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News_Naija

Oyo Schools Begin Entrance Exam July 7

The Oyo State Government has announced scheduled dates for the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination and Common Entrance Examination across the state. The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Olayiwola Olusegun, in a statement on Saturday, informed the general public, especially parents, guardians, and students in Junior Secondary Schools across the state, that the ministry will conduct BECE between Monday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 16, 2025. He added that the examination would commence daily at 9:30 am at the respective schools of the candidates. Meanwhile, the 2025 screening/placement exercise, also known as the Common Entrance Examination into Junior Secondary Schools, will come up on Thursday, 17 July 2025. According to him, the exercise will commence by 7 am at the designated screening centers for the Screening/Placement Exercise. He enjoined students to go to the designated examination centres with their writing materials. The commissioner, therefore, directed principals to make proper and adequate arrangements for the monitoring of the examination throughout the period. He said, “Ministry officials and members of the Oyo State Examination Ethics committee will be moving round to monitor the exercise and ensure that the integrity of the examination is not compromised. “The students and pupils are enjoined in their own interest to avoid all forms of examination malpractices, and members of the public are strictly warned against loitering at these schools and designated screening centres.” He stressed that the entrance examination is strictly for the eligible candidates.

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Worldnews

As Deadly Storms Subside, Texas Flooding Puts Spotlight On Govt Response

Questions are mounting about what, if any, actions local officials took to warn campers and residents. The hope of finding survivors of the catastrophic flooding in the US state of Texas continues to dim a day after the death toll surpassed 100, and crews kept up the search for people missing in the aftermath. As the storms that had battered the Hill Country for the past four days began to subside, more attention was being paid to the government’s response. Questions are mounting about what, if any, actions local officials took to warn campers and residents who were spending the July Fourth holiday weekend in the scenic area long known to locals as “flash flood alley”. At public briefings, officials in hard-hit Kerr County have deflected questions about what preparations and warnings were made as forecasters warned of life-threatening conditions. “We definitely want to dive in and look at all those things,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Monday. “We’re looking forward to doing that once we can get the search and rescue complete.” Some camps were aware of the dangers and monitoring the weather. At least one moved several hundred campers to higher ground before the floods. But many were caught by surprise. Debate has also intensified over how state and local officials reacted to weather alerts forecasting the possibility of a flash flood and the lack of an early warning siren system that might have mitigated the disaster. On Monday, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick promised that the state would “step up” to pay for installing a flash-flood warning system in Kerrville by next summer if local governments “can’t afford it”. “There should have been sirens,” Patrick said in a Fox News interview on Monday. “Had we had sirens here along this area … it’s possible that we would have saved some lives.” The Houston Chronicle and New York Times reported that Kerr County officials had considered installing a flood-warning system about eight years ago, but dropped the effort as too costly after failing to secure a $1m grant to fund the project. In San Antonio and in Washington, Democrats are questioning whether cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) affected the forecasting agency’s response to catastrophic and deadly flooding in Central Texas. The White House and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have denied the allegations and accused them of “politicising” the disaster. The NWS’s San Antonio office is responsible for forecasting the area’s weather, collecting climate data and warning the public about dangerous conditions. Texas officials criticised the NWS over the weekend, arguing it failed to warn the public about impending danger. The office issued a stream of flash flood warnings on Thursday and Friday across its digital and radio services, which are used to communicate with public safety professionals, according to alert records. The messages grew increasingly urgent in the early hours of Friday morning. The team sent an emergency text message to area mobile phones at about 1:14 am, calling it a “dangerous and life-threatening situation”. Phones must have reception or be near a cell tower to receive that message, said Antwane Johnson, former director of the Public Alert Team for the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Mobile coverage is spotty in areas around the Guadalupe River, according to Federal Communications Commission records last updated in December. “Even though those messages were issued, it does not mean it got to the people who needed them,” said Erik Nielsen, who studies extreme rain at Texas A&M University. Here’s a closer look at the timeline of how the floods hit Texas and what warnings were sent when: Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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News_Naija

Gates Foundation Pledges $1.6bn To Gavi For Lifesaving Vaccines

The Gates Foundation has announced a commitment of $1.6bn over the next five years to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, one of the most effective mechanisms for delivering lifesaving vaccines to children and preventing disease in the world’s most vulnerable communities. This was disclosed on the foundation’s website on Tuesday. “For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid. That is a tragedy,” warned Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. “Fully funding Gavi is the single most powerful step we can take to stop it.” The foundation’s renewed support comes amid a global crisis. It said international development programmes have been severely impacted by declining budgets and shifting political priorities. It noted that after years of stagnation, foreign assistance plummeted this year, putting at risk the hard-won progress in child survival and public health made over the last 25 years. “The legacy of our generation cannot be that we looked away as millions of poor children died of preventable causes. The world now has affordable, effective, proven tools that save lives. Wealthy nations should fully fund Gavi and the Global Fund, the organisations created to get those products to the people who need them,” said Gates. The announcement precedes the Global Summit: Health & Prosperity through Immunisation, a pledging event for Gavi taking place on June 25 in Brussels, co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation. At the summit, Gates will join global leaders, many of whom are expected to announce new commitments to Gavi’s mission. It emphasised that early donor pledges to Gavi reflect broad support for immunisation as a high-impact investment, as well as confidence in multilateral collaboration to accelerate progress on global health. Since its launch 25 years ago, with initial support from the Gates Foundation and a group of founding partners, Gavi has helped cut child mortality in half. It has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 low-income countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths from diseases like measles, pneumonia, and diarrhoea. “Despite that progress, one in five children still lack access to essential vaccines, and outbreaks of preventable diseases—including measles and meningitis—are increasing, threatening to reverse decades of gains. “Gavi’s co-financing model emphasises country ownership and long-term sustainability. As partner countries’ economies grow, they contribute more to their vaccine programs and eventually transition to self-financing. Since 2000, 19 countries have successfully graduated from Gavi support,” it added. “Gavi’s model is unique in how it supports countries to build strong, self-sustaining immunisation systems. “Indonesia’s journey from a Gavi-supported country to a donor is a testament to what’s possible through true partnership,” said Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health, Indonesia. Since 2000, the Gates Foundation has committed more than $30.6bn to advance vaccines—investing in their discovery, development, and distribution. Of this, $7.7bn has been directed to Gavi, making it the foundation’s largest grantee. “Today’s renewed commitment to Gavi comes on the heels of the foundation’s 25th anniversary announcement that it will spend $200bn over the next 20 years to accelerate its mission to help all people live healthy, productive lives. “During this time, the foundation will work together with its partners to make as much progress as possible towards three primary goals: Ending preventable deaths of mothers and babies; preventing deadly infectious diseases in the next generation; lifting millions out of poverty by expanding opportunities “Additional areas of focus for the foundation’s work continue to be helping U.S. students have pathways to opportunity; strengthening digital public infrastructure; applying new uses of artificial intelligence in health, education, and agriculture; and advancing gender equality to help women access education, health care, and financial services,” it added.

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News_Naija

World Drug Day: Tinubu Urges Collective Action Against Drug Abuse

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday called for an all-out campaign against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. Tinubu said such a campaign should evolve into a national movement, emphasising that only a holistic and inclusive approach can successfully tackle the scourge. “To effectively tackle this problem, our approach must be comprehensive,” Tinubu declared in a keynote address delivered on his behalf by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, at the grand finale of the 2025 World Drug Day commemoration at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja. “We must foster peace. We must promote inclusive development. And we must uphold human rights every step of the way,” he said, highlighting the need to address the root causes of drug abuse such as poverty, inequality, and conflict. Tinubu argued that combating substance abuse and trafficking is not a task for the government alone but must be championed by families, civil society, youth groups, faith leaders, community organisations, businesses and individuals with lived experience. “Their voices matter. Their stories inspire. Their leadership is essential,” the President said. Tinubu noted, “Together, we can dismantle the systems that sustain this crisis. Together, we can build a future where prevention is strong, treatment is accessible, and recovery is not just possible—but celebrated.” He connected this commitment to his administration’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to address socio-economic vulnerabilities. “This has been the focus of our administration—breaking the burden of poverty, uplifting millions out of squalor, and caring for the youth through the student loan scheme and other empowerment initiatives,” he said. Tinubu also commended the leadership of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and its chairman, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), for the agency’s globally recognised achievements in both drug supply and demand reduction. “The NDLEA’s work has not only earned praise from international partners but has also drawn further support and collaboration in the global fight against substance abuse,” he noted. In his welcome address, Marwa revealed Nigeria’s drug challenge, stressing that prevention must now be treated as a national emergency. “With a population exceeding 230 million, it is both urgent and pragmatic to prevent new individuals from being drawn into the population of drug users,” he said. According to Marwa, the NDLEA has adopted a two-pronged strategy: an aggressive crackdown on drug supply networks and a robust push for drug use prevention and rehabilitation. “Over the past 53 months, we have arrested 66,085 drug offenders, including 94 identified drug barons. We’ve seized over 11.1 million kilograms of assorted drugs and secured the conviction of 12,201 individuals”, he announced. The former Lagos military governor further revealed that 26,393 persons had undergone counselling and rehabilitation during the period, with 30 treatment centres currently in operation and seven more approved for development in the current fiscal year. Marwa praised the support of the Tinubu administration, the National Assembly, and international partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the UK Border Force, and others. Marwa said that beyond enforcement, the agency has made significant strides in community-based advocacy and prevention through its flagship War Against Drug Abuse campaign. “Every week, in all 36 states, the FCT and 14 zonal commands, WADA teams raise awareness in schools, markets, offices, places of worship and transport hubs through over 11,000 sensitisation programmes and weekly media campaigns, we have reached millions”, he said. Marwa emphasised that effective parenting and responsible teaching are frontline defences in the fight against drug abuse. “Children don’t just need money—they need the presence and guidance of their parents,” he said, urging parents and teachers to instil values and stay engaged in their wards’ lives. He also spotlighted the NDLEA’s 24/7 toll-free helpline and psychological support services as essential resources for those battling addiction. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, in his remarks, described drug abuse as a multidimensional threat, undermining national security, public health, and economic development. “It forces organised crime, destroys the rule of law, and erodes the future of our young people—our most precious national assets,” Fagbemi stated. He emphasised the importance of integrating drug prevention into the educational system, healthcare services, and criminal justice systems. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, represented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, described the fight against drugs as “a war of necessity.” “Every life lost to addiction is not just a tragedy; it is a failure of our collective will. Every young Nigerian drawn into this abyss is a call to arms,” Dankwambo said. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Country Representative, Cheikh Ousmane Toure, said prevention, treatment, and recovery must not be seen as luxuries. “They are life-saving investments. Together, we can break the vicious cycle of drug abuse, organised crime and marginalisation, and build a safer, healthier, and more hopeful Nigeria,” he stressed.