News

Lagos, Benue lead as Nigeria reports 20,838 new HIV cases in Q1 2026

Published

5 months ago

April 1, 2026

Preport

Nigeria reported a total of 20,838 new HIV infections between January and March 2026, with Lagos and Benue states emerging as the most affected, according to figures from the National Data Repository.

Lagos recorded the highest number of cases at 2,298, while Benue followed closely with 1,949. Akwa Ibom ranked third with 1,159 cases, trailed by Rivers with 1,137 and Anambra with 1,013.

In the northern region, Kaduna posted 842 cases, while Kano recorded 476. Other states with notable figures include Delta (803), Oyo (763), Ogun (751), Plateau (662), Imo (640), and Nasarawa (615).

The Federal Capital Territory logged 579 cases, while Abia and Edo reported 527 and 512 cases respectively. Ebonyi recorded 253 cases, Gombe 252, and Borno 238. Ekiti had 129 cases, Sokoto 110, and Yobe reported the lowest figure at 100.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government recently announced a commitment of $346 million in co-financing for 2026 to boost HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria interventions.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, made this known during the national rollout of Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable used for HIV prevention.

“In the context of this major bilateral funder, the co-financing for 2026 is almost 346 million dollars additional.

“Mr President has already directed the Budget Office of the Federation to ensure that it is captured in the 2026 budget,” Pate said.

He noted that the funding would support key areas such as medical supplies, laboratory surveillance, reagents, expansion of primary healthcare, and financial protection for citizens.

“That means that some of the commodity costs, the laboratory surveillance costs, the reagents, primary health care, expansion of financial protection should be included,” he said.

Pate added that the investment signals Nigeria’s growing focus on domestic funding as global health financing becomes more constrained.

“The global space is changing right in front of our eyes. Financing has become limited globally and constrained in many countries, including Nigeria.

“While we have had tremendous success over the last 25 years thanks to global partnerships, the headwinds we are facing in terms of the changing global landscape force us to think differently,” he said.

He further stressed the importance of innovation and efficiency, noting that advancements such as Lenacapavir would strengthen ongoing efforts to control HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in the country.

News

CAF Champions League: Rivers United Hold San Pedro, Set Up Crucial Home Decider

Published

5 hours ago

September 5, 2026

Preport

Rivers United have returned from Côte d’Ivoire with a valuable 1–1 draw against FC San Pedro in the first leg of their CAF Champions League first preliminary-round tie.

The result gives the Pride of Rivers a strong platform ahead of the return fixture, with the Nigerian side now needing a victory at home to secure their place in the next qualifying round.

The draw is particularly encouraging for Rivers United after head coach Finidi George had stressed before the game that avoiding defeat in Abidjan would represent a positive outcome. He specifically identified a 1–1 draw as an acceptable result that would leave his side in a good position for the return leg.

Rivers United went into the continental assignment with confidence after opening their 2026/27 NPFL campaign with a 2–0 victory over Plateau United, while Finidi also highlighted the physical qualities of San Pedro and the youthful character of his own revamped squad.

Now, the equation is straightforward.

The two sides are level on aggregate, and Rivers United will have the advantage of playing the decisive second leg on Nigerian soil. The return fixture is currently listed for September 13, giving the Port Harcourt club the opportunity to complete the job in front of their supporters.

For a Rivers United side that reached the CAF Champions League group stage last season, the objective is clear: turn the away draw into qualification and keep Nigeria’s flag flying in Africa’s premier club competition.

A goal in Abidjan. A valuable draw secured.
Now, the Pride of Rivers must finish the job at home.

News

Seattle Times and Newsday are the latest publications to sue OpenAI and Microsoft

Published

6 hours ago

September 5, 2026

Preport

Two more news organizations are suing OpenAI and Microsoft over the supposed use of their journalism to train AI.

A lawsuit filed by The Seattle Times and Newsday argued that with the advent of AI, the journalism industry could become “broken beyond repair.” The lawsuit described generative AI as “a snake eating its own tail” that could “destroy the very organizations” that produce the content it’s trained on.

“AI products like ChatGPT and CoPilot are touted as producers of content, but in fact they are rapacious consumers, devouring human-authored content and delivering back to the world copies and derivative imitations of that same original content they consumed to achieve their commercial objectives,” the lawsuit said.

Back in 2023, The New York Times sued OpenAI and its partner/investor Microsoft over alleged copyright infringement; other publications have followed suit as the case continued. The Seattle Times’ lawsuit is particularly notable because Microsoft and OpenAI have funded some of the organization’s journalism projects and fellowships.

A Microsoft spokesperson told GeekWire that the company is “surprised by the lawsuit” but is “always happy to sit down and explore solutions to this type of dispute.”