Broadcasting
Zipline Begins delivery of Medical Products to Health Facilities in Cross River State
Zipline has announced the start of commercial deliveries of essential medical products to health facilities within the Cross-River State. This follows a successful approval and a right to fly certification from the Civil Aviation Authorities in Nigeria.
Health officials at the Maternal and Child Health Clinic (MCH), recipients of the very first delivery of a medical product from the Ndok distribution center of Zipline, were full of excitement to learn that the challenge of access and unavailability of medical products for their clients are now a thing of the past.
Also, Mr Godwin Ipuole, the health officer-in-charge of Primary Health Center, Ibil – Ogoja, expressed appreciation to the state government for the bold decision to use technology to remove the access barriers that many far-to-reach communities, like Ibil, face in the course of their work.
“Vaccine stock-outs have been a huge challenge to us. Our inability to always meet the health needs of our clients, simply on the grounds of non-availability of essential medicines lowers our motivation. I have no doubt that with such a transformative technology, our primary challenge of access will be a thing of the past”, he said.
Cross River State becomes the second state in Nigeria after Kaduna State to go commercial with the use of Zipline drone technology.
Deaconess Mrs Abasioffiong Offiong, Director General of the Cross-River State Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the decision to partner Zipline was to support the efforts of the State in the quest to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
Mrs Abasioffiong was speaking after leading all the eighteen LGA Primary Health Care Directors on a tour of the Zipline Facility in Ogoja. She was hopeful that the technology will play a key role in the overall healthcare delivery within the State.
“It is our expectation that all medical commodities to all the primary healthcare agencies within the various local governments will be sourced from Zipline. With the degree of efficiency that Zipline puts into their work, we anticipate that all essential medicines requested will be delivered timely and within the right conditions.
“This is an opportunity for us as a State to improve the overall universal health delivery project we have committed to deliver”.
Zipline, as part of the memorandum of understanding with the Cross River State, will build and operate two distribution centers from where they will store essential medicines and vaccines. Health workers will place orders by text message or call and promptly receive their deliveries exactly when and where they need them in 30 minutes on average.
“Our technology is proven to be one of choice for the last mile delivery. By this partnership with the Cross-River State, we should immediately begin seeing very significant improvements in the delivery of essential medicines and vaccines to health facilities within our operational area”, said Catherine Odiase, General Manager of Zipline Nigeria.
“We are deeply indebted to the State government and all the state agencies that worked tirelessly to get us the required certification for the commencement of commercial deliveries in Cross River State”.
Zipline drones fly autonomously and can carry 3 kilos of cargo, cruising at 110 kilometers an hour, and have a round trip range of 220 kilometers – even in high speed winds and rain.
Deliveries are made from the sky, with the drone descending to a safe height above the ground and releasing a box of medicine by parachute to a designated spot at the health centers and community delivery points it serves.
Zipline operates on three continents and completes an instant delivery on behalf of businesses and governments every two minutes. To date, Zipline has delivered more than 500,000 packages, more than 5 million products, and flown more than 40 million autonomous miles – 20 times the amount that the world’s largest autonomous vehicle company has completed.
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, simply known as Fela, legendary Nigerian musician, has made history as the first African artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Fela
This is coming after he was posthumously honored with the 2026 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive this prestigious special merit recognition.
Fela will be honoured in the early influence category this year, along with Queen Latifah, rapper MC Lyte, country rocker Gram Parsons, and Cuban singer Celia Cruz at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event.
The honorees were revealed on Monday night in the US, during an airing of American Idol.
Sade Adu, Nigerian-born British singer, will be honoured in the performance category.
However, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, and Pink, missed out on the final cut despite being nominated.
Over 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals voted to decide the honorees.
The induction ceremony will be held on 14 November at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is set to launch so-called FreeTV, with over 100 channels for news, sports, education, entertainment and children’s programming in multiple Nigerian languages.
The launch is scheduled for May 15.
Charles Ebuebu, director-general, NBC, who disclosed this, said the new platform will offer free-to-air access with no carriage fees, leveraging hybrid satellite and internet delivery via NigComSat-1R.
The new plan is not an upgrade, the NBC stressed. This is a rebuild, according to Ebuebu .
FreeTV will be true free-to-air – no encryption, no set-top box barrier.
Any DVB-T2/S2 television will work. A mobile app will extend reach to phones and tablets.
The platform will launch with over 100 national, regional and state channels across sports, news, children’s programming, education, entertainment and cultural content in Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw, Edo, Fulfulde, Ibibio, Efik and Nupe – all in HD.
Crucially, the NBC has partnered with a Bulgarian firm, GARB (operating since 2006 and recognised by the European Broadcast Union), to deliver a 94 per cent-accurate audience measurement system using return-path data, app analytics, demographic panels, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
To qualify broadcasters, must commit their channels, produce a minimum of 60 per cent local content, and promote FreeTV until January 2029.
After that, a regulated tiered rate card takes effect.
According to NBC, the strategic rationale is simple: build viewers first, monetise later.
The document further revealed that six regional production hubs in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Kano and Benin would function as local content factories, expected to generate 500 to 1,000 jobs per zone within two years.
Popular Nigerian artist Adekunle Gold has lent his support to the growing youth-driven movement behind The Gathering on 100, further amplifying conversations around what is fast becoming one of the most talked-about upcoming experiences among young Nigerians.
Adekunle Gold
Known for his music and his strong connection with youth culture and evolving creative expression, Adekunle Gold’s involvement signals a deeper alignment between the event and the kind of audience it is attracting, a generation that is bold, expressive, and constantly redefining what community looks like.
While details of his involvement remain understated, his visible support adds a new layer of support and cultural relevance to the movement. In a landscape where attention is currency, endorsements from artists of his stature often act as a signal, drawing more eyes, more curiosity, and ultimately, more participation, but beyond visibility, the significance lies in what it represents.
The new father has, over the years, built a reputation for embracing creativity in its many forms, from music to visual storytelling, fashion, and digital engagement. His brand has consistently resonated with young Nigerians navigating similar spaces of self-expression and identity.
From interactive experiences like live music sessions and open performance moments to fashion runways and content creation spaces, the event is designed to blur the lines between audience and participant. It invites attendees to move beyond observation and become part of the moment.
This is a concept that closely mirrors the kind of cultural shift Adekunle Gold has been part of, one where boundaries between creator and consumer continue to dissolve.
His support also reflects a broader trend within Nigeria’s entertainment industry, where artists are increasingly engaging with youth-led initiatives that go beyond traditional performances. Rather than simply appearing on stage, they are aligning with movements that foster community, creativity, and shared experience.
For fans and attendees, this adds another dimension to what The Gathering on 100 represents.
As registrations increase and conversations expand across social platforms, the movement is gradually taking shape through the collective interest of those drawn to it.
Head to gathering.com to register.
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