The World Health Organisation (WHO) chief warned Tuesday that Washington’s decision to withdraw from the UN health agency was dangerous for the United States and the rest of the world alike.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order just hours after returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, ordering his country’s exit from the WHO.

With the one-year withdrawal process due to reach completion next week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters he deeply regretted the move.

“Withdrawal from WHO is a loss for the United States, and it’s also a loss for the rest of the world,” he said, speaking from his agency’s Geneva headquarters.

The withdrawal, he warned, “makes the US unsafe… and makes the rest of the world unsafe, so it’s not really the right decision.”

Tedros highlighted that “there are many things that are done through WHO that benefit the US… especially the health security issues.”

“That’s why I said the US cannot be safe without working with WHO,” he said.

“I hope the US will reconsider its decision and rejoin.”

WHO’s chief legal officer, Steve Solomon, said it was a bit unclear when exactly the withdrawal would be official.

He explained to reporters that the WHO constitution does not include a withdrawal clause, but that Washington made arrangements in 1948, reserving the right to withdraw under certain conditions.

One condition was that it would need to give one year’s notice, and the second was that it would need to “meet its financial obligations to the organisation in full for the current fiscal year,” he said.

But currently, “the US for 2024 and 2025 is in arrears on its payments,” he said, without giving figures, adding that the WHO member states would need to consider, “Has the condition been fulfilled?”

At a time when dramatic cuts to international aid budgets have hit health systems worldwide hard, Tedros stressed that “funding is very important for our organisation, for WHO to really deliver”.

But he insisted that when calling for the US to return to the WHO fold, “it’s not about money.”

“What matters most is solidarity, cooperation, and for the whole world to prepare itself for any eventualities,  to a common enemy like a virus, like Covid,” he insisted.

“The best immunity is solidarity.”

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

TUMBLR

INSTAGRAM

The Anambra State Government has awarded various contracts worth a sum of about ₦16.7bn for road, electricity, and other key infrastructural projects aimed at driving social cohesion, economic growth and improving the lives of its citizens across the state.

This is just as the state government, through the Ministry of Environment and the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, also known as the ‘OCHA Brigade’, has commenced the enforcement of standards for road setbacks in the newly constructed dual carriageways.

According to a press statement released on Tuesday, the state Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the projects were approved and other significant decisions made during the first Anambra State Executive Council meeting in 2026, held at the ‘Light House’, Awka, on Monday.

Mefor said several other key decisions were taken during the meeting, among which include that the Christmas and New Year celebrations called ‘Onwa Dezemba’ programme, has come to stay as an annual event and will be made into something that Ndi Anambra and the world will look forward to every yuletide.

The statement read in part, “At the first Anambra State Executive Council meeting of the year 2026, held at the ‘Light House, Awka, on Monday, the council relished the Christmas and New Year celebrations and reiterated that the ‘Onwa Dezemba’ programme has come to stay as an annual event and will be made into something that Ndi Anambra and the world will look forward to every yuletide.

“The council also reviewed the state of security in the state and the restoration of Anambra as the most secure state in Nigeria, and resolved to continue to promote inter-security agency collaboration and the strengthening of security agencies, such as the 30 Hilux vehicles recently given to the Anambra State Police Command by the state government.

“The council established a committee to determine the best way to give Nnewi a further facelift, in line with the ongoing urban regeneration policy of the Soludo administration. The council also firmed up the plan to give Nnobi a further facelift. The main objective is to revitalise and realign the two strategic urban centres in the state.

“The council mandated the Ministry of Environment and the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, also known as the ‘OCHA Brigade’, to commence enforcement of standards for road setbacks in the newly-constructed dual carriageways.

“These standards have been set at 1.5 metres for built-up areas and three metres for other areas. The setbacks were re-established as a minimum from drainage on all the new dual carriageways for motorised and non-motorised (NMT) users.

“These setbacks from the dual carriageway align with global best practices, which include provisions for pedestrian walkways and other road provisions for pedestrians.”

According to him, the contract sum worth ₦16.7billion approved by the council would be for the dualisation of 33-Nsugbe-Aguleri Road, supply and installation of 500 kVA, 33/0.415 kV transformer at Irueyim Community, Nteje, Nteje Oyi LGA, among others.

“To achieve massive traffic decongestion in the Onitsha and Nkwelle axis and drive development in that direction, the 33-Nsugbe dual carriageway was awarded by the council.

“This will bring the Anambra Beltway and the Solution Government’s policy to dualise all ‘Trunk A’ roads, state and federal, to a fuller completion and further open up the state and ease up Onitsha and its environments.

“Release of the sum of N15,956,407,246.25 only for the construction and dualisation of the 33-Nsugbe to Aguleri road with a 1-span bridge, awarded to Ferotex Construction Company Ltd.

“Release of the sum of N56,386,718.69 only for the supply and installation of 500 kVA, 33/0.415 kV transformer at Irueyim Community, Nteje, Nteje Oyi LGA, awarded to Kennolly Enterprises.

“The release of the sum of N159,599,775.14 only for the supply and installation of solar street lights along the Oye Market Road, Isuofia, awarded to Vigeo-Dome Ltd.

“Release of the sum of N497,033,367.38 only for the reclamation/rechannelisation/& remediation of the gully erosion site at Umugama-Ire Village, Abba, Njikoka LGA, awarded to P & K Int’l Ltd.”

Punch Online on November 2025, reported that the Anambra State Government awarded various contracts worth a sum of about ₦4.7bn for road, electricity, and other key infrastructural projects aimed at improving the lives of its citizens across the state.

According to a press statement released on Tuesday, the state Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, said the projects were approved, and other significant decisions were made during the 23rd Anambra State Executive Council meeting held at the “Light House,” Awka.

Mefor said several other key decisions were taken during the meeting, and one of them includes plans to give Ndi Anambra the most memorable December festivities experience ever, branded “Onwa Dezemba”.

He said the “magnificent festivities” to be held at the Solution Fun City, Awka and the reconstructed and remodelled Ekwueme Square, in Awka, are planned as a “Christmas unlike any other”.