Author: Ogochukwu Ndubuisi

Malawi Bans Public Health Workers From Owning Private Clinics Malawian President, Peter Mutharika, has issued an executive order barring employees in public hospitals and other state-run health facilities from owning, operating or holding shares in private clinics or pharmacies. The order came as way to curbing conflicts of interest and corruption in the health sector. The order, issued Tuesday, also prohibits government health workers from soliciting, demanding or accepting payments or monetary favours from patients as a condition for receiving treatment. The directive follows remarks by Health and Sanitation Minister Madalitso Baloyi regarding allegations that some medical practitioners were demanding…

10 Ships Await Discharge at Lagos Ports, Says NPA No fewer than 10 ships have arrived at Lekki, Tin Can and Apapa ports in Lagos, awaiting discharge of crude oil, aviation fuel, urea, petrol, diesel and gas. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) disclosed this in its publication, ‘Shipping Position’, released to the News men on Wednesday in Lagos. The document noted that 34 ships carrying petroleum products, food items and other goods were expected at Apapa, Lekki and Tin Can Island ports between Feb. 18 and Feb. 27. It stated that the incoming vessels were laden with petrol, general cargo,…

NEM Insurance Unveils “She Means Business 3.0” to Empower Female Entrepreneurs NEM Insurance Plc has unveiled the third edition of its flagship women-focused empowerment initiative, tagged ‘She Means Business 3.0”, aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs across Nigeria. The General Manager, Corporate Services at NEM Insurance, Mojisola Teluwo, in a statement on Wednesday, said the initiative was part of the company’s commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and deepening financial inclusion among women. Teluwo said that the entry window opened on Feb. 16 and would close on Feb. 28 as she urged interested participants to adhere strictly to the timeline. She explained that…

Insider Dealing: NGX Warning Sparks Calls for Tougher Action Shareholders’ groups have called for tougher enforcement of corporate governance rules and stiffer penalties for insider trading following warnings to three listed firms by the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX). Moses Igbrude, the President of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), one of the groups, described compliance with corporate governance rules as non-negotiable. Igbrude, in an interview with the News men on Wednesday in Lagos, emphasised that companies and their officers must strictly adhere to laid-down regulations. He spoke on the backdrop of the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) recently cautioning Sterling…

Unity, Providus Bank Merger Done Deal, Integration Progresses Following the recently held Court-Ordered Meeting and subsequent overwhelming endorsement, the merger and business combination between Unity Bank Plc and Providus Bank Limited remains firmly on course. Analysts appraising the ongoing recapitalisation programme believe that the regulatory backing and shareholders’ support for the merger represent the most important milestones for meeting the recapitalisation requirements within the stipulated timeline. Reacting to a news report that the merger has been stalled due to insider loans to an unnamed Unity Bank director and refusal of Providus Bank to write it off as bad debt, a…

The global crypto market capitalisation inched lower to $2.32 trillion on Wednesday, primarily driven by Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) selling pressure from institutional outflows.

Kenya, U.S. to Resume Trade Talks Next Week Kenyan trade minister said on Wednesday Kenya and the United States will resume negotiations in Washington next week in search of a bilateral trade deal, the. The talks will be held from Monday to Thursday, Lee Kinyanjui said in remarks shared by his office, followed by one or two meetings after that “to firm up deliberations”. The East African nation, which exported goods worth 737 million dollars or 10 per cent of its total exports to the U.S. in 2024, held talks with Washington in 2025 to safeguard market access, seeking to…

IMF Urges Japan to Sustain Tight Monetary Policy, Avoid Consumption Tax Cuts The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday urged Japan to continue tightening monetary policy and refrain from cutting its consumption tax. IMF warned that loosening fiscal discipline could heighten risks to the country’s already strained public finances. In a statement issued after concluding its regular consultations with Japanese authorities, the IMF said the Bank of Japan is “appropriately withdrawing monetary accommodation” and should continue to raise interest rates gradually. The goal, it said, is to guide the policy rate toward a neutral level by 2027, one that neither…

Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Enter 2nd Day in Geneva with Pressure on Kyiv Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia were due to begin a second day of talks in Geneva on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the United States was putting undue pressure on him to bring an end to the four-year-old war. The U.S.-mediated peace talks in Switzerland have been taking place as U.S. President Donald Trump has twice in recent days suggested it was up to Ukraine and Zelenskiy to take steps to ensure the talks were successful. In an interview with U.S. website Axios published on Tuesday,…

Epstein Files’: UN Rights Experts Demand Accountability, Impartial Investigation UN rights experts have expressed concerns that flawed “Epstein Files” disclosures undermine accountability for crimes against women and girls. The rights experts, in a statement, demanded accountability, independent, thorough and impartial investigation, saying “no one is too wealthy or too powerful to be above the law”. The large-scale disclosure of materials known as the “Epstein Files” has revealed “disturbing and credible evidence”. The independent human rights experts describe it as a possible global criminal enterprise involving systematic sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation of women and girls. They warned that the alleged…