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The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is escalating rapidly, with 89 deaths recorded in the past week alone, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of the Africa CDC, warned that the latest figures have heightened concerns over growing community transmission and the limited capacity of treatment centres, many of which are operating at 95 per cent bed occupancy. Speaking during an online media briefing, Mr Kaseya noted that health authorities must simultaneously expand treatment capacity and strengthen early case detection to curb virus transmission. “Authorities must…

The Federal Capital Territory Administration has enrolled 379 inmates across custodial centres in the FCT into the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund Health Insurance Scheme as part of efforts to improve access to healthcare for persons in custody. The enrollment exercise, which was accompanied by a free medical outreach programme, was conducted at the Kuje, Suleja and Dukpa custodial centres, with the official flag-off held at the Kuje Custodial Centre. The Nigerian Correctional Service, FCT Command, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, describing the initiative as a major step towards advancing healthcare reforms within the correctional system. According to the…

Premier League champions Arsenal have completed the permanent signing of defender Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen after activating the purchase option in his loan agreement. The Ecuador international joined the Gunners during the closing stages of last summer’s transfer window and quickly established himself as a key member of the squad. Despite competition from academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly and summer signing Riccardo Calafiori, Hincapie ended his first season in England as Arsenal’s preferred left-back, featuring prominently during the club’s successful Premier League title campaign. The 24-year-old started crucial matches during the run-in, including fixtures against Manchester City and Burnley, and…

Nigerian rapper and singer Ycee has revealed that he has been battling bipolar disorder since 2020, opening up on how the condition affected his mental health, creativity and music career. The 33-year-old artiste disclosed during an appearance on the Afropolitan Podcast that he was diagnosed with the condition during the COVID-19 lockdown while living in London, marking the beginning of what he described as a difficult six-year journey. The rapper, whose real name is Oludemilade Martin Alejo, said the diagnosis came at a time when he had little understanding of mental health issues and was forced to navigate treatment and…

At a media briefing in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said more than a month into the outbreak, frontline responders have expanded care and testing at unprecedented speed, but conditions on the ground remain challenging. “It’s encouraging to see that since the outbreak was first reported five weeks ago, the response has scaled up significantly,” he said. In just over a month, treatment capacity has grown from fewer than 10 beds to more than 500 across 19 health centres, while laboratory testing capacity has increased from 30 daily tests in the capital Kinshasa to more than 2,000 tests each day across nine laboratories in three provinces. Early…

The National Universities Commission has approved six new undergraduate programmes for the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, with effect from the 2026/2027 academic session. The approval followed a successful resource assessment visit by the commission to evaluate the university’s readiness and the availability of the required human and material resources for the proposed programmes. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Acting Head of the Directorate of Public Relations, Olasunkanmi Olajide. According to the statement, the newly approved full-time programmes are Bachelor of Science in Geophysics, Public Health, Biotechnology, Science Laboratory Technology, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene,…

Telecommunications channel partners need more agility not more anchors While connectivity has become the lifeblood of businesses and households, with a growing addressable market offering attractive opportunities for SMEs and innovative businesses to scale in the sector, there is a tension between South Africa’s need for job creation and economic expansion and the exclusionary, gatekept realities for businesses trying to enter the local telecommunications landscape. Commenting on this development is Chloe Castle, channel partner lead at Backspace, a South African B2B telecommunications company and technology enablement partner. Castle explains that while the opportunities are clear, business owners trying to find…

The Kebbi State Government has dismissed claims by the senator representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garba Musa Maidoki, that he was denied the All Progressives Congress ticket for re-election because of his criticism of insecurity in the state. The government described the allegation as misleading and an attempt to justify the senator’s failure to secure the party’s ticket. In a statement issued on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Nasir Idris, Ahmed Idris, the government said Maidoki’s claim was far from the truth. Maidoki had alleged during a television programme on Channels Television that he lost the APC…

By Chinedum Anayo After decades of debate, arguments, and political hesitation, Nigeria has taken a historic step toward deepening its federal structure. With the passage of the State Police Bill by the Senate on June 24, 2026, the country appears set to embark on one of its most significant governance reforms since the return to democratic rule in 1999. For years, security experts, legal scholars, governors, and citizens have argued that a centralized policing system is increasingly inadequate for a nation of over 200 million people with diverse security and social challenges. However, as with many reforms in Nigeria, the…