National
Kaduna State Committed To National Target of Achieving 27% Contraceptive Rate By 2024
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has said that it is committed to financing family planning to achieve the Federal Government’s 27 percent modern contraceptive prevalence rate (MCPR) among women of reproductive age by 2024.
The Permanent Secretary of, the Ministry of Health, Kaduna State, Dr. Aisha Sadiq stated this over the weekend in Kaduna during a Project Mid-Dessemination meeting of the Society for Family Health’s Adolescent 360Amplufy Project (A360) in partnership with the Ministry and Primary Health Care Board tagged ‘ Repositioning Towards Sustainable and Scalable Impact, Empowering Adolescents for a Healthier future.
THE PUNCH reports that A360 is a four-year project funded by the Bill & Belinda Gates Foundation and Children Investment Fund, led and implemented by Population Services International and the Society for Family Health in Nigeria (SFH).
According to her, the current phase of the A360 Amplify program has placed a strong emphasis on Human-Centred Design (HCD) and integration into Government health and development systems.
” I am happy with the program and how it targets married adolescents in the community by improving the knowledge base and empowering them to aim for higher status in life, adding it is evident that the objectives with these girls, where they educate them on sexual reproductive health, communication skills, financial risk management, menstrual hygiene, and also trained them on manufacturing products, which I have patronize them myself.
” The project has helped change the behavior of these married adolescent girls and it has reduced KD the negative implications of maternal mortality and child mortality, stressing Kaduna State Government has already put modalities to sustain and improve the program,” She added.
The Deputy Project Director (DPD) A360 Amplify, Haj. Rakiya Idris disclosed that the project tagged ‘Matasa Matan Arewa aims at improving the sexual health reproductive education of married adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in the North, explaining that the concept was first conceived in 2016 in the South-South tagged “Naija girls” and because of the peculiarity of the North, the project was tagged Matasa Matan Arewa.
” One unique thing about the project was the use of the systemic methodology called human-centered design (HCD) in which the adolescent married girls, are involved in co-designing of the program strategies and activities to reach the girls for better implementation.
She urged the Kaduna State Government to domesticate the contingency project so that they can take appropriate actions to the challenges affecting these groups in the community by brainstorming on innovative approaches to sustain the program, emphasizing that the importance of their work extends far beyond the lifespan of A360 by institutionalizing the program strategies.
A-360 Amplify project State Manager, Dr. Tanimu Salisu, noted that the project has helped in strengthening human capacity for health through training 250 providers on C4C and Youth-Friendly Health Services (YFHS) in the State. 439 mobilized trained, 539 MIPCA and about 1206 community and religious leaders trained to provide an enabling environment for these services.
He said these combined efforts resulted in over 420,000 girls being reached with Family Planning counseling and 370,000 girls taking up modern contraceptives for the first time.
” Matasa Matan Arewa continue to improve the human capital development of adolescent girls in Kaduna, as the program has over 2000 graduates from the economic empowerment program who are currently running business and catering for their families.
” We are hopeful that the State will take ownership and improve on the project to ensure that the young married girls become more informed and get access to free services for their sexual health,” Tanimu added.
Some of the participants expressed satisfaction over the dissemination meeting for the achievements made over the project and commitment towards sustaining and improving the program for the benefit of all young adolescent girls in the State.
Gunmen have abducted some female students of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University in Makurdi, Benue state.
The students, reportedly numbering up to four, were abducted on Tuesday evening at the university’s North Core campus.
The students were said to have been headed for “night class”, a practice of late-night studying in Nigerian campuses.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the hotel area of the campus before abducting the four students.
Some moments after the incident, operatives of the Nigerian army arrived at the school.
Sewuese Anene, Benue police spokesperson, told TheCable on Wednesday that a report received by the police indicated that only two students were kidnapped during the incident.
Anene added that the police have launched an investigation into the matter.
The Markurdi incident is the latest in a series of abductions targeted at Nigeria’s tertiary school students in recent years.
In August 2024, at least 20 medical and dental students were kidnapped in Benue State while travelling to a convention in Enugu.
In September 2023, gunmen abducted approximately 20 students from a university in Zamfara state.
At Greenfield University in Kaduna State, at least 20 students and two staff members were kidnapped in April 2021.
Tragically, five students were killed during captivity before the remaining hostages were released after a month.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Jude Okoye, the elder brother and former manager of Paul and Peter Okoye of the defunct music group, P-Square, on charges of laundering ₦1.38billion, $ 1 million and £34,537.59.
Jude was arraigned alongside his company, Northside Music Ltd, before Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a seven-count charge
One of the counts read: “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd sometime in 2022, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did directly acquire a landed property known as No 5, Tony Eromosele Street Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos worth ₦850,000,000.00 (Eight hundred and fifty million naira) only, which money you knew or reasonably ought to have known forms part of proceeds of unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2) (d) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
Another count read: “That you, Jude Okoye Chigozie and Northside Music Ltd sometime in 2022, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did indirectly using bureau de change convert the sum of $1,019,762.87 (One million nineteen thousand, seven hundred and six-two dollars eighty-seven cents), domiciled in Access Bank Plc operated by Northside Music Lid to the naira equivalent and remitted into various bank accounts with the intention of concealing that the said fund form part of the proceeds of an unlawful act and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18 (2)(a) and punishable under Section 18 (3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges.
In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Larry Peters Aso, applied for a date for hearing as well as for the remand of the defendant in the correctional facility pending trial.
The defendant’s counsel, Inibehe Effiong, informed the court of a pending bail application. He asked for a short date for the hearing. Effiong also asked that the defendant be remanded in the EFCC’s custody pending the hearing of the application.
Aso objected to the request for the defendant to be remanded in the EFCC custody. He argued that the EFCC custody was already congested with suspects awaiting arraignment. He urged the court to remand the defendant to the correctional facility since he had taken his plea.
Justice Owoeye adjourned the matter till February 28 for bail hearing and April 14 for trial.
He also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional facility.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Kogi-born political activist and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Austin Okai, in Abuja.
The arrest, which took place on Wednesday morning, was reportedly carried out on the directive of Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.
Video footage obtained by Elanza shows heavily armed security operatives storming Okai’s residence in the Federal Capital Territory before taking him away.
While no official reason has been given for his arrest, sources suggest it may be connected to his outspoken criticism of the Kogi State government.
Okai, a well-known opposition figure, has frequently condemned the administration’s policies and governance.
His wife, speaking to reporters, claimed that the DSS operatives did not present an arrest warrant before detaining him.
“They came to arrest him at our home in Abuja without a warrant,” she said.
“They ransacked our house, forced their way inside, and took him away. I asked for a warrant, but they had none.”
She further alleged that Okai’s personal gadgets were confiscated during the operation.
As of the time of this report, the DSS has not issued any official statement regarding Okai’s detention.