WTO Closes in on COVID-19 Vaccines Waiver Agreement

By Adedapo Adesanya  The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) on Wednesday directed doctors working in three hospitals, General Hospital Lagos, Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, and Massey Street Children Hospital, to commence an indefinite strike action. This followed the tragic death of their colleague, Dr Diaso Vwaere, a medical house officer, from injuries sustained when a faulty elevator crashed at the hospital. The occurrence which is generating buzz and conversation around the handling of medical practitioners, happened at the Lagos General Hospital on Tuesday night. The deceased was reportedly trapped for more than 40 minutes. The medical

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 The Lagos State House of Assembly has called for the immediate arrest of a doctor who performed surgery on a boy, Adebola Akin-Bright, whose intestines went missing in the process of going under the knife. At the plenary on Tuesday, the parliament urged the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to provide funds for the treatment of the boy outside the country. It was alleged that the 12-year-old Adebola underwent surgery at a private hospital, Obitoks Medical Centre, in the Alimosho area of the state. He is currently at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) receiving

By Adedapo Adesanya The federal government has pledged to increase domestic health financing to improve health condition of all Nigerians as part of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s targets. The Vice President, Mr Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday made the pledge when a delegations from the Global Health Partners, the Global Fund, US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), and others, paid him a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The US President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was also part of the delegations. Mr Shettima emphasised that enhancing domestic health financing and improved health outcomes of Nigerians were topmost on the

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Mr Ita Enang, has urged the parliament to suspend its recess and reconvene to approve the N228 billion supplementary budget needed to prosecute the 2019 general elections. Mr Enang made this plea while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Friday morning on his way to the airport. The former lawmaker said if the supplementary budget was not quickly passed by the two arms of the National Assembly, it could cause a serious setback to the polls and other organs of the government. On Tuesday, the Nigerian

By Modupe Gbadeyanka For their exceptional contributions to the growth of the company and their outstanding services to customers, Airtel Nigeria has promoted some of its employees across its regions of operations. It is the first leg of its yearly promotion exercise held twice a year in July and December. In this first batch, no fewer than 20 members of staff moved into senior leadership roles, out of which three are women, with one promoted to the position of Vice President. In a statement, the telecommunications network provider said the promotions, which took effect from April 1, 2023, mark another

By Adedapo Adesanya The price of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exportation Countries (OPEC) basket crudes rose more than two per cent to S$44.12 per barrel on Wednesday, July 15 2020. According to the latest OPEC Secretariat calculations released on Thursday, the average price of 13 crudes rose 2.56 per cent or $1.10 compared with $43.02 published the previous day. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria),

By Adedapo Adesanya The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its stay in the bearish zone by 0.35 per cent on Tuesday, November 16, scrapping off 2.58 points from the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) to 744.58 points from the previous day’s 747.16 points. This was also reflected in the market capitalisation of the bourse, which closed the day at N615.16 billion after depreciating by N2.13 billion. At the preceding session, the total value of stocks on the platform stood at N617.29 billion. The session’s downward trajectory came from FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc and Central Securities Clearing Systems (CSCS) Plc

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Pensioners can now begin to go to the regional office of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in Lagos for an in-house verification. The in-house verification of pensioners was earlier suspended following the threats posed by the global pandemic of COVID-19. The management of the agency, in a statement on Monday, disclosed that it has resumed the exercise and that from yesterday, November 9, 2020, pensioners were free to do the verification at its Lagos office. “PTAD wishes to inform our esteemed pensioners/NoKs that the management has approved the resumption of the in-house verification and complaints resolution

By Adeniyi Ogunfowoke A car is just like our body. We do not really care about it until we have a headache or something happens. That is when we remember the doctor or hospital. This is not supposed to be the case but many of us do it. Perhaps we are scared of hospitals. It is the same with our cars. Some people just jump in their cars without checking or doing anything and zoom off. This is very risky. It is better to take precautions before you start your car so as to avoid stories that touch. Accordingly, we share the things you must

By Dipo Olowookere The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, has disclosed what can make Nigeria escape the imminent recession staring at the country. Mrs Ahmed, while addressing a stakeholders’ meeting last week, said the present situation indicates that the nation may witness an economic crisis in the last quarter of 2020. However, she stressed that this can be averted if the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can record strong numbers in the current third quarter of the year. According to her, Nigeria is exposed to spikes in risk aversion in the global capital markets, which will

By Aduragbemi Omiyale The sum of N100 billion has been set aside by Ecobank Nigeria to fund Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. The Managing Director of the bank, Mr Patrick Akinwuntan, confirmed this when he spoke at the Ecobank/Vanguard virtual summit for MSMEs in Nigeria. He explained that the N100 billion funding package for MSMEs will enable small business owners to contribute more meaningfully to the growth of the nation’s economy. Mr Akinwuntan reiterated that apart from closing the funding gap, the lender will upskill and avail them of its state-of-the-art digital platforms to promote their