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 Only 30% of Kano Women Deliver in Hospitals – Health Commissioner Dr. Abubakar Labaran, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, has revealed that only 30% of women in the state deliver in hospitals, which is a significant factor contributing to the high maternal mortality rate. The statement was made while receiving the report of the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII) workshop from Pharm. Aminu Bashir, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health. The five-day workshop, recently concluded, focused on strategies to reduce maternal deaths in Nigeria, with Kano being identified as the most affected state, covering 18 out of the 172 priority local government areas nationwide. Dr. Labaran highlighted that a major challenge is the low hospital delivery rate, stressing that this contributes significantly to maternal deaths. He urged pregnant women to prioritize healthcare services and assured that the government is working to improve health facil...

 Hamas rejects Trump proposal to take over Gaza, move Palestinians Palestinian militant group Hamas lashed out Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s shock proposal for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip and resettle Palestinians in other countries, seemingly whether they want to leave or not. Trump made his announcement to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks. In a proposal that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make the war-battered enclave “unbelievable” by removing unexploded bombs and rubble, and economically redeveloping it. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it,” Trump said. He said there was support from the “highest leadership” in the Middle East and upped pressure on Egypt and Jordan to take the Gazans — despite both countries flatly ...

 STATEHOUSE PRESS STATEMENT   PRESIDENT TINUBU DEPARTS FOR FRANCE AHEAD OF THE AU SUMMIT IN ADDIS ABABA   President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday for Paris, France, on a private visit en route to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.   In Addis Ababa, President Tinubu will join African leaders at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State, scheduled from February 12th to 16th, 2025.   The president will arrive in Addis Ababa early next week for the African Union summit.   While in France, President Tinubu will meet with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron.     Bayo Onanuga Special Adviser to the President   (Information and Strategy)   February 5, 2025

  The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a stern warning to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), threatening to shut down any command that impounds its official vehicles. This comes after the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, directed FRSC officers to arrest and impound vehicles belonging to NANS structures.¹ NANS has condemned the directive, calling it "disrespectful" and an "affront" to its structured movement. The association's Clerk of the Senate, Oladimeji Uthman, stated that mobility is crucial to NANS' activities, including advocacy, attending programs, and carrying out daily responsibilities. Uthman warned that if any FRSC command implements the directive, NANS will mobilize its members and stage a massive protest to defend their rights. He emphasized that NANS will not tolerate any form of disrespect towards the organization. Instead of confrontation, NANS has called on the FRSC to engage in constructive dialogue to address an...

 Uganda rejects reports of new troop deployment to DRC Uganda has deployed more than 1,000 extra soldiers into east DR Congo in the last week near an area where the Kinshasa government is fighting M23 rebels, four diplomatic and UN sources said, heightening fears of a regional escalation. Residents said they were moving towards the conflict zone, Reuters reported. M23 armed group recently captured regional capital Goma in an anarchic and mineral-rich part of Democratic Republic of Congo where wars in 1996-1997 and 1998-2003 drew in outside nations and killed millions, mostly from hunger and disease. The extra Ugandan deployment north of Goma would raise its numbers there – officially to back DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi's army against another rebel force – to about 4,000-5,000, according to UN sources. Rwanda also has troops operating in east DR Congo. Uganda has been helping DR Congo fight the Allied Defence Forces since 2021, and the new deployment of between 1,000-2,000 t...

 'New deal' reached with UK on Chagos Islands: Mauritius Mauritius's prime minister said that his country had reached a newly renegotiated deal with Britain over control of the strategic Chagos Islands but was awaiting US President Donald Trump's opinion. Britain and its former colony reached a deal in October to hand back the Indian Ocean isles – which it kept control of after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s – on condition that a UK-US military base remains on the largest island, Diego Garcia. But after Navin Ramgoolam became prime minister in November, he reopened talks, reportedly seeking greater financial compensation and to renegotiate the length of the base’s proposed lease. "We have reached an agreement ready to be signed with Great Britain concerning Chagos," Ramgoolam told parliament, AFP reported. The prime minister said the vital question of Mauritius's "unambiguous, undiluted" sovereignty over the entire archipelago, includ...

 USAID Places Staff on Leave Amid Trump Administration Overhaul The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has placed its employees on administrative leave and begun recalling staff from overseas assignments as part of a broader restructuring under the Trump administration. In a statement published on its website, which reappeared on Tuesday, the agency announced that the leave will take effect just before midnight on February 7, 2025. The directive applies to all USAID direct-hire personnel, except those handling mission-critical functions, core leadership, and designated programs. “Thank you for your service,” the statement read. The move aligns with former President Donald Trump’s initiative, supported by billionaire Elon Musk, to downsize the U.S. government—a decision that has sparked backlash from Democrats and human rights advocates. USAID, which funds health and emergency programs in approximately 120 countries, is regarded as a key instrument of U.S. so...