The Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Nigerian Army, Major General Kevin Aligbe, has warned officers for the 2023 Senior Staff Course Qualifying Examination to shun any form of examination malpractices.

He said the Nigerian Army would not condone any form of examination malpractices as it would undermine the sanctity and integrity of the examination standard.

Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, in a statement, said General Aligbe gave the advice to candidates at Lieutenant General AO Ihejirika Auditorium in Jaji Military Cantonment near Kaduna.

According to the statement, the examination, aside from being a major prerequisite to attend the Senior Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji and any other subscribed staff colleges overseas, is a criterion for promotion to the rank of Major in the Nigerian Army.

It further said that the examination is aimed at evaluating the proficiency of the officers of the rank of Captain while developing their junior leadership capabilities in the Nigerian Army, adding that it also helps the Army to produce problem-solving officers bearing in mind the nation’s current security challenges in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s command philosophy.

He said, The examination is a key determinant in the career progression of the candidates. The examination template is channelled towards effective training and retraining of personnel in all Nigerian Army training institutions with a view to producing well-trained, highly professional and motivated manpower for the Nigerian Army.

This, he said, is in line with the Chief of Army Staff philosophy for the Nigerian Army, which is To transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly-motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says 1,534 cases of diphtheria have been confirmed in the country.

It added that 4,160 suspected cases have been reported in 139 local government areas in 27 states.

In its diphtheria situation report from May 2022 to July 2023, released on its website, the NCDC stated that the confirmed cases were distributed across 56 LGAs in Kano (1,207), Yobe (252); Bauchi (41); Katsina (nine); Lagos (eight); FCT (six); Kaduna (five), that Niger (two); Gombe (two); Osun (one); Jigawa (one); and Cross River (one).

According to the report, Kano (3,233), Yobe (477), Katsina (132), Kaduna (101), Bauchi (54), FCT (41) and Lagos (30) account for 97.8 per cent of the suspected cases.

The report said that of the 4,160 suspected cases reported, 1,534 (36.9 per cent) were confirmed (87 lab-confirmed; 158 epid linked; 1,289 clinically compatible), 1,700 (40.9 per cent) were discarded, 639 (15.4 per cent) were pending classification and 287 (6.9 per cent) unknown.

It said, The confirmed cases were distributed across 56 LGAs in 10 states. The majority [1,018 (66.4 per cent)] of the confirmed cases occurred in children aged one to 14 years.

It also reported that 137 deaths were recorded among all confirmed cases (CFR: 8.9 per cent), stressing that out of the 1,534 confirmed cases reported, 1,257 (81.9 per cent) were not fully vaccinated against diphtheria.

Diphtheria, caused by a toxin produced by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, is a vaccine-preventable disease covered by one of the vaccines provided routinely through Nigeria’s childhood immunisation schedule.

Flying Eagles forward, Salim Fago Lawal has linked up with Croatian club, NK Istra 1961.

Lawal, who joined NK Istra from Mavlon FC, signed a three-year contract.

The young striker was part of Nigeria’s squad to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted by Argentina in May.

The 20-year-old made five appearances for the Flying Eagles at the competition and registered one goal.

The Flying Eagles were eliminated in the quarter-finals by South Korea.

Mavlon FC received several offers for the player but opted for him to move to Croatia to continue his development.

Big Brother Naija All Stars housemate, Somadina Anyama, simply known as Soma, has claimed his colleagues underestimated him by saving him from possible eviction during Monday night’s Pardon Me Please.

DAILY POST recalls that Soma was saved from possible eviction after eight housemates including Angel, Uriel, Adekunle, Kiddwaya, Cross, Princess, Alex, and Seyi, nominated him.

However, speaking during his diary session on Tuesday, Soma said the housemates saved him because they didn’t see him as threat.

He vowed to switch up his game and knack the housemates akpako.

Soma said, The housemates underestimate me. I like that they underestimate me. They feel they have read me. At a point in time, I will switch it up and knack dem akpako. The game is getting interesting now.

Doyinsola David, simply known as Doyin, has said she prefers the ongoing All-Stars edition to her ‘Level Up’ season.

She said she didn’t like her season which aired last year.

She revealed this in a chat with Frodd 

Frodd said, This house ehh, this house sweet. E go condition your body you go know say ehh… and Doyin cut in: “I actually don’t mind this house at all. I prefer this season to my season by far.”

Frodd asked, Why? and Doyin replied, I prefer the selection of housemates to mine. My season ahh, omo I no like am ooo.

Again, Frodd asked, Why not? Is it the maturity or?

Doyin responded, Yeah, I prefer the people; they are a lot more mature people here. There are a lot more older people, no unnecessary dramatic people.

Frodd then said, The older the season, the better the show.” and Doyin inferred: “The older the people 100 per cent.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has directed the payment of N10,000 each to students of the State in public-owned tertiary institutions.

He has also approved a stipend of N10,000 each for some categories of security agents defined as the first line of defence, which would be disbursed through the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) Office.

The approval for students’ support, described as one-off in its scope, is a departure from the previous bursary award, which covered only final year students of tertiary schools, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye in Ilorin.

The Governor had raised a bursary award from the age-long N5,000 to N10,000 for final year students.

The special support will be coordinated by a government committee to be headed by Prof. Shehu Raheem Adaramaja, Chairman of the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB).

He will be supported by officials from the Ministry of Tertiary Institution, bursary department, Ministry of Finance, and a representative each from the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Kwara State.

The statement added, the committee will publish a web link through which all students eligible for State bursary would apply for the support within dates to be announced, filling required information and documents.

Abia State government has charged religious leaders in the State to put a check on leaders in the society to ensure good governance.

The Special Assistant to Governor Alex Otti on Religious Activities, Apostle Kenneth Wiper gave the charge in Umuahia during the official hand over by the outgoing executive of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Abia State Chapter led by Apostle Emmanuel Agomuo to the new executive led by Rev. Ojo Ojo Uduma.

Apostle Wiper attributed failure in speaking up as one of the things that have kept the State in jeopardy for over 20 years.

He said that the present administration led by Governor Alex Otti has many spiritual projects to roll out, assuring that it would partner CAN in the State to achieve success.

Handing over to the new State CAN Chairman, the outgoing Chairman, Apostle Emmanuel Agomuo said CAN is not a political organization and advised the new leadership not to fight the government but to pray for it and approach it with good counsel that would engender peace and development in the State.

The immediate past CAN Chairman urged Governor Otti to recognize CAN in Abia and inaugurate the new leadership, noting that the former administration in the State failed to inaugurate the executive that just served out its tenure of office.

Responding on behalf of other members of the executive, the new CAN Chairman, Rev. Ojo Ojo Uduma said he was happy to be elected to lead Abia CAN in a period Abia State has a positive change they have been yearning for and assured they would sustain their prayers for the Governor and the people of the State to enable the Governor achieve his dreams for the State.

The new CAN Chairman, who is of the TEKAN/ECWA Bloc of the CAN doubles as the Chairman of Aba District of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), which covers Cross River, Akwa Ibom, parts of Rivers, Imo and Abia States.

The Niger State Government is working on extending maternity leave for civil servants in the State from three to six months.

Male civil servants whose wives put to bed are also being considered for a two-week paternity leave.

Dr Mohammed Gana, the Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Health, made the disclosure on Tuesday, during the flag-off of the World Breastfeeding Week in the State.

He assured that the review of maternity leave in the State had reached an advanced stage.

The Permanent Secretary explained that the government was working to put in place a support system that would ensure that work or any form of employment does not separate nursing mothers from their babies.

He said, Work or any form of employment should not separate the nursing mother from her baby.

The State government is committed to providing the resources and championing the best practices for workplace-related breastfeeding support in all 25 local government areas, across different contract types and sectors, and promoting actions that can be taken to help ensure breastfeeding works for all women who work, wherever they work.

The Government of Niger State, he assured, was restructuring all workplaces, private and public, to enable nursing mothers to breastfeed and work.

The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, says it has mobilized at least 2 million persons in the region to join the nationwide protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC.

DAILY POST reports that the NLC and the Trades Union Congress, TUC, have slated Wednesday (today) for its strike and nationwide mass protests following the hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.

The decision followed the inability of the Federal Government to reach a truce with the organized labour as the two-day meeting between the duo ended in a deadlock on Tuesday.

NLC and TUC are demanding for palliatives and other measures that would mitigate the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

Speaking on the planned protest on Tuesday, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said in a statement that the organised labour had no reason to suspend the planned national protest.

Ajaero spoke a few hours after another round of meeting of the Presidential Steering Committee on Palliatives held at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, deadlocked.

Backing the move by NLC, COSEYL in a statement issued on Wednesday by its President General, Goodluck Ibem said its members were in full support, stressing that the protest became necessary following the unbearable hardship being faced by Nigerians.

The statement reads in part, “We have mobilized two million of our members to fully support the nationwide protest by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and other groups in the country.

Nigeria and her economy depends solely on fuel and other petroleum products to function and any decision or policy that increases the price of the petroleum products will hit hard on Nigerians.

We therefore pledge our full support to the protest in order to save Nigerians from extinction as a result of the hardship and suffering they are currently facing.

Former Ivory Coast President, Henri Konan Bedie is dead.

Badie, who dominated politics in the West African nation for a generation, died at the age of 89, a close relative told Reuters on Tuesday.

Bedie served as president from 1993 until his ouster in 1999.

He later ran a losing race against his long-time political rival, President Alassane Ouattara in 2020, when he was 86 years old.

NAN reports that it is not clear how Bedie died.

His spokesman could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.

He was long remembered – and in some parts reviled – for his role in promoting the issue of ivoirite, or Ivorian identity.