Nigeria Roundup: Lassa fever cases, government appointments, arrests
Labour Party Chair arrested
Nigeria’s Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure has been reportedly arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force in Edo State. According to the Vanguard news platform, the party chair was arrested on February 21 in Benin City in the Edo State Capital over allegations of attempted murder. This comes after a petition by the party’s Youth Leader, Comrade Eragbe Anselm Aphimia to the Commissioner of Police in which he alleged that the party chair plotted with some conspirators to attack him in the dispensation of his duties.
Government appointments
Nigeria’s Senate has confirmed nominees appointed by President Bola Tinubu for some government positions. Nominees were selected for the positions of Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA; commissioners for the National Population Commission, NPC; and the chairman and members of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, according to Daily Post. Director General of NHIA is Dr. Kelechi Ohiri. Dr. Kelechi Ohiri has been confirmed as the Director General of NHIA I while Malam Jalal Arabi, Aliu AbdulRazak, Prince Anofiu Elegushi and Prof. Abubakar Yagawal have been confirmed as chairman, Commissioner for Policy, Personnel and Finance, Commissioner for Operations, and Commissioner for Planning and Research at NAHCON respectively.
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Fuel inflation
The average retail price of a litre of diesel increased from N828.82 ($0.52) in January 2023 to N1,153.01 ($0.72) in January 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics has said in its Diesel Price Watch for January 2024. This is a 39.11 % increase over the N828.82 ($0.52) paid in January 2023, the Punch noted. “On a month-on-month basis, the price increased by 2.34 per cent from the N1,126.69 per litre recorded in December 2023,” the report further said.
Lassa fever cases
Lassa fever has claimed 14 lives in the Ebonyi State in Nigeria, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. According to The Guardian, Dr. Hyacinth Ebenyi, Director of Public Health at the ministry said the cases were among some 29 confirmed cases of the disease in the area as of February 20. “It did not just start, it has been here, most times during the dry season. So far, we have had suspected cases of 110, out of this figure, we recorded confirmed cases,” he was quoted by The Guardian.
Suicide incident
A level 300 student in the Nursing department of Havarde College of Science, Business and Management Studies has allegedly committed suicide, Premium Times has reported. The victim, Ajoke according to the report, took her life after news that the Ogun State government had sealed her department for offering a degree programme in Nursing sciences for six years without accreditation. The nursing department of the institution will remain closed until it is accredited. Ajoke’s body was discovered in her hostel room off campus.
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