Geneva, 21 January 2025 - The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization.

WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go.

The United States was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other Member States, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO.

With the participation of the United States and other Member States, WHO has over the past 7 years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform our accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continues.

We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.

The 28-year-old midfielder has emerged as one of the standout players for Fulham in the highly competitive Premier League, contributing significantly to the team’s efforts on the pitch.

Iwobi has been in exceptional form this season, netting seven goals and providing three assists for Marco Silva’s side. This marks Iwobi’s most prolific campaign in the English top flight since he began his professional journey with Arsenal a decade ago, highlighting his development and growth as a player.

In a recent interview with Lagos Talks FM, Okocha shared his pride in Iwobi’s achievements, affectionately referring to him as his nephew. He remarked, “I am very happy with him (Iwobi) and his progress.”

Notably, Iwobi has been a consistent presence in the Fulham squad, featuring in all 22 of their Premier League matches this season, demonstrating both his fitness and reliability.

Meanwhile, Washington Egor has been appointed as the new head coach of Ikorodu City Academy. The announcement of Egor’s appointment was made official by the club on Tuesday, signalling a new chapter for the academy.

Egor, a rising coach in the football scene, will be supported by Emmanuel Otupe as his assistant.

In his first statements as head coach, Egor expressed his eagerness to make a meaningful impact at the Lagos-based club. “I’m delighted to work with the Oga Boys,” Egor stated in an interview with Ikorodu City Academy media. He also mentioned that he has been closely following the development and progression of the team, indicating his familiarity with the club’s dynamics.

Egor emphasized his commitment to the team’s success, saying, “I’m dedicated and ready to continue the good work with the help of the Almighty God and the support of the Management.”

Under his leadership, Ikorodu City Academy will compete in the Nationwide League One, where Egor aims to foster talent and drive the team towards achieving greater heights.

[NaijaNews]

Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) have raised the alarm that tertiary health hospitals are facing threats of becoming empty as doctors, nurses and other skilled health workers leave in droves due to poor remuneration.

They lamented that despite the federal government investment in health infrastructure, the trend has continued unabated and affecting healthcare delivery in the country.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Professor Wasiu Adeyemo and the Chief Medical Director (CMD), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Professor Jesse Abiodun and others raised the alarm at the 2025 budget defence session before the House of Representatives Committee on Health Institutions.

LUTH CMD, Professor Adeyemo, informed the committee that the rate at which medical workers are leaving the country is alarming, hence the need to act fast to address the situation.

He said, “People resign, retire not even retirement, resignation almost every day. Yes. In the next one or two years, we are going to have all our hospitals empty. We need to do something about remuneration of all the health care workers.

“Otherwise, government is putting a lot of money in infrastructure, and we are going to have empty hospitals. The major reason why people leave is for economic reasons. Consultants are earning less than $1,000”.

Giving details of the Hospital’s 2024 budget performance, the CMD informed that, they had a total budget of N19.2 billion out of which personnel has N13.57 billio and a total overhead of N33.2 million.

He added, “In terms of performance and utilization total overhead was 100 percent as of December. For the total personnel, 91 percent performance but for the capital project 45 percent. So outstanding is 55 percent. November and December are released today we would cover maybe about 85 percent”.

Prof. Adeyemo while responding to an observation by members of the committee on personnel performance said that the hospital had 95 percent personnel performance because of payment of benefits and other activities due to resignation and retirements in the year.

The CMD added, “For the proposal for 2025, a total budget of 32.7 billion, out of which a total overhead which is better than that of last year. Personnel is 20.3. I think it’s 13 last year”.

Similarly, the Chief Medical Director (CMD), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Abiodun, lamented the delay in the release of budgeted funds to the hospital which he said had adversely affected its operations.

Giving the details of UCH’s 2024 budget, he said it has a capital appropriation of N5,593,110,394. He however informed that only 38 percent of the funds was released leaving a balance of 72 percent left.

He said, “We have the 72% left. Yes, we actually were among the last people to be batched for payment, and the payment started coming in actually in this December. We were able to even utilize this 38 percent because we had already done the cash plan before the release.

“For 2025, we are proposing N4,387,763,661 for capital. This is a bit less than what we had in 2024. And that’s because of this envelope system, what we’re given, we have to work with it.

“The overhead, we have N690,006,464 only. There’s a bit of increase over that of 2024 because of the outrageous bills we are getting from Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company”.

In his remark earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on Health Institutions, Hon. Patrick Umoh, charged the CMDs of University Teaching Hospitals and Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) to be thorough in their presentations in order to provide a clear picture of their situations.

He said, “The reality is that you must extract the proposal made by Mr. President as it affects your medical centre. It should be part of your budget, your presentation. The report of the 2024 budget performance and 2025 budget proposal is given provisional approval for now”.

Hon. Umeh lamented the precarious situation facing tertiary health institutions in the country.

The chairman ruled that while committee could not attend to all the health institutions on the same day, it would collect all their correspondences and submissions from the outstanding teaching hospitals to work on for further deliberations.

[DailyTrust]

The Nigerian Senate has suspended the 2025 budget defence for the Officemof Auditor General for the Federation

The development may result to zero allocation to the OAGF as the Senate has earlier scheduled Wednesday 22nd January, 2025 as deadline for budget defences to pave way for Committee on Appropriation to harmonise reports from various Committes.

Chairman of Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ahmed Wadada sent the Auditor General, S.K Chira and his team packing due to ill-preparation and lack of diligent handling of his documents.

Chira appeared before the Commutree unprepared and could not answer questions posed to him concerning the 2024 budget performance his office.

Anger stirred up as a copy of budget documents being read by the Auditor General was different from copies made available to the Committee members.

But allying fears of missing the budget chances, Wadada told the press after the Committee meeting that: “It is left for the Auditor General for the Federation to go get prepared and return, even in two hours now that he has been told that Wednesday is the deadline.

“He is the Auditoe General auditing government agencies, Senate Public Accounts Committee is statutorily empowered to audit his office.

[DailyPost]

Members of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Regional Development on Tuesday questioned the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, over alleged lopsidedness in the Ministry’s 2024 budget.

The queries were raised when the Minister, accompanied by the Minister of State, Uba Maigari, appeared before the committee to defend the 2024 budget performance and present the 2025 proposal.

Lawmakers pointed out that the Ministry’s budget disproportionately favored Edo State, with 70% of the 2024 projects allocated to the state, to the detriment of other states meant to benefit from its projects.

The committee also criticized the Ministry’s failure to adhere to the federal character principle in the distribution of projects.

During the session, Hon. Matthew Nwogu of the House of Representatives demanded an explanation for the concentration of projects in Edo State.

“Mr. Minister, tell us why most of these 2024 budget projects are situated in Edo State,” Nwogu asked, expressing concern over the exclusion of other states under the Ministry’s purview.

Similarly, another member, Hon. Chinedu Ogar questioned why 70% of the proposed 2025 projects were also allocated to Edo State.

“Honorable Minister, I am happy that you are a product of the National Assembly. However, my constituents are unhappy with this budget because it negates the constitutional principle of federal character. About 70% of your projects are located in Edo State. Why?” Ogar queried.

In response to the heated discussions, Chairman of the House Committee on Regional Development, Eugene Okechukwu, called for the matter to be discussed in an executive session, and the committee dissolved into a closed-door meeting with the Minister.

Earlier, the Minister presented the 2024 budget performance, revealing that N20 billion was allocated for the Ministry’s capital budget. 

He said of this amount, N2 billion was earmarked for zonal intervention projects by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, who is from Edo State.

The Minister said that the Ministry’s total 2025 budget proposal stands at N28.9 billion, comprising N24 billion for capital projects, N2.7 billion for personnel costs, and N1.6 billion for overhead. 

He explained that N2 billion of this amount was also reserved for zonal intervention projects for the House Leader.

He lamented that the funds allocated to the Ministry were insufficient to address the developmental needs of the five regional commissions under its mandate.

“The amount allocated to the Ministry for Regional Development is inadequate to meet the development needs of the regions,” the Minister said. 

He highlighted challenges such as abandoned projects, delays in project completion, and contractor noncompliance due to price variations caused by limited funding.

The Minister detailed the scale of challenges facing the Ministry, noting that projects initially requiring N5 billion for completion now demand up to N70 billion due to inflation and delayed funding.

“When we took over, the first assignment I gave was to assess ongoing projects. It was alarming to find that projects requiring N5 billion or less had escalated to N70 billion. Contractors have since refused to return to sites until their debts are paid,” he said.

He emphasized the need for increased funding to address these challenges and deliver on President Bola Tinubu’s mandate for regional development.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Olajide Ipinsagba, described the transformation of the former Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs into the Ministry of Regional Development as a landmark decision. 

He commended the Federal Government for expanding the Ministry’s mandate to include regional development across the entire country while still prioritizing the Niger Delta.

“This broader scope reflects a commitment to inclusive national development, addressing inequalities, and fostering economic empowerment across all regions,” Ipinsagba stated.

Chairman, House Committee Eugene Okechukwu urged the Ministry to ensure equitable distribution of projects among states and regions, cautioning against favoritism.

“A situation where some states benefit more than others will cause disaffection and undermine the President’s vision for regional development,” he warned.

He commended President Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Regional Development and pledged the support of both Senate and House Committees to ensure the Ministry is adequately funded.

“The only way the Ministry can achieve its mandate is through equitable project distribution and adequate funding. We are here to support you in delivering on your objectives,” Okechukwu concluded.

[TheNation]

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has opposed the proposed increase in the Value Added Tax rate, as outlined in the Federal Government’s Tax Reform Bills, warning that the move could worsen the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.

The Federal Government had proposed a phased VAT hike from the current 7.5% to 10%, 12.5%, and ultimately 15%, a move the TUC described as ill-timed and detrimental to the welfare of citizens already grappling with inflation, unemployment, and a soaring cost of living.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, following the union’s National Executive Council meeting held on November 26, 2024, TUC President Festus Osifo said maintaining the VAT rate at 7.5 per cent was crucial to safeguarding Nigerians from additional financial pressure.

“Allowing the Value Added Tax rate to remain at 7.5 per cent is in the best interest of the nation. Increasing it now would impose an additional burden on households and businesses already struggling with economic challenges,” Osifo said.

He added, “With inflation, unemployment, and the cost of living on the rise, higher taxes could stifle economic growth and erode consumer purchasing power.”

The TUC called for a review of the tax exemption threshold, urging the government to raise it from N800,000 to N2.5 million per annum to ease the financial strain on low-income earners.

“This measure would increase disposable income, stimulate economic activity, and provide relief to struggling Nigerians,” Osifo explained.

He said, “The threshold for tax exemptions should be increased to N2,500,000 per annum. This adjustment would offer much-needed relief to low-income earners, enabling them to cope with the current economic challenges.”

The TUC also expressed reservations about the proposed transfer of royalty collection from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), citing risks of revenue losses and inefficiencies.

“Royalty determination and reconciliation require specialised technical expertise in oil and gas operations, which the NUPRC possesses but the NRS lacks. This shift could result in inaccurate assessments, enforcement challenges, and reduced investor confidence,” Osifo warned.

The union commended the government’s decision to retain the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, describing their roles as pivotal to the country’s education and technological advancement.

“These institutions have significantly contributed to improving tertiary education and fostering homegrown technologies. Their continued existence is vital for sustained progress in education, technology, and national development,” Osifo said.

Osifo called on the Federal Government to adopt tax policies that prioritise the welfare of citizens and promote equitable economic growth.

“As discussions on the Tax Reform Bill continue, it is our hope that the focus will remain on fostering economic growth and improving living conditions for all Nigerians,” he said.

The TUC reaffirmed its commitment to advocating for policies that enhance the well-being of Nigerians, emphasising that proactive and citizen-centred reforms reflect true leadership.

[Punch]

The zoning of the presidency of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo to the Igbo-speaking people of Rivers State, and the subsequent emergence of three Ikwerre sons, each claiming to be the new President-General of the apex Igbo sociocultural group, has raised very interesting questions about identity construction. It should be recalled that three Ikwerre sons – Jackson Omenazu, Uche Okwukwu and Senator Azuta Mbata, at different conventions, claimed to have been elected the President-General of the association. In addition to Ikwerre, which is the largest group in Rivers State, other Igbo-speaking groups in the State are Etche, Ekpeye, Ogba, Egbema, Ndoni, Ndoki, Asa, Bonny and Opobo.

Senator Azuta Mbata who was proclaimed elected at a convention organized at the Old Government Lodge, Enugu, on January 10 2025, has been congratulated by a number of eminent Nigerians including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah; South-east senators; Northern Christian Youth Professionals, and the Chief of Staff to Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, Dr. Ehie Edison, which confers on him an additional halo of legitimacy to the office.

But there was a quick backlash: the Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide, which claims to speak in behalf of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality worldwide, disowned him. The group argued that by accepting to be President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which it conceded was his constitutional right; he had willingly and freely renounced his membership and identity as an Ikwerre man. They further argued that Senator Azuta Mbata’s decision to identify as an Igbo “does not represent the collective view, will, position, or thinking of the Eneka community, Apara Kingdom, or the entire Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality”. 

There have been suggestions that the decision of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to zone its presidency to the Igbos of Rivers State was part of the Igbo agenda of territorial ambitions. I think suggestions such as this are borne out of either ignorance or mischief. The truth is that the South-east Igbos, like many parts of the country, are themselves also in conversations about their own identity. It is not just about whether they should anchor their identity in Nigeria as presently constituted or have their own country, but also conversations on how to relate with their ‘cousins’ outside the South-east who share the same or similar language with them.

There are for instance those who argue that Ohanaeze Ndigbo should be exclusively for Igbos of South-east – partly to avoid being accused of nurturing territorial ambitions or running after people who do not want to identify with them despite sharing the same or similar language. There are however others who believe that limiting the leadership of Ohanaeze to the Igbos of the South- east would be a disservice to their ‘cousins’ in Delta and Rivers’ States who are proud of their Igbo identity, and want to be identified as such. I think the latter group won the argument which was why in 2008, the Ohanaeze Presidency was zoned to Delta State and Ambassador Ralph Uwechue, from Ogwashiuku, emerged the President-General of the organization. 

It is important to bear in mind that even within the South-east, there are some areas that traced their history or myth of origin outside Igboland and would sometimes not want to be called Igbos. The people of Onitsha in Anambra State would for instance call non-Onitsha Igbos as ‘Nwa Onye Igbo’, meaning the “son or daughter of an Igbo person”. One of the limitations of relying on the myths of origin to construct one’s ethnic identity is that the ethnic group that another group wants to appropriate as its place of origin (usually one that enjoys some historical prestige), would themselves also have their own myth of where they migrated from.

This means that the fact that some Ikwerre people do not want to be identified as Igbo is not really a big deal. It is the same among the Igbo-speaking people of Delta – some would want to identify as Igbos while some will not want to. In Benue and Plateau states for instance, there are conversations and contestations on whether they are better off anchoring their identity in Northern Nigeria or create their own identity as Middle Belt. The same is true of Yorubaland where Yoruba nation activists feel they are better off having an Oduduwa Republic despite the fact that the country’s president, Bola Tinubu, is a Yoruba man.

This trend is not limited to Nigeria. For instance on 14 February 1974, barely 14 years after independence, Somalia joined the Arab League as part of the efforts by the leadership of the country at that time to make Somalis see themselves as Arabs rather than as Africans. It is important to underline that before colonialism, there was no consciousness of being Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa/Fulani. Ethnicity as an identity marker is therefore a recent phenomenon – a practice that was developed in the colonial urban centres. 

The fact that three Ikwerre sons presented themselves for elections as President-General of Ohanaeze, and campaigned vigorously for the office, would challenge the claim by Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide to be the sole custodians of the aspirations of the Ikwerre people over their choice of ethnic identity. The truth is that such conversations are rarely conclusively decided, and would often mutate in line with the fortunes of the ethnic group which is the focus of the contestation. For instance at a time when the Italians and Irish were discriminated against in the USA, some concealed their ethnic and racial identities but began to proudly flaunt these as Italy and Ireland became economic successes. In the current climate of Igbophobia there are some of our Igbo ‘cousins’ who may fear that anchoring their ethnic identity on Igbo may be a career-killer. Elsewhere, this is called ‘Bleaching complex’ – denying or masking your ethnic/linguistic identity so that it does not inhibit your career progress. 

Of course some Igbo ‘cousins’ outside the South-east who are opposed to anchoring their ethnic identity on the Igbo may have other reasons, including a genuine conviction that they have nothing in common with the Igbos and that their shared language is just an accident of history. Igbo ‘cousins’ who want to anchor their ethnic identity on their Igboness on the other hand may have their own convictions, including the potential benefits of being part of one of the dominant ethnic groups in the country rather than focusing only narrowly on the current state of the Igbos in the country. From an identity perspective, the furore raised by the emergence of an Ikwerre as the President-General of Ohanaeze raises a number of important questions: Who are the Ikwerres? Who do people say they are? Who do they want to be? And why? 

In 2009, I published a very well received edited book on identity, entitled: ‘Who is an African? Identity, Citizenship and the Making of the Africa-nation’. The book had many very known Africanists as contributors, including the late Professor Ali Mazrui, Professor Kwesi Prah, Professor Mammo Muchie and Gamal Nkrumah, the late Kwame Nkrumah’s son. I introduced the book thus: 

Who is an African? At face value, the answer seems obvious. Surely, everyone knows who the African is, it would seem. But the answer becomes less obvious once other probing qualifiers are added to the question. How is the African identity constructed in the face of the mosaic of identities that people of African ancestry living within and beyond the continent bear? Do all categorised as Africans or as having an African pedigree perceive themselves as Africans? Are all who perceive themselves as Africans accepted as such? Are there levels of “Africanness”, and are some more African than others? How does African identity interface with other levels of identity and citizenship in Africa? And what are the implications of the contentious nature of African identity and citizenship for the projects of pan-Africanism, the making of the Africa-nation, and Africa’s development trajectories?

Flowing from the above, there are some elements in identity construction that we should bear in mind: One, every individual or group embodies a mosaic of identities, not just one identity. You may have people with different ethnic and religious identities but share several other identities in common such as being members of the same political party, the same sports club, the same profession, the same gender etc. Essentially, one can be both Igbo and Ikwerre if the person feels sufficiently anchored on both identities.

Two, identities that are perceived to be under threat will often be the ones most vociferously defended. Though we embody several identities, if your identity as an Igbo, Yoruba, Ikwerre, Christian, Muslim, an academic and so on, is perceived to be threatened, your other identities will be submerged while you defend the identity that is felt to be under threat. For instance a Black person called ‘Black Monkey’ by a White person may lead to several Black people from across the world responding very vigorously, if not violently. On the other hand, a White person who is called a ‘White monkey’ may not elicit a similar response among the White people.

Following from this, it is understandable why the Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide decided to descend hard on Senator Azuta-Mbata including literarily ex-communicating him from the Ikwerre community and nullifying any chieftaincy title conferred on him by any of the Ikwerre communities. Does the organization really have such powers over any Ikwerre person? I seriously doubt that. The hard-line position of Ogbakor Ikwerre Cultural Organisation Worldwide may be more to remind us that despite the election of Senator Azuta-Mbata as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the conversation on where the Ikwerres should anchor their ethnic identity remains inconclusive. 

Three, identities have both time and space dimensions. Up to the creation of the 12 states by Gowon in 1967, both the Ikwerres and the Igbos shared the identity of being from the Eastern region. In the same vein, if the Ikwerres were to find themselves in a distant country with people of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, including the Igbos of the South-East, they are likely to feel more connected to the latter than to other groups in the imagined country simply by virtue of their common (or similar language) and culture. 

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with Governor Sim Fubara of State Rivers State and the leaders of Ogoniland at the presidential Villa Abuja.

Governor Fubara arrived with Senator Lee Maeba and among the delegation were Senators Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, as well as Senators Bennett Birabi Barry. Mpigi and Joe Poroma.

Also present is the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, the Minister of Environment, Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abba, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed, Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

Although the agenda of the meeting was not made public, it may not be unconnected to the Ogoni clean-up and the resumption of oil exploration in Ogoniland.

Recall that a coalition of civil society organisations had demanded an allocation of $1 trillion from the Federal Government for the cleanup of the Niger Delta and compensation for the loss of livelihoods, before the resumption of crude oil production in Ogoniland.

The demands were tabled in a statement signed by the organisations including Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), while expressing concerns over the Nigerian government’s reported plans to resume oil production in the community.

The group described the move as a disregard for environmental justice

The statement highlighted the historical environmental degradation caused by oil activities in Ogoniland, documented in the 2011 UNEP report, which revealed widespread pollution of land, water, and air.

The group expressed disappointment that the government has yet to fully implement the UNEP recommendations or prioritize the cleanup of the region.

[Vanguard]

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has implored the United States to reconsider its withdrawal from the global health body.

After his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump signed an executive order kick-starting the process of pulling the country out of the WHO.

The order said the US was withdrawing “due to the organization’s mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states”.

The executive order also said WHO required “unfairly onerous payments” from the US that are disproportionate to the sums provided “by other larger countries such as China”.

In a statement on Tuesday, the WHO expressed regret over the move, saying the US has participated in shaping and governing the organisation’s work since joining in 1948.

The organisation said for over seven decades, it has, alongside the US, saved countless lives and protected Americans and other nationals from health threats.

“Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO,” the statement reads.

“With the participation of the United States and other Member States, WHO has over the past 7 years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform our accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continues.

“We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”

[TheCable]