Mahmud Tajo Sani Gaya, Executive Chairman of Gaya Local Government and the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) representative on healthcare matters in Kano State, has said that health fellows being recruited under a federal government initiative will strengthen disease surveillance and improve outbreak response across the state.

Dr Gaya disclosed this on Friday at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) while speaking during the final stage of interviews for the Federal Health Fellowship Programme.

According to him, the programme is designed to ensure that healthcare delivery at the local government level meets national and global standards, particularly in the early detection of and response to disease outbreaks.

“Health fellows will play a key role in disease surveillance at the grassroots. They will be among the first responders when outbreaks occur in our communities,” he said.

Gaya explained that more than 100,000 health professionals and allied cadres applied for the fellowship nationwide, from which candidates were screened by the Federal Ministry of Health.

He said Kano State received 132 shortlisted candidates, representing three candidates from each of the state’s 44 local government areas, who were interviewed over a five-day period that began on Monday.

“At the end of the process, one fellow will be selected per local government. That means Kano will have 44 health fellows who will support healthcare delivery, surveillance and emergency response at the local level,” he said.

He stressed that transparency and fairness guided the selection process, noting that the interview panel included medical doctors from various specialisations, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), state ministries of health, academia, the emirate council, ALGON, the Primary Health Care Management Board, and the Ministry of Health.

Gaya also said the fellows would undergo a series of training sessions before deployment.
“After the final selection, they will be invited to Abuja for general training. When they return, there will be step-down trainings, on-the-job trainings and continuous capacity building to ensure they are fully prepared,” he added.

He noted that the presence of trained health fellows at the grassroots would help close existing gaps in primary healthcare, particularly in hard-to-reach communities.

A Lagos father, Samuel Alozie, is seeking justice after his nine-month-old identical twin sons, Testimony and Timothy, allegedly died 24 hours after receiving routine immunisation at a primary health care centre in Lagos.

Alozie, who shared a heartbreaking video on TikTok showing the twins’ remains in body bags, has sparked widespread outrage.

According to Alozie, the twins became weak and lethargic after receiving the injection, and despite adhering to the instructions given by the nurse at the health care centre, they died on Christmas Day, 25 December 2025.

He claimed the twins were healthy and had no prior illnesses before taking them to the centre and therefore suspects foul play.

“They were strong and sound. I took them for immunisation not because they were sick, but because it was the right thing to do.

“They were very weak after the injection. We gave them paracetamol as instructed, but nothing changed. By the next morning, both of them were gone.”

The grieving father denied claims from the primary health care centre alleging that the deaths were caused by food-related bacteria.

Expressing concern about the investigation into the issue, he said he is afraid the outcome may be manipulated, since the health care centre is a government facility.

He appealed for legal and public support, saying, “I cannot afford to pursue justice alone, and I am also scared I may not get justice. I need justice for them.”

The Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Primary Health Care Board have yet to comment on the incident or release the autopsy results.

Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON  Abia State chapter, Chinedu Ekeke has explained why financial allocations coming from the Federation accounts have continued to drop in the Joint Account Allocation Committee, JAAC and not directly to the local government areas.

According to him, the Federal government is still thinking about how to handle the judgement of the Supreme Court concerning financial autonomy of local government areas in the country.

Ekeke stated this on  Friday at Government House in Umuahia while reacting to  allegations by a  member of the opposition party that Governor Alex Otti was hijacking funds meant for the development of rural communities.

Ekeke, who spoke on behalf of other council Chairmen in Abia, said that Abia LGAs  were not being starved of funds for projects by the State government.

“On the Supreme Court judgement, the local governments are funded from the JAAC accounts because the funds go to the JAAC accounts. They don’t come to the local governments straight.

“The Federal government is probably trying to look for a way to handle that”, Ekeke said.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Austin Okai has pointed out why Nigerians should rally behind the party despite having children of the party’s leaders in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Okai was specifically reacting to the decision of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s son, Abba, to join the ruling party on Thursday.

DAILY POST reports that Bello El-Rufai, son of another ADC leader and former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai is also in APC.

Reacting, Okai said in a Facebook post on Friday that Nigerians should rally behind the party because it has proven that “freedom of choice still matters”

According to him, “ADC is not a family franchise or a closed club. It is a truly democratic platform where conviction, not bloodline, determines your political home.

“In a country used to forced loyalty and political inheritance, ADC is proving that freedom of choice still matters, and that is exactly why Nigerians should rally behind

The Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly on Friday said they will proceed with the impeachment of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

The House stated this during an ongoing press conference in Port Harcourt.

the governor and the members of the Assembly have been embroiled in a political face-off.

Details to follow

Lagos State Internal Revenue Service has restated that employers operating in the state must submit their annual tax returns for the 2025 financial year on or before January 31, 2026.

The agency, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the obligation is in line with the provisions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, which mandates employers to file detailed records of staff emoluments and ensure that all applicable taxes are properly remitted.

Executive Chairman of LIRS, Dr Ayodele Subair, stressed that compliance with the filing requirement is compulsory, warning that defaulting employers would face statutory sanctions as provided by law.

He explained that the annual returns must reflect accurate employee information, including valid Tax Identification Numbers, noting that discrepancies could delay processing and attract penalties.

Subair further disclosed that all submissions are to be made exclusively through the LIRS eTax platform, as the service no longer accepts manual filings.

He encouraged employers to avoid last-minute submissions by filing early and to utilise official LIRS support channels for guidance or technical assistance where necessary.

The management of the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi, has approved the immediate engagement of retired midwives and qualified young midwife nurses to restore full services at its labour wards.

The decision targets the main hospital complex, the BSUTH Annex, and the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital, all of which have faced challenges in maintaining uninterrupted delivery and obstetric care due to insufficient staffing.
This was contained in statement  by the Head of Public Relations and Protocol, Tsenenghul Moses.

He said under the emergency arrangement, ten retired midwives, often referred to as matrons, alongside competent young midwife nurses will be brought on board to bridge the gap.

Mr Emmanuel said the hospital management emphasized that the intervention is designed to guarantee seamless services, reduce delays in patient care, and ultimately improve health outcomes for pregnant women and newborns across Benue State.

“Interested and qualified applicants have been directed to report to the Office of the Head of Nursing Services for documentation on Thursday, January 15, and Friday, January 16, 2026, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

” Successful candidates are expected to commence duties on Monday, January 19, 2026.”

He said the move is part of sustained efforts to enhance service efficiency and address critical gaps in the labour wards, where timely and skilled midwifery support is essential for safe deliveries and emergency obstetric interventions.

Meanwhile the decision of management of BSUTH  has been welcomed by health stakeholders in the state, who view the emergency recruitment as a pragmatic step toward bolstering maternal and child health services at the state’s premier tertiary facility.

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo has sacked, Ms Tinyan Otuomagie as the Managing Director/CEO of New Edo Line Transport Services Limited.

DAILY POST reports that Governor Okpebholo said the sack is with immediate effect.

The State Commissioner for Transportation, Hon Uwuilekhue Saturday Idehen disclosed this in a statement dated Thursday, January 15, 2026 in Benin City.

The governor, however,  appointed Mr Smart Aigbodion, the General Manager, Maintenance as the Acting Managing Director/CEO of the transport company, pending the appointment of a substantive Managing Director.

He ordered the deployment of the sacked Managing Director/CEO to the Ministry of Information for other assignments as may be determined by the State Government.

The four-paragraph statement read in part: “The Edo State Government wishes to inform the general public that His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, the Executive Governor of Edo State, has approved the termination of the appointment of Ms Tinyan Otuomagie as the Managing Director/CEO of New Edo Line Transport Services Ltd, with immediate effect.

“Following this development, the General Manager, Maintenance, Mr. Smart Aigbodion, has been appointed as Acting Managing Director/CEO of New Edo Line Transport Services Ltd, pending the appointment of a substantive Managing Director.

“Furthermore, His Excellency has directed that Ms Tinyan Otuomagie be deployed to the Ministry of Information for other assignments as may be determined by the State Government.

“This announcement takes immediate effect.”