Mirian Gom 
📝 EDITOR’S NOTE
This week’s top health and development stories reveal a Nigeria balancing urgent crises with slow but meaningful system reforms. From a nationwide scramble for cholera vaccines to global warnings on declining immunisation, the week underscores how fragile health gains remain across Africa. Yet there are bright spots: new vaccine-research alliances, the revival of strategic recycling plants, and Nigeria’s long-awaited return to the IMO Council.
This edition prioritises stories that show both the vulnerabilities and the resilience within Nigeria’s health, governance, and development landscape.
🔟 Top 10 Stories This Week
🔟 Nasarawa Revives Dormant Recycling Plants to Fight Growing Waste Crisis
Nasarawa State has restarted several abandoned recycling plants to curb rising waste levels and promote environmental sustainability. Officials say the facilities will boost plastic recovery, reduce pollution and create new jobs as part of a broader waste-management reform…
9️⃣ Lagos Launches Biofortified Eko Rice to Combat Malnutrition
The Lagos State Government has introduced nutrient-fortified “Eko Rice” aimed at improving diets among vulnerable children, pregnant women and low-income households. The biofortified grain forms part of the state’s long-term nutrition and food-security strategy…
8️⃣ NAFDAC Seals Kaduna Water Factory and Depot Over Safety Violations
NAFDAC has shut down a bottled-water factory and distribution depot in Kaduna after uncovering hygiene failures and regulatory breaches. The enforcement action aligns with the agency’s intensified nationwide crackdown on unsafe consumables.
7️⃣ WHO Warns Measles Surge Threatens Global Vaccination Progress
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sounded the alarm on rising measles outbreaks across several regions, warning that declining immunisation rates could reverse decades of global health gains. The agency is urging countries to accelerate catch-up vaccination campaigns….
6️⃣ NIPRD, FUTH Lafia Partner to Improve Vaccine and Drug Research
Nigeria’s pharmaceutical research institute, NIPRD, has entered a strategic partnership with FUTH Lafia to fast-track local vaccine and drug development. The collaboration aims to strengthen Nigeria’s biomedical research capacity and reduce dependence on imported medical technologies….
5️⃣ Nigeria Reclaims IMO Council Seat After 14 Years
Nigeria has secured a seat on the IMO Council for the 2026–2027 term, marking its return after a long absence. Authorities say the win reflects confidence in Nigeria’s maritime reforms, improved port safety and renewed engagement with global maritime governance…
4️⃣ Africa, WHO Unveil New Framework to Prevent Sexual Misconduct in Health Operations
The African Union and WHO have launched a continent-wide framework to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse in health programmes. The initiative includes clearer accountability systems, survivor-centred protocols and stricter oversight of humanitarian personnel…
3️⃣ NARD Ends 29-Day Strike, Doctors Resume Services Nationwide
The National Association of Resident Doctors has suspended its 29-day strike following interim agreements with the federal government on wages, allowances and working conditions. Hospitals nationwide have begun restoring normal clinical operations…
2️⃣ Nigeria Requests Emergency Cholera Vaccines as Death Toll Rises
Nigeria has formally requested emergency cholera vaccines from global health partners as the outbreak spreads across multiple states. Authorities are expanding treatment centres, strengthening water and sanitation systems and deploying rapid-response teams to curb rising fatalities….
1️⃣ Nigeria’s Debt Time Bomb: Why Borrowing Keeps Rising Despite Record Revenue
Nigeria continues to accumulate debt at an accelerating pace even as government revenue hits record highs. Analysts warn that mounting debt-servicing costs, structural inefficiencies and unstable oil earnings are fuelling a fiscal imbalance that threatens long-term development financing…
About the Author
Korede Abdullah 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Oluwafunbi Bello 