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Our Reporter, Abuja The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly criticised the treatment of Ms. Comfort Emmanson by Ibom Air and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), describing the lifetime flight ban imposed on her as “heavy-handed, unlawful, and a grave affront to the rule of law and human dignity.” In a statement issued on Tuesday, NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, and General Secretary Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara condemned the August 10 incident aboard an Ibom Air flight, where Emmanson was allegedly forcibly removed from the aircraft without justification or fair hearing, subjected to public humiliation, and later banned for…
Our Reporter, Abuja The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of being used by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to harass and discredit opposition figures through what it described as “choreographed media trials.” In a statement issued Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that the EFCC’s recent actions — including the detention of former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, and the investigation of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha — were politically motivated. The ADC questioned the timing of the probes, noting that the…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Abia State Government has explained why it embarked on the demolition of unauthorized structures built at the premises of the old site of Umuahia Main Market. This was contained in a statement issued by the General Manager of the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA), Mr. Kingsley Agomoh. According to the statement, the action was in line with the “government’s vision to transform Umuahia into a modern city and befitting capital.” The statement noted that the former market space was allocated to a private investor by the previous administration for the purpose of building an event centre…
Our Reporter, Abuja Renowned legal scholar and former United Nations Special Rapporteur, Professor Joy Ezeilo, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the altercation between an Ibom Air crew members and a passenger, Ms. Comfort Bob, describing it as a mirror reflecting deeper societal inequalities. In a statement shared on her Facebook social media platform, Prof. Ezeilo noted that the 26-year-old passenger, now facing both a lifetime flight ban and criminal charges for alleged assault, is “more like nobody’s daughter” caught in a difficult situation. She argued that the swift prosecution of Comfort contrasted sharply with other high-profile incidents, where…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Babachir Lawal, has made a stunning claim that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, actually won the 2023 election, but had his mandate “stolen” by the APC. Lawal, who recently dumped the APC for the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the revelation on Monday night during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Tonight. According to him, based on the facts available, it was Obi—not President Bola Tinubu—who won the presidential poll. He insisted that the results…
Our Reporter, Abuja Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has again criticised the handling of the recent altercation involving a female passenger on an Ibom Air flight, describing the airline’s lifetime ban on the passenger as “systemically wrong and unjust.” In an X post on Tuesday, Obi, who hinted that he had earlier apologised to the airline and its crew over the incident, said he was shocked to learn that the passenger, identified as Ms. Comfort Emmanson, a woman in her twenties, had been barred from flying with the airline for life. “This morning, I woke up to…
By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been great at expressing appreciation to those who taught, mentored, or inspired me. It’s something I carry quietly—and sometimes with regret. I’m especially ashamed that I’ve lost touch with some teachers who helped shape the person I’ve become. The current pattern of waiting to scream, “Eayeah, O’ my God, she was a nice woman, he was a great teacher,” and then type RIP whenever the news of a teacher’s transition reaches me is agonizing, for lack of a better word. It always feels like an insufficient gesture of…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The Ebonyi State Government will on Saturday launch a three-month intensive vocational training programme for 100 young people in the state, focusing on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), construction, building, and production. According to the Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Leo Ekene Oketa, the programme is part of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s drive to promote vocational and technical education as a key strategy for revamping the state’s education sector and tackling youth unemployment. Oketa said the training, to be implemented by the State Ministry of Skill Development and Job Creation, will cover areas such…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Enugu State Government has commenced the training of no fewer than 1,000 science, technical, and vocational teachers to improve standards and introduce the latest educational innovations in classrooms. Dr. Amaka Ngene, Chairman of the Science, Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board (STVSMB), disclosed this in Enugu while officially declaring the training open. The programme, tagged “21st Century Pedagogy in Science, Technical and Vocational Education”, began on August 1 and will run until September 12, 2025. Ngene said the training, alongside future sessions, would reposition learning and improve academic outcomes for students in science, technical, and vocational…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Federal Government has ordered a service-wide verification of federal civil servants recruited between 2013 and 2020. This comes about six years after a whistleblower in the Ministry of Works, Mr. Martins Atijegbe, raised the alarm over an alleged fraudulent employment racket involving forged appointment letters and the unlawful inclusion of unqualified persons on the federal payroll through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). Atijegbe claimed that after raising the alarm, he was rendered redundant, denied promotions, and barred from sitting for promotion exams for three consecutive years. According to a statement signed by the…