Adolescent children in Kenya and Rwanda are now eligible to receive Pfizer Covid jabs as both countries kick off vaccine campaigns.
Rwanda will be vaccinating children from the age of 12 and above from Tuesday while Kenya is allowing those from 15 years.
Rwanda's adolescent vaccination programme will cover the entire country and parents or guardians have to sign consent forms before their children can be vaccinated.

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has assented to the Child Protection Bill, earlier passed by the state House of Assembly.
The governor says since the enactment of the Child Rights Act in 2003, domesticating the law in the state has been very difficult due to cultural and lifestyle differences.
He believes it will enhance the conditions of children in the state and protect them against all sorts of abuses.
Governor Tambuwal also commended the effort of the state assembly, the role of the Sultan of Sokoto and the Sultanate council, CSOs and other stakeholders that culminated in the signing of the law.

The UN children’s agency called on Lebanon to take urgent action to protect children after it documented a spike in child labour rates and food insecurity since April.
UNICEF representative in Lebanon, Yukie Mokuo, says urgent action is needed to ensure no child goes hungry, becomes sick, or has to work rather than receive an education,”
She says the staggering magnitude of the crisis must be a wake-up call
Lebanon is grappling with its worst-ever financial crisis, with nearly 80 per cent of the population estimated to be living below the poverty line.
UNICEF in a survey found 53 per cent of families had at least one child who skipped a meal in October 2021, compared with 37 per cent in April.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says that the #EndSARS report by the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry was riddled with so many errors and inconsistencies.
Mr Mohammed described the report circulating online as fake.
He also asked relatives of the victims to come forward with evidence, saying that any parent who is afraid to testify about the death of his or her child is not worthy to be called a parent.

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum says Nigeria must embrace restructuring to survive.
Chairman of the forum, Aminu Tambuwal says the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has failed to live up to the expectation of the masses in the past six years.
He accused the current administration of failing to take the country to the heights expected by Nigerians, adding that as a result, the PDP must strategise to take over in 2023.
Tambuwal says Nigeria must embrace restructuring to survive. It must restructure its polity, economy, security and ways of doing things. It must embrace relative autonomy and decentralisation of power.

The Federal Government ordered the shut down of the Santa Barbara oil fields in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State over what it described as an unfortunate oil spillage.
The Ministry of Environment spokesperson, Saghir el Mohammed, says the Federal Government has directed the exploration company, AITEO Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited to halt operations in the area until a proper investigation is carried out and adequate measures put in place to ensure the safety of lives and property in the area.

Nigerian authorities say Islamic State of West Africa Province and Boko Haram terrorists are planning to establish a camp in Niger State.
The Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, raised the alarm on Tuesday while briefing reporters in Minna, the state capital.
He decried the escalated rate of attacks by bandits on innocent residents in recent weeks, saying they were now collaborating with insurgents to worsen the security situation in the state.
He was worried that the state was in such a situation despite the effort of the government to protect its citizens, including spending a sum of N5 billion to combat the security challenges in Niger.

President Muhammadu Buhari has suspended the inauguration of the newly constituted Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, revealed that the inauguration of the Board, initially scheduled to hold on Wednesday, was suspended indefinitely.
Mustapha says President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the immediate suspension of the inauguration of the newly constituted Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited scheduled for Wednesday 24th November 2021 until further notice.
He says a new date for the inauguration of the Board will be announced in due course.

The International Monetary Fund says it had agreed with Pakistan on measures needed to revive a stalled $6bn funding programme for the South Asian country, which faces growing economic challenges.
The IMF in a statement says the Pakistani authorities and IMF staff have reached a staff-level agreement on policies and reforms needed to complete the sixth review.
Pakistan had been in talks with the IMF for several months to seek relaxation in the terms and conditions of the package. Its government bonds jumped between 1.3 and 2.8 cents on the news of an agreement.
The IMF added that the agreement is subject to approval by the Executive Board, following the implementation of prior actions, notably on fiscal and institutional reforms.

The state news agencies of both the Gulf states said Oman and Qatar have signed agreements on military cooperation, taxation, tourism, ports, labour and investment as Oman seeks to invigorate its debt-burdened economy.
Oman is among the weakest financially of the Gulf oil producers.
The agreements were signed during a two-day state visit by Oman’s Sultan Haitham to the small but wealthy state of Qatar, one of the world’s top producers of liquefied natural gas.