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7m children to get measles-rubella, polio vaccines in Kano as govt intensifies campaign nationwide

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Kano State will on October 6 begin a major vaccination campaign targeting more than seven million children with measles-rubella and polio vaccines.

Dr. Ahmad Tijjanu Habibu, Director of Disease Control at the Kano State Primary Healthcare Management Board, announced this on Monday during a media dialogue on the upcoming exercise.

“This is a very important dialogue because the media are our friends, and this campaign is unique. We have never had such a campaign in the history of Nigeria. It is the largest campaign in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.”

According to him, Nigeria is aiming to vaccinate 106 million children nationwide, while Kano alone is targeting over seven million.

He explained that the integrated campaign will deliver multiple vaccines in one package, including routine immunization, hepatitis, HPV, polio, and treatment for onchocerciasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD).

“The reason for this integration is to increase efficiency, save costs, and also reduce the burden of numerous campaigns on the public. Instead of having different campaigns one after the other, this approach allows us to deliver everything at once.”

He stressed the need for public awareness, noting that each vaccine has a different age range.

“For routine immunization, the target is children 0 to 23 months. For measles-rubella, it is 9 months to 14 years, while polio targets under-fives. For onchocerciasis in six LGAs, we are targeting children above 5 years,” he explained.

Habibu also highlighted why the measles-rubella vaccine is being introduced.

“We used to have measles vaccine alone, but evidence shows that despite vaccination, some children still come down with measles in a milder form. This has been linked to rubella. That is why the new vaccine combines measles and rubella,” he said.

Rahama Rihood, Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Kano, noted that the campaign, being carried out in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), WHO, Gavi, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, civil society groups and the Kano State Government, will be implemented using fixed posts, temporary posts and sweep teams.

According to him, Nigeria plans to carry out the exercise across all 36 states in two phases with Kano among the states in the first phase.

He commended the progress Kano made in reducing polio cases in Kano from 31 cases in 2024 to three in 2025.

Farah stressed the need for stronger government involvement to reach full eradication.

“With only two months until December, the agreed date for achieving this goal, UNICEF calls on the Kano State Government and LGAs to intensify efforts, release counterpart funds on time and sustain strong supervision of the campaign,” he said.

Also speaking, Maryam H. Umar, the Kano State Coordinator of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), called on the media to play a critical role in the success of the campaign.

“Our message is clear. We depend on you, the media, to share accurate information on vaccine benefits and target age groups. We also depend on you to mobilize communities, dispel myths and promote vaccine uptake, especially among hard-to-reach populations.”

The 10-day campaign, which may be extended by two days, will run from October 6 to 16 across Kano State.

Health

Beatrice Ekweremadu Returns To Nigeria After UK Prison Release

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Wife of former Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu returns home following custodial sentence, while her husband remains imprisoned in UK.

The wife of former Nigerian Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Beatrice, has returned to Nigeria after being released from a prison in the United Kingdom.

Her arrival in the country on Tuesday, January 21, 2026, followed the completion of the custodial portion of her sentence for her role in a high-profile organ-harvesting conspiracy.

Mrs Ekweremadu was received by family members and close associates at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, marking her first time on Nigerian soil since the legal saga began in mid-2022.

While her return has sparked celebrations in her hometown of Mpu, in the Aninri Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, it came amid the continued incarceration of her husband in London.

The return of the former Deputy Senate President’s wife followed her May 2023 conviction by the Old Bailey in London.

She was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for conspiring to facilitate the travel of a 21-year-old Lagos Street trader to the UK for the purpose of harvesting his kidney.

The organ was intended for the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who suffered from a chronic kidney condition.

The case, which was prosecuted under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015, marked the first time the legislation was used in a human organ-harvesting prosecution.

Under UK law, non-violent offenders are typically eligible for release on license after serving half of their custodial term.

Reports indicated that Mrs. Ekweremadu’s release was further facilitated by her good conduct record and by a broader UK government initiative to address severe prison overcrowding.

Despite his wife’s return, Senator Ekweremadu remains in a UK correctional facility serving a significantly longer sentence.

In May 2023, the former lawmaker was handed a nine-year and eight-month term, as the court deemed him the primary driver of the conspiracy.

Efforts by the Nigerian federal government to secure his release or repatriation have so far been unsuccessful.

In late 2025, a high-powered diplomatic delegation visited London to explore a Prisoner Transfer Agreement (PTA) that would allow the Senator to serve the remainder of his term in a Nigerian facility.

However, the UK Home Office reportedly rejected the proposal in November 2025, citing concerns over the guarantee of the sentence’s continued enforcement if transferred to the Nigerian jurisdiction.

The third convict in the case, Dr. Obinna Obeta, who was described by the prosecution as the medical “middleman,” continues to serve a 10-year prison sentence in the UK.

Meanwhile, the couple’s daughter, Sonia, who was cleared of all criminal charges during the 2023 trial, remains in the United Kingdom, where she is reportedly receiving ongoing medical treatment for her condition.

 

 

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Elon Musk Claims Going To Medical School Is Now Pointless Because Robots Will Replace Human Surgeons By 2030 (Video)

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Elon Musk has asserted that medical degrees may soon become obsolete, as AI-powered robots are expected to surpass human surgeons in performance.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO claimed that humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus will outperform the world’s best surgeons within three years.

Speaking on the Moonshots podcast hosted by Peter Diamandis, Musk argued that human doctors are slow to train, prone to error, and fundamentally limited.

“Right now there’s a shortage of doctors and great surgeons,” Musk said.

“[It takes] a super long time to learn how to be a good doctor Doctors have limited time, they make mistakes. How many great surgeons are there? Not that many,” he added.

“So don’t go to medical school?” Diamandis asked Musk.

While robotic surgery is advancing rapidly, experts warn that medicine cannot function without human judgement, accountability and ethical responsibility.

Watch video below:

Stop Calling Me ‘Bro’ or ‘Blood’ – 22-Year-Old Ondo Monarch Issues Warning To The Public

 

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Anu’s Mother Shares Alleged DNA Test Result Amid Partenity Dispute With Davido

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In a recent development, the ongoing controversy surrounding Ayo Labinjoh, the mother of Anu and Afrobeats superstar, Davido, over partenity dispute has intensified.

‎It’s worth noting that Ayo Labinjoh and Davido have been in the headlines over paternity dispute, with the singer claiming five DNA tests yielded negative results

In a fresh Instagram post, Ayo shared an existing DNA test result contradicting Davido’s earlier claim.

She emphasized that the DNA test result was valid, while investigative journalist, Kemi Olunloyo has fought vigorously for her daughter.

Her post reads,“The ONLY DNA 🧬 TEST Fake‼️ No swab, just bl00d 🩸 Not 2, Not 5.We still haven’t seen David post today online and in newspapers”.

Meanwhile, Davido has revealed that his father, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, played a significant role amid his paternity dispute with Ayo Labinjoh.

In a recent tweet on X (formely Twitter), the ‘Feel’ crooner shared that his father insisted that he undergo DNA test.

“You guys don’t know my father..He’s even the one that forced me to go. Adeleke’s we don’t play about Blood on this side”, The tweet reads.

Meanwhile, Cubana Chief Priest’s alleged baby mama, Helen Atti, has weighed in on Davido’s paternity dispute.

She took to the singer’s comment section, writing, “Please just help her, you can still adopt her, it doesn’t mean anything. I know you love children a lot, not like Pascal Okechukwu, big belle for no reason”.

See below…..

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