The Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr. Jide Idris, has urged Nigerians to begin preparations against Lassa fever before infections rise during the approaching dry season.

Idris gave the advice in Abuja on Wednesday at a news conference, emphasising that early action by government, health workers, communities and households was essential to reducing infections and preventing avoidable deaths.

He said Lassa fever occurred throughout the year, but cases tended to increase during the dry season, particularly between November and April, making early preparedness crucial to controlling transmission.

According to him, the period before the seasonal peak provided an important opportunity to strengthen prevention measures, improve preparedness and ensure health facilities can respond effectively.

He said lessons from the 2026 Lassa fever response showed that several challenges needed urgent attention before transmission increased, particularly delays in seeking care and healthcare worker infections.

Idris said persistent environmental and household risks, including poor sanitation, unsafe food storage and exposure to rodents, continued to contribute significantly to Lassa fever transmission.

He also identified limited state ownership, over-reliance on national resources and delays in releasing funds required for preparedness activities as major challenges affecting effective response efforts.

The NCDC boss said there was also a gap between healthcare capacity available on paper and what was actually functional when facilities were needed to manage Lassa fever patients.

According to him, dialysis machines provided to some high-burden states were not always being used for Lassa fever patients, with some facilities deploying them for other medical conditions.

He said the experience reinforced the need to strengthen the entire healthcare pathway, from prevention and early detection through diagnosis, referral and treatment.

Idris said the agency’s accelerated readiness plan would focus on actions required between now and the expected peak of Lassa fever transmission across the country.

He said one priority was to detect cases earlier, ensure suspected infections were reported promptly and address laboratory requirements needed for effective diagnosis and response.

According to him, environmental health officers, agriculture officials and livestock personnel had important roles to play in preventing and controlling Lassa fever transmission.

He urged healthcare providers to recognise suspected Lassa fever cases early, protect themselves from infection, report cases promptly and ensure patients were appropriately referred for further management.

Idris added that healthcare workers should take appropriate precautions from the first point of contact.

Idris urged states to investigate every healthcare worker infection, follow up exposed workers and promptly address gaps identified during investigations to prevent further transmission within health facilities.

He called on healthcare workers to remember the message, “Think Lassa, protect, report and refer,” while maintaining a high index of suspicion when managing patients with compatible symptoms.

According to him, research is also needed to understand changing patterns in Lassa fever transmission, including the possible involvement of rodents other than Mastomys natalensis.

He said genomic sequencing capabilities were being used to better understand the virus and determine whether different strains contributed to observed epidemiological patterns across affected areas.

Idris said the agency would continue supporting research into candidate Lassa fever vaccines and rapid diagnostic tests to improve early detection, treatment and outbreak response.

For households, he urged Nigerians to protect food by storing rice, gari, beans, maize and other food items in properly covered containers inaccessible to rodents at all times.

He advised residents to block openings through which rodents could enter homes, reduce clutter and eliminate conditions that provided rodents with hiding places or attract them.

Idris also urged Nigerians to keep homes, markets and other surroundings clean, dispose of refuse properly and avoid direct contact with rodents, their urine, faeces and body fluids.

He advised people who developed fever or felt unwell, particularly those living in or travelling from areas where Lassa fever occurred, to seek appropriate medical care promptly.

The agency boss warned against prolonged self-treatment for presumed malaria, stressing that persistent symptoms required medical evaluation because not every fever was caused by malaria.

He further called on state and local governments to strengthen environmental sanitation, waste management, surveillance, laboratory referral pathways and treatment facilities before Lassa fever cases increased.

Also speaking, Sanitarian Collins, Assistant Chief Scientific Officer, Ministry of Environment, said the ministry was collaborating with NCDC to prevent Lassa fever through improved sanitation and rodent control.

Collins urged Nigerians to clear surrounding bushes, maintain clean environments and adopt preventive measures before the peak transmission period to reduce conditions that encouraged rodents to thrive.

According to him, prevention was more effective and less costly than waiting until cases increased, emphasising that late presentation often meant patients arrived at treatment centres with serious complications.(NAN)

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

Following the failure of NICON Insurance Limited’s management to raise the minimum capital requirement for the risk underwriting entity’s licence category, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the insurance industry regulator, has commenced the formal winding-up of the firm.

Consequently, the commission has appointed Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, as Receiver/Provisional Liquidator to take control of the company’s assets, manage its outstanding obligations and oversee the transfer of its life insurance portfolio to another insurer.

Specifically, the industry regulator had cancelled NICON Insurance’s certificate of registration with effect from 3 August, 2026, after the company failed to comply with the prescribed minimum capital requirement within the period allowed by the regulator.

NAICOM’s decision followed its 3 August communication to the company’s board, in which it cited NICON’s failure to satisfy the minimum capital requirement applicable to its category of insurance licence to justify its decision as provided for in the NIIRA 2025 and other applicable regulatory provisions.

The Receiver/Provisional Liquidator hinted about his appointment in a public notice dated 4 August, confirming that the industry regulatory commission engaged him under the provisions of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2025, to commence the winding-up process.

Based on the provisions of the law, as Receiver/Provisional Liquidator is mandated to identify, recover, secure, take possession of NICON Insurance’s assets and facilitate the transfer of NICON’s life insurance portfolio to another licensed life insurer, subject to the approval of NAICOM.

In addition, the Receiver/Provisional Liquidator will also undertake the verification and settlement of the company’s legitimate liabilities in accordance with the provisions of the law.

In line with his mandate, Ume has directed individuals, policyholders, businesses and other entities with claims against NICON Insurance to provide documentary evidence and details supporting their claims, adding that the verification exercise will help establish the company’s outstanding obligations and determine legitimate claims for settlement under the applicable liquidation framework.

This is even as he disclosed that steps were being taken to address the interests and entitlements of NICON Insurance employees in line with the relevant laws and procedures governing the liquidation.

By David Torough, Abuja

The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to ease financial pressures across Nigeria’s tertiary education system, with academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education set to receive their full Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for January to August 2026, while the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) continues to provide financial support to students from less-privileged backgrounds.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the release of the CATA funds on Wednesday shortly after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation, saying the payment was in line with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities agreement.

Alausa said the funds had been released to all federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, directing the institutions to commence payment to eligible academic staff.

“ The Office of the Minister of Education is happy to announce that the full CATA payment has now been released by the Federal Government from January to August 2026 to all universities, all polytechnics and colleges of education,” he said.

CATA is designed to assist academic staff in purchasing essential tools and materials needed for teaching, research and other academic activities.

The minister disclosed that payment to non-academic staff was also being processed, expressing optimism that the funds would be made available within the next few weeks.

Alausa said the development reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to prioritising the welfare of workers in the education sector, adding that the administration was also investing in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in basic and postgraduate education.

He maintained that the government’s broader objective was to provide Nigerian children with quality education capable of competing with global standards.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima has described NELFUND as a major social intervention capable of removing poverty-related barriers to tertiary education.

Speaking when he received the management team of the University of Abuja, led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, Shettima said the student loan scheme had provided crucial financial relief to children from poor backgrounds by covering tuition and offering monthly upkeep allowances.

He described NELFUND as a “very beautiful initiative” created to give poor families “respite and breathing space,” arguing that financial hardship should no longer prevent qualified students from accessing higher education.

According to the Vice President, the scheme has become a vital social equaliser and an instrument for poverty alleviation, helping students remain in school despite economic pressures.

Fawehinmi also commended the scheme, saying NELFUND had contributed to relative stability in the education sector by enabling students to attend school and meet some of the financial demands of staying in tertiary institutions.

The Vice President, while receiving the University of Abuja delegation, also commended the institution’s management for restoring stability after what he described as years of challenges. He pledged continued Federal Government support for the university.

The two developments highlight the administration’s twin approach to tertiary education reform: improving the welfare and working conditions of academic staff while expanding financial support for students who might otherwise be unable to afford higher education.

With the release of the eight-month CATA arrears and the continued implementation of NELFUND, the Federal Government says it is seeking to address both sides of the tertiary education challenge—staff welfare and students’ access—alongside investments in infrastructure and broader education reforms.