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Lagos resident claims ‘no more pregnant women’ amid school textbook abortion controversy

Nigeria is currently at a digital war following the exposure of abortion-related content in a Junior Secondary School (JSS3) science textbook, which has caused intense debate over the country’s educational system, moral values, and how financial hardship is influencing reproductive decisions.

The controversy started with a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) after user Alex Onyia shared excerpts from the Classic Basic Science and Technology for Junior Secondary School Three textbook.

The material in question explains the procedures and reasons for abortion and shows a detailed explanation of surgical abortion methods, including Dilation and Curettage (D&C) and Dilation and Evacuation (D&E), which immediately went viral.

Page 135 of the book partly reads, “There are two types of surgical abortion. Dilation and curettage (D & C): The cervix is dilated (opened and expanded) and a special instrument is used to scrape or scoop some linings and other materials in the uterus. D&C, also called vacuum aspiration, is used when the pregnancy is under 15 weeks.

“Dilation Evacuation (D & E): This involves dilating the cervix and using narrow forceps to evacuate the embryo that has formed bones. It is more difficult and requires more techniques than a simple D & C. It is used for 15-24 weeks old pregnancy.”

In his post, Onyia, however, accused the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) of exposing children to inappropriate and harmful content.

“This book is teaching JSS3 students in Nigerian schools how to do abortion with clear images. Parents, wake up and save your children. NERDC approved this!” he wrote. “Corruption is not just about stealing money, it destroys our coming generation!”

The post has now quickly gathered a nationwide debate, with netizens flooding social media platforms with opinions, both in support and opposition to the textbook content.

For some, the inclusion of such detailed abortion procedures in a textbook for teenagers was a shocking violation of moral and cultural values.

Critics like @Danosquare decried what they called the infiltration of Western ideologies into Nigeria’s education system.”This is real evil, many people in Nigeria are actually ignorant of these wickedness from the West. If you talk, they’ll tag it CONSPIRACY THEORIES. Thank you Alex for raising this alarm.”

Mary Ekemezie, tweeting under the handle @MaryEkemezie, expressed her concern that parents were not paying close enough attention to the content being taught to their children.

Ekemezie described the situation as “one of the fall out of copying blindly from the West and depending on donor funding, and staffing the NERDC and the Nigerian Education with men and women who cannot see how bad books and corrupt content destroy the heritage of our nation.”

She added that she cannot help but weep, stating that “while parents are laser-focused on food the real tragedy will be losing your child to abortion and your sons being sterile because they choose vasectomy, before they even understood what that really meant. Wake up, before it is too late.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the argument, some individuals defended the educational approach taken by the textbook.

Twitter users like @asquarebubble argued that teaching about abortion in a structured, academic environment does not encourage students to perform abortions but instead educates them about real-world issues they may encounter.

The user tweeted, “The illegality of illicit abortion doesn’t mean it can’t be taught in schools. Students aren’t being shown how to do it or participate in it, but learning the concept.It’s like lessons on sex, drug abuse, or crime—you don’t want them learning it outside a structured environment.”

While @LightskinMania views the situation as “the particular form of idiocy on the internet that infuriates me the most. Peddling rubbish narratives that affect human lives greatly because of a science textbook. The scale of anti-intellectualism in this country is probably why we’re not making it.”

The textbook, published by Thursmay Publishers and authored by M. Abdussalam, F.A Ibekwe, D.E Akintelure, and B.B Akintelure, is widely used in Nigerian schools and bears the approval stamp of the NERDC.

NERDC, among others, is responsible for overseeing the development and approval of educational materials, ensuring they align with national standards.

While some critics who side with Onyia call for a thorough review of the educational materials currently in use, with the argument that some content may be out of touch with Nigerian values and realities, others, like @Nwaulari, say, “Whoever is in charge of NERDC should be sacked immediately.”

Others even stated that the Nigerian education curriculum is borrowed; @Sir_Kings08 added “Our curriculum and everything is borrowed, so our school texts will naturally negate or contradict our values and heritage. Proprietors pride in adding “American”, “British” or “Canadian” to names of schs. Plus, a little bribe and no one has to waste time proofreading textbooks.”

Nigeria’s Criminal Code And Penal Code

Among other nations, like the United States, Nigeria has a strict legal framework around abortion. Abortion laws in Nigeria are highly restrictive, differing slightly between the northern and southern parts of the country.

The Penal Code, which mostly applies to northern states, allows abortion only to save the life of the mother and carries severe penalties for anyone found guilty of performing or procuring an illegal abortion. The maximum penalty for causing a miscarriage is 14 years in prison, while performing an abortion without the woman’s consent can result in life imprisonment.

In Section 232 of the Penal Code reads, “Whoever voluntarily causes a woman with child to miscarry shall, if such miscarriage be not caused in good faith for the purpose of saving the life of the woman, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years or with fine or with both.”

Section 235 says, “Whoever before the birth of any child does any act with the intention of thereby preventing that child from being born alive or causing it to die after its birth and does by such act prevent that child from being born alive or causes it to die after its birth, shall, if such act be not caused in good faith for the purpose of saving the life of the mother, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years or with fine or with both.”

Section 236 also stated, “Whoever does any act in such circumstances that, if he thereby caused death he would be guilty of culpable homicide, and does by such act cause the death of a quick unborn child, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or for a less term and shall also be liable to fine.”

Meanwhile, in other Nigerian states, governed by the Criminal Code, similar penalties apply. A person attempting to procure a miscarriage could face up to 14 years in prison, and any woman attempting to abort her own pregnancy can face up to seven years. Supplying drugs or instruments for an illegal abortion is also punishable by up to three years in prison.

Despite these harsh legal penalties, unsafe abortions remain a serious issue in Nigeria, largely due to limited access to legal abortion services and inadequate family planning resources.

According to a study by Boniface A. Oye-Adeniran and co., as many as 53 million pregnancies are estimated to be terminated by induced abortion each year worldwide, while in Nigeria an estimated 610,000 abortions are performed annually.

While the National Library of Medicine, in a study conducted in 80% of politicians and policy-makers interviewed admitted that unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal mortality but only 20% favoured the amendment of the existing law.

The intersection of abortion education and Nigeria’s economic crisis has intensified public discourse, with some arguing that the government’s inability to alleviate poverty is forcing people to consider desperate measures, including unsafe abortions.

Nigeria for years has been dealing with rising inflation, which has severely impacted living conditions and family planning decisions. In August 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the national average cost of a healthy diet had surged to N1,255 per adult per day, with Lagos, Ogun, and Rivers States recording the highest costs. Inflation reached 32.15% in August 2024, and food inflation spiked to 37.52%.

These economic difficulties have led some Nigerians to reassess their family planning choices, and abortion, though largely illegal, has become part of the conversation.

A Lagos resident, simply identified as Morenike, stated that she hardly sees on the street of Lagos now that the current financial hardship is influencing reproductive decisions.

“With the current high cost of living, people can barely afford to feed themselves, let alone bring a child into the world,” Morenike said. “I hardly see pregnant women on the streets these days; it’s so rare. The economic strain is just too much.”

Meanwhile, another Eko resident, identified as Itunu, stated that abortion is not hygienic and could create a mass practice that will not only shorten the lives of ignorant young ladies but will only increase the moral standard between the youths.

Itunu shared, “On abortion, I won’t support its encouragement; there are other ways to prevent having unwanted babies, such as family planning for those who are married, and abstinence which should be encouraged even more.

“Abortion is not hygienic and could create a mass practice which will not only shorten the lives of ignorant young ladies but will only increase the moral standard between the youths.”

As of the time of filing this report, neither the NERDC nor the Ministry of Education had responded to the situation.

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NAFDAC alerts Nigerians on fake products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has released a fresh warning on the risks of unregulated products, especially as the festive season approaches.

The warning came after the agency uncovered a warehouse stocked with unregistered and expired supermarket products in Oke-Afa, Okota, part of Lagos State.

According to the Agency on X (formally Twitter), a NAFDAC team acted on intelligence and raided the facility, apprehending operators offloading a 20ft container filled with unregistered carbonated drinks. “A further inspection revealed over 14 rooms packed with unregistered and expired products, some of which were contaminated by rats, indicating poor storage conditions.”

The agency said the facility is currently placed on hold for further investigation and asked the management to provide sourcing evidence such as the Global Listing for Supermarket Items (GLSI) certificate.

It then encouraged consumers to report suspicious activities to any NAFDAC office and remain vigilant by ensuring their product sources are verified, particularly during the coming festive season.

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ICPC tracks N610 billion projects in 22 states

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off phase 7 of the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Exercise.

The tracking of the constituency and executive projects is an initiative of the Commission that began in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources, and power, amongst others, by the government is utilised.

The 7th phase, involving 1500 projects with a total project value of N610 billion, commenced on Monday, November 18th, 2024, in 22 states across the 6 geopolitical zones.

The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu State.

The phase 7 tracking exercise will cut across agencies of government, including intervention agencies such as North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), National Primary Health Care Development Authority (NPHCDA), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Ecological Fund Office.

The objective of the exercise is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of government projects, improve value for money, and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specification as contained in the contract documents.

The ICPC tracked a total of 1,900 projects valued at N500 billion naira in phase 6 of the exercise across 24 states of the nation’s 6 geopolitical zones.

The projects were tracked within the focal sectors of Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Power, Health, Energy, and Roads.

These projects in the 6th phase were awarded to 1,355 contractors in 176 MDAs.

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FG awards contracts for Calabar, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Abuja highways

President Bola Tinubu has approved the restructuring of his media team

The Federal Government has signed a contract with Infiouest International Limited for the construction of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway to boost the country’s transportation ecosystem.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, Minister of Works, David Umahi, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his inclusive leadership and the distribution of the dividends of democracy.

Umahi also explained that the Legacy Project is strategic for boosting transportation along the economic corridors of the South East and North Central, noting that it would stimulate trade along the regions and foster inter-regional cohesion, cooperation, and collaboration.

He noted that the project will create a seamless movement of goods and services between the Southeast and Northern routes of the road and further the road infrastructure revolution master plan in keeping with the tenets of inclusive leadership in the country.

According to Umahi, the Federal Ministry of Works has also signed a contract with Infiouest International Limited for the construction of Enugu/Abakaliki/Ogoja Highway (Africa Trans-Sahara route) cutting across Cross River, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa States and terminating in Apo in Abuja.

The Works Minister argued that the project will consist of the reconstruction of the existing jointed, asphalt concrete and laterite surfaced road pavements from Ndibe beach, traversing through Eke Market.

Others, Abaomege, Onueke, Achiagu, Umuoghara/Onu Nwafor, Ukwuachi, Ishieke, Odomoke before terminating at Mbeke in Ebonyi is the third Project spanning 118.85km and it is to be constructed on Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP).

He assured that the four projects are not just transformational but also critical investments that would turn around the socio-economic fortunes of the country, stimulate diversification, and enhance a more sustainable transportation ecosystem.

Umahi therefore thanked Mr. President for carrying on the execution of the inherited road projects across the 6 Geo-Political zones, including the South East, believing, Lagos – Calabar 750 kilometers sections 1 and 2, construction already are going on very well.

“Despite legal action, the project is a must. We’re supporting Mr. President to have that project accomplished. It is an investment. Very soon, we are starting 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom,” Umahi said.

The Minister argued, “There is Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, 1,068 kilometers. Two sections are already ongoing. The biggest of the project is the Kebbi section, 258 kilometers. It’s ongoing. We’ve flagged off, and we have paid the first mobilization fee.”

Speaking after signing the contract, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Joseph Abou Jaounde promised to justify the confidence reposed on them, saying, “We have to carry on with this goal, and we have to prove that we trust in the right place.”

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Alia approves ₦75,000 minimum wage for Benue workers

 Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue has approved a minimum wage of ₦75,000 for workers in the state.

Alia in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, announced the new wage after he met with organised labour representatives on Monday in Makurdi.

The governor said that the new minimum wage would take effect in November 2024.

He stated that the remaining three months of the five-month backlog of salary arrears promised workers would be paid as budgeted in the 2024 budget.

He emphasised that the arrias would be paid along with the new minimum wage.

“We decided to set the wage at ₦75,000, fully aware of the other concerns raised by organised labour during the negotiations.

“These concerns included a minimum wage of N30,000, wage awards, transportation allowances, tax relief, and work-off days, among others.

“Recall that the President had approved the sum of N70,000, which we have decided to exceed, considering the concerns raised by organised labour regarding our ability to pay,” he said.

Alia restated his administration’s commitment to serve the common man and stressed that he would do everything legitimately possible to ensure that Benue workers were properly taken care of.

The governor added that his motivation to ensure the arrears were paid was to alleviate the effects of hardship on workers.

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Lagos court jails NOGASA chair 21 years for N43.5m fraud

Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Monday, November 18, 2024, convicted and sentenced Fatuyi Yemi Philips, an erstwhile Chairman of the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), to 21 years imprisonment for an N43.5 million fraud.

The Lagos Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Philips, alongside his firm, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited, on April 5, 2022, on a two-count bordering on obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N43,502,000.00.

Count one read: “Fatuyi Yemi Philips and Oceanview Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, on or about the 28th day of September, 2016, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the aggregate sum of N43,502,000.00 from Elochukwu Okoye and Elebana Unique Ventures Nigeria Limited on behalf of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited under the false representation that you would sell to WAPCIL Nigeria Limited $98,870.00, a representation you knew to be false.”

Count two read: “Fatuyi Yemi Philips and Oceanview Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, on or about the 28th day of September, 2016, at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, stole the sum of N43,502,000.00, property of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited.”

He pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, which led to his full trial.

In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel M.S. Owede tendered several documentary evidences and called five witnesses to substantiate the allegations against him and his company.

The defence, on its part, called three witnesses during the trial.

Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Dada held that the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

Consequently, the judge sentenced Philips to 14 years imprisonment on count one and seven years on count two, without the option of a fine.

The sentences are to be served concurrently.

The judge also ordered the second defendant, Oceanview Oil and Gas Limited, to pay a fine of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) in respect of count one and another N250,000 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) in respect of count two within 30 days or be wound up.

The court further ordered the convicts to make restitution in the sum of $90,202.00 or the prevailing Naira equivalent to the nominal complainants.

Phillips’ journey to the Correctional Centre began when he collected the sum of N43,502,000 from Elochukwu Okoye and Elebana Unique Ventures Nigeria Limited on behalf of WAPCIL Nigeria Limited, with a false promise of selling its dollar equivalent ($98,870.00) to them. He neither returned the naira nor the dollar equivalent to the petitioners.

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Obasanjo was not an idealleader to emulate—Presidency

The Presidency has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s recent critique of Nigerian leadership, labelling him as an inappropriate figure to lecture on governance and morality.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, released a statement on Saturday, describing Obasanjo’s track record as riddled with missteps that undermine his credibility as a model leader.

Responding to Obasanjo’s remarks at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, where the former president described Nigeria as a failing state and criticized the administrations of Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, Onanuga accused him of hypocrisy.

“Chief Obasanjo’s tenure was marred by brazen constitutional violations, poor economic decisions, and scandals,” Onanuga stated.

He highlighted controversies including the 2004 abduction of Anambra Governor Chris Ngige, unconstitutional impeachments of governors, and the infamous third-term agenda.

“A leader under whose watch these infractions occurred lacks the moral standing to critique others,” Onanuga added.

Onanuga challenged Obasanjo’s claim of economic prowess, citing missed opportunities during his administration.

“He boasted of paying off Nigeria’s debt but left critical infrastructure like roads and power in deplorable condition. His $16 billion investment in the power sector yielded no improvement, and his privatization program undervalued state assets, benefiting cronies rather than Nigerians.”

He further accused Obasanjo of ignoring Nigeria’s vast gas reserves in favour of oil, a misstep Obasanjo himself recently acknowledged. According to Onanuga, this oversight has burdened subsequent administrations, including Buhari and Tinubu, who have had to correct course.

https://twitter.com/aonanuga1956/status/1858527407285690864

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