Economy
Government Offers Health Insurance To 4,200 HIV-Positive Residents, 600 Orphans In Kano
Government Offers Health Insurance To 4,200 HIV-Positive Residents, 600 Orphans In Kano
Government offers health insurance to 4,200 HIV-positive residents, 600 orphans in Kano. Health commissioner Abubakar Labaran disclosed this at a media briefing on Monday to commemorate the 2025 World AIDS Day.
The Kano government says it has enrolled more than 600 orphans and vulnerable children and 4,200 people living with HIV into its health insurance scheme.
Health commissioner Abubakar Labaran disclosed this at a media briefing on Monday to commemorate the 2025 World AIDS Day.
Mr Labaran said the enrolment was implemented through the Kano State Health Trust Fund in collaboration with development partners. He described the commemoration as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with millions of people living with HIV globally.
“For Kano state, we currently have 37,825 people living with HIV, including 4,381 children, with 551 recorded deaths so far in 2025,” he said.
The commissioner said the theme underscored the need for increased domestic financing for HIV response, especially as donor organisations gradually withdraw support.
He said the government responded by expanding the budget line for the Kano State Agency for the Control of AIDS from about N300 million to N2 billion for 2025 and beyond.
“We have released about N500 million this year alone to bridge gaps created by disruptions in external funding,” he said.
He added that Governor Abba Yusuf remained committed to equitable and non-discriminatory healthcare for all residents.
Mr Labaran listed priority areas for 2025, including reducing stigma, improving access to care, strengthening prevention, and protecting vulnerable groups.
He said the government had enacted an Anti-Stigma and Discrimination Law and expanded access to the Kano State Contributory Health Scheme for PLHIV.
According to him, other achievements recorded during the year include the provision of 24-hour solar power at the SACA office, the procurement of operational vehicles, the strengthening of data systems, and the launch of Nigeria’s first full-scale triple elimination programme for HIV, hepatitis and syphilis in six pilot facilities.
“This is the first initiative of its kind in the country, targeting pregnant women attending antenatal care,” he said.
He also announced the construction of a paediatric TB/HIV clinic at Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, funded entirely by the state government. On service delivery, Labaran said the state conducted 607,720 HIV tests in 2025, identified 2,440 new cases and placed 2,388 people on treatment.
He said 37,825 people were currently receiving care in various health facilities.
The health commissioner also highlighted progress in preventing mother-to-child transmission, stating that 238,495 pregnant women were tested during their first antenatal visit, out of which only 34 tested positive. He said 31,277 children under 15 were tested, with 68 found positive and placed on treatment.

HIV
According to him, Kano conducted the highest number of early infant diagnosis tests in the country this year using the M-PIMA machine.
Mr Labaran reaffirmed the state’s commitment to achieving the goal of ending AIDS by 2030 and urged the residents to continue supporting people living with HIV and to help eliminate stigma.
The director-general of KSACA, Usman Bashir, said the event was organised to show solidarity with people living with HIV and remember those who had died.
“We are here to commemorate World AIDS Day and to show love to people living with HIV,” he said
Economy
Nigerian College Of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Offers Scholarships To 5 Indigent Zaria Youths
Nigerian College Of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Offers Scholarships To 5 Indigent Zaria Youths
Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) offers scholarships to 5 indigent Zaria youths. The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, has announced scholarship awards for five indigenes of the Zazzau Emirate to support educational development in the area.
The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, has announced scholarship awards for five indigenes of the Zazzau Emirate to support educational development in the area.
Danjumma Ismail, NCAT’s rector, disclosed this to newsmen in Zaria on Sunday at the sidelines of the 33rd annual general meeting and annual public lecture of Zaria Education Development Association. Mr Ismail represented the speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, who was the guest of honour at the event.
He said the speaker had facilitated the establishment of several federal academic institutions in Zaria to strengthen the emirate’s status as a centre of learning in Nigeria. According to him, the speaker also encouraged NCAT and other institutions to replicate such contributions towards advancing education in the Emirate.
“By doing so, the college hereby announces five scholarships to ZEDA to support educational development. We are highly impressed with ZEDA’s initiatives in promoting education,” he said.
The rector said NCAT would work closely with ZEDA to ensure that eligible candidates were selected, stating that the college offers more than 200 academic and professional courses.
“People focus only on pilot training, but we have many other courses that are even more marketable. We will sit with ZEDA and advise them accordingly,” he added. Mr Ismail reiterated the speaker’s commitment to supporting ZEDA and the Kaduna government in providing infrastructure to boost research and development in Zaria.

Just In
Earlier, Abdul-Alimi Bello, chairman of ZEDA’s central working committee, said the association had upheld its mandate to promote quality education and youth empowerment across the Emirate.
“Many beneficiaries of ZEDA initiatives have distinguished themselves academically and professionally, contributing meaningfully to society,” he said. Mr Bello added that this year’s lecture was delivered by Isa Pantami, former communications minister.
Mr Pantami’s lecture focused on ‘Artificial Intelligence in Education: Opportunities, Challenges and Ethical Implications in Nigerian Education’.
Akwa Ibom
Governor Umo Eno Gifts House, N100m Studio To Visually Impaired Singer
Governor Umo Eno Gifts House, N100m Studio To Visually Impaired Singer
Governor Umo Eno gifts house, N100m studio to visually impaired singer. Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom, has announced a life-changing package for fast-rising gospel singer Chris Vic.
In a statement shared via X on Sunday, the governor detailed a comprehensive empowerment plan for the singer, who captured national attention after his impressive third-place finish in the De9ja Spirit Talent Hunt.
Eno stated that he has directed the state commissioner for lands to allocate a prime plot of land to Chris Vic in Uyo, the state capital.
He also pledged that a four-bedroom apartment will be constructed on the land, with the certificate of occupancy to be signed and presented in the coming week.
The governor committed a staggering N100 million specifically for the establishment of a fully equipped music studio for the artiste.
He clarified that the fund is separate from the costs of the land and housing construction. Eno declared that for the duration of his tenure, Vic will receive a monthly allowance of N1 million from the state government.
“I have directed the Commissioner for Lands to allocate a plot of land in Uyo to Chris Vic, and I will sign the Certificate of Occupancy next week,” he wrote.
“We will also build him a four-bedroom flat and commit ₦100 million to set up his music studio. This is separate from the cost of the land and the house. In addition, as long as I remain Governor, he will receive a monthly allowance of ₦1 million.”

Umo Eno
The governor framed his gesture as a testament to divine faithfulness and human resilience.
“Let this remind us that even in difficult moments, God is still good. Chris Vic shows us that praise is possible in every situation. I also want him, and all persons with disabilities, to know that this government cares,” he added.
In a recent interview with De9ja Spirit Talent Hunt, Vic revealed that he lost his eyesight at the age of five following a failed glaucoma surgery.
He said he found solace and purpose in music, driven by the desire to nurture the talent he believed God gave him.
Crime
High Court Summons Wike In N40bn Defamation Suit Filed By Tonye Cole
High Court Summons Wike In N40bn Defamation Suit Filed By Tonye Cole
High court summons Wike in N40bn defamation suit filed by Tonye Cole. A high court in Abuja has ordered Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to enter an appearance in a N40 billion defamation suit instituted against him by Tonye Cole. The suit also lists Channels Incorporated Limited, owners of Channels Television, as a defendant.
The court, in a notice seen on Friday, said the matter, marked CV/4502/25, will be heard on December 9 before M. A. Hassan, judge of court 33. “Take notice that suit no: CV/4502/25 Tonye Patrick Cole vs Nyesom Ezenwo Wike & Anor will come up on the 9th day of December 2025 before Hon. Justice M. A. Hassan (Court 33) for mention,” the notice reads.
Cole’s legal team, led by Jibrin Okutepa, said the action was initiated after Wike and Channels Television allegedly failed to comply with a pre-action notice and a letter of demand dated October 8.
Cole, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, is seeking N40 billion in damages over comments made by Wike during a live interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on September 18.
The claimant said the statements were false and malicious, adding that they damaged his reputation in personal, professional, and public spheres.
Court filings indicate that Wike’s remarks suggested Cole was involved in financial misconduct and mismanagement of state resources, including matters linked to Rivers state gas and the Olympia Hotel.

High Court Summons Wike
Cole’s counsel argued that the comments were defamatory because they imputed dishonesty and wrongdoing, thereby injuring the former APC governorship candidate’s standing nationally and internationally.
Cole said he suffered humiliation, mental anguish, and reputational harm owing to a “malicious, reckless, and unfounded defamatory broadcast and publication.”
He is asking for N500 million to cover the cost of the litigation and a judicial declaration that the statements were false and defamatory.
He wants an order compelling the defendants to retract the claims, delete the broadcast from all platforms, and issue a public apology on Channels Television and in at least five national newspapers.
Cole is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from publishing any further defamatory material about him.
The court directed the defendants to enter an appearance within 21 days of receiving the writ.
-
Crime7 months agoKogi Assembly Considers Law To Regulate Rent, Establish Control Board: Tenancy Law
-
News9 months agoAtiku Reveals Why He Failed To Pick Wike As Running Mate In 2023
-
Akwa Ibom11 months agoThe Apostolic Church Gets New Territorial Chairman, Exco
-
Akwa Ibom11 months agoUmo Eno Commences Payment Of 80,000 Naira Minimum Wage With Arrears
-
News10 months agoThe Apostolic Church Gets New National President, Executive
-
News9 months agoSenator Natasha Returns To Senate With Husband Amid Seat Dispute
-
Crime10 months agoFederal High Court Jails 2 For Vandalizing Transformer, Telecom Mast In Kogi
-
Economy7 months agoKiyosaki: Is Tinubu’s Government Afraid Of Ibrahim Traore?
