A middle-aged woman has died after slumping at a UTME centre in Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State, while accompanying her child to the examination.
Read More: https://punchng.com/woman-dies-after-slumping-at-childs-utme-centre-in-ondo/
Rents in Lagos and Abuja are surging up to 20% annually, intensifying Nigeria’s housing crisis and pressure on tenants amid affordability challenges.
Read More: https://punchng.com/lagos-abuja-rents-surge-20-yearly-in-housing-strain/
The increase in admission deposits for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) by the management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), from N500,000 to N1 million, has sparked reactions among residents in Edo State.
DAILY POST reports that the increase represents a 100 per cent hike in the cost of accessing critical care services at the hospital.
The office of the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), disclosed this in an internal memorandum dated January 30, 2026. The memo approved an upward review of ward consumables and admission deposits across the hospital.
Other new admission deposit increments include: N150,000 for medical wards, N200,000 for private wards, N100,000 for day-case admissions, N150,000 for orthopaedic wards, N200,000 for neuro wards and N150,000 for obstetrics and gynaecology wards
Ward consumables were also reviewed upward to N20,000 per week for patients in the Labour and Emergency Complex, while ordinary wards will now attract N15,000 per week.
The memo said the review became necessary in view of prevailing funding realities and the need to promote efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance the maintenance and procurement of medical consumables.
It added that under the revised structure, ICU admission will now require a deposit of N1 million, while the Labour Ward Complex deposit has been fixed at N200,000. According to the memo, the adjustments are aimed at ensuring sustainable hospital operations and improving service delivery.
Meanwhile, the development has sparked reactions among residents, many of whom took to social media to criticise the teaching hospital authorities.
In their responses, residents decried what they described as an astronomical increase in hospital charges and the reported privatisation of laboratory services at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit.
Reacting, the Head of the Public Relations and Information Unit of the hospital, Osaretin Iyen, said the private laboratory service engaged at the A&E unit was introduced to complement the hospital’s existing diagnostic services.
Iyen explained that the laboratory is intended to function alongside UBTH’s laboratories to augment capacity and efficiency, not to replace or supplant the hospital’s core laboratory services.
He added that there are over ten functional laboratories across the hospital.
He further stated that the decision was taken strictly in the overriding interest of patient care and safety, particularly for critically ill patients whose survival depends on immediate and uninterrupted access to laboratory investigations.
“This is especially when there are challenges with the UBTH laboratory in the Accident and Emergency unit,” Iyen said.
Reactions trail UBTH’s increases of medical bills by 100 per cent
The Senator representing Ekiti State District, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed the real reason behind the removal of “real time” from the 2026 Electoral Bill.
He clarified this in a statement issued through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs on Sunday.
Bamidele explained that the Senate had previously rejected Clause 60(3) of the bill, which mandated that the presiding officer “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time…”.
The clause was subsequently redrafted to retain electronic transmission of results while omitting the “real time” requirement.
Bamidele described Clause 60(3) as “an initiative that any legislature or parliament globally would ordinarily have embraced.”
He added that the Senate had to consider the country’s infrastructural realities before making its decision.
Drawing on data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Bamidele noted that broadband coverage stood at about 70 percent in 2025, while internet penetration was 44.53 percent of the population.
He cited the Speedtest Global Index, which ranked Nigeria 85th out of 105 countries in mobile network reliability and 129th out of 150 countries in fixed broadband reliability.
“Based on the Speedtest Global Index, Nigeria’s mobile network reliability was 44.14 megabits per second. This is extremely low compared with the UAE, which has 691.76 mbps; Qatar with 573.53 mbps; Kuwait with 415.67 mbps; Bahrain with 303.21 mbps; and Bulgaria with 289.41 mbps.
“The Index placed Nigeria far below the global average.
“Nigeria’s fixed internet broadband rating is quite low by global standards. Out of 150 countries, Nigeria occupied the 129th position with only 33.32 mbps.
“In this rating, Singapore came first with 410.06 mbps, followed by the UAE with 382.35 mbps; France with 346.25 mbps; Chile with 348.41 mbps; and Hong Kong with 345.25 mbps,” he stated.
He further highlighted that around 85 million Nigerians, roughly 43 percent of the population, lack access to grid electricity.
“This shortfall speaks to the state of our power infrastructure. Even though our generation capacity hovers roughly between 12,000 and 13,500 megawatts, our distribution and transmission capacity are acutely limited.
“As we all know, it can only deliver 4,500 megawatts to households nationwide. But with the Electricity Act, 2025, our power sector will record significant growth from this financial year,” the lawmaker added.
Bamidele warned that enforcing real-time transmission under these conditions could lead to instability.
“The data speak directly to the stark realities of our federation, not emotion or sentiment. As representatives of the people, we cannot enact laws based purely on public emotion or sentiment,” he stated.
According to the Senate leader, the removal of “real time” aims to ensure the electoral framework aligns with Nigeria’s current capabilities while still addressing public concerns about transparency.
