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Newborn saved from dead mother’s womb in Gaza

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Baby Yasine, who was reportedly delivered by Cesarean section after his 9-months pregnant mother succumbed to her injuries sustained during an overnight Israeli strike on Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, is caressed by his grandfather as he lies in an incubator at the Al-Aqsa Martyr’s hospital in Deir el-Balah on July 20, 2024.
 
The mother barely survived a night of missile strikes that rescue services across the Hamas-run territory said killed more than 24 people, including six members of the same family. Doctors were unable to save the mother, but performed an ultrasound that detected the baby’s heartbeat. They then quickly staged an emergency cesarean section “and extracted the fetus,” the surgeon told AFP.
 
Doctors in Gaza described delivering a newborn baby against incredible odds on Saturday, pulling him from his mother’s womb moments after she died of wounds sustained in an Israeli air strike.
 
At nine months pregnant, Ola Adnan Harb al-Kurd managed to survive just long enough to reach Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza after an overnight strike hit her home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, medics said.
 
Emergency department doctors rushed into action when they saw the heavily pregnant woman arrive in critical condition, the head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department, Raed al-Saudi, said.
 
She was taken to the operating room, but was already “almost dead”, surgeon Akram Hussein told AFP.
 
Unable to save the mother, who they said was in her 20s, doctors detected a heartbeat and a team of obstetricians and surgeons was called.
 
“An emergency caesarean section was performed, and the foetus was extracted,” Saudi said.
 
Kurd was among at least 30 people killed across the Gaza Strip in a punishing 24 hours of Israeli bombardment that killed six members of one family in a neighbourhood north of Gaza City, rescuers and medics in Hamas-run Gaza said.
 
At least seven people were killed in overnight strikes on the Nuseirat refugee camp, a civil defence spokesperson said.
 
Medical sources at Al-Awda Hospital said four children from Nuseirat were wounded while playing on a roof, with one requiring an amputation.
 
Kurd’s husband was also wounded in the missile attack that hit their home, said surgeon Hussein.
 
After surviving the C-section, baby Malek Yassin faced further medical hurdles. Born in critical condition, he was stabilised after receiving oxygen and medical attention, Saudi said.
 
The war in Gaza has made childbirth increasingly perilous, with pregnant women facing near-daily strikes that hamper access to health facilities.
 
If they are able to reach a hospital, they find facilities that humanitarian groups say are stretched to breaking point.
 
Just 1,500 hospital beds are currently available to Gaza’s more than two million people, compared with 3,500 beds before the war, UN agencies have said.
 
Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat is the only medical facility that has been able to provide obstetric and gynaecological care in central Gaza since the war began last year.
 
Pre-term deliveries and maternal complications, including eclampsia, haemorrhage and sepsis, have been rising, Doctors Without Borders said this week.
 
The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
 
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.
 
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 38,919 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry.
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BREAKING: FG declares Wednesday, Thursday public holidays for Christmas, New Year

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The President Bola Tinubu has declared Wednesday 25th, Thursday 26th December 2024, and Wednesday 1st January, 2025 as Public Holidays to celebrate Christmas celebrations, Boxing Day and New Year respectively.

Dr, Magdalene Ajani, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, on behalf of Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, made the announcement in a statement on Monday in Abuja

According to her, the minister extended greetings to all Nigerians, encouraging them to use the festive period to reflect on the values of love, peace, and unity that the season signifies.

The minister who emphasized the importance of the season, which according to him, is a time to foster harmony and strengthen bonds called on Nigerians to remain committed to the peace, unity and progress of the nation for national development.

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“The Christmas season is a good moment for both spiritual reflection and national renewal. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, let us demonstrate kindness and extend goodwill to one another, irrespective of our differences,” said Dr. Tunji-Ojo.

He assured citizens of the Federal Government’s continued commitment to ensuring peace, security, and prosperity across the nation.

“While wishing Nigerians a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2025, the Minister expressed his confidence in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s Administration ushering in the new year, a better and prosperous economy that will be the envy of the world”, the statement added.

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Nigerian Govt promises support for stampede victims’ families

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Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said the Federal Government will support families of victims of recent stampedes across the country.

Shettima made this known in a condolence message on Sunday in Abuja.

He expressed sorrow over the losses and offered prayers and condolences to the affected families.

Recall that on Saturday in Okija, Anambra, a Christmas palliative distribution event turned tragic with 22 persons losing their lives in an early morning stampede.

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The same day in Abuja, another tragedy struck when ten persons died during an annual Christmas food-sharing event at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama.

There was also a stampede on Wednesday at the Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, Oyo State, where about 35 children lost their lives and others sustained injuries during a holiday fun fair.

The vice-president, who described the incidents as a national tragedy, revealed that the Federal Government had directed relevant agencies to provide immediate support to affected families.

“I am extremely saddened by these tragic incidents that have claimed innocent lives.

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“My prayers and thoughts are with the grieving families of all victims, including those who sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment.

“I am particularly distraught by the fact that so many lives of Nigerians, particularly children, have been lost in stampedes that ought to have been avoided through proper planning and organisation,” he said.

He prayed the Almighty God to grant eternal rest to the souls of the departed.

“We stand ready to support the bereaved families through this difficult period, and no effort will be spared in providing the necessary assistance they need.”

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Umahi rules out compensation for bare land owners

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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has reiterated that the Federal Government does not compensate for bare lands, adding that all lands belong to the government.

He disclosed this at the inspection of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Section 1 at kilometre 18, Okun Ajah axis, recently.

He said, “Go and read the law; there is no compensation for bare land. All land belongs to the government. Hence, if you are taking what belongs to you, you do not pay compensation; it is the president that directed that anywhere we see a shanty on our corridor, we should pay compensation; it is a kind of human meekness from the president towards the people. We broke no law.

“So, where there is no infrastructure on land, they have to write to Mr. President for a direction on that.”

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In an interview with The Punch, the General Secretary, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Lagos Chapter, Folusho Ogunrinde, said land was undeniably an asset whether owned by individuals, businesses, or the government.

He said, “Governments recognise the value of land as an asset and manage it as such. For instance, you cannot encroach on government-owned land for development because it is considered part of their assets.

Similarly, individuals and private entities acquire land either through inheritance, purchase, or investment. When such land is taken away, the argument that compensation should only be for developments and not the land itself is fundamentally flawed. It disregards the asset’s intrinsic value and how it was acquired.

“The 99-year lease system in Nigeria further underscores the value of land as an asset, as this lease is renewable. If governments require compensation for the renewal of a lease or when public use necessitates land acquisition, individuals and private owners deserve similar recognition and compensation for their land when expropriated.

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“The law, as it stands, needs urgent redress. The idea that landowners should not be compensated for their land is, frankly, unjust and tantamount to fraud. Land is more than a physical space; it is an economic and generational asset. To deny compensation for it is to undermine the principles of equity and justice. Hence, there is a need for a review of the Land Use Act and constitutional provisions to align with the realities of land as a critical and valuable asset.”

In a similar vein, the Team Lead, Arbitration, Maritime, and Real Estate Practice Group, Stren & Blan Partners, Joseph Siyaidon, posited that non-payment of compensation on bare land was unconstitutional.

He said, “The Land Use Act is merely an existing Act and not part of the Constitution. We humbly submit that the provisions of the Land Use Act, which limit the payment of compensation for private properties compulsorily acquired by the government to only unexhausted improvements on the land, are unconstitutional in that they violate the provisions of Sections 43 & 44 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which extends the right of compensation to all immovable properties, bare lands included.”

Umahi disclosed that the first phase of the coastal highway will be completed by May 29, 2025.

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He said, “By May 29 we are facing the commissioning, and we have directed all the comptrollers of works that, by the end of April, every comptroller of works in all the states must give us a minimum of three projects that Mr. President is going to commission.

“From Channel 0, we are going to be commissioning the first 20 kilometres; however, another 10 kilometres would be ready at the end of the project within this period, but we are not commissioning that one, it is going to be phase 2 of section 1 for commissioning. Generally, across the country, we are going to be commissioning projects in phases.”

Meanwhile, the Acting Director of Road Design, Engr. Musa Saidi, assured that the highway construction adheres to approved specifications and includes additional measures for durability. Any realignment is for public interest, safety, and economic reasons,” he said.

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