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Nigeria Recorded 75,000 New HIV Infections,45,000 deaths In 2023 — NACA

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Dr Temitope Ilori, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), said 75,000 new infected HIV cases and 45,000 HIV-related deaths were recorded in 2023.

She made this known at a two-day National Prevention Technical Working Group (NPTWG) meeting organised by NACA in Abuja on Wednesday.

Dr Leo Zekeng, UNAIDS Country Director and Representative in Nigeria, noted that the nation, and many countries, are not on track to meeting the 2025 prevention target.

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He said that ”despite remarkable progress, prevention of new HIV infections is still a challenge, as many countries, including Nigeria, are not on track to meeting the 2025 prevention target.

“We are here as UNAIDS and UN system in support and solidarity with the government’s efforts to address HIV prevention and appreciate the renewed and continued leadership of NACA on HIV prevention.

“From the 2023 estimates, 45,000 deaths and 75,000 new infections is huge. We still have a lot to do.”

Zekeng suggested that the roadmap to be developed should include a quarterly performance framework for accountability and progress monitoring.

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On his part, Mr Abdulkadir Ibrahim, the National Coordinator, the Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), stressed the need for HIV treatment as the best option for prevention.

He said, “Once someone is living with HIV, he/she must adhere to medications, then definitely the chances of transmitting HIV to another person is zero.”

Evans Emerson, Deputy Country Coordinator, U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), emphasised the inclusion of youths, key populations and others to eliminate HIV as a public threat.

She said although there is a gradual reduction in new HIV infections, there is a need to implement the recommendations made at the 2024 Nigeria HIV Prevention Conference and ongoing meetings to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2030.

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She added “It is disheartening to know that in 2023, we had as much as 75,000 new infections and 45,000 HIV-related deaths.

“This is a cause for concern. And we also know that even in our Mother-To-Child Transmission, we are just about 35 to 40 per cent as against the 75 per cent target. So, we know we have a lot of work to do.”

Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, therefore, urged stakeholders to discuss progress on actions and strategies taken toward preventing HIV transmission.

Pate, who was represented by Dr Bashorun Adebobola, the National Coordinator, National AIDS/STI Control Programme (NASCP), said: “We should strengthen our communication strategies in such a way that we can pass the right message.

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“Even though we have made impressive gains, it does not mean that we are still not at risk or threat of a rebound of the infection and this is where communication needs to be strengthened so that we can achieve that overall goal before 2030.”

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Celebrity boxing: Speed Darlington wants rematch after losing to Portable

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigerian singer Speed Darlington is calling for a rematch against Portable after losing to him in a celebrity boxing match.

Speed Darlington was knocked out in the second round, and he’s unhappy about the outcome.

In a video, he claimed Portable didn’t deserve the win and the prize money, saying he had plans to use the money to build a swimming pool for his community in Imo State.

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Portable, I want a rematch. E dey pain me say you dey carry all that money dey go. E dey break my heart.

” I want a rematch. It’s so unfair. You have up to two experience before me and you fight. I never enter ring before. I did not come from poverty,” he said.

“You don’t deserve that money. E dey pain me. I want to build swimming pool for my villagers. I need a rematch, Portable”, he said.

According to Speed Darlington, Portable had an unfair advantage due to his experience, accusing him of using supernatural means to win the fight.

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He also claimed he suffered a shoulder injury during the match despite not feeling tired.

Speed Darlington, who wants a rematch, said he needs 30 days to prepare better

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Israel’s remote controlled bulldozers breaking ground in Gaza war

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At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the bulky bulldozer turning up soil at a testing site in central Israel, but as it pulled closer it became clear: the driver’s cabin is eerily empty.

This is the Robdozer, a fortified engineering vehicle manned remotely, and in this case operated from a military expo halfway across the globe in Alabama.

Army engineers and military experts say that the Robdozer — the robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer — is the future of automated combat.

The Israeli military has used D9 for years to carry out frontline tasks like trowelling roads for advancing troops, removing rubble and flattening terrain.

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But since war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 and later in Lebanon, the Israeli military has increasingly deployed this robotic version in a bid to enhance its field operations and reduce the risks to its troops.

“The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer,” said Rani, whose team at the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Robdozer.

An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

During the Gaza war, the military has increasingly opted for the unmanned version, which can carry out a full range of tasks “even better than a human”, said Rani, using his first name only for security reasons.

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While such vehicles and other systems are currently operated by humans, future versions could be autonomous, raising ethical and legal concerns over the unchartered future of warfare being shaped by the Israeli military in the Gaza war.

‘Changing the paradigm’
Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law.

Analysts say the growing Israeli deployment of the Robdozer reflects broader global trends towards automation in heavy combat vehicles, like remote-controlled personnel carriers that operate much like drones.

An Israeli military official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that the army has been using “robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare”.

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70-hour Chess Marathon: Onakoya reportedly breaks record set by Norwegians

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Nigerian chess sensation and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has broken the chess marathon record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, set by two Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, in June 2024.

Onakoya and his chess partner, Shawn Martinez, are currently aiming to complete a 70-hour chess marathon in Times Square, New York.

The marathon, a four-day non-stop gameplay, started on April 17.

In a post shared on X shortly after surpassing the current record, he expressed fulfillment and called for action to educate and create opportunities for street children in Nigeria.

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For all the dreamers! We’ve officially BROKEN THE RECORD with my brother,” he wrote.

Although the official confirmation from Guinness World Records is still being awaited, Nigerians and chess lovers from different parts of the world have congratulated the chess master on his latest achievement.

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