President Bola Tinubu has signed an executive order to introduce zero tariffs, excise duties and value added tax (VAT) on imported pharmaceutical inputs.

In a statement on Friday, Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the order is aimed at revitalising the Nigerian health sector and increase production of healthcare products.

“In a transformative move to revitalize the Nigerian health sector, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR @officialABAT, has signed an Executive Order aiming to increase local production of healthcare products (pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, devices such as needles and syringes, biologicals, medical textile, etc.),” Pate said.

“The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation @FedMinOfJustice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi SAN, @LOFagbemi, is to now take the next steps towards codifying the new Order.”

Pate said the order is crucial to the success of the initiative for unlocking the health care value chain (PVAC_NG), which was approved in October 2023 by the president.

“The Order introduces zero tariffs, excise duties and VAT on specified machinery, equipment and raw materials, aiming to reduce production costs and enhance our local manufacturers’ competitiveness,” he said.

“Specified items include Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), excipients, other essential raw materials required for manufacturing of crucial health products like drugs, syringes and needles, Long-lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs) and Rapid Diagnostic Kits, among others.

“The Order also provides for establishing market shaping mechanisms such as framework contracts and volume guarantees, to encourage local manufacturers.”

According to the minister, the order mandates collaboration among the ministers of health, finance, as well as industry, trade and investment, to develop a harmonised implementation framework — expediting regulatory approvals and reducing bottlenecks.

Pate said agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) “will ensure swift implementation, with special waivers and exemptions effective for two years”.

“The implication of this order is pivot towards market-based incentives to encourage medical industrialization, reducing costs of medical products through import substitution over time, creating and retaining economic value and enabling job creation in the healthcare value chain,” the minister said.

Pate thanked Tinubu for his courage and commitment to ensure Nigeria is put back on the path to prosperity.

He also expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the ideas that culminated in the consensus that resulted in the significant milestone.

The development follows an appeal sent by TheCable on May 23 to Tinubu and other political leaders in the country for policy and legislative actions on the escalating cost of medications, also known as “drugflation”.

The publication identified key proposals from its webinar — which was held in April 2024 — in the appeal and requested the approval of an unambiguous executive order to tackle the identified health sector issues, and encourage patronage of local manufacturers.

The Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has dismissed Athletics Integrity Unity’s (AIU) appeal against the clearance of Tobi Amusan’s anti-doping rule violation.

The court announced the decision in a statement published on its website on Friday.

In July 2023, AIU handed Amusan a provisional suspension for allegedly “missing three tests in 12 months”.

The case was transferred to a disciplinary tribunal. A month later, a “majority decision” of the tribunal ruled that the 27-year-old “has not committed an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) of three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.”

Amusan was cleared of the charge by the disciplinary tribunal.

Later that year, AIU announced that it had filed an appeal against the tribunal’s decision before CAS.

In its ruling on the case, CAS judged that although Amusan “committed two filing failures,” the appellant “did not confirm the existence” of a third missed test “which would have been the third whereabouts failure committed within a 12-month period”.

The court ruled that the athlete did not violate any Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) rule and that the “challenged decision should be confirmed.”

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeals filed by World Athletics (WA) and by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) against the decision issued on 17 August 2023 (the Challenged Decision) by the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal (WADT) in relation to the hurdler Oluwatobiloba (Tobi) Amusan (Nigeria),” the statement reads.

“In their respective appeal to CAS, WA and WADA had sought the imposition of a two-year period of ineligibility. The CAS Panel held a hearing on 19 January 2024. Having deliberated, the CAS Panel has issued its decision today dismissing both appeals. The CAS Panel unanimously acknowledged that the athlete committed two filing failures but did not confirm the existence of a missed test, alleged by WA and WADA, which would have been the third Whereabouts Failure committed within a 12-month period. Accordingly, the CAS Panel concluded that the athlete did not commit an ADRV and that the Challenged Decision should be confirmed.”

With the latest decision, Amusan is cleared and is expected to represent Nigeria at the Paris Olympics next month.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has responded vehemently to recent statements by some Nigerian governors regarding their intention to determine what they deem fit as the minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

According to the NLC, this stance is dictatorial and undermines the established model for creating a national minimum wage in Nigeria.

In a press release issued by Benson Upah, Head of Information and Public Affairs at NLC, the Congress emphasised that the national minimum wage is not an arbitrary figure but a collective agreement designed to ensure a minimum standard of living for every worker in the country.

The governors’ desire to unilaterally set the minimum wage contradicts this principle and threatens the welfare of Nigerian workers and the national economy, NLC maintained.

“The concept of a national minimum wage represents a national wage floor, a baseline below which no worker should be paid,” Upah stated.

He reminded the governors that the minimum wage is separate from the individual pay structures of states, which already reflect their unique financial capabilities and circumstances.

This flexibility, he noted, allows states to reward their workers in alignment with their financial realities.

The NLC also criticised the inconsistency in the governors’ stance, pointing out that political office holders across the nation receive uniform salaries as determined by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission without similar objections.

“This double standard pits a few privileged individuals against the majority poor, which should concern anyone who loves this country,” the release stated.

The NLC expressed deep concern over what it described as a “blatant display of ignorance” regarding global best practices for national minimum wage by some governors. Despite frequent travels abroad, these governors, according to the NLC, have failed to educate themselves on fundamental issues crucial to successful governance. The Congress recommended that these governors “return to school for proper education” to avoid posing a threat to democracy.

The NLC commended the governors who prioritize workers’ welfare and urged the federal government to address the issue of the national minimum wage without yielding to pressure from “selfish governors.” The Congress reiterated that workers’ salaries are not charity but hard-earned income that drives the economy.

“Allowing numerous companies and organizations in Nigeria to pay workers whatever they like is akin to what the governors are asking for,” the NLC argued. “While these companies may not pay the same salaries, they must adhere to the national wage floor, and the same should apply to state governors.”

The NLC called on President Bola Tinubu to uphold his promise of a living wage and not be influenced by unpatriotic governors. The Congress urged the governors to abandon any inclination towards dictatorial practices and to embrace policies driven by equity and fairness. Ensuring a fair minimum wage, they argued, is not only a matter of economic justice but also a fundamental aspect of maintaining social stability and national cohesion.

“Nigerian workers should not be reduced to beggars! Enough is enough!” the NLC declared. The Congress reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the rights and welfare of Nigerian workers, advocating for a fair and equitable wage system that reflects the nation’s values. They called on the governors to join them in this commitment for the benefit of all Nigerians and to let democracy flourish.

On June 26, 2024, Nigeria’s external reserve reached a record high of $34.07 billion.

This is according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s latest FX data on its official website.

The figure represents the highest level since March 2024.

Recall that last week the external reserve reached a three-month high when it rose to $33.5 billion.

Reserves have continued to surge since then, topping $34 billion for the first time since March 21, when it was $34.2 billion.

The external reserves have increased by a substantial $1.3 billion since June 2024.

The development comes as the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Olayemi Cardoso said its reforms attracted $24 billion inflow in the first quarter of 2024.

Meanwhile, despite the rising FX reserves, the Naira depreciated to N1510.10 per Dollar at the forex market according to FMDQ data on Thursday.

Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), a former Head of State, has spoken about the requirements to sustain democracy in the country.

Represented by Gen. Adamu Jidda on Thursday in Abuja at the second edition of ThisNigeria Newspaper Gold Prize and Annual Lecture Awards on the theme of the lecture; “25 Years of Nigeria’s Unbroken Democracy – Prospects and Possibilities”, Abubakar noted that electoral integrity, human rights, economic development and social justice remained critical areas that demand the country’s collective attention and action.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he believed that the nation’s democratic journey had not been without its trials.

The results of candidates of the supplementary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME have been released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

The supplementary UTME was conducted between Friday, June 21st and Saturday, June 22nd, 2024.

JAMB’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, directed candidates on how to check their results.

“To check their supplementary UTME results, candidates are to send UTMERESULT to either 55019 or 66019 through the same phone number they had used to generate their profile codes at the start of registration,” he stated.

Benjamin said the supplementary examination was conducted for 28,835 candidates, who were unable to be biometrically verified during the main 2024 UTME and were unable to take their examination.

A statement by Benjamin said: “Similarly, the other category of candidates were those suspected to have been involved in examination malpractices during the main UTME but who were given a second chance to sit the examination.

“The exercise, which recorded a huge success nationwide, was marked by heightened security measures put in place by the Board to preclude any instance of examination infractions. As such, some nefarious characters, who had attempted to impersonate bona fide candidates were apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agencies for further investigation and prosecution.

“The Board would continue to ensure that no candidate benefits from any acts of infractions through the deployment of state-of-the-art technology before, during and after its examinations.

“Candidates are, therefore, urged, in their own interest, to refrain from engaging in any form of irregularity during their examinations. They are also enjoined to desist from soliciting score upgrades from fraudsters or engage in the mutilation of their result sheets while trying to generate fake result sheets with higher scores.”

Nigerian-born British heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, doesn’t want to wait for too long to fight a fellow British boxer, Tyson Fury.

The rivalry between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury has been raging for years but the two boxers haven’t been able to agree on a bout even though they were close to doing so a couple of times.

Due to the online banter between the boxers, especially from Fury, most boxing enthusiasts are anxiously looking forward to when the two Britons will finally clash in the ring.

Hence, it is expected to be one of the most talked about and lucrative fights of all time especially if it takes place now that they are still at the peak of their respective boxing career.

But currently, the two fighters are preparing for different bouts. 35-year-old Fury is preparing for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December, while 34-year-old Anthony Joshua is preparing for his IBF world title fight with Daniel Dubois on September 21.

If Fury beat Usyk and Joshua beat Dubois, the two British veteran boxers will finally face off in a unification bout. But AJ told the BBC that his meeting with Fury is long overdue.

“It’s a fight that’s been brewing for a long time,” Joshua said on Thursday.

“I can’t wait until I’m 50 to fight Fury because I’d have had so many wars, I can’t sit around and wait, I’ve got to continue to fight.”

The Federal Government has through the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), relieved a senior officer at the level of Controller of Corrections and two other personnel of their service over alleged misconduct.

In a statement released on Thursday, the spokesperson for NCoS, ACC Abubakar Umar, said the service had conducted a thorough review of multiple instances of unprofessional conduct and improper behaviour exhibited by its personnel.

These misconducts encompass a range of offences such as unauthorized absence, severe negligence in performing duties, involvement in illicit item trafficking, and manipulation of results, among other transgressions.

The NCoS statement reads: “In a letter by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board CDCFIB, a total of 20 personnel have been discharged and acquitted of the various offences for which they were accused, while an officer who was previously suspended was reinstated after the review exercise.

“Three personnel were compulsorily retired, 13 personnel attracted plain warning, while six had their ranks reduced.

“These are in line with the zero tolerance on staff misconduct, a cardinal mantra of the Controller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, and targeted toward ridding the Service of unscrupulous elements and misfits, so as to improve professionalism as well as to entrench discipline, ethics and excellence in its officers and men.”

President Joe Biden was supposed to put the nation’s mind at ease over his physical and mental capacity with his debate showing Thursday night. But from the onset of the debate, the 81-year-old struggled seemingly even to talk, mostly summoning a weak, raspy voice.

In the opening minutes, the president repeatedly tripped over his words, misspoke and lost his train of thought.

In one of the most notable moments, Biden ended a rambling statement that lacked focus by saying, “We finally beat Medicare,” before moderators cut him off and transitioned back to Trump.

While Biden warmed up and gained more of a rhythm as the debate progressed, he struggled to land a punch against Trump.

According to NBC news, Trump, unleashing a torrent of bad information — didn’t hesitate to pounce on Biden, saying at one point that he didn’t understand what Biden had just said with regard to the border.

“I don’t know if he knows what he said either,” Trump said.

Nearly an hour into the debate, a Biden aide and others familiar with his situation offered up an explanation for the president’s hoarseness: He has a cold.

Even the Biden campaign acknowledged that the debate would be a critical moment in the election, with officials hoping it could shake up the race to the president’s benefit. Most polls have found the race to be neck and neck, a razor-thin margin that has remained unchanged for months, even after a jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts.

Questions about Biden’s age and frailty have dragged down his polling numbers for months. The public concerns are exacerbated by deceptively edited videos, some of which have gone viral, that cut off relevant portions of an event, making it appear as if Biden is wandering or confused. This was Biden’s first opportunity — since the State of the Union speech — to dispel that narrative.

Instead of a new beginning, many Democrats saw it as a moment for panic.

“Democrats just committed collective suicide,” said one party strategist who has worked on presidential campaigns. “Biden sounds hoarse, looks tired and is babbling. He is reaffirming everything voters already perceived. President Biden can’t win. This debate is a nail in the political coffin.“

“It’s hard to argue that we shouldn’t nominate someone else,” a Democratic consultant who works on down-ballot races added.

Biden did ramp up as the debate progressed.

“Only one of us is a convicted felon, and I’m looking at him,” Biden said to Trump. That was one moment that tested really well with internal simultaneous Biden campaign polling at the time of the debate, according to a person familiar.

A Biden aide said that it was “not an ideal start” for the president at the beginning of the debate, but that there was “no mass panic” at the campaign headquarters in Delaware.

Trump, meanwhile, has fended off his own questions over whether he’s diminished by age, including that he struggles to stay on topic and meanders when speaking. Biden has posited that the former president “snapped” after his 2020 election loss and is unstable. Biden, though, had prepped for the possibility of “two Trumps” appearing on the debate stage Thursday, and had planned to try to bait him into revealing “the true Trump.”

The muting of the microphones, a stipulation agreed to before the debate by both campaigns, added a new dimension to the face-off. The two men’s first match-up in 2020 was marked by repeated interruptions by Trump, leading to moments of frustration for Biden.

“Will you shut up, man?” Biden complained in that first Cleveland debate.

“I’m thinking the Democrats are thinking about who the Barry Goldwater is who can walk in tomorrow and tell the president he needs to step aside,” Ben Proto, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, said.

In 1974, after key Watergate tapes were made public, then-Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., went to see President Richard Nixon along with other prominent lawmakers and told him that he would be convicted by the Senate and should step aside— which Nixon did

Martin Griffiths, United Nations (UN) under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, says $11 million has been allocated to support the fight against malnutrition in north-east Nigeria.

In a post on X on Thursday, Griffiths said: “Acute malnutrition is increasing rapidly in northeast #Nigeria and food insecurity has reached the highest level in 7 years.”

“To provide immediate support to the most vulnerable, I’ve allocated $11 million from @UNCERF. This is a start; more support is needed,” Griffiths wrote.

In 2023, the UN  listed Nigeria among the 15 countries where children would suffer acute malnutrition and wasting.

In June last year, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said over 700,000 kids in the north-east would require treatment for acute wasting.

In December 2023, Vice-President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the nutrition core working committee to address malnutrition prevalence in Nigeria.

Shettima said the cases of severe malnutrition in Nigeria were at 33 percent, adding that the country loses $2.5 billion to nutrition deficiency annually.

He said only 88 out of 100 children under the age of five can survive the nutrition crisis in Nigeria.