Wumi Tewogbade,Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, at the weekend, launched a grassroots social mobilisation exercise to promote birth registration in the FCT.

The Mandate Secretary, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, launched the programme in Abuja,.

She said birth registration is aimed to address the low level of birth registration, especially children that are born outside the health center in the rural areas.

The exercise, is in collaboration with UNICEF Nigeria, Nigeria Population Commission (NPC), Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and National Orientation Agency (NOA), .

The Mandate Secretary who was
represented by Director, Child Development Department, Dr Idris Yahaya Attah, emphasised the importance of birth registration.

The Mandate Secretary said, the initiative, was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, aims to ensure every child is registered and documented, paving way for a brighter future.

“A lot of children are born outside hospitals and in remote communities. These children need to be properly captured and documented as citizens of the FCT and Nigeria”, She said.

Benjamins-Laniyi stressed that accurate data is crucial for planning and development, urging Abaji communities to cooperate with the FCT Administration to ensure they benefit from democratic dividends. UNICEF Nigeria, represented by Mrs Phydelia Abbas, is supporting this initiative.

The exercise, which began on March 26, will cover all Area Councils, with the following schedule:

• Abaji – March 26, 2026 (completed)
• Bwari – March 30, 2026
• Kwali – April 8, 2026
• Gwagwalada- April 9, 2026
• Kuje- April 10, 2026
• AMAC – April 13, 2026

The registration is free for children aged 0-1 year and 1-5 years. .

….as treatment success rates 94%
By Wumi Tewogbade,Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) revealed at the weekend that Abuja has over 16,000 annual burden of Tuberculosis (TB) cases.

FCT Director Public Health, ‎Dr Dan Gasama , stated this at the community outreach in commemoration of 2026 World Tuberculosis Day, organized by the Federal Capital Territory Health Services and Environment Secretariat (FCT-HSES), Stop TB Partnership Nigeria, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP),and other partners, in Abuja.

Gasama added that, the treatment success rate for Tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria is now 94 percent when detected early.

The theme for 2026 celebrations ‘Yes, we can. We can end TB’.

People trooped out in their hundreds from Mabushi community and they were screened and tested for TB, Malaria, etc, and people were given free medications for malaria and some other minor ailments, some were refered to bigger hospitals.

Gasama said, TB remain one of the world’s oldest infectious diseases, and a public health concern globally and nationally, despite being preventable and curable, it continues to claim lives and disrupt families and communities.
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‎He noted, “An estimated 10.7 million people fell ill with TB in 2014, with1.23 million deaths including 150,000 deaths among people with HIV.

“With prevalence of 219/100,000, Nigeria remain one of the countries with high TB burden , and FCT also has estimated annual burden of 16,000 cases.

“The country notified over 467,000in 2025 , the highest ever in our history. Treatment success rate have reached an impressive 94%, demonstrating that when TB is detected early and treated properly, it can be cured .

Additionally TB mortality has been reduced by 63% between 2015 -2024″, Dr. Dan said.
He said in FCT in 2025, FCT-TBLCP recorded it highest achievement to date, over 40,171 presumptive TB clients were identified and screened while 3,679 TB cases were notified the highest in history.

He noted that one of the unique commemorations of this year is the dedication to high-burden communities, where they take the message to their doorsteps.

The in her goodwill message, Dr. Jenny Momoh, who represented Dr. Jibrin Alkasim, the FCT state coordinator for World Health Organisation (WHO), said reiterated the commitment of the world body to eradicating TB completely. Which according to her is visible when countries, communities, and partners unite with purpose and determination.

WHO commended all the health workers and partners for their determination, supports and commitment, that has helped to save lives.

“Despite the challenges, we have seen remarkable advances in diagnostics, treatment options, digital tools, and community‑centered care. Yet millions still face barriers to timely diagnosis and quality treatment. This is why our collective action remains essential. Ending TB requires sustained investment, innovation, and a strong multisectoral response that leaves no one behind”, she noted .

Teresa Jatau, who spoke on behalf of National Coordinator TB network, in her goodwill message said, she is very happy with the turnout of people for the programme.

She reiterated the need for all hands to be on desk in order to completely eradicate TB on Nigeria.
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She also remind Nigerians that TB affect children as well, “By collectively working together and collectively amplifying the voices of the community, amplifying the voices of even children. Oftentimes we have conversations about TB, but we neglect the children. But here, we should be reminded that children too are often affected by TB. And so they should be at the center of our conversation”.

She said TB network is committed to continue to do the work at the community level to ensure that everyone gets the information, the correct information, knows where to go to and seek care in case they are tested positive.
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Wumi Tewogbade, Abuja

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed the administration’s commitment to a deeper and stronger collaboration with the Japanese government for its sustained investment in Nigeria’s development to fast-track the transformation of Abuja in line with its master plan.

The minister gave the assurance in Abuja, Nigeria’s Capital during the courtesy visit of the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, alongside officials of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The minister, specifically lauded Japan’s role in the development and review of the Abuja Master Plan, describing it as critical to the city’s long-term growth.

“I want to sincerely commend you for having confidence in the government of Nigeria and in particular the Federal Capital Territory.

“You have contributed to education, health, nutrition and other critical sectors that impact directly on our people.

“You have been working closely with the FCDA on the Abuja Master Plan. That is very key for us. We will continue to cooperate with you to ensure that this is actualised,” Wike stated.

The Minister also acknowledged Japan’s interventions in Nigeria’s education sector, including training programmes for teachers and support for quality learning infrastructure.

According to him, “we have seen the support in education, including training of our teachers in Tokyo. This is very important to improving our education sector.”

Wike identified agriculture and urban development as priority areas for future collaboration, assuring the Japanese delegation of the FCT Administration’s readiness to provide an enabling environment for sustained partnership.

He added that, “We will partner with you, particularly in agriculture and city development, to ensure that the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President becomes a reality”.

On his part, Ambassador Suzuki Hideo reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to Nigeria’s development, noting that Abuja remains central to the country’s progress as its political and administrative capital.

“The development of Abuja is crucial for driving Nigeria’s progress. Japan and JICA have been implementing various projects in infrastructure, healthcare, and economic development,” he said.

He disclosed that Japan is also advancing projects in waste management and industrial development, including a plastics value chain initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with a pilot facility set for handover.

The envoy further highlighted ongoing efforts to upgrade the Abuja Master Plan through JICA, aimed at improving residents’ quality of life and supporting sustainable urban growth.

Also speaking, the Chief Representative of JICA Nigeria Office, Ishigame Keiji, outlined the agency’s wide-ranging interventions across water, power, health, agriculture, and education sectors in the FCT.

He revealed that JICA is supporting the review of Abuja’s 1979 Master Plan to align with the city’s development needs up to 2050, focusing on infrastructure expansion, economic growth, and climate resilience.

According to him, the agency is also ready to move into priority infrastructure development once the updated plan is completed, backed by its global experience in executing large-scale projects.

Keiji recalled the longstanding diplomatic and development ties between Nigeria and Japan, with both sides expressing commitment to strengthening cooperation for sustainable growth in the Federal Capital Territory.