COVID-19: NAFDAC Authorises Use of AstraZeneca in Nigeria

By Adedapo Adesanya The founder of Nigeria’s Wellahealth Technologies, Mr Ikpeme Neto, has been selected among the top 10 finalists of Africa’s Business Heroes Prize Competition, the philanthropic programme sponsored by Chinese billionaire, Mr Jack Ma. The foundation, now in its fifth year, announced this year’s finalists after an intense round of semi-finale business pitches and judging held on September 1 and 2 at Norrsken House in Kigali, Rwanda. Mr Neto will be among these 10 entrepreneurs who will compete for their share of the final prize of $1.5 million in grant funding at the competition’s grand finale scheduled for

Headaches can sometimes be so painful that it can make you wonder if something more serious is wrong. Most headaches are due to tension, migraines, or sinus issues, but a sudden, severe headache can be a symptom of a more urgent problem, such as a stroke. It’s important to note that most headaches are unrelated to a stroke, says Dr. Helen Okoye a medical expert and spokesperson for the World Thrombosis Day (WTD) campaign. “However, if you or someone you know experiences a sudden, severe headache along with other neurological symptoms, seek immediate medical attention,” she says. Time is critical

By Modupe Gbadeyanka No fewer than 400 patients have undergone free cataract surgeries in Enugu State courtesy of GBfoods and its partners, Fundacion Elena Barraquer and Niger Foundation Hospital and Diagnostic Centre. The beneficiaries enjoyed the gesture in a five-day programme aimed at reducing cases of cataracts, a leading cause of preventable blindness, giving hope to individuals who had been suffering from impaired vision. The beneficiaries of the medical intervention included couples, young adults, and elderly patients, many of whom had previously relied on their wards and relatives for daily activities. With the restoration of their sight, these individuals now

By Adedapo Adesanya Research and credit ratings firm, Agusto & Co. has identified strategies for more improvement in the country’s electric power production. In a research note shared with Business Post, the agency noted that Nigeria’s electric power consumption per capita of 145KwH falls behind those of select peers, South Africa (4,198) and Ghana (351KwH), as well as the average for lower middle-income countries of 811KwH. “Following the unbundling and subsequent privatization of the long-standing government-owned monopoly in the power sector, as part of the power sector reform of 2004, honest and objective evaluations of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry’s

By Adedapo Adesanya The foreign exchange (FX) market in Nigeria was quite busy on Wednesday, especially on the Investors and Exporters (I&E) end, as the value of trades recorded a significant increase. Data obtained by Business Post indicated that the FX turnover for the session increased by 91.6 per cent or $96.23 million to $201.34 million from the previous day’s turnover of $105.11 million. This put the Naira under pressure and it eventually weakened it against the US Dollar by 75 kobo or 0.18 per cent to N419.25/$1 from the previous day’s N418.50/$1. However, the local currency received support at

By Quantitative Financial Analytics The Mutual Funds market in Nigeria is gaining momentum as more funds hit the market sending total NAV soaring. The momentum is the result of fund management companies developing mutual funds products or acquiring alternative asset businesses to augment their fund offerings with a view to diversifying their revenue sources. Some fund managers are also repackaging existing funds to align them to investors’ appetites and preferences. Specifically, in late 2016 Afrinvest Asset Management Ltd carried out a corporate action on its Nigeria International Debt Fund resulting in a 1 for 10 stock split that makes the

By Dipo Olowookere Reports just reaching us indicate that the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Mr Dino Melaye, has finally surrendered himself to the police. Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force had laid siege to the Abuja home of the lawmaker for over a week in a bid to have him arrested for a criminal case. However, the Senator had refused to come out of his residence despite the security officials cutting off water and electricity supply to his house in an effort to ‘smoke’ him out of his hiding. After over seven days of

By Adedapo Adesanya The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has disbursed an undisclosed amount of money to the College of Insurance and Financial Management (CIFM) for the training of 60 professionals as Actuaries in the industry. This was disclosed by the Rector of the college, Mrs Yeside Oyetayo, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Monday. She explained that an actuary is a person who compiles and analyses statistics and uses them to calculate insurance risks and premiums. Mrs Oyetayo said that following the release of the fund, the institution conducted the first scholarship qualification

By Adedapo Adesanya The Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has met 32 percent of its annual revenue target in the first four months of the year. This was disclosed by Customs Area Controller, Mrs Uche Ngozi, noting that the command generated revenue of over N20 billion into the coffers of the federal government in the period. As a revenue generating agency, the federal government gave the command an annual revenue target of N62.8 billion for 2020. The Customs boss, speaking at the Command’s headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital recently, said apart from ensuring that government

By Adedapo Adesanya The Federal Government of Nigeria has established the National Blood Service Commission (NBSC) to replace the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) to coordinate, regulate and ensure the provision of safe, quality blood transfusion services. This information was contained in a statement issued by Mr Abdullahi Haruna, the commission’s Head of Media and Publicity over the weekend in Abuja. He explained that the NBTS was formerly a unit under the Department of Hospital Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, which was passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to him, Dr

By Adedapo Adesanya At least 1,760,460 pills of Tramadol and other opioids have been intercepted hidden in Indomie noodles packs and others at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja Lagos, as well as in Gombe State. While over 600,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg coming from Karachi, Pakistan, in two separate shipments on Ethiopian Airlines flights, were intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on December 12 and 13; 5,960 pills of Rohypnol concealed in 60 packs of Indomie noodles going to Johannesburg, South Africa were also