Economy
Delta Sets To Sanction Health Workers Charging Pregnant Women, Under-Five Children From 2026
Delta Sets To Sanction Health Workers Charging Pregnant Women, Under-Five Children From 2026
Delta sets to sanction health workers charging pregnant women, under-five children from 2026. He said the new government policy will ensure more and better health care for the people.
Delta State government, on Tuesday, said it will sanction any officer found culpable in collecting money from pregnant women and children under- five years in any state hospitals beginning January 2026.
The director-general, Delta State Contributory Health Commission, Isaac Akpoveta, delivered the warning at a press conference in Asaba.
He said the action became necessary to checkmate doctors and health officers who subject pregnant women and children under-five years to all manners of payments before accessing healthcare from government hospitals and health centres across the state.
He said the new government policy will ensure more and better health care for the people, adding that treatment for all pregnant women from inception to delivery, including caesarian and children aged below five is free.
Mr Akpoveta said that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori had instructed that all the medical doctors and Officers In-charge of the State Hospitals and Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) be trained on the new policy of no charges for pregnant women and the under-five -years children in all the facilities in the state.
He said that the state government under the administration of Mr Oborevwori has promised to give more to save lives, adding that maternal and child mortality has drastically dropped in the state.
He said that the state government, through the State Contributory Health Commission, has deployed Information Communication Technology (ICT) based monitoring system being the first in the country to effectively monitor the system for accountability and transparency to ensure that enrollees.
According to Mr Akpoveta, the commission has designed an award scheme to reward every facility that has performed creditably as well as sanctions for erring officers for collecting money from the enrollees of the Contributory Health insurance scheme beginning next year.
“So, as part of the state government policy to ensure effective healthcare delivery, Gov Oborevwori approved the release of over N3.5 billion for the scheme this year.
“However, to achieve Universal Health Coverage in the state, we appeal for funding support from wealthy and private individual organisations and institutions as the government alone cannot provide the healthcare needs of all the citizens.
“These private institutions and individuals can buy health insurance for the vulnerable and less privileged and the needy relatives and members of their associations, church, mosque and community for as low as N7,000 premium per year for an individual member”.
The commission’s DG said that since the establishment of the commission in January 2017 the enrolment figure has moved from 1.3 million to over 2.7 million enrollees as at December this year.
According to Mr Akpoveta, the Delta Health Insurance Scheme remained number one in Nigeria and with over 350 agents registering enrollees daily from across the nooks and cranny of the state, the number is rising daily.
“So, every three months, the commission trains doctors and health officers on the new policy of the government and particularly that treatment for pregnant women is free.
“Also, babies born in our facilities also enjoy free healthcare until they attain age five, the elderly and vulnerable persons (physically Challenged) receive free treatment”.
He said that all enrollees of the State Health Insurance Scheme were not to pay a dime to access treatment in any state facility as long as they were covered by the scheme.
He noted that the commission has deployed ICT to capture enrollees through facial identification to ensure the right persons were treated in any of its facilities for transparency and accountability.

Delta Governor Oborevwori
Mr Akpoveta said all medical bills and medications given to patients are transmitted to the commission electronically immediately from each facility. According to the DG, the commission monitors the entire process from over 530 state and private health insurance units across the state and other states in the country.
“So, in 2026, we want to ensure that we have funds to manage what we have now and to reduce to about 80 per cent of the disease burden like typhoid, malaria and those areas covered by the scheme across the state”.
In a reaction, one of the trainees,Ifeoma Ekpo, an officer in-charge of PHC in Ika North Local Government of the state, said that the training has exposed them to the new policy of government on free healthcare for pregnant women and children under- five years.
She pledged on behalf of other officers to abide by the rules and not to demand payment from the pregnant women and children under- five plus those enrolled in the health insurance scheme.
Economy
Lagos Assembly Strongly Seeks Suspension Of Makoko Demolition
Lagos Assembly Strongly Seeks Suspension Of Makoko Demolition
Lagos assembly strongly seeks suspension of Makoko demolition. The Lagos state house of assembly has called for the suspension of demolition activities in Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro waterfront communities following protests by displaced residents and growing public concern over the exercise.
The call was announced on Tuesday by Noheem Adams, chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house, during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Lateef Jakande auditorium.
Adams called on all state ministries to cease demolition work and promised compensation to the affected residents.
“On behalf of the speaker and all 40 members of the house, we are directing that all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, and Shogunro communities should stop from today until further notice,” New Telegraph quoted Adams as saying.
He called for transparency by demanding the full list of taskforce members and the criteria used for engagement, insisting that residents must be actively involved in the process.
“That the taskforce that was constituted, we want to see the list of the taskforce because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So we want to have the schedule of those task forces and the criteria for those that we are inviting,” Adams added.

Lagos Assembly
“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for all those whose properties have been demolished.”
Stephen Ogundipe, member of the ad-hoc, said there is need for clear communication, adding that residents targeted for relocation or redevelopment must be informed of the government’s plans in advance.
Babatunde Olajide, special adviser to governor of Lagos on E-GIS and urban renewal, confirmed that $2 million had been earmarked since 2021 to transform Makoko into a modern, internationally compliant water city.
He said enumeration of affected properties is underway and reiterated the administration’s commitment to handling the situation with a human face, prioritizing resident safety and fair compensation.
Yusuf Sagra, baale of Makoko, described the assembly’s decision as a “word of peace,” while Orioye Ogungbure, another leader of the community, praised the “democratic responsiveness” of the government.
Crime
EFCC Arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for Alleged Naira Mutilation In Viral Video
EFCC Arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for Alleged Naira Mutilation In Viral Video
EFCC arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for alleged naira mutilation in viral video. The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 arrested a Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa over alleged Naira mutilation.
Inuwa was arrested following a viral video circulated on social media platforms where she was seen conspicuously cleaning mucus from her nose using Naira notes.

EFCC
Following the release of the viral video, the Commission swung into action by tracing and subsequently arrested her to answer questions.
She is currently being held at the Commission’s detention facility while investigation is ongoing.
The suspect will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity
February 3, 2026
Economy
Access Bank Gets New Board Chair Ifeyinwa Osime
Access Bank Gets New Board Chair Ifeyinwa Osime
Access Bank gets new board chair Ifeyinwa Osime. Access Bank Plc has appointed Ifeyinwa Osime as chair of the board of directors, following the retirement of Paul Usoro, on January 29.
Access Bank Plc has appointed Ifeyinwa Osime as chair of the board of directors, following the retirement of Paul Usoro, on January 29, according to a statement to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. on Monday.
Ms Osime, a legal practitioner, joined Access Bank’s board in November 2019 as an independent non-executive director and had chaired its Human Resources and Sustainability Committee and the Governance, Nomination, and Remuneration Committee. This role made her contribute significantly to the bank’s corporate governance, leadership development, and sustainability initiatives.
Additionally, Ms Osime is a director at Ebudo Trust Ltd. and a partner at McPherson Legal Practitioners, where she advises on corporate and commercial matters and contributes to strategic leadership.
She is also a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Women Corporate Directors, Nigeria Chapter, and the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria, where she serves on the Executive Committee of the Women Sectoral Group.

Access Bank Gets New Board Chair Ifeyinwa Osime
Beyond her professional responsibilities, Ms Osime is committed to mentoring youths and is actively involved in the Autism and Developmental Delays Support Community, reflecting her dedication to inclusion and social impact.
Speaking on her appointment, the group chairman, Aigboje Aig-lmoukhuede, said, “Mrs Osime is a principled and experienced leader with a deep understanding of the Bank’s strategy and values.
“She has demonstrated strong commitment to the bank’s vision and mission, and I am confident that, under her leadership, the bank will continue to advance its strategic objectives of delivering sustainable value to shareholders and other stakeholders in the pursuit of its vision to become the world’s most respected African bank.”
Mr Aig-lmoukhuede also congratulated Mr Usoro on the completion of his tenure and on his exemplary leadership, dedication, and significant contributions to the group, saying he remains a valued member of the Access family.
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