By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The University of Lagos Alumni Association, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), chapter on Thursday, awarded scholarship to about 28 Senior Secondary school students in 6 Area Councils.

The scholarship award covers school fees, levies, West African Examinations Council, (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO), exams.

Vice Chairperson of the Association, the FCT branch.

Mrs. Julia Davis, while speaking to journalists said, 28 brilliant students from the six Area Councils, on Abuja, were carefully selected for their performance.

She said, “And these 28 students, that we were given the award today were the ones that came top”.

She noted that among those that were selected were children with special needs, and the association is very proud of them.

She said, “So it’s our joy that we are seeing this kind of improvement in our society, that even though they have this impairment, you know, they are still able to stand with their pair.

“And so we are happy to make them also recipients of this. Well, the amount that we have given to each of them is to take care of their NECO exams, their WAEC and school fees for the year . As a matter of fact, I didn’t tell you at the start that this scholarship award that we’re here giving today, it’s a yearly event for my alumni association”.

Dr. Danlami Hayyois the Mandate Secretary for Education who was represented at the occasion by Director/Secretary, FCT secondary Education Board, Hajiya Fatima Gambo Babba, commended the kind gesture of the association and noted that lots of students cannot afford to pay their fees but these scholarship would cushion some of challenges of their parents.

She lamented, “Some students finds it difficult, to pay their school fees, and this gesture will go a long way in alleviating the suffering of some parents”.

She therefore urged other non governmental organizations and individual to replicate what UNILAG Alumni just did and take up some of the challenges, that some students have, it would go a long way.

Emmanuel Emele, the Chairman of scholaship commiittee, of the association streesed that their focus is on indigent students.

He added that for now the association is concentrating on only SS3 students.

And this scholarship award has been on, for the past 3years and it will continue.
[7:26 PM, 4/9/2026] +234 805 422 4497: Good evening dear, how is your day going, please darling help me use this story

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), said Lassa fever fatalities have risen sharply in 2026, in spite of a decline in new confirmed cases in the latest reporting week.

The NCDC in its Epidemiological week 13 report on Thursday in Abuja, disclosed that 167 deaths have been recorded so far within the year.

The Nigerian Public Health Institute says the case fatality rate (CFR) is 25.

2 per cent, significantly higher than the 18.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.

According to the report, 26 new confirmed cases were recorded in week 13, a decrease from 51 cases reported in the previous week.

The cases were reported across seven states Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Ebonyi, Benue, and Kaduna.

However, the agency noted that the overall burden of the disease remained high, with a total of 663 confirmed cases out of 3,831 suspected cases reported across 22 states and 93 Local Government Areas in 2026.

”The number of suspected and confirmed cases has increased compared to the same period in 2025,” the report stated.

The NCDC identified Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, Edo, and Benue as the most affected states, accounting for 85 per cent of all confirmed cases.

It added that young adults between the ages of 21 and 30 remained the most affected group, with a median age of 30 years.

The report also highlighted persistent challenges driving the high fatality rate to include late presentation of cases, poor health-seeking behaviour, and high cost of treatment.

Other factors the report said include poor environmental sanitation and low awareness levels in high-burden communities.

In spite of these concerns, no new infections among healthcare workers were recorded during the reporting week.

In response to the outbreak, the NCDC said it had activated a multi-partner Incident Management System to coordinate national response efforts.

It also said that the agency in collaboration with partners such as WHO, UNICEF, and MSF, had intensified surveillance, contact tracing, and public awareness campaigns.

It added that targeted interventions, including healthcare worker protection plan and infection prevention strategies, were being implemented in high-burden states.

The agency urged state governments to strengthen year-round community engagement and called on healthcare workers to maintain a high index of suspicion for Lassa fever to ensure early detection and treatment.

Public health experts are of the opinion that rising fatality rate in spite of improved response efforts, underscore the urgent need to address systemic gaps in early diagnosis and access to care.

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus and is primarily transmitted through contact with food or household items contaminated by rodents.

Nigeria records cases of the disease annually, particularly during the dry season when human exposure to infected rodents increases.

Health authorities say early detection, prompt treatment and strict infection control measures remain critical to reducing mortality and preventing outbreaks.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has inaugurated the new Open-Mende-Ojota Link Bridge Project and the Multi-agency complex, Alausa, now known as Bola Ahmed Administrative Complex in Lagos State.

Akbabio represented President Bola Tinubu, who has been in Lagos for the past few days and is scheduled to embark on a two-day working visit to inaugurate about six key projects executed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

In a video shared on X by Sanwo-Olu’s aide, Jubril Gawat, on Wednesday, the Senate President unveiled the project alongside Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; the senator representing Lagos East District, Tokunbo Abiru; Sanwo-Olu, and some other dignitaries.

While cutting the ribbon, he said, “On behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I commissioned these projects.

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Recall that the Special Adviser to Sanwo-Olu on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, in a post on X recently had said that the President would commission “iconic, transformative and legacy projects” delivered by his principal.

According to him, the projects include the Ojota-Opebi Link Bridge, the Lagos State Geographic Information Service building in Alausa, the Lagos State Multi-Agency Complex, the Tolu Schools Complex in Ajegunle, the Maracana Stadium, and the Lagos Food Logistics Hub in Abijo.

“Please join the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to a two-day working visit to our dear State. While here, the President will commission some of our iconic, transformative, and legacy projects,” Akosile stated.

This development led the state government to announce partial road closures across key parts of the state for the commissioning of critical infrastructure projects scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the temporary closures were necessary to ensure safety and the smooth conduct of the events.

The government advised motorists to plan their movements and avoid affected corridors during the specified periods to minimise traffic disruptions and delays.

According to the statement, the Opebi-Mende Link Bridge will be commissioned on Wednesday, April 8, between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., affecting traffic in the Opebi-Allen, Ikeja, and Ojota areas.

“All motorists transiting this corridor during the specified hours should seek alternative routes to avoid congestion and ensure timely arrival at their destinations,” the statement said.

On Thursday, April 9, two commissioning events are scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The first is the commissioning of the Tolu Schools Complex, which will affect traffic in the Olodi Apapa and Ajegunle areas.