- In the news today, rising drug costs worsen health crisis in Nigeria
- Cholera strain in Lagos highly contagious
- FG secures $3bn Afreximbank facility to boost industrialisation
We have highlighted the five most important developments in the news today, Tuesday, June 18, and present them below.
TheRadar’s News Desk has compiled for you the top developments in the news today that you should not miss out on.
5 issues in the news that should matter to you today
1. Rising drug costs worsen health crisis in Nigeria: For Nigerians, the outrageous cost of life-saving drugs is a daily burden. Several people are now forced to take a risk with their health by extending or missing doses, settling for less potent substitutes, resorting to self-medication or traditional healers, or stopping medication entirely.
For those battling chronic ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer, the affordability crisis has pushed essential medications and treatment out of reach for many Nigerians and strained the public healthcare system.
2. Cholera strain in Lagos highly contagious: The Lagos State government explained that the strain of cholera in Lagos is highly aggressive and contagious. It also said laboratory investigation had confirmed the strain to be cholera sub-type O-1, adding that the subtype is associated with more severe diseases.
The Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, in a post on X, said the identified strain is “highly aggressive and contagious, with potential for widespread dissemination.”
Abayomi said through community-based case finding and contact tracing, the government observed that the number of cases “has peaked and is now significantly declining.”
3. Federal Government Secures $3 Billion to Propel Industrialization: The Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Afreximbank to establish a $3 billion Nigeria Industrialisation Financing Facility for an industrial park and light manufacturing. The deal is expected to lead to the creation of special economic, industrial and agro-processing zones across the country and create 20,000 jobs.
Specifically, the intervention is to support the development of an automotive sector as well as the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) value chain to better enable the automotive and transport sector in the country. The package will also cover the technical and financing support for the diaspora investment fund framework.
4. Guinness denies plans to leave Nigerian market: Guinness Nigeria Plc has debunked insinuations that it is exiting the Nigerian market following the sale of the majority shareholding by Diageo, a British multinational alcoholic beverage company.
In a statement, the company, which commenced operations in Nigeria in 1950, said it “wishes to correct the recent speculations and false/malicious misinformation alleging a plan to exit from the Nigerian market.
“Contrary to rumours being peddled on various media platforms, Guinness Nigeria remains firmly committed to its operations in Nigeria and is poised for a new phase of growth and innovation."
5. Nationwide thunderstorms and cloudiness expected, Says NiMet: The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted thunderstorms and cloudiness from Tuesday, June 18 to Thursday, June 20 across the country. NiMet’s weather outlook released on Monday, June 17 in Abuja forecasts morning thunderstorms on Tuesday, June 18 over parts of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, and Gombe states. It envisaged thunderstorms over parts of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kano, Bauchi, Katsina, and Taraba states later in the day.
“Partly cloudy conditions are expected over the central regions during the morning hours, with prospects of afternoon/evening thunderstorms over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, Nasarawa, and Kwara states.
“Cloudy skies are expected over the southern region during the morning hours, with prospects of afternoon/evening rains over parts of Ondo, Edo, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Ekiti, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, and Lagos states.”
