Author: Editor
Ben Ezechime, Enugu The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has unveiled a $1 trillion development blueprint aimed at growing the South-East regional economy by the year 2050. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Mr Mark Okoye, disclosed this at a world press conference held in Enugu as part of the Commission’s media engagement ahead of its Economic Stakeholders’ Forum on the South East Vision 2050 (SEV2050). Okoye said the Commission is targeting a one-trillion-dollar economy within the next decade. According to him, the target would be achieved through coordinated economic planning and strategic collaboration among the…
By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo My dear white people, I trust this letter finds you well, though I imagine it must be difficult to relax these days, with the terrifying prospect of “replacement” looming over your heads. It isn’t every day that someone from the so-called global south—where colonial “benevolence” left us development problems as souvenirs—pauses to reflect on the struggles of the global north, the same folks who generously consume the lion’s share of the world’s resources. But since some of you seem genuinely confused about the nature of existence, allow me a few minutes to help. After all, we…
Our Reporter, New York An anti-genocide activist, Franc Utoo, has alleged that those responsible for the June 2025 attack on the Yelwatta community, in which more than 270 people were killed, are known to both locals and authorities, but that the Nigerian government lacks the sincerity to bring them to justice. Speaking during an interview with journalist Rudolf Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica on Saturday, Utoo claimed that the assailants were Fulani fighters who came mainly from neighbouring Nasarawa State. According to him, while some fighters were brought in from other locations, the operation was allegedly led by individuals he identified as…
By Cheta Nwanze The announcement that PayPal would finally allow Nigerians to receive international payments through a partnership with Paga has met, not with celebration, but with a furious and revealing debate. For many, this is not a lifeline but a provocation, a belated attempt to profit from a market forced to mature without it. This reaction is not about technology. It is a stark examination of two things: whether Nigerians possess a collective memory; and whether we have the spine to act on it. The context is crucial. For nearly two decades, PayPal operated a policy of exclusion against…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Brigadier General Ahmad Mansur Dikko has formally assumed command as the 18th Commander of the Nigerian Army’s 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Abia State. He took over from Brigadier General Hassan Muhammad Bello during a colourful handing-over ceremony held on Monday, February 2, 2026, at the Brigade Headquarters, Ohafia. The development was contained in a statement issued by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Captain Mazinho Attah. The statement said that the ceremony, a key tradition of the Nigerian Army, drew senior officers of the Brigade, including the Chief of Staff, Commanding Officers, Staff Officers, and the Regimental…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has been commended for prioritising human capital development through Ebonyi State’s overseas scholarship programme. The Federal Commissioner representing Ebonyi State at the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mr Nduka Awuregu, and the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Special Duties, Rt. Hon. Barr. Valentine Okike-Uzo, gave the commendations in separate statements on Tuesday. Their remarks followed the departure of 92 students in the second batch of the state government’s overseas scholarship scheme, who were airlifted to the United Kingdom on Monday to pursue postgraduate studies. The students departed aboard a chartered flight from…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Abia Patriots (TAP) have commended Governor Alex Otti for announcing plans to transition Abia State to renewable energy through the utilisation of organic waste. Governor Otti had, during a media parley last week, disclosed that the state had concluded plans to venture into renewable energy generation. In a statement issued on Monday, TAP urged the state government to fast-track the implementation of the initiative, citing its immense benefits to the state’s economy and environment. Describing the plan as “a beacon of hope for Abia’s energy future,” the Secretary-General of TAP, Mazi Adindu Madumere, said the conversion…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Scores of worshippers narrowly escaped death over the weekend after a suspected unexploded bomb was discovered within the premises of the United Evangelical Church (UEC), Ehere/Umuola, Ogbor Hill, Aba, Abia State. Eyewitnesses said the frightening discovery was made while church members were digging around the parsonage to erect a new perimeter fence. During the exercise, they unearthed a large metallic object buried in the ground. Unaware of its danger, one of the church members reportedly moved the object toward a nearby borehole. Suspicious of the item, the priest in charge promptly raised the alarm and warned everyone…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia A senior lecturer in the Department of Agribusiness Management at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Dr. Philips Nto, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in what he described as the deliberate delay of his promotion to the rank of professor. Dr. Nto alleged that his promotion, which he said has been pending since 2021, is being stalled by the university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Comrade Fidelis Edeh, despite having satisfied all statutory academic appraisal requirements. Addressing journalists at a press conference in Umuahia on Monday, Dr. Nto, a former…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Onitsha Main Market, the largest commercial hub in Anambra State, reopened on Monday after a one-week shutdown ordered by Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The market was closed after traders complied with a Monday sit-at-home directive allegedly issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), despite repeated warnings by the state government against obeying orders from non-state actors. Governor Soludo had insisted on the restoration of normalcy and economic activities across the state, warning that continued closure of the market would attract stiffer sanctions. In compliance with the directive to reopen, traders returned to the market early on Monday,…