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FG Backs National Measles-Rubella Vaccine Rollout
The Federal Government has pledged robust communication and advocacy support for the upcoming nationwide Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign scheduled for October 2025.
This assurance was given by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, during a courtesy visit to his office by the Centre for Well-Being and Integrated Nutrition Solutions (C-WINS) on Tuesday.
Idris praised the team’s commitment to public health and child wellbeing. He affirmed the Ministry’s readiness to champion public sensitization efforts that will ensure the campaign’s success.
“You have come to the right place,” the Minister said. “The Ministry of Information and National Orientation exists to support and amplify initiatives like this. We will work with you and relevant agencies under our Ministry—including the National Orientation Agency and public media institutions—to ensure Nigerians are well-informed about the dangers of rubella and the need for vaccination.”
The Minister described the C-WINS presentation as both emotional and enlightening. “Today, I have learned a lot,” he said. “Many Nigerians, like myself, may be familiar with measles but are unaware of rubella and its devastating effects. That children can be born blind, deaf, or with heart defects due to maternal rubella infection is a tragedy we must work together to prevent.”
He emphasized the Ministry’s readiness to co-develop strategic messaging and support public education efforts nationwide. The Minister also encouraged the team to engage the National Assembly for broader legislative support. “We don’t want this to be a one-off meeting,” he said. “Let’s make this partnership continuous, impactful, and far-reaching.
“Prevention is better than cure—and this is one area where information truly saves lives.”
Earlier, the delegation from C-WINS, led by Project Lead Dr. Nihinlola Mabogunje, briefed the Minister on the urgent need to raise public awareness ahead of the October campaign and also delivered a comprehensive presentation on the life-saving importance of the Measles-Rubella vaccine.
She highlighted the highly infectious nature of measles, which continues to cause severe illness, complications, and death, particularly among malnourished or immunocompromised children, stating that Nigeria currently accounts for nearly 20% of global measles cases, with the Northeast region bearing over 60% of the national burden.
On rubella, she explained that it’s an often-overlooked threat, especially to pregnant women. Contracting rubella in the first trimester can result in Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS), leading to babies born blind, deaf, or with severe heart abnormalities.
Dr. Mabogunje assured the Minister of the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness, noting that the Measles-Rubella vaccine has been used worldwide for over 50 years and it is credited with saving more than 94 million lives. She also praised NAFDAC’s stringent regulatory review and endorsement of the vaccine for safe use in Nigeria.
Calling for unified action, she urged the Ministry to lead a national communication effort to combat misinformation and build public trust. “To reach the target of 95% vaccination coverage, we need accurate, trusted, and consistent messaging delivered through the channels that everyday Nigerians rely on,” she said.
In response, the Honourable Minister directed that the Ministry’s communication team collaborate closely with C-WINS to co-create culturally sensitive campaign materials that will be disseminated through both public and private media channels nationwide.
Newsdiaryonline.com
An Islamic human rights group has given Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa, a fortnight to demonstrate a clear improvement in security across Sokoto state or step down from office.
As reported by Leadership, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) issued the ultimatum in a press statement on Saturday, August 22, 2026, signed by its executive director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.
The group said the minister had failed to honour a pledge he made when he assumed office to end killings across the country. PM News also noted MURIC’s calls.
MURIC said at least 43 people and an Imam were killed in Sokoto state within the past three weeks, while 19 others were kidnapped in the same period.
The group described the victims as all being Muslims and framed the attacks as an assault on the symbolic heart of Islam in Nigeria.
“If Abuja is Nigeria’s political capital, if Lagos is the country’s economic hub, then Sokoto is the heart of Islamdom in Nigeria,” Akintola wrote in the statement.
“Any attack on Sokoto is deemed by Nigerian Muslims as an attack on Muslims in general.”
The group held the Nigerian Army directly responsible for the security failures in and around the state, and demanded what it called an “iron-clad defence mechanism” in the area.
MURIC also pointed to a recent warning from the Department of State Services (DSS) that terrorists were planning to attack tertiary institutions in Sokoto state, describing it as the moment that pushed the group to act.
“The Defence Minister has reneged on his pledge to stop killings. He has failed the people of Sokoto. He has failed Nigerians,” the statement read.
The group recalled Musa’s own words on assuming office: “I knew that I could not afford to fail myself, fail my nation, fail my family,” and said his conduct in office had contradicted that commitment.
MURIC gave the minister until Monday, August 24, 2026, as the start date of the 14-day countdown, demanding visible and verifiable changes to the security apparatus in and around Sokoto within that window.
The group was explicit that the city must be made, in its words, “impregnable and unassailable,” adding that “no single ant must climb on the Sultan’s skin.”
“The alternative is for the minister to submit his letter of resignation on or before the ultimatum. There is no other option on the table,” the statement concluded.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, has reportedly died.
It was gathered that the APC Chairman died after slumping during a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
According to TVC, Solomon collapsed on Friday while participating in a meeting convened by Funsho Olumoko, a former Chairman of the Ijumu Local Government Area.
The meeting was held to strengthen unity among APC stakeholders in the area ahead of the 2027 general election. Sources said Solomon suddenly collapsed while proceedings were ongoing, causing confusion among participants.
Efforts were reportedly made to revive him before he was rushed to a hospital in Kabba for medical attention. However, he was said to have died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The reconciliation meeting came amid ongoing efforts by APC stakeholders in Ijumu to resolve internal disagreements and promote greater unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Earlier in August, APC stakeholders in the local government gathered in Iyara, where they endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Governor Usman Ododo for re-election.
The stakeholders also called for unity among party members. However, the earlier gathering was reportedly characterised by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, with Solomon and some other officials said to have walked out of the meeting.
Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the reported death of Chisimdiri Ngwu, chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Udenu Local Government Area.
Ngwu, described as one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in circumstances believed to be suspicious.
The deceased, who hailed from Orba in Udenu Local Government Area, was reportedly strangulated, according to information gathered by The Trumpet.
A family source, who spoke, said Ngwu left his home shortly after waking up on Wednesday morning, but never returned alive.
“He woke up early in the morning on Wednesday and walked out and that was the last we heard of him,” the source said.
The source said family members became alarmed after discovering that Ngwu was missing, only to later find his lifeless body outside the compound.
“When we woke up, we didn’t see him only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound. We saw scratches on his neck which was twisted backwards,” the source added.
The circumstances surrounding the politician’s death have heightened concerns among members of the ADC and residents of the community, with calls for a thorough investigation to unravel what led to his death.
Reports indicate that two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, although details of their identities and the circumstances of their arrest were not immediately available.
The development has cast a pall over the ADC in Enugu State, coming at a politically sensitive period ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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