The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, has called for elaborate collaboration and institutional partnerships among stakeholders to improve health outcomes for women and girls across Nigeria.

At a meeting with the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Dr Steinacker said Nigeria’s scale and population make women’s health a shared national responsibility rather than the duty of a single office or individual.

She noted that the high maternal mortality burden in some parts of the country makes maternal health the top priority for her office, alongside family planning and mental health awareness, stressing that interventions will be implemented through existing institutions and professional bodies to avoid duplication.

“The goal is to align, strengthen systems and ensure sustainable locally owned programmes that improve women’s health without duplicating existing efforts.

“This is the first time there’s an office for women’s health. We are looking to fill the gaps of accurate advocacy, raising health literacy. and maternal health, sexual and reproductive health, as well as mental health.

Dr Steinacker pointed out that digital media and advocacy will be a national voice for women’s health, relying on organisations like MWAN to collect accurate information and distribute them among their networks, programmes and campaigns.

“We need digital media and advocacy to improve health literacy, geopolitically anchored campaigns on maternal, sexual and reproductive, and mental health, and high-level summits and coalition-building with government, civil society, the private sector, and global partners.”

In her response, the President of the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria, MWAN, Dr Zainab Kwaru Muhammed, said the body has a strong network across Nigeria and is well disposed to help the federal government achieve its objectives.

She highlighted MWAN’s ongoing initiatives on maternal and child health and said support from the presidency would enhance their reach and effectiveness.

“We believe we have a ready tool to carry out campaigns, we have a strong network across the states. We look forward to engaging with your office to carry this out. As medical women, we’re in the digital age and need resources to carry out campaigns.”

No fewer than 30 passengers were reportedly killed in a road accident involving a trailer, even as Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf ordered immediate medical intervention for those who survived the fatal crash.

According to reports, the accident involved a trailer heading towards Gujungu which allegedly crashed as a result of reckless driving, leading to the death of over 30 persons, while many others sustained serious injuries.

Governor Alhaji Yusuf expressed deep sympathy and condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic road accident that occurred early Sunday morning at Kwanar Barde in Gezawa Local Government Area of the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Sunday.

The governor described the incident as heartbreaking and a grave loss, not only to the affected families but to the entire people of Kano State.

Governor Yusuf prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and asked Allah to grant their families the fortitude to bear the painful loss.

He also prayed for the speedy recovery of those currently receiving treatment in various hospitals across the state.

The governor has directed the Kano State Ministry of Health to ensure that all victims of the accident admitted in hospitals receive free and adequate medical care without delay.

He further directed the Office of the Special Adviser on Humanitarian Affairs to immediately assess the casualties and propose measures to support the families of the victims.

Governor Yusuf also cautioned motorists, particularly drivers of heavy-duty vehicles, to shun reckless driving and strictly adhere to traffic regulations in order to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army said on Sunday that it would investigate allegations that some military officers were shielding drug peddlers in the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.

This followed accusations by the chairman of the LCDA, Jimoh Saliu, who alleged that some top military officers were protecting illicit drug peddlers in the area.

In a statement on Sunday, Saliu claimed that a place known as Gidan Drama in the Marine Beach community of Apapa, which is not far from the Tego Army Barracks, served as a hub for illicit drug activities.

Describing the area as a hideout for notorious criminals, the LCDA chairman said various criminal activities were being perpetrated there, including the sale of illicit drugs and stolen goods.

Speaking at an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Corona Schools Trust Council at St Theresa Nursery and Primary School, Marine Beach, Saliu urged the state government and well-meaning organisations to acquire the area for the construction of a secondary school.

“The security situation in the LCDA is so bad and porous that even here in Marine Beach, there is a place called Gidan Drama, which is a nightmare to our existence.

“The whole area has been troubled by these bad boys, and I have been working with the police to track them down. If you go there now, you will find top military and police officers making it difficult to arrest drug peddlers and other criminal elements operating in the area.

“When they commit any criminal act, they run into the place, and when you get there, they are protected and arrest is prevented.

“With this situation, the future of our children is uncertain. We have many millionaires and billionaires in this community, yet none is investing in its future or development. If you go to Gidan Drama at night, you will see people bringing out bales of naira to buy all sorts of illicit drugs. If any local government official goes there, they are threatened or arrested.

“I recall that three staff members of the Apapa-Iganmu LCDA were arrested two weeks ago and taken to the Naval Dockyard. I had to contact the commander to explain that they were on an intelligence visit to Gidan Drama before they were released,” he said.

Saliu commended the Corona Schools Trust Council for its initiative in investing in the education and future of children.

When contacted over the allegations made by the council chairman, the spokesperson for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt Col Musa Yahaya, said the chairman needed to be specific about which arm of the military he was referring to in order to aid investigations.

“When you say ‘military,’ you are referring to the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The military is a very large organisation.

“I speak for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army. Issues like this require investigation before any response. I cannot speak on it for now, but I will make inquiries,” he told The PUNCH in a telephone interview on Sunday.

Former Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Dr Mustapha Lecky, says Nigeria is not technically ready for real-time electronic transmission of election results.

Lecky said this on Friday when he featured in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

His remark comes amid the ongoing debate on the rejection of e-transmission of election results by the Senate.

DAILY POST reports that the Senate on Wednesday reportedly turned down a proposed change to Clause 60, sub-section 3 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that sought to make electronic transmission of election results compulsory.

Reacting, Dr Lecky said, “It doesn’t really make sense to me that we should be talking about instantaneous transmission of results live as it is happening because we don’t do electronic voting anywhere. Nigeria is not yet ready for that.

“You have to think about those things. Those things must go together. It’s not electronic voting. When we are doing electronic voting, then it can be instantaneous, right?

“So if we are not doing that, people are still coming with papers to put on the ballot box.

“And then you have to count there for everybody to see, one by one, separate them according to the political party, the argument is baseless. We don’t need electronic transmission of election results,” he said.

A Professor of Communications at Baze University, Abiodun Adeniyi, has suggested why Nigeria’s elections are always shrouded in dispute.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Friday, Adeniyi said elections are always contested and disputed because there is no transparency.

He added that the bane of Nigeria’s democracy was elections, stressing that to grow the nation’s democracy, every hand must be on deck to make elections credible.

“Obviously no one benefits because often times, we celebrate the longevity and the fact that democracy has stayed 26 years.

“But I’ve also highlighted the fact that the bane of our democracy is election, electioneering, the fact that we are so vociferous about it, always contested, always disputed, and it is disputed because there is no transparency. It’s often we find it difficult to conduct free, fair, credible and transparent election.

“The major problem we have identified, and we have also said that to grow a democracy, to consolidate it, to make it much more imbued with integrity, we need to do everything possible to make it open, transparent, credible, and one way to do this is the ramping up of technology into the process.

“So whenever citizens see anything that appears to deviate from that trajectory, it becomes very concerning, and that’s why the communication that came out from the Senate was very disturbing, until we started having some kind of problems with semantic and people started wondering that, is it a matter of inappropriate communication, miscommunication and such other things. As we speak now, I think they see a bit of confusion,” he said.

The lawmaker representing Isuikwuato constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Lucky Udoka Nweke Johnson,  has expressed sadness following the killing of a 35-year-old man, Uche Simon by unknown gunmen.

Johnson, who  raised a  matter of urgent public importance on the floor of Abia State House of Assembly during plenary session, also said that the motorcycle belonging to the victim was stolen by his attackers.

He noted  that the incident happened on January 28, 2026 when his constituent, Uche Simon was returning home with his motorcycle.

The lawmaker also said that  on January 29, 2026, one  Awba Abdulsalam, a 19-year-old motor boy, was also  shot  dead  by gunmen, at Nnunya junction, also in  Isuikwuato.

While confirming that the Police and the Vigilante were working round the clock to arrest those responsible for the crimes, Johnson called for a collaboration between security agencies in Abia and Imo States, particularly around Okigwe zone to address insecurity, and for effective intelligence sharing.

He called for the dismantling of informal settlements around ABSU and Uta Farm, suggesting that a similar approach used in the Lokpa cattle market should be implemented in his own area.

The Isuikwuato constituency representative, who also called for the installation of solar-powered surveillance cameras in the area, assured his constituents that he was working hard to ensure their safety.

The North East Development Commission, NEDC, has expressed deep sympathy to the Nigeria Union of Journalists,NUJ, Bauchi State Chapter, and the Bauchi State Government over a tragic road accident that occurred on the Bauchi–Alkaleri road on Friday, February 6, 2026.

The accident, as gathered by DAILY POST, involved journalists who were accompanying an NEDC delegation during the commissioning and handover of completed projects across Bauchi State.

In a statement signed by the commission’s Head of Corporate Services, Abba Musa, the governing board, management, and staff of the Commission described the incident as heartbreaking and extended their condolences to the affected journalists, their families, and the entire journalism community.

The Commission announced that its governing board has approved the provision of full support and care for victims of the accident and their families.

It added that contacts are already being made with the respective parent organizations of the affected journalists, as well as their families, to ensure coordinated assistance.

The NEDC also joined colleagues in the media industry in praying for the quick and complete recovery of those injured in the incident.

The accident, as noticed by our reporter, came barely a few weeks after the tragic accident that occurred in the nearby Gombe State that killed not less than seven journalists and media workers.

The passage of the electoral act amendment bill by the senate on Thursday has drawn sharp criticism from experts, who say the rejection of real-time transmission of election results risks eroding public confidence in Nigeria’s elections.
Mahdi Shehu, a public affairs analyst has criticized the National Assembly over their decision, describing it as a grave threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, Shehu said the refusal by lawmakers to approve key electoral reforms shows a deliberate attempt to undermine the value of citizens’ votes.

“It is one assault too many. The Senators has abandoned the very reasons Nigerians elected them and have continued to take the people for granted.”

Shehu warned that by rejecting reforms such as mandatory electronic transmission of election results, the Senate was sending a dangerous message that votes may no longer count.

“When votes will not count, there is no point voting,” he stated.

Shehu likened the Senate’s action to deadly global disasters.

“The Senate’s action can be likened to HIV, Ebola and a Tsunami combined,” he said.

He added that the damage to democracy could be long-lasting.

He also accused the political system of failing to provide checks and balances, claiming that the executive, legislature and judiciary were no longer holding one another accountable.

“When the executive, judiciary and legislature, who are supposed to check each other, are actively in bed with one another, reforms become a mirage; a dream within a dream,” Shehu said.

He further alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had become compromised, describing it as a convenient selection of the president.

“INEC is expected to do the bidding of the president, which is to be declared winner whether he wins or not,” he claimed.

According to him, the continued weakening of democratic institutions could push Nigerians to begin questioning the future of the country.

“Less than two million people are destroying the lives, livelihoods and commerce of over 250 million Nigerians,” he said.

Electoral act amendment is a deliberate plot for 2027 – NNPP’s Ibrahim Karaye

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State also described the recent amendment to the Electoral Act as a calculated political move by the ruling party to gain advantage ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, the NNPP Kano State Publicity Secretary, Engr. Ibrahim Karaye, said the Senate’s decision was not accidental but a deliberate strategy to manipulate future elections.

“I see it as a deliberate political move by the ruling party. This is because the 2023 election was one of the closest contests in Nigeria’s history, with very little difference between the contestants.”

According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as president with minority votes, a development he said had made the ruling party uncomfortable with a free and fair electoral process going forward.

“President Tinubu is the only president in this democratic dispensation that won the presidency with minority votes. So the ruling party is now planning to maneuver the outcome of the 2027 election in its favour.”

Karaye said the rejection of key electoral reforms, including mandatory electronic transmission of results, was aimed at weakening transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

Despite these concerns, the NNPP spokesman said the Senate’s decision would not discourage Nigerians from participating in future elections.

“I don’t think this decision will affect voter confidence or turnout. Our people are very determined to come out en masse and change their destiny, which I strongly believe is in their hands.”

He argued that Nigerians were more politically aware than ever before and understood the stakes ahead of the 2027 polls.

“This is the first time in the history of this country that almost all the resources that should be channelled towards citizens’ welfare are being diverted to fund politics and prepare for the 2027 elections,” Karaye claimed.

He also called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and actively participate in the electoral process to protect their votes.

“Every citizen should be ready to defend their electoral rights,” he said. “People must participate fully in the process and work together to block rigging and voter manipulation.”

He stressed that protecting democracy required collective effort and lawful civic engagement.

He added that citizens must not allow their votes to be taken for granted.