Lagos closes illegal health centres

Lagos State has closed substandard hospitals and illegal pharmacies across the state for failure to comply with set standards.

Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, said the 28 hospitals were closed for various offences such as the use of auxiliary nurses and poor environment among other reasons.

The commissioner added that the Taskforce on Fake, Counterfeit Drugs and Unwholesome Process Foods during the raid of illegal pharmacies in Lagos shut down 319 substandard pharmacies as they were not registered and breached the health standard rules.

He meanwhile said the State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA), in the last year renewed the registration of 1 089 private health facilities and monitored 1 182 health facilities, of which 114

were found wanting and served with closure notices.

Nigerians demand rescue of kidnapped girls

Abuja - Nigerian activists planned to march on parliament Wednesday to demand the government and military do more to rescue scores of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram Islamists more than two weeks ago.

The protest, dubbed "a million woman march" and promoted on Twitter under #BringBackOurGirls, will not likely to draw a massive crowd.

But organiser Hadiza Bala Usman told AFP that the turn-out was less important than raising awareness about the plight of the hostages whose 14 April abduction at gunpoint from their school in the northeast has outraged Africa's most populous nation.


"We have put the word out on social media and we hope people will come. But even if only 10 people come, it will