The Nigerian equities market recorded a robust performance last week, with investors gaining N613 billion as positive sentiment drove trading activities ahead of the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) crucial Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.

Market Performance Highlights

The Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) closed the week on a strong note, with the all-share index (ASI) appreciating by 0.9 percent to 109,710.37 points. Market capitalization rose significantly by N613.99 billion to close at N68.95 trillion, pushing the year-to-date return on investment to 6.59 percent.

This positive momentum was fueled by strong Q1 2025 corporate earnings reports and easing inflation, which declined to 23.71 percent in April 2025—providing much-needed relief for businesses and consumers alike.

Sector Performance

The rally was broad-based with all sectoral indices recording gains:

- Consumer Goods: Led the gains with a 4.08 percent increase, driven by strong investor interest in Champion, NNFM, May & Baker Nigeria Plc, and Honeywell Flourmills Plc

- Insurance: Advanced by 2.47 percent

- Banking: Rose by 1.19 percent, reflecting continued strength in financial stocks

- Oil and Gas: Increased by 0.66 percent

- Industrial and Commodity: Posted modest gains of 0.13 percent and 0.14 percent respectively

Trading Activity

Despite the overall positive market sentiment, trading activity showed some restraint:

- Total volume of shares traded declined by 1.66 percent to 2.6 billion units

- Total value of trades dropped by 17.32 percent to N63.66 billion

- Number of deals fell by 10.15 percent to 77,370

However, market breadth remained strong with 61 gainers outpacing 31 losers, resulting in a healthy breadth ratio of 1.97x—underscoring sustained investor appetite for Nigerian equities.

Sector Analysis

A detailed breakdown of the week's transactions showed:

- Financial Services: Dominated trading with 1.54 billion shares valued at N28.9 billion in 32,805 deals, accounting for 59.08 percent of total equity turnover

- Services Industry: Followed with 286.8 million shares worth N1.7 billion in 6,280 deals

- Consumer Goods: Ranked third with 202.565 million shares worth N7.4 billion in 9,708 deals

The top three traded equities—FCMB Group Plc, Access Holdings Plc, and Tantalizer Plc—accounted for 600.684 million shares worth N6.6 billion in 7,201 deals, contributing 23.05 percent to total equity turnover volume and value.

Market Outlook

Analysts attribute the positive market performance to softening inflation and anticipation of a more accommodative monetary policy stance from the CBN. Investors are closely watching the upcoming MPC meeting scheduled for May 19-20, where potential policy adjustments to support economic growth are expected.

Additionally, market participants await the release of Nigeria's first-quarter 2025 GDP figures, which could further influence market sentiment in the coming weeks.

President Bola Tinubu’s first son, Seyi, was in his entourage to the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV, on Sunday.

Daily Trust had reported different highlights of the event, including the president’s encounter with Peter Obi, one of his major rivals in the 2023 elections.

Obi, who came third in the election, defeated Tinubu in Lagos, the president’s stronghold since democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999.

However, one highlight of the trip to Vatican City was the encounter that Tinubu’s son, who wields a major influence back home, had with the Pope’s security team.

In a video making rounds online, Seyi was seen walking towards his father’s direction when a plain cloth security official redirected him calmly.

Nigeria’s number one citizen was exchanging pleasantries with the Pontiff when the incident happened.

Dressed in a black suit like his father, Seyi attempted to catch up with the president, but the official blocked him.

Daily Trust

At least 20,000 people have fled Marte town following increasing attacks by Islamist militants in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state, its governor has said, four years after residents returned to the town that was once controlled by insurgents.

Borno state has witnessed an upsurge in attacks by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists this year, raising concerns that the militants are making gains again after years of intense attacks by the military.

Borno state governor Babagana Zulum visited Marte, which is close to the border with Cameroon, to assess the security situation and meet military officials there.

His visit followed a raid on Marte's army base last week in which militants temporarily overran the installation. At least five soldiers were killed and others went missing in the attack.

"Marte was resettled about four years ago, but unfortunately, over the last three days, it was ransacked and was displaced again," Zulum told reporters on Sunday.

"About 20,000 people left Marte for Dikwa (town)."

Zulum, who also visited Rann, another town where an army base was attacked last week, will on Monday head to Kalawa Balge district where 23 farmers were killed by suspected militants.

At least two million people have been displaced and thousands killed by the insurgency in Nigeria in the last 16 years, according to humanitarian groups.

Zulum's state government resettled residents in Marte as part of a programme to shut camps for Internally Displaced Persons in Borno capital Maiduguri and upheld the plan as a model for other towns previously controlled by insurgents.

But many Marte residents now fear that their lives could be upended again if attacks continue.

Boko Haram and Islamic State-backed ISWAP have been adapting their tactics, including using drones for surveillance, security analysts and the military say.

Zulum said leaving residents to live in a camp in Dikwa town was a big threat as it would leave young men "vulnerable to recruitment by insurgents."

Reuters

Netanyahu says Israel will control Gaza as pressure mounts on aid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday Israel would control the whole of Gaza despite mounting international pressure that pushed it to lift a blockade on aid supplies in the face of warnings of looming famine.

The Israeli military, which announced the start of a new operation on Friday, warned residents of the southern city of Khan Younis on Monday to evacuate to the coast immediately as it prepared "an unprecedented attack".

Netanyahu said in a video message Israel would achieve "complete victory" with both the release of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and the destruction of the Palestinian militant group.

Even as the military warned of the attack, Reuters reporters saw aid trucks heading towards northern Gaza after increasing global alarm forced Netanyahu to lift a blockade imposed in March.

Israel has said aid was being stolen by Hamas, a charge Hamas denies. European countries including France, Germany and Britain have said the situation in Gaza is intolerable, and even U.S. support appeared to be wavering.

Netanyahu said U.S. senators he has known for years as supporters of Israel, "our best friends in the world", were telling him the scenes of hunger were draining vital support and bringing Israel close to a "red line, to a point where we might lose control".

"It is for that reason, in order to achieve victory, we have to somehow solve the problem," he said, in a message apparently addressed to far-right hardliners in his government who have insisted aid be denied to Gaza.

The United Nations has long said Gaza needs at least 500 trucks of aid and commercial goods every day. The World Food Programme has said more than 116,000 metric tonnes of food – enough to feed one million people for up to four months – was standing ready to be brought in.

However it remained unclear how much aid would be allowed in and how it would be distributed before the launch of a U.S.-sponsored plan to employ private contractors to distribute aid, which the United Nations and other aid groups have rejected.

The Israeli military said five trucks had entered Gaza on Monday, although U.N. aid officials said nine trucks had been cleared to enter, a quantity U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher described as "a drop in the ocean".

Under a heavily-criticized U.S.-backed plan to get aid to Palestinians, a newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aims to start work in Gaza by the end of May. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher has said that time should not be wastedon the alternative plan.

A source familiar with the plan said the foundation has already received more than $100 million in commitments. It was not immediately clear where the money was coming from.

Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said it would take time to create a situation where hundreds of trucks were able to enter daily but added: "I think that's also a decision for the political echelon of how many will come in," he told reporters.

UNDERCOVER OPERATION

Israeli strikes have killed more than 500 people in the past eight days as the military campaign has intensified, with at least 40 people killed on Monday, according to local medical workers.

One of the strikes killed seven at a school housing displaced families in Nuseirat, central Gaza, and three in a house in nearby Deir Al-Balah, local health authorities said.

The military said it hit 160 targets, including anti-tank positions, underground infrastructure and a weapons storage point as part of what it has dubbed "Operation Gideon's Chariots".

On Monday, residents and medics said an Israeli undercover force disguised as displaced persons killed Ahmed Sarhan, a commander of the Popular Resistance Committees, a militant group allied with Hamas in a raid in the city of Khan Younis.

As the fighting has intensified, hopes of a ceasefire appeared to be waning.

The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump continued to engage with both sides. But sources on both sides said there had been no progress in a new round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar.

Former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who left the government last year after falling out with Netanyahu, said the fact Hamas remained in Gaza represented a "resounding failure" for the Israeli campaign and reflected the government's failure to plan for the future of the enclave.

Netanyahu said ceasefire discussions touched on a fresh truce and hostage deal as well as a proposal to end the war in return for the exile of Hamas militants and the demilitarisation of Gaza - terms previously rejected by Hamas.

Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri blamed Israel for the lack of progress at the talks and said escalating its offensive would be "a death sentence" for remaining hostages.

Israel's ground and air war has devastated Gaza, displacing nearly all its residents and killing more than 53,000 people, many of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.

The war erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities near Gaza's border on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Trump says Russia, Ukraine agree to immediate ceasefire talks, Kremlin offers no timeframe

Donald Trump said after his call on Monday with President Vladimir Putinthat Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations for a ceasefire, but the Kremlin said the process would take time and the U.S. president indicated he was not ready to join Europe with fresh sanctions to pressure Moscow.

In a social media post, Trump said he relayed the plan to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as well as the leaders of the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and Finland in a group call following his session with the Russian leader.

"Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War," Trump said, adding later at the White House that he thought "some progress is being made."

Putin thanked Trump for supporting the resumption of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv after the two sides met in Turkey last week for their first face-to-face negotiations since March 2022. But after the Monday call he said only that efforts were "generally on the right track".

"We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord," Putin told reporters near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

While the indications that Ukraine and Russia will continue direct contacts speak of progress after more than three years of the war, the Monday flurry of talks again failed to deliver on expectations for a major breakthrough.

European leaders decided to increase pressureon Russia through sanctions after Trump briefed them on his call with Putin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in an X post late on Monday.

Trump did not appear ready to follow that move. Asked why he had not imposed fresh sanctions to push Moscow into a peace deal as he had threatened, Trump told reporters: "Well because I think there's a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you can also make it much worse. But there could be a time where that's going to happen."

Trump said there were "some big egos involved." Without progress, "I'm just going to back away," he said, repeating a warning that he could abandon the process. "This is not my war."

NO DEADLINE FOR AGREEMENTS

European leaders and Ukraine have demanded Russia agree to a ceasefire immediately, and Trump has focused on getting Putin to commit to a 30-day truce. Putin has resisted this, insisting that conditions be met first.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump and Putin did not discuss a timeline for a ceasefire but did discuss trading nine Russians for nine Americans in a prisoner swap. He said the U.S. leader called prospects for ties between Moscow and Washington "impressive."

Russian state news agencies cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that Moscow and Kyiv faced "complex contacts" to develop a unified text of a peace and ceasefire memorandum.

"There are no deadlines and there cannot be any. It is clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but, of course, the devil is in the details," the RIA agency quoted him as saying.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said on X the call with Trump was "undoubtedly a win for Putin."

The Russian leader "deflected the call for an ... immediate ceasefire and instead can continue military operations at the same time as he puts pressure on at the negotiating table," he said.

HIGH-LEVEL MEETING

After speaking with Trump, Zelenskiy said Kyiv and its partners might seek a high-level meeting among Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Britain as part of a push to end the war.

"Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia in any format that brings results," Zelenskiy said on X.

He said that this could be hosted by Turkey, the Vatican or Switzerland. It was not immediately clear if this would be part of the negotiations Trump said would start immediately.

Trump said Pope Leo had expressed interest in hosting the negotiations at the Vatican. The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Kremlin's Peskov said Putin and Trump discussed direct contacts between the Russian leader and Zelenskiy. Moscow also welcomed the Vatican's proposal, but no decision had been made on a place for "possible future contacts," he added.

One person familiar with Trump's call with the Ukrainian and European leaders said participants were "shocked" that Trump did not want to push Putin with sanctions.

In a post on X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said only that the conversation with Trump was "good" and it was "important that the U.S. stays engaged."

Ukraine and its supporters have accused Russia of failing to negotiate in good faith, doing the minimum needed to keep Trump from applying new pressure on its economy.

If Trump were to impose new sanctions, it would be a milestone moment given that he has appeared sympathetic towards Russia and torn up the pro-Ukraine policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden.

Prodded by Trump, delegates from the warring countries met last week in Istanbul for the first time since 2022, but the talks failed to broker a truce. Hopes faded after Putin spurned Zelenskiy's proposal to meet face to face there.

Putin, whose forces control a fifth of Ukraine and are advancing, has stood firm on his conditions for ending the war, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four Ukrainian regions Russia claims.

He said the memorandum Russia and Ukraine would work on about a future peace accord would define "a number of positions, such as, for example, the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement."

"The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis," Putin said. "We just need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace."

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin outlines results of his conversation with Trump

Moscow is ready to work with Kiev on drafting a memorandum on a potential future peace agreement, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said following his phone call with American counterpart Donald Trump. He described the exchange as productive, “substantive and quite candid.” 

The conversation on Monday lasted for over two hours and focused primarily on the Ukraine conflict. In a brief address to journalists after the call, Putin said the two leaders had agreed that Russia would propose a memorandum specifying principles and timing for a possible peace deal, as well as other matters, “including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.”

Putin stressed that “eliminating the root causes” of the Ukraine conflict “is what matters most to us.”

Below is the full text of his statement as published on the Kremlin website.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Our colleagues asked me to briefly comment on the outcome of my telephone conversation with the President of the United States.

This conversation has effectively taken place and lasted more than two hours. I would like to emphasise that it was both substantive and quite candid. Overall, I believe it was a very productive exchange.

First and foremost, I expressed my gratitude to the President of the United States for the support provided by the United States in facilitating the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine aimed at potentially reaching a peace agreement and resuming the talks which, as we know, were thwarted by the Ukrainian side in 2022.

The President of the United States shared his position on the cessation of hostilities and the prospects for a ceasefire. For my part, I noted that Russia also supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis as well. What we need now is to identify the most effective ways towards achieving peace.

We agreed with the President of the United States that Russia would propose and is ready to engage with the Ukrainian side on drafting a memorandum regarding a potential future peace agreement. This would include outlining a range of provisions, such as the principles for settlement, the timeframe for a possible peace deal, and other matters, including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.

Contacts among participants of the Istanbul meeting and talks have resumed, which gives reason to believe that we are on the right track overall.

I would like to reiterate that the conversation was highly constructive, and I assess it positively. The key issue, of course, is now for the Russian side and the Ukrainian side to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties.

Notably, Russia’s position is clear. Eliminating the root causes of this crisis is what matters most to us.

Should any clarifications be necessary, Press Secretary [Dmitry] Peskov and my aide, Mr Ushakov, will provide further details on today’s telephone talks with President Trump.

Reuters/RT

Ibrahim Traore is the latest sensation on the African continent. For many young- and not so young- people on social media, he has become the figurehead of a new pan Africanism that is suspicious to Western interest and interventions on the continent and specifically opposed to the French neocolonial hold on large swathes of African countries- with little to show in terms of development and progress after many decades. They are also sceptical about democracy and its lofty promises, against the reality of continued under-development and impoverishment of the African continent.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, a 34-year-old artillery officer in Burkina Faso’s counterterrorism units, seized power on September 30, 2022, in a coup that ousted interim leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, whom he had helped install months earlier citing failures against jihadist insurgents. His takeover unfolded amid a worsening Islamist insurgency across the Sahel, with violent fatalities more than doubling after the coup. Traoré’s pledges to restore security, leverage mineral wealth and reject Western influence- and his pan-African overtures- have resonated on social media, casting him as a revolutionary icon among disenchanted youth across Africa and the diaspora.

At the time of his September 2022 takeover, Traoré publicly pledged to hand power back to civilians within two years—negotiating to respect his predecessor’s agreement with ECOWAS to restore democratic rule by late 2024. Indeed, he set July 2024 as the target for presidential elections. In early 2023 he reiterated a 21-month deadline for civilian rule, tying it to security gains. By September 2023, however, Traoré declared that elections were “not a priority” until jihadist-held areas were retaken to ensure universal suffrage. Following national "consultations" in May 2024, he extended the transition by five more years. This move effectively pushed elections as far out as 2029, while ambiguously allowing for polls “sooner if security conditions permit” and reserving the right to run himself.

The emergence of Traoré came against the backdrop of similar coups in the Sahel region, where Mali experienced two military takeovers in 2020 and 2021 that ousted elected governments amid jihadi violence, and Niger’s presidential guard deposed President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023. These successive upheavals have undermined ECOWAS’s democratic norms, as sanctions and regional suspensions failed to compel timely elections. The trend signals a mortal danger to democracy: civilian institutions are weakened, electoral mandates hollowed out, and a precedent of deeply entrenched militarised power rapidly and increasingly normalised across the continent.

It is impossible to dismiss the grievances of African citizens, especially young people, frustrated by what they consider as the slow pace of progress under democratic governance. It is easy to forget, though, that the continent has had long, in many cases longer, stints with military dictatorships. Some have also highlighted the contradictions and weaknesses in Western democracies to support their argument that democracy is not a good fit for African realities. In the United States, for example, critics have cited the fact that, until the 1965 Civil Rights Acts- 189 years after the American revolution- a large group of American citizens, African Americans- could not vote in elections, especially in the southern part of the country. Until the nineteenth amendment, ratified on August 18, 1920, American women were not guaranteed the right to vote. In the United Kingdom, the Representation of the People Act 1918 received Royal Assent on February 6, 1918, extending the vote to women over 30 who met property qualifications; full equal suffrage- granting all women the vote on the same terms as men- was achieved with the Equal Franchise Act on July 2, 1928. As of today- a whooping 809 years after the Magna Carta, the United Kingdom still retain unelected hereditary peers in its House of Lords.

These historical facts have been raised to support the argument that democracy is effectively a dynamic evolutionary process, and Western countries have required quite a long time to perfect- or more accurately improve- their democratic practice and make it fitting to their cultural and socio-political reality. In spite of their history, critics argue, Western democracies are force-feeding African countries with a "ready-made" western brand of democracy that does not allow for evolutionary process of fit and iterative improvement to take place. In the same breadth, other critics have argued, in effect, that the African continent does not have the luxury of hundreds of years to incrementally improve and make democracy fit for their cultural realities. For this group, military dictatorship is a viable option to enact the great leap forward in a rapidly changing world in which the African continent cannot afford to further drop back.

These arguments are decidedly simplistic. They also miss some fundamental points. Firstly, an argument against the weaknesses and contradictions of Western democracies is not an effective argument against democracy itself, as an ideal. It is much less a credible argument for military dictatorships. I also find the idea of hereditary peers an anachronism in the 21st century, and I consider the American concept of electoral college a pile of mess. Still, these are only matters of operationalise nuances that can be debated and corrected through the process that only democracy enables. There is the rub.

The compelling merit of representative, liberal democracy is that it gives ordinary citizens the agency to have a say in how their society is organised and governed, and the basic agency to enact the future they desire. As a First Principles ideal, it goes at the very heart of what it means to be human- with dignity, with voice, with agency. Against this there cannot be a strong counter argument that does not diminish the human person.

It is naive to assume that anyone who takes power through the barrel of a gun would rule altruistically for the benefit of others. But let us assume that this fantasy of the "good dictator" is in fact realisable. It will not take away a very important fact: it infantilises citizens and arrests societal and cultural progress. A human without the basic freedom to think and to will is not fundamentally different from a conditioned pet that is well loved and well protected by its owner. Autocracy inherently diminishes human dignity, but it is not just the individual humans that suffers. A society in which freedom of thought and expression is subject to the will- and whims- of the autocrat will sooner or later fall into atrophy. This is the short history of all dictatorships.

Democracy is hard work, of course it is. But it is precisely this character that makes it a distinctly human endeavour- summoning us to engage our vibrant intellects and formidable will in the service of collective good. This human calling cannot be outsourced without incurring severe damage, because to embrace the autocrat is also to abdicate responsibility and servitude. It is a short cut to a hard life. The slave is free from responsibility, deprived of agency.

Back to Traore. By the sound of it, the young officer is a folk hero in Burkina Faso, and beyond. This is probably the strongest reason for him to conduct a popular election, and embark on a purposeful programme of public mobilisation for the golden age of development in Burkina Faso. Traore has absolutely nothing to fear about a democratic election. He has all to gain, in fact. Right now he is giving the oxygen of legitimacy to his detractors, including those who may want to out him on the premise that he is a dictator.

** Seun Kolade is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Digital Transformation at Sheffield Business School, UK

AI will upend much of how we function in the workplace — at least according to new LinkedIn data.

"By 2030, 70% of skills used in most jobs will change," says Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn news editor at large for jobs and career development. LinkedIn determined which skills are used in most jobs by combining the skills companies are currently listing in job descriptions and skills individuals are listing in their profiles. They then made their calculations considering historical shifts in skills and projections around AI-replicable skills.

Seaman doesn't think these skills will be replaced altogether. Instead, they'll evolve. And other experts agree. "As technology continues to change the way we work, everyone must be aware as to what is evolving to keep their skills relevant and marketable," says Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at Resume Builder.

Here's what jobseekers should keep in mind.

'You may not need to do data entry anymore'

In the near future, employers will use AI "to enhance" their workers' abilities, says Seaman.

"You may not need to do data entry anymore," says Seaman as an example. "But you may need to do data management." Similarly, prompt engineeringmight not be necessary down the line. "It might be management of AI prompts and [large language models]" instead, he says. The menial tasks could be done by AI and the oversight and organization of those tasks could be taken on by people.

Not all jobs will be similarly affected. Manual labor or live performance, for example, likely won't be impacted as heavily. But in jobs like software engineer, web designer and cashier, AI will take the tasks people have been doing and make people more productive by enabling them to complete more tasks throughout the workday.

Down the line, "maybe one person can do the job of several," says Seaman.

'People need to get used to change at this point'

As tasks evolve with tech, there are several things you can do to make sure you're keeping up.

Read skills in demand lists on sites like LinkedIn, Upwork and Indeed to see what employers are looking for. If there are skills that seem relevant or interesting, "start adding them to your routine of learning" by taking different tutorials or even a class, says Seaman. If there's someone in your life who has that skill, you can also see if they're willing to teach you.

The bottom line is "people need to get used to change at this point," he says. "That's how they can stay competitive in the workforce going forward."

CNBC

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic reversed a "decade of health gains," causing a sharp 1.8-year decline in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021—the largest drop in decades. While the world grapples with recovery, Nigeria faces an even grimmer reality, with its life expectancy stagnating at 54.6 years, far below the global average of 73.3 years.

Nigeria’s Deepening Health Crisis Amid Economic Hardship

With inflation soaring, unemployment rising, and millions struggling to afford basic necessities, Nigeria’s already weak health system risks further deterioration. The WHO report highlights that healthy life expectancy—a measure of years lived in good health—declined globally by six weeks due to rising mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression. In Nigeria, where economic stress is intensifying, mental health services remain severely underfunded, leaving many without support.

Maternal and Child Deaths Could Rise

The report also reveals stalled progress in reducing maternal and child mortality, a critical concern for Nigeria, which already has one of the highest maternal death rates globally. WHO attributes this stagnation to chronic underfunding of primary healthcare, shortages of skilled workers, and gaps in essential services like immunization and safe childbirth. Without urgent intervention, Nigeria could see more preventable deaths, worsening an already dire situation.

Non-Communicable Diseases and Poverty: A Deadly Mix

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke—are now the leading cause of premature death worldwide. In Nigeria, where malnutrition and poor healthcare access persist, these diseases are becoming deadlier. The economic crisis means fewer Nigerians can afford healthy diets, medication, or preventive care, accelerating health declines.

Health Worker Shortage

WHO projects a global shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030, with Africa facing the most severe gaps. Nigeria’s healthcare system, already strained by brain drain and poor funding, may collapse further, leaving millions without care.

A Call for Action Before It’s Too Late

With infectious diseases like malaria resurging and childhood vaccination rates lagging, Nigeria cannot afford further setbacks. Yet, as international aid dwindles and domestic health budgets remain inadequate, the country risks losing more ground in life expectancy and overall health.

At least 30 people were killed in separate attacks by suspected armed men in Kebbi and Benue states over the weekend, highlighting the growing insecurity in rural communities across Nigeria.

In Kebbi State, suspected gunmen launched a deadly assault on the Waje community in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area on Saturday, killing 15 farmers and injuring three others. According to the local government chairman, Hussaini Bena, the attack has left residents shaken and in urgent need of better security.

Deputy Governor Umar Tafida, representing Governor Nasir Idris, visited the district head of Waje, Bala Danbaba, to offer condolences and deliver financial assistance to families affected by the violence. Tafida described the gesture as a modest but vital effort to support the bereaved and injured. Danbaba expressed gratitude for the state government’s “timely and impactful” support, while also highlighting the community’s vulnerability due to its proximity to the volatile borders of Niger, Zamfara, and Sokoto states.

Meanwhile, in Benue State, another 15 lives were lost in an ambush on traders returning from Oweto market in Agatu Local Government Area. The attack, which occurred Saturday evening near Ogwumogbo and Okpo’okpolo, also left several others wounded. Former Agatu LGA vice chairman, John Ikwulono, confirmed the incident and said five victims were found dead near a stream called Abekoko, including one identified as Ali from Ogwumogbo.

Local authorities, including Agatu LGA chairman Melvin James, were attending the victims’ burial on Sunday when confirmation of the incident came through his aide. While the aide blamed armed herders for the killings, the Benue State Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mohammed Risku, said he was in a meeting and could not comment. MACBAN Secretary, Ibrahim Galma, stated he was unaware of any such incident at the time.

The police in Benue, through spokesperson CSP Catherine Anene, said no official report had been received regarding the attack.

These latest killings add to a grim tally of violence in Benue, where at least 174 people have been killed in various communities between April 1 and May 17. The most severely affected areas include Gwer East, Guma, Otukpo, Kwande, Apa, and particularly the Sankera axis—comprising Katsina-Ala, Logo, and Ukum—which alone recorded 83 deaths over a four-day period in April.

As rural communities across northern and central Nigeria continue to face relentless attacks, calls for enhanced security and swift justice grow louder from both local leaders and bereaved families.

Israel says it will let food into Gaza after announcing new ground assault

Israel will ease its blockade and let limited amounts of food into Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Sunday, after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in the northern and southern parts of the enclave.

Facing mounting pressure over an aid blockade it imposed in March and the risk of famine, Israel has stepped up its campaign in Gaza, where Palestinian health officials said hundreds have been killed in attacks in the past week, including 130 overnight.

"At the recommendation of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), and out of the operational need to enable the expansion of intense fighting to defeat Hamas, Israel will allow a basic amount of food for the population to ensure that a hunger crisis does not develop in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu's office said.

Eri Kaneko, a spokesperson for U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher confirmed the agency had been approached by Israeli authorities to "resume limited aid delivery," adding that discussions are ongoing about the logistics "given the conditions on the ground."

Israel made its announcement after sources on both sides said there had been no progress in a new round of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Qatar.

Netanyahu said the talks included discussions on a truce and hostage deal as well as a proposal to end the war in return for the exile of Hamas militants and the demilitarisation of the enclave - terms Hamas has previously rejected.

The Israeli military suggested in a later statement that it could still scale down operations to help reach a deal in Doha. Military chief Eyal Zamir told troops in Gaza that the army would provide the country's leaders with the flexibility they need to reach a hostage deal, according to the statement.

Israel's military said it had conducted a preliminary wave of strikes on more than 670 Hamas targets in Gaza over the past week to support "Gideon's Chariots", its new ground operation aimed at achieving "operational control" in parts of the enclave. It said it killed dozens of Hamas fighters.

Gaza's Health Ministry said in the week to Sunday alone, at least 464 Palestinians were killed.

"Complete families were wiped off the civil registration record by (overnight) Israeli bombardment," Khalil Al-Deqran, Gaza health ministry spokesperson, told Reuters by phone.

The Israeli campaign has devastated Gaza, pushing nearly all of its two million residents from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people, many of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel has blocked the entry of medical, food and fuel supplies into Gaza since the start of March to try to pressure Hamas into freeing its hostages and has approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid.

International experts have warned of looming famine.

QATAR TALKS

Asked about the Qatar talks, a Hamas official told Reuters: "Israel's position remains unchanged, they want to release the prisoners (hostages) without a commitment to end the war."

Hamas was still proposing to release all of its Israeli hostages in return for an end to the war, the pull-out of Israeli troops, an end to a blockade on aid for Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners, the Hamas official said.

A senior Israeli official said there had been no progress in the talks so far.

Israel's declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 251 hostages.

In Israel, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, said Netanyahu was refusing to end the war in exchange for the hostages for political reasons.

"The Israeli government still insists on only partial deals. They are deliberately tormenting us. Bring our children back already! All 58 of them," Zangauker said in a social media post.

TENTS ABLAZE

One of Israel's overnight strikes hit a tent encampment housing displaced families in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, killing women and children, wounding dozens and setting tents ablaze, medics said.

Later on Sunday, Gaza's health ministry said the Indonesian Hospital, one of the largest partially functioning medical facilities in northern Gaza, had ceased work because of Israeli fire.

Israel's military said its troops were targeting "terrorist infrastructure sites" in northern Gaza, including in the area adjacent to the Indonesian hospital.

Hamas neither confirmed nor denied reports on Sunday in Arab and Israeli media that its leader, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed in last week's airstrikes on a tunnel below another hospital further south in Gaza.

Gaza's healthcare system is barely operational and the blockade on aid has compounded its difficulties. Israel blames Hamas for stealing aid, which Hamas denies.

"Hospitals are overwhelmed with a growing number of casualties, many are children," said Al-Deqran, the health ministry spokesperson.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said 75% of its ambulances could not run because of fuel shortages. It warned that within 72 hours, all vehicles may stop.

Reuters