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Wike Sacks Health Commissioner Prof Princewill Chike

Wike sack

The governor of Rivers State Nyesom Wike on Monday the 13th of December 2021 sacked his health commissioner, Professor Princewill Chike.

The governor announced the commissioner’s sack during a courtesy visit by the officials of the Medical and Dental council of Nigeria (MDCN) led by the body’s chairman, Professor Abba Wasiri Hassan in preparation ahead of the MDCN’s preliminary national conference scheduled to host in Port Harcourt.

However, Wike explained to his visitors that his state never requested to host the said conference. Realizing that his health commissioner had approved the conference without following due process to inform him, Wike described his actions as most embarrassing. He then proceeded to announce his sack, asking the commissioner to excuse the State Executive Council Chambers before continuing the meeting with other MDCN officials, per Channels.

Wike described his commissioner’s decision as a unilateral one that put his administration in disruption as his approved date for the MDCN conference clashed with a time when the state is still commissioning and flagging off new projects.

“Frankly speaking, I have never seen an embarrassment like this in my life, the governor said. “Everybody knows that it is not my nature to bring people and you cannot attend to them or host them. So, whoever has done this will suffer for it.”

Hitherto, the MDCN had urged all states in the country to build a tertiary hospital in each of their senatorial districts in order to make enough hospitals available for the training of house officers as well as curb medical tourism. Responding to the council’s demand, Wike said that it was an impossible project to embark on due to insufficient funds.

“You have talked about sitting tertiary hospital in each of the senatorial districts, you know it is not possible. That is why in Nigeria we have a problem. When you go for your budget, you put all kinds of projects. You know it cannot work. Where will you get the money to site this in each of the senatorial districts,” Wike said.

Read Also: I Won’t Support President Jonathan If APC Field Him In 2023 – Wike

The governor however pointed out key contributions his state had made to the health sector in order to improve access to quality health services.  This included the building of hospitals in areas such as Bori, Degema, Etche, Ahoada, and Omoku.

Wike also highlighted the huge investment his administration had made in medical education in the annual offering of scholarship to 130 indigenes of the state studying medicine at PAMO University of Medical Sciences as well as the establishment of the Rivers State University College of Medical Sciences in 2017 – the first private medical school in the country. The governor also promised continued dedication towards improved healthcare delivery in the state.

For his contributions, the MDCN Chair, Prof Hassan expressed his gratitude to the governor.

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Entertainment

Reconciliation with ex-husband Churchill helped women restore broken relationships-Tonto Dikeh

Actress Tonto Dikeh has revealed how her reconciliation with her ex-husband, Olakunle Churchill, inspired her to help at least 10 women restore broken relationships with the fathers of their children. Dikeh shared this while urging single mothers to let go of hurt and embrace forgiveness for their own peace and healing.

According to the actress, her reconciliation with Churchill prompted several women in similar situations to reach out to her for guidance on how she overcame the pain of their decade-long dispute.

Ever since my reconciliation with my ex-husband, hundreds of women have reached out asking the same question: How did you learn to forgive?

While I couldn’t reply to everyone, I reached out to those whose pain mirrored my own. Today, to the glory of God, at least 10 women have been reconciled, restoring peace, healing hearts, and stepping into healthy co-parenting. God has truly turned my personal story into a tool for restoration.

If you are carrying bitterness today, please hear this: Forgiveness is never for the person who hurt you; it is for you. It is the key to moving your life forward. God will not inflict pain on others just because we are hurting,” she explained

Dikeh added that women who struggle with broken relationships should trust God rather than remain trapped in bitterness.

“True closure doesn’t come from people; it comes from God. He promises to restore the years that the cankerworm has eaten. Not just days or weeks, but years. Every tear you’ve shed and every year spent in pain will be turned into a powerful testimony.”

Dikeh’s message comes months after she announced the end of her long-running feud with Churchill, the father of her son, King Andre.

The former couple got married in 2015, but their marriage collapsed less than two years later. Their separation became a highly publicised dispute, with both parties involved in several accusations and public exchanges. Their disagreements also extended to issues around their son, with custody and co-parenting becoming part of the conflict. After years of hostility, Dikeh announced in January 2026 that she and Churchill had reconciled.

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Health

Nigerian Doctors raise alarm as insulin price jumps from ₦5,000 to ₦25,000

Doctors have raised the alarm over a sharp rise in the cost of insulin, warning that the medication, essential for survival for people living with Type 1 diabetes, has become increasingly out of reach for many young Nigerians.

The concern was raised on Wednesday during the sixth Annual Ogun State Youth Diabetes Camp, organised by the Talabi Diabetes Centre in Abeokuta. Speaking at the event, the centre’s Camp Coordinator, Dr Olubiyi Adeshina, said a vial of insulin that used to cost about ₦5,000 now sells for approximately ₦25,000, a fivefold increase that has placed a heavy financial burden on patients and their families.

According to Adeshina, many patients require about two vials a month, bringing the total monthly cost of insulin alone to roughly ₦50,000, not including additional expenses such as blood glucose monitoring.

For people living with Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition where the pancreas stops producing insulin entirely, the medication isn’t optional. “All the days of their lives, at least three times a day, they will need to inject that insulin, or else the blood sugar goes excessively high,” he said, warning that prolonged failure to access insulin can lead to dangerously high blood sugar, coma, and death.

The centre’s Acting Director, Dr Ayotunde Ale, echoed the concern, describing the price increase as a growing crisis compounded by inflation. “Insulin is very, very expensive. Now, with inflation and everything ongoing in society, a packet, a month’s supply, now costs about ₦25,000 against ₦5,000 that we used to purchase insulin,” she said.

Beyond the cost burden, Ale also addressed a separate, deeply rooted challenge facing families of children with undiagnosed diabetes: cultural misconceptions that often prevent early testing.

She urged parents not to attribute unexplained childhood deaths to spiritual causes without first seeking medical screening. “All those children we call ogbanje, they die in their youth, and you don’t know the cause. Don’t call them ogbanje. Please, come for testing. Let’s do screening for all these children,” she said.

Both doctors called on the Federal Government to introduce a dedicated policy and subsidy framework to make insulin more accessible for people living with Type 1 diabetes, particularly children and young adults.

Ale further appealed to the National Assembly to address the broader challenges facing patients, warning that treatment costs could significantly affect their quality of life if left unaddressed.

The Talabi Diabetes Centre currently stands as the only non-profit organisation in Nigeria dedicated specifically to primary diabetic care, and both doctors called for more NGOs and stakeholders to get involved in supporting people living with the condition

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Celebs

Erica opens up on mental struggles she faced after Big Brother Naija

Former Big Brother Naija housemate, Erica Nlewedim, has opened up on the mental struggles she faced after her time on the reality show. The actress and reality star revealed that she battled serious anxiety after leaving the show, as she struggled with constant insults and criticism from fans and social media users. Erica made the revelation while reflecting on her experience after her time on Big Brother Naija and the impact of staying in the public eye.

Speaking about the impact of her time on the reality show, she said she was grateful for the opportunities it created but admitted that the constant trolling took a toll on her mental health.

“I am happy I did it (BBN) because it changed my life, money-wise and all of that. I had to see a therapist afterwards. At first, I didn’t know it was getting to me until after like three years of back-to-back insults.

If I open Instagram and see notifications, I will be like, “Are they dragging me for something again?” I was always anxious, and I didn’t like that.

2024 was my quiet time. I didn’t act on any movie; I just decided to take a break in 2024. It was just last year that I decided to start coming back.

They are like, “Oh, you signed up for this, or you should be used to it by now. One shouldn’t be used to insults or trolling because they are celebrities.”

According to her, some movie producers dismissed her acting ability because of her background as a Big Brother Naija star. She said some producers cast her in lead roles mainly to attract her fans, rather than because they believed in her talent.

“Before I went for Big Brother in 2019, I went to film school in London and I came back thinking I was going to take over, and then Covid happened. So, I had to go for Big Brother.

I was already acting before Big Brother, but most of the characters I played were not lead roles. But after Big Brother, they would put me as the lead and be like It’s only because they want my fans to buy the tickets that they put me in a lead role. It was just all about, you can’t do this. That’s all I kept hearing, and then some producers would be like they put us because they need our fans to come and watch the movie and they would say it to my face. At some point, it just broke me, and that’s why I took a break in 2024. The hardest time was 2023.”

Erica was one of the housemates on the 2020 Lockdown edition of Big Brother Naija. Her time on the show attracted significant attention, particularly because of her relationship with fellow housemate Kiddwaya and her clashes with Laycon.

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