Author: Editor
By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu The great pity is that Nigerians are more divided today than even in the days of the civil war. It amounts to living a lie and in abject denial not to acknowledge the fact that Nigerians live in very perilious times. Hunger has completely taken over the land, and privation is the rule rather than the exception, yet our politicians keep on playing primordial politics. The demons of death are on the loose, arranging mayhem and spreading annihilation. We walk an ungodly but very familiar Nigerian road littered with shattered bones and broken dreams. The countrywide…
By Promise Adiele Over the years, the semantic integrity of many English words has suffered various degrees of harm in the hands of different people worldwide, especially in Nigeria. Many times, the linguistic and literary community is embarrassed by the way some people negate the meaning of innocuous English words to either score a cheap political point or delude the army of ill-informed, gullible people, leading them astray into a dark alley. When the uneducated among us mindlessly mutilate English words, either by pronunciation or malapropism, the enlightened public overlooks such an infraction as happenstance. However, it borders on a…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The Police Command in Ebonyi State, South-East Nigeria, says it has intensified its crackdown on crime across the state, leading to the arrest of 131 suspects, the recovery of firearms and stolen vehicles, as well as the rescue of kidnap victims within the past six weeks. The Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Abakaliki. She explained that the achievements were recorded between July and mid-August 2025 through proactive policing, intelligence-led operations, and community engagement. According to her, 120 males and 11 females were arrested for…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The European Union and UNICEF have initiated move to strengthen the Abia State social protection system, and provide technical assistance in generating accurate social register database for the state. This was the major objective of a workshop with the theme: “Supporting Sustainable Social Protection,” held yesterday in Umuahia. The European Union-sponsored workshop, facilitated by UNICEF was aimed at strengthening states’ social protection register through the generation of comprehensive and accurate database. Speaking at the one-day EU-sponsored, UNICEF-facilitated workshop, the Social Policy Officer for UNICEF, Enugu Office, Dr Victor Chima, stressed the need for accurate database for effective…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has condemned the degrading treatment of a female youth corps member in Anambra State by members of the Udogachi vigilante outfit. Reacting via his verified X handle on Tuesday, Obi described the incident, as an act of “primitive wickedness and savagery” that should have no place in a civilized society. “As an Anambrian myself, I feel not only ashamed but also deeply heartbroken that such cruelty could happen in 2025, in a society that ought to have advanced beyond such…
By Rudolf Okonkwo To understand the Igbo–Yoruba squabbles, I took a detour into the heart of South Asia, not across Nigeria, but across continents. I “landed” in India and Pakistan on April 17, 2024 — the very day 19-year-old Pakistani girl, Ayesha Rashan, walked out of Chennai’s MGM Healthcare Hospital with a new heart beating in her chest. In January, Ayesha had received that heart from a 69-year-old Hindu man in Delhi, who was declared brain dead. The surgery was complex, the bill a staggering $42,000 — but she paid nothing. An Indian Trust called the Aishwarya Trust, in association…
By Jude Eze For decades, the Onwa Esaa festival of Obollo land, an ancient lunar ritual rooted in ancestral veneration, struggled to maintain its sanctity amidst a disturbing wave of violence, masquerade-induced terror, and social disorder. What was once the heartbeat of traditional spirituality in Obollo gradually became a season of fear and chaos, hijacked by the radicalization of Akatakpa masquerade operators who had lost sight of the sacred norms that once guided the cult. However, the 2025 edition of the festival has marked a historic turnaround. Udenu Local Government Area, under the leadership of Aka Eze Aka, has shown…
…EEDC increased our bill from ₦9,000 to ₦47,000 per month – Protesters Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Residents of Umuahia, the Abia State capital, on Tuesday took to the streets to protest what they described as an outrageous hike in estimated electricity bills. According to the protesters, households in the World Bank Housing Estate, Umuahia, have had their monthly bills arbitrarily increased from about ₦9,000 to between ₦47,000 and ₦50,000. During the peaceful demonstration, the residents appealed to the management of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to reverse the hike. They also called on the state government to intervene, lamenting that…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Abia State Government has announced that the State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) has commenced the clearing of drainages and waterways from Umuahia down to Isiala Ngwa to avert flooding. This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, while briefing newsmen after the State Executive Council meeting. He explained that the measure followed warnings by the Federal Government that several states could experience flooding this year. “The waterways need to be cleaned and opened up to prevent flooding in those areas of the city during the rainy season. There have been predictions that some…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) has said that anti-corruption strategies are critical for advancing good governance, transparency, and accountability in the country. RoLAC Project Coordinator for Abia State, Mr. Peter Omenka, stated this at a three-day workshop organised for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and relevant Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Umuahia, Abia State. He explained that without the necessary anti-corruption framework in place, accountability would remain a mirage. The workshop, held in collaboration with CSOs and MDAs, was aimed at developing strategies to improve accountability, transparency, and anti-corruption in Abia State. RoLAC Programme…