The National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the 2024 Verbal And Social Autopsy (VASA) study, in Plateau with the aim of addressing maternal and child mortality.

Mrs Mary Afan, the NPC Federal Commissioner for Plateau, disclosed this at the opening of the programme in Jos on Tuesday.

She said that the survey would provide insights into the causes of under-five and maternal deaths in the state.

Represented by the State Director, Mrs Felicia Mwolpun, Afan said that the study would result in improved maternal and child health in Plateau.

She said said that the study was being conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health

According to her, the study, will build on previous studies which were carried out between 2014 and 2019.

“These studies provided valuable information that shaped health policies and interventions to reduce preventable deaths.

“The 2024 VASA study is a follow up to the 2023/2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) that was concluded in May,” she said.

She said that during the VASA study, field workers would revisit NDHS households to get information about the biomedical and social causes of death of children under five and women of reproductive age.

The NPC official said that the data generated from field would empower decision makers to address underlying causes of the deaths.

“The data will help to make informed policies aimed at improving maternal and child health in the state,” she said.

Afan, urged community leaders to encourage their people to actively participate in the exercise by cooperating with the field personnel.

“The information gathered will reflect the experiences and challenges within the communities, they will be documented with utmost sense of respect and confidentiality.

“34 identified clusters in 16 local governments areas of the state will be visited. The exercise will end on Dec. 15,” she said.(NAN)

Israel threatened on Tuesday to return to war in Lebanon if its truce with Hezbollah collapses and said this time its attacks would go deeper and target the Lebanese state itself, after the deadliest day since the ceasefire was agreed last week.

In its strongest threat since the truce was agreed to end 14 months of war with Hezbollah, Israel said it would hold Lebanon responsible for failing to disarm militants who violated the truce.

“If we return to war we will act strongly, we will go deeper, and the most important thing they need to know: that there will be no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

“If until now we separated the state of Lebanon from Hezbollah… it will no longer be (like this),” he said during a visit to the northern border area.

Despite last week’s truce, Israeli forces have continued strikes in southern Lebanon against what they say are Hezbollah fighters ignoring the agreement to halt attacks and withdraw beyond the Litani River, about 30 km (18 miles) from the frontier.

On Monday, Hezbollah shelled an Israeli military post, while Lebanese authorities said at least 12 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.

Katz called the Hezbollah attack “the first test” and described Israel’s strikes as a strong response.

The Beirut government must “authorise the Lebanese army to enforce their part, to keep Hezbollah away beyond the Litani, and to dismantle all the infrastructure,” Katz said.

“If they don’t do it and this whole agreement collapses then the reality will be very clear.”

Top Lebanese officials urged Washington and Paris to press Israel to uphold the ceasefire, after dozens of military operations on Lebanese soil that Beirut has deemed violations, two senior Lebanese political sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

The sources said caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, a close Hezbollah ally who negotiated the deal on behalf of Lebanon, spoke to officials at the White House and French presidency late on Monday.

Mikati, quoted by the Lebanese news agency, said that diplomatic communications had intensified since Monday to stop Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

He also said a recruitment drive was under way by the Lebanese army to strengthen its presence in the south.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller told reporters on Monday that the ceasefire “is holding” and that the U.S. had “anticipated that there might be violations”.

Neither the French presidency nor the foreign ministry were immediately available to comment.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke to his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar on Monday, saying both sides should adhere to the ceasefire.

The truce came into effect on Nov. 27 and prohibits Israel from conducting offensive military operations in Lebanon, while requiring Lebanon to prevent armed groups including Hezbollah from launching attacks on Israel.

It gives Israeli troops 60 days to withdraw from south Lebanon.

A mission chaired by the United States is tasked with monitoring, verifying, and helping enforce the truce, but it has yet to begin work.

Berri on Monday called on the mission to “urgently” ensure Israel halts its breaches, saying Beirut had logged at least 54 Israeli violations of the ceasefire so far.

Israel has said its continued activity in Lebanon is aimed at enforcing the ceasefire.

Lebanon’s Mikati met in Beirut on Monday with U.S. General Jasper Jeffers, who will chair the monitoring committee.

Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that France’s representative to the committee, General Guillaume Ponchin, would arrive in Beirut on Wednesday and that the committee would hold its first meeting on Thursday.

“There is an urgency to finalise the mechanism, otherwise it will be too late,” the source said, referring to Israel’s gradual intensification of strikes even with the truce in place. (Reuters/NAN)

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has directed the immediate
rehabilitation and upgrade of Government Secondary School, Kabusa.

He gave the directive while inaugurating the construction of a 9.8-kilometre road from Kabusa to Takushara at the permanent site of
the school in Kabusa in Abuja on Tuesday.

He described the block of one-storey building school as unfit to deliver quality education to students.

He assured residents of the area that the school would be upgraded to be able to offer quality education to the children.

He explained that the school would be rehabilitated and upgraded under emergency, to a standard school that the FCT Administration (FCTA)
would be proud of.

“Is this a school? I will not lie to you; I will not accept this as a school for our children to have quality education.

“I am, therefore, directing immediate upgrading of the school for our children to get the best of education,” he said.

The minister also warned against bringing out school children to line up under the sun just to welcome him.

“It is not in our culture, and this will be the last time to see this happen.

“Nobody should bring students out of their school to line up on the road. We will not accept that any longer.

“We will not accept where our students are subjected to line up on the street to receive us. I want to please appeal to the principals of all our schools not to allow that to happen.

“Our children deserve the best,” he said.

He directed his Chief of Staff, Mr Chidi Amadi, to work with the Director of Procurement, FCTA, to work out modalities for the rehabilitation of the school.(NAN)