The Niger Governor’s Wife, Hajiya Fatima Bago, has lauded the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for its sustained efforts in enhancing the quality of locally-manufactured goods in the state.

Bago made the commendation when she received a delegation from SON, led by the agency’s State Coordinator, Hajiya Hauwa Nuhu, which paid a visit to her office at the Government House, Minna, on Wednesday.

She said that the organisation’s interventions had significantly enhanced product certification and standardisation among local entrepreneurs.

She recalled a programme organised by a commercial bank for entrepreneurs shortly after her assumption of office, where various locally-made products were showcased.

The governor’s wife said there was remarkable improvement in product certification over the past few years, with even small-scale products now meeting required standards.

“Today, even products such as zobo are certified.

“This is a great achievement and I urge entrepreneurs to continue to uphold product standards for the safety of our health,” she said.

She expressed readiness to push for the State Government to strengthen collaboration with SON to further boost local production in the state, saying her office remained open for support.

Earlier, Nuhu said that the visit was to commiserate with the State Government and its people over the recent spate of kidnappings, describing the incidents as distressing to Nigerians.

“We were very prayerful. Since the incident started, we joined the governor to pray for their release.

“We were emotionally distressed, but we are happy the children are back home,” she said.

Nuhu further said that the visit was also to appreciate the governor’s wife for her “doggedness, resilience and motherly role during the period”, and to brief her on SON’s activities in the state.

She said that SON’s core mandate is to ensure quality assurance and standardisation of products and services, as well as enforce compliance with approved standards.

“Our work is broad. We check the quality of products and services, elaborate standards and enforce their use.

“That is why we have the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme and the SON Conformity Assessment Programme,” she said.

Nuhu also said that SON had made a significant impact on entrepreneurship, particularly among micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and certified more than 300 locally produced MSME products in the state.

“Some of these entrepreneurs, because of the visibility we give them, now have products competing in the international market,” she said.

She disclosed that SON had issued marks of quality to locally produced goods, adding that three products from Niger had gained international competitiveness and received SME awards.

The Police Command in Nasarawa State said it has foiled an armed robbery operation in Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ramhan Nansel stated this in a statement to newsmen on Wednesday in Lafia.

According to the command’s spokesperson, the armed robbery operation was foiled by its operatives attached to Mararaba ‘A’ Division, Karu LGA at the early hours of Wednesday, Jan.

He explained that the personnel recovered a locally fabricated Beretta pistol from the scene of the operation.

Nansel noted that the police received a distress call that suspected armed robbers, numbering about four, attacked a wine shop located at Calvary Road, Mararaba, at about 4:20am, during which one person was injured.

“Upon swift response to the scene, the police operatives disrupted the robbery operation, forcing the criminals to flee in disarray upon sighting the police.

“In the process, the suspects abandoned a locally fabricated Beretta pistol, which was recovered by the police,” he said.

The PPRO explained that the Commissioner of Police, Shetima Jauro-Mohammed ordered an intensive manhunt for the fleeing suspects.

Nansel added that the Commissioner has also directed that the case and the recovered exhibit be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Lafia, for thorough investigation.

He reassured members of the public of the Command’s unwavering commitment to combating all forms of crime and criminality in Nasarawa State.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said 1,119 confirmed cases of Lassa fever have been recorded in 2025, with young adults emerging as the most affected age group nationwide.

The agency disclosed this in its Lassa Fever Situation Report for Epidemiological Week 51, covering Dec.

According to the report, people aged 21 to 30 years accounted for the highest burden of confirmed infections, with the median age among patients recorded at 30 years nationwide.

The NCDC noted that males were slightly more affected than females, reflecting gender differences in exposure or health-seeking behaviour in communities with high Lassa fever transmission risk.

So far, 206 deaths have been recorded among confirmed cases, representing a case fatality rate of 18.4 per cent, higher than the 16.4 per cent reported during the same period in 2024.

During Week 51 alone, 21 new confirmed cases and five deaths were reported, down from 28 confirmed cases in the previous week, indicating a modest week-on-week decline in new infections.

The cases were reported from Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, Kogi, Ebonyi, and Plateau states, with a total of 21 states across 105 Local Government Areas recording at least one confirmed case in 2025.

Four states, Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, and Taraba, accounted for 88 per cent of all confirmed infections, with Ondo State alone contributing 35 per cent of the nationwide total, the report highlighted.

The NCDC identified late presentation at treatment facilities, poor health-seeking behaviour due to high treatment costs, and poor environmental sanitation in high-burden communities as key challenges affecting outbreak control.

It urged healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever, ensure early diagnosis and treatment, and called on state authorities to strengthen risk communication and community engagement.

The centre said it would continue to coordinate a multi-sectoral national response, including surveillance, case management, laboratory support, and infection prevention and control activities in affected and at-risk communities.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness transmitted mainly through contact with food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected rodents, while human-to-human transmission can also occur.