The Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA) says 14 of its 17 branches have voted to support a three-day warning strike scheduled to begin next Tuesday.   According to a statement by the association’s Acting Secretary-General, Prof. Aniekan Peter, the industrial action will be total and comprehensive across medical schools in Nigeria. Peter said the decision followed what the association described as the Federal Government’s failure to address longstanding concerns affecting medical lecturers, amid a shortage of academic staff and increasing migration of health professionals. The issues raised by NAMDA include the failure of the government, through the Ahmed Yahale Committee, to conclude negotiations on the conditions of service for medical lecturers. The association also cited the failure to formally document the payment of medical lecturers under the CONMESS salary structure, as well as the non-payment of the Medical and Clinical Academic Teaching Allowance (MCATA). Other outstanding payments listed include Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), Excess Workload Allowance and Professorial Allowance. Peter warned that the situation was worsening the shortage of medical lecturers and said the government should return to the negotiating table to resolve the disputes before the warning strike begins. He also criticised the government’s response to the migration of doctors, arguing that efforts to increase the number of doctors would not address the problem without investment in the medical lecturers responsible for training them. “Medical lecturers are therefore being pushed into an avoidable strike,” the association said. The development could affect academic activities across medical schools if the planned action proceeds next week.

Country music icon Dolly Parton has died aged 80, with US President Donald Trump ordering American flags across the country to be lowered for one week in her honour.   According to reports cited by PUNCH, Parton’s death was announced on Tuesday by her nephew, Bryan Seaver, who described the moment as one of “absolute pride and great sadness”. Trump said Parton’s death was a “true loss for millions of people” and ordered the flags to be lowered from 6pm on Tuesday. Parton, who rose from humble beginnings in Tennessee, became one of the most successful singer-songwriters in country music, with a career spanning more than six decades. She sold more than 100 million records worldwide and became known as the “Queen of Country”, with major hits including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You. The singer wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards. She also enjoyed a successful acting career, starring in films including 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise. Born on January 19, 1946, in a two-room log cabin in Tennessee, Parton was the fourth of 12 children. Her father was a sharecropper who later became a tobacco farmer. She began performing as a child and, by 13, had appeared on local radio and television, performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and recorded her first single, Puppy Love. After graduating from high school in 1964, Parton moved to Nashville the following day to pursue her music career. She released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967 and joined The Porter Wagoner Show, where established country star Porter Wagoner became her mentor. The pair later released several successful albums together. Parton turned her attention to a solo career in the early 1970s and wrote I Will Always Love You about her professional separation from Wagoner. Whitney Houston later recorded a hugely successful version of the song for the 1992 film The Bodyguard. Parton also wrote Jolene, another of her best-known songs, around the same period. Both songs appeared on her 1974 album Jolene. Her 1977 album Here You Come Again became her first million-selling album and earned her first Grammy Award. Parton expanded into acting in 1980, starring alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5. She also wrote and performed the film’s title song, which became a number-one hit and received an Oscar nomination. Her other notable film roles included The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Joyful Noise. Beyond entertainment, Parton built a business empire that included television specials, food products and Dollywood, the Tennessee theme park she acquired an interest in and renamed in 1986. She was also widely recognised for her philanthropy. Through the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, she supported childhood literacy and also contributed to medical research, disaster relief and other charitable causes. In 2020, Parton donated $1 million towards COVID-19 vaccine research. She received the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2022. Parton’s health concerns became public in September 2025 when she postponed her Las Vegas residency. She had also withdrawn from public appearances in recent weeks amid ongoing health issues. Her death comes about 17 months after that of her husband, Carl Dean, who died in March 2025 aged 82. The couple had been married since 1966. In a statement shared on Truth Social and by the White House on X, Trump said there had “never been anyone like her” and declared that “the World loves you”.

Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command have dismantled an alleged baby factory in Abaren Village, Mowe, rescuing two pregnant women and four children.   The operation was conducted on August 24 by officers of the Mowe Division following sustained intelligence about alleged human trafficking and illegal adoption activities at the facility. According to the police spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, six suspects were arrested during the operation. They were identified as Florence Ogbona, 58; Magdalene Julius, 63; Chidike Egwuonwu, 40; Onyechu Chidike, 35; Stephen Ogbona, 39; and an attending nurse, Oseni Idaya. The two pregnant women rescued from the facility were identified as 23-year-old Ilesanmi Foluke, who was seven months pregnant, and 20-year-old Ejekwa Melody, who was eight months pregnant. Four children, comprising two boys and two girls, were also recovered from the location. The police said further investigation led officers to a hospital within the Mowe axis, where another alleged victim, 26-year-old Blessing Bright Effiong, had given birth to a baby boy on August 20. However, the whereabouts of the newborn could not be established while Effiong was receiving medical care. The attending nurse was subsequently arrested as police intensified efforts to locate the missing infant. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation, including determining the full extent of the alleged syndicate’s activities and prosecuting suspects found culpable. Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the Mowe Division officers and reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating human trafficking, child trading and other violent crimes across the state. The police urged residents to report suspicious activities and persons through the Gateway Shield toll-free line, 0800 000 9111, or emergency lines 09164859299 and 09154293464.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), through its affiliate, the Hotel and Personal Service Senior Staff Association, has picketed the Abuja Continental Hotel over alleged unfair labour practices, poor working conditions and restrictions on workers’ freedom of association.   The union commenced the picketing on Monday, August 24, 2026, amid a dispute over the unionisation of hotel workers and other labour-related demands. According to Channels Television, the union said repeated efforts to meet with the hotel management to address its concerns had been unsuccessful. The protesters blocked the entrance to the hotel as they pressed their demands. At the time of filing the report, union members were also attempting to lock the hotel gate, but the move was resisted by police officers and some hotel officials. The union’s grievances include what it described as indecent working conditions, alleged unfair labour practices and concerns over workers’ right to organise and freely associate with trade unions. Other reports said the workers gathered at the hotel from the early hours of Monday and commenced the picketing after access to the premises was restricted. Security personnel, including police officers, were deployed to the scene as the protest continued. TUC officials maintained that the industrial action followed unsuccessful attempts to resolve the dispute through dialogue. The hotel management had not issued a public response to the allegations contained in the reports at the time of filing. The claims by the union therefore remain allegations pending any response from the management. The picketing has affected access to the hotel as the union continues to demand action on the issues surrounding workers’ welfare, unionisation and freedom of association.