The Nigerian Communications Commission has warned Nigerians against buying pre-registered SIM cards, citing the illegal nature of the practice, and could attract severe consequences. In an advisory note sighted on its X platform on Friday, the telecom regulator emphasized that the use of pre-registered SIM cards compromises the accuracy of consumer information. “Buying pre-registered SIM cards is criminal and may lead to imprisonment, implication in identity theft, financial fraud, kidnapping and armed robbery,” part of the advisory noted. The NCC explained that using a pre-registered SIM card undermined the reliability of data collected on consumers, making it challenging for authorities to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators of crimes. The warning aims to educate the public on the risks associated with pre-registered SIM cards and encourage compliance with legal guidelines to enhance national security. The commission urged to follow the proper procedures for registering SIM cards to avoid any legal consequences. In recent times, Nigerian telecommunications companies directed their subscribers to link their SIM cards to their National Identification Numbers. The move, which was initiated by the Nigerian government in December 2020, in a move to streamline the identification process and combat scams. The NCC made the linkage compulsory, directing all telecommunications operators to enforce complete network barring on all phone lines for which subscribers fail to link their SIM cards to their NINs. There have been two phases of barring SIM cards not linked to NIN by the telcos – the first occurred on February 28 and the second one occurred on March 29. The regulator, however, has extended the deadline for linking SIM cards to NIN (last phase) to July 31, 2024, from April 15. This extension applies to subscribers with more than four SIMs.

  In her contributions to address the world’s health challenges faced by women and children, a Nigerian physician, Dr Funke Afolabi-Brown, established The Restful Sleep Place, a sleep clinic, becoming the first black woman with the initiative. Dr Afolabi-Brown, the founder and chief executive officer of The Restful Sleep Place, said the company “helps professional women and their children optimise their health and performance through sleep.” The Nigerian doctor is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and currently serves patients in-person or virtually in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California with plans to extend her services nationwide in the coming year. Shared on LinkedIn, she said her company offers “holistic sleep care for children from infancy to 18 years old through her innovative virtual practice and integrative approach”. Her innovation is driven by the fact that 60% of children in the US suffer from sleep deprivation, which is often connected to behavioural problems, learning delays and frequent illness. As a board-certified pediatric pulmonologist and sleep medicine physician with over two decades of experience, Afolabi-Brown, driven with the challenge and set herself on a mission to fix this issue, one family at a time. “Sleep deprivation doesn’t just affect the individual; it impacts the entire family unit,” Afolabi-Brown said. “When a child is sleep deprived, their physical, mental and emotional health suffers. Parents are often physically and mentally exhausted themselves.” “That is why our approach is family-centered. We address the root cause by looking at medical, psychosocial and behavioral components, from which we create customisable sleep treatments honoring the family’s values.” Driven by a mission to promote optimal sleep health after experiencing her own sleep struggles and the negative side effects, the Afolabi-Brown founded RestfulSleepMD, a platform offering personalised sleep coaching and consultation for families. Through her clinic, The Restful Sleep Place, she offers personalised, patient-centered, integrative care to families compared to the rushed 20-30 minute appointments offered at traditional hospitals. Following her innovative approach, Dr Funke Afolabi-Brown, has become a sought-after speaker and sleep expert on various platforms including The Wall Street Journal, Abc News and Baby Center, the world’s largest digital parenting resource. Dr Afolabi-Brown completed her Pediatric Pulmonology fellowship at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, followed by a Sleep Medicine fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has expertise in a range of pediatric sleep disorders including chronic insomnia, behavioral sleep issues, sleep disordered breathing, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy and sleep issues in children with underlying conditions such as mental health disorders, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

  The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has urged the Minister for Women Affairs and Social Development, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, to withdraw the litigation and petition she wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), over the proposed sponsor of the marriage of 100 orphaned girls in Niger State. The Chairman, Kano State Chapter of MURIC, Malam Hassan Sani Indabawa, who made the call on Thursday night in a statement, urged Nigerians to learn to respect one another’s culture and traditions.   He recalled that the marriage arrangement in question was sponsored by the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Hon Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, with the event slated to take place on May 24, 2024. The minister on Monday said she had approached a court of law to stop the speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly from marrying off 100 prospective brides and that she had also petitioned the IGP over the Sarkin-Daji’s plan. “We found the harsh and hasty decision taken by the Honourable Minister for Women Affairs over a matter that is entirely beyond the scope of her ministry. “The minister’s attempt at media demonisation of marrying off of 100 poor and orphaned girls, who were largely traumatised for losing both parents to brutal and bloody banditry and insurgency, exposed her ignorance to the culture and traditions of the Muslim North. “This elaborate media blitz, over the matter, MURIC observed, was deliberately done to sway public opinion against the marriage institution, and an attempt to vilify Sarkin-Daji, after demonstrating his genuine concern for the needs of members of his constituency,” Indabawa said. He also recalled that the speaker had explained that he announced plans to support orphaned girls, especially victims of banditry attacks following an appeal by religious and traditional leaders from his constituency. Hon. Sarkin-Daji also said he was surprised at the way the minister tried to smear his name and reputation without any background check or even calling him as a leader, to hear his own side of the story. Indabawa said since her appointment as women affairs minister, she has become famous for some weird public statements, including being seen on TV recently suggesting that children can be engaged in tooth pick, sanitary pads production, thereby promoting child labour which she is supposed to condemn by virtue of her position. He said, “We, at MURIC, therefore, categorically and unequivocally call on minister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye to immediately withdraw the purported legal case she has filed and equally withdraw the petition she had written to the IGP to avoid an imminent embarrassment because, in this matter, no law has been breached and no coercion was ever to be established.”

  A Federal High Court Abuja, on Friday denied the bail application of a crypto currency firm executive, Tigran Gambaryan. Justice Emeka Nwite, while delivering the ruling held that the bail application is refused as he has carefully gone through the application submitted before him and resolved that the defendant will jump bail if granted. Gambaryan, his company, Binance Holdings Limited and a fellow top executive currently on the run, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, with money laundering and terrorism financing . Details shortly….

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