From Chidi Precious, Umuahia

A chorus of advocacy, compassion and medical enlightenment resonated from the Primary Healthcare Centre in Ahiaeke, Umuahia North, as the Rotary Clubs of Umuahia, Umuahia Central, Umudike Central, Umuahia North and Umuahia Government House commemorated World Immunization Week 2025, delivering a message of hope, joy and acceptance under the global theme: “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.

”Gathering over 150 pregnant women and nursing mothers, the outreach was a clarion call for sustained immunization efforts in Nigeria and beyond. Addressing attendees, Rotarian Grace Okaro, member of the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee (NNPPC) for 2025–2026, stressed that no child should be left behind in the quest for a polio-free world.“Vaccines save lives. It is dangerous to hide your children from healthcare workers. Immunization is not just a right, it’s a duty,” she said.Okaro elaborated on the theme, stating it reflects global solidarity and practical commitment, emphasizing that the goal is not idealistic, it is achievable. The theme, she said, reminds parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals that protecting every child is within reach if everyone plays their part.”Poliomyelitis, a highly infectious disease primarily spread through contaminated water and food, remains a looming threat in regions with low immunization coverage. It attacks the nervous system and can lead to permanent paralysis.”Rotary International, in collaboration with partners like UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), launched the PolioPlus initiative in 1985, beginning with a pilot project in the Philippines. Since then, over 2.5 billion children have been immunized, reducing global polio cases by over 99.9%.”In Nigeria, which was declared wild polio-free in 2020, vigilance remains crucial. Nigeria has made tremendous progress, but the virus could resurface if we let our guard down,” Okaro warned.The event was graced by Rotarian Oluebube Chukwu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Abia State on Due Process, who emphasized the state’s commitment to transparent and impactful healthcare delivery.The Matron of the center, Amarachi Marizu represented by Health personnel Ihechiluru Emmanuel, applauded Rotary’s unwavering humanitarian service.”Rotary’s passion is deeply felt at the grassroots. May God continue to bless their efforts and enlarge their capacity to serve,” she said.For nursing mother Joy Augustine, Rotary’s outreach came as an unexpected blessing.“I never expected this kind of care. Rotary people are truly wonderful; they care about mothers and our children,” she said with a beaming smile.Another beneficiary who spoke through the condition of anonymity echoed similar sentiments, calling the program “a gift from God at the right time.”Presidents of the five Rotary Clubs in Umuahia, District 9142, Past Assistant Governors, Rotarians, and Rotaractors showed strong presence, engaging participants in health talks, free vaccinations and wellness counseling.It was observed that it was a powerful show of unity and compassion, as the five Rotary Clubs in Umuahia, marked World Immunization Week with a campaign urging pregnant women, nursing and young mothers to embrace life-saving vaccinations, affirming that “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.”The event stood as a symbol of collective humanity and global citizenship, proving that with determination, collaboration, and compassion, a world without polio and preventable diseases, is not only imaginable, but achievable.Sanitary pads, biscuits, beverages, toiletries among other things were distributed to the nursing mothers and their children.

By Tony Obiechina Abuja

The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr Emomotimi Agama has warned Nigerians to beware of firms that claim that the registration of their companies with the Corporate Affairs Commission and SCUML certificate from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have empowered them to operate investment schemes in Nigeria.

Agama stated this during an interview with journalists yesterday at the sidelines of a sensitisation tour against the Ponzi scheme held at the Garki Market in Abuja. He said it was disheartening that some Nigerians and foreign companies have specialised in defrauding Nigerians through Ponzi Schemes, adding that the government will no longer sit back and watch billions of naira taken away from the people through ponzi schemes.The SEC DG said it is crucial that Nigerians understand the dangers of putting their hard-earned money into ventures that are not registered or regulated by the SEC.Agama said, “It is disheartening that some Nigerians and foreign accompanies have specialised in duping Nigerians and govt won’t sit and watch Nigerians being duped and this is what SEC is coming out to the people to educate them that if it too good to be true, then watch out.”We have seen many Ponzi schemes in the past, and the Investments and Securities Act had been signed into law by the President and the law recommends N20m fine and 10 years imprisonment for offenders of Ponzi Scheme.”So, that has empowered us to be in a better position to flush out all these fraudulent investment schemes that are damaging our economy”We are using this sensitisation outreach to bring information to our people and that is why we are here and telling them that we are here to assist them to confirm legitimate investment schemes and we are letting them know we feel their pain.”As we are doing this, we have helped to educate them against being duped. CAC registration and EFCC certificate is not enough to show that the company is registered with SEC and these are red flags.”Training programmes being organised by these people to lure people into their schemes are also illegal. Verify before you invest in any scheme, and that is our message to Nigerians.”Also speaking to journalists, the Assistant Director, Enforcement Department, SEC, Tope Onwionoko, said the management of the Commission is very passionate about financial literacy, especially with respect to Ponzi schemes that has become a scourge in the society of late.She said, “So, we want everybody to know about it, from the oldest to the youngest, from the rich to the poor. We want the message to go round the entire Nigeria. And as a start off point, management decided that it’s a good thing to come to the market, because we know the place the people who trade in the market hold in the economy.”So, we feel that we should bring this message to them, hoping that they will understand what to look out for, what the red flags are, and by the time we are done, the people that perpetuate Ponzi in Nigeria, they will carry their bags and leave, because it will no longer be business as usual.”The people who fall victim are usually people who are not knowledgeable about how Ponzi schemes work. So, I think that for most of them, it is a lack of knowledge, essentially.”And of course, we want to believe that economic hardship has a part to play. But more than anything is lack of knowledge. Because even if you are hard up for cash in the economy, and there is an opportunity for you to lose the small that you have, you won’t go there.”So I think it’s because people don’t know what to look out for. They don’t know that somebody is attempting to collect what is in their hand. That’s why they fall victim.”

From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo

In order to improve their service delivery across Osun State, the State Health Insurance Agency (OSHIA) yesterday organized emergency care training for over 280 accredited health providers, charging them to be up and doing.While speaking at the first quarter training for the Providers’ Forum in Osogbo, the Executive Secretary of the Osun Health Insurance Agency (OSHIA), Rasaq Akindele said that the agency organized the training for service providers to improve their delivery to enrollees.

Akindele disclosed that it’s very important for the agency to meet service providers intermittently with a view to knowing their challenges and how to improve on quality service delivery.According to him, “We screened about 350,000 students, we found out that about 45,000 of them had eye problems, 42,000 of them had refractive error correctable by giving corrective classes.”Some of them needed medication, drugs that will make their vision better, and then some of them needed surgery. We have started those who needed surgery in series, and we have not completed”We also screened and treated the teachers before we discovered that some of them also had visual impairments during the exercise.”We had training service providers on Tuesday while we had about 130 people participate yesterday Wednesday and we had close to 150 medical practitioners participate for the two days”.Some of the healthcare services providers, who spoke with journalists at the workshop lauded the OSHIA for the usual training and retraining which they described as “Catching them young” to enhance their performance to the enrollees.