixed by INEC raises doubts about the electoral body's intentions. Ach-Ugbede argued that the current serving Chairmen of the six Area Councils were elected on February 12, 2022, and sworn in on June 14, 2022, with a three-year mandate that expires in June 2025. Ach-Ugbede's concerns are rooted in the fact that former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the new Electoral Act as amended on February 28, 2022, which sho...

By Emmanuel Onwubiko TWO major social evils threaten Nigeria’s stability, security, and economic progress: rampant insecurity fueled by terrorism and widespread corruption, particularly among high-profile politicians and the so-called Yahoo Yahoo fraudsters. To combat these twin challenges, Nigeria relies on two key institutions: the armed forces, tasked with national security, and anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). While these institutions are meant to uphold justice, the EFCC has increasingly faced internal corruption scandals that undermine its credibility. The EFCC has, over the years, been plagued by cases of internal sabotage. One recent example is the Kaduna Zonal Office scandal, where an officer in charge of exhibits allegedly absconded with over $30,000 and other valuables. Earlier in January, the commission detained 10 officers in Lagos for the...

The Sultan of Sokoto-led Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has thrown its weight behind the push to establish Sharia courts in South-West states. In a statement on Wednesday titled, “Live and Let Live!” signed by its Deputy National Legal Adviser, Haroun Muhammed, the NSCIA decried what it described as the “high spate of intolerance and disregard for the rights of Muslims, especially in the Southern part of the country.” The council argued that contrary to the assertion of South-West governors, Sharia courts are backed by the Nigerian Constitution. The intervention by the NSCIA comes on the back of festering controversies over the creation of Sharia courts or panels in South-West State. On Tuesday, the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, issued a stern statement rejecting the formation of a Sharia Court in his state. Abiodun said Sharia courts are not recognised in Ogun State’s legal framework and Nigeria’s constitution and warned the brains behind the Sharia court to halt...