The Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows Alumni Association Nigeria (COSFAN) has elected new leaders, with Dr Ekundayo Samuel re-elected as President for a second term.

Dr Samuel, a lecturer in Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry at the University of Ibadan, was returned unopposed due to his strong performance during his first tenure.

During Saturday’s virtual Quarterly General Meeting, Samuel and the newly elected National Executive Committee members were sworn in by legal practitioner, Titilope Adeyemi.

The new executives will serve for two years, with the option of renewal for eligible members for another two-year term.

Samuel, known for his academic and community work, is expected to steer COSFAN toward achieving its stated goals.

In his inaugural address, he pledged collaboration with the British Council Nigeria and the government to advance mentorship and development programmes.

Samuel, also Executive Director of Dove-Haven Foundation (DHF), promised to empower COSFAN members to impact their fields and communities meaningfully.

He urged all levels of government, institutions, and organisations to engage COSFAN’s experts and professionals for enhanced service delivery nationwide.

Samuel praised COSFAN Patrons – Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye – for their enduring support and encouragement.

Other elected officers include Vice President: Dr Badia Maje-Sayyadi, and Secretary-General; Mr Josiah Owoeye of Tolaram Group, Lagos.

Dr Oluwatosin Igbayiloye, University of Ilorin, was elected Treasurer, while Mr Adewale Adeniyi, Pivot-GIS, Lagos, was named Publicity Secretary.

Regional Coordinators elected include Prof. Rayyan Garba (North-West), Mrs Victoria Shoyombo (North-Central), and Dr Fatimas Baba-Ari (North-East).

Also elected were Prof. Olayinka Nwachukwu (South-East), Prof. Emmanuel Akpabio (South-South), and Dr Adetoun Mustapha (South-West).

Dr Abiola Adimula was elected as the Ex-Officio member of the Executive Committee.

COSFAN is a non-profit association of Nigerians sponsored by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for postgraduate studies or fellowships.

The association has over 3,000 members who have benefited from various Commonwealth-funded academic and professional programmes.

COSFAN’s mission is to apply members’ knowledge to societal development, especially in education and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

 The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Women’s Health, Dr Adanna Steinacker, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to prioritize and improve the health and well-being of women across the country.

Steinacker said this on Saturday in Lagos during the Banking on Women’s Health Conference organised by Healthtracka, a digital health platform.

She assured Nigerian women that their health would no longer be a footnote but a front-page priority, emphasising her commitment to championing the advocacy through her office.

According to her, conversations that are critical to moving women’s health agenda forward are often silenced, stressing the need to share the stories openly to educate, support, and connect with other women.

“The absence of intentional storytelling has left too many women isolated in their pain.

“They followed us into adulthood, through illnesses, through birth stories, miscarriages, fertility challenges, postpartum complications, and now for some of us, into menopause.

“That discomfort has now become my purpose, to break the silence and to build a new culture, one where women’s health is spoken about loudly, boldly, and backed by action,” she said.

Steinacker highlighted the Women’s Health Media Hub, a digital-first platform designed to bridge the gender health information gap for Nigerian women as an initiative of her office.

“This platform will provide accessible, culturally attuned, evidence-based content so women across Nigeria can make informed decisions about their health,” she said.

She also highlighted the Healthy Women, Healthy Nations National Advocacy Campaign, a mobilisation platform comprising a series of sub-campaigns in all six geopolitical zones.

According to her, the initiative highlights specific health needs, elevates community-driven solutions, and sparks vital policy conversations from the grassroots to national impact, powered by the people.

She stressed the need for collaboration to amplify the work being done on women’s health, stressing that the boldest policy means nothing if it does not meet real people in real-time.

“So, to our investors and donors, the time to fund women’s health innovation is now. Not as charity, but as the smartest investment in our nation’s prosperity.

“When women are healthy, communities thrive, families prosper, and our nation blooms,” she said.

Steinacker commended the Founder of Healthtracka, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, for innovations that promoted women’s health and well-being from at-home HPV kits to low-light AI and AI-powered menstrual health chatbots.

She said the innovative products are reaching thousands of Nigerian girls and changing healthcare delivery care and access.

“Dare-Johnson is proof that tech-powered, user-centred innovation is not just the future, it is already saving lives today. And it’s even more powerful when combined with community engagement,” she said.

Similarly, Rodio Diallo, Deputy-Director, Family Health, Gates Foundation, reaffirmed the foundation’s unwavering commitment to advancing women’s health in Nigeria.

Diallo said every day, preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth claim the lives of women who are the backbone of their families and communities.

According to her, this reality underscores the imperative to act swiftly, decisively, and collaboratively.

She noted that the foundation is supporting the federal government through strategic lifesaving interventions and partnerships in strengthening primary health centres, family planning, improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, among others.

“By partnering with government agencies, local organisations, and community leaders, we aim to create a unified front against the challenges facing women’s health.

“Together, we can amplify our impact and drive systemic change.

“Our vision is clear. A Nigeria where every woman has access to the health care she needs, where maternal deaths are a rarity, and where women can thrive and contribute fully to their community.

“Achieving this vision demands our collective commitment, innovation, and resilience,” Diallo said.

Also, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, said women constituted over 50 per cent of the country’s population.

Abayomi, represented by Dr Victoria Egunjobi, Director, Disease Control, at the ministry of health, said Lagos was committed to improving the health and well-being of women in the state.

The Founder of Healthtracka and Convener of the conference, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, said that women’s health has been underdiagnosed and underfunded for long.

Dare-Johnson stressed that women’s health is not a personal issue but a national and economic issue.

She emphasised that the event represented a defining moment in the movement to centre women’s health in investment, innovation and policy conversations across Africa.

The event featured the inauguration of the “State of Women’s Health in Nigeria Report.”

It is a first-of-its-kind, data-rich report that provides critical insights into the challenges and opportunities within Nigeria’s healthcare system for women.

The Federal Government has commenced free six months training for 120 Plateau youths on poultry farming.

The training is through the National Youth Skills Acquisition Fund (NYESAF), under the Innovation, Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project.

Dr Daniel Jarafu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) VetVille Nigeria Limited, one of federal government’s training service providers in charge of the training, said this on Saturday in Jos, at the flagoff  of the programme.

Jarafu, said the project was a deliberate effort by the federal government to empower youths with skills that would make them skillful, self sufficient, employers of labour and in turn, boost economic growth of the nation.

According to him, the six months training is  segmented  into  three  months theoretical and three months practical aspects .

He further explained that at the end of the programme the trainees would sit for the  National Skills Qualifications (NSQs) examination to earn a national certification which  would be equivalent to certification earned in  the formal education system.

Earlier, Prof. Arhyel Balami, the Guest of Honour, said the initiative by the federal government was highly laudable as it would lead to the empowerment of youths  with hands on agricultural skills that would make them productive with sustainable livelihoods.

Balami, urged the trainees to make the best use of the training by being diligent, showing up and paying rapt attention during the course of the training.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that  NYESAF is to train 75,000 youths nationwide, with the aim of enhancing job creation, entrepreneurship, and economic independence among young Nigerians.

NAN further reports that initiative underscores the government’s commitment to equipping youths with essential skills to drive economic growth and self-sufficiency