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Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Osita Okechukwu, has recommended the Barcelona model to Ndigbo in their agitation for self-determination. The former VON boss, who made the recommendation while featuring on Ikengaonline’s town hall meeting, advised Ndigbo to be more tactful and diplomatic in advancing their cause in a complex entity like Nigeria. Okechukwu, who said he shared the late Nnamdi Azikiwe’s pan-Nigerian philosophy, argued that Ndigbo would still survive and prosper under one Nigeria. Recalling his encounter during a visit to Barcelona, which was…
By Press Release The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has hailed the court judgment ordering the immediate reinstatement of Olamide Thomas, a nurse at the Ogun State College of Health Technology, Ilese Ijebu, who was dismissed for exposing corruption and other acts of misconduct in the institution. In addition to reinstating her, Justice Sanda Yelwa of the National Industrial Court, Lagos, also ordered the payment of all her salaries and allowances from the date of her dismissal, and awarded N5 million in damages. In a press statement signed by the Coordinator of AFRICMIL, Dr. Chido Onumah, the…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the conduct of the local government elections held in Rivers State on Saturday, describing the exercise as a “travesty to the very notion of elective democracy.” In a statement posted on his official X handle on Sunday, Atiku said the “shameful and shambolic manner” in which the polls were conducted exposed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a party willing to “throw caution to the wind in order to achieve an inordinate political advantage.” He accused what he called…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia A member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, has declared that God would not forgive him if he failed to acknowledge the performance of Governor Alex Otti of Abia State. The former Senate Committee Chairman on Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases, who spoke at a PDP stakeholders’ meeting he convened in Abia North over the weekend at his Arochukwu country home, admitted that Governor Otti had recorded undeniable achievements, especially in infrastructural development. He blamed PDP’s woeful outing in the 2023 elections on the refusal of the party…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Enugu State Government has announced the upgrade of the Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo, to a University of Agriculture, with an additional campus to be sited in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area. Governor Peter Mbah disclosed this at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, while flagging off the distribution of 40,000 bags of fertilizer and other farm inputs to over 60,000 registered farmers across the state. According to the governor, the new university will train the next generation of agricultural scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to establishing a Special Agro-Processing Zone that will enable the state…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former presidential candidate, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, has called for unity among opposition parties and urgent electoral reforms to ensure transparency in Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. Speaking at the August edition of the Diaspora Dialogue session anchored by Professors Farooq Kperogi and Moses Ochonu themed “The State of the Opposition Ahead of 2027,” Moghalu said the chances of a unified opposition candidacy were “70 to 75 percent,” but warned that personal ambitions and regional interests could undermine efforts. He urged opposition leaders to set aside ego clashes and work toward a clear philosophy and vision of governance, noting…
Our Reporter, Abuja The Anambra State Civil Society Network (ASCONET) has condemned the recent local government elections conducted in Rivers State, faulting the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) for failing to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). Coordinator of ASCONET, Prince Chris Azor, in a statement, described the omission as a gross violation of the Electoral Act, 2022, warning that it undermines democracy and threatens the integrity of grassroots governance in Nigeria. Citing Section 150 of the Act, Azor stressed that procedures adopted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in conducting Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections…
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu At that point of no return, an innocuous looking legal challenge will materialize questioning GEJ’s eligibility to run under the constitution. They will sue him, his party, and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and will ask the courts to restrain INEC from recognizing him as a candidate in the election. The suit will slow walk its way to a decision. Then, suddenly, around the week before the vote, judgment will come down restraining the party from presenting GEJ as a candidate and restraining the INEC from having him on the ballot. Any serious threat to the incumbent’s…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Enugu State Police Command says it has arrested three armed robbery suspects who had been terrorising residents in parts of the state. Police spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement issued in Enugu, attributing the arrests to the command’s ongoing clampdown on criminal activities. According to him, the suspects include 28-year-old Okafor Chukwuka, who was apprehended at Nara, Agbani Division, Nkanu West Local Government Area, for snatching a motorcycle at gunpoint. He added that Emeka Odo, 45, and Ugochukwu Eze, 35, were arrested at Obollo-Afor, Udenu Local Government Area, for allegedly robbing a motorcyclist. Ndukwe…
By Nnamdi Elekwachi Abia State is a party to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative which, among other things, aims to achieve fiscal transparency, especially in the public finance sector of subnational governments. OGP states operate open budget whose processes, from planning to execution, are open to public scrutiny with reports on budget performance released quarterly to help groups and individuals track or monitor budget implementation. This encourages a citizen-centred budget and helps to identify implementation gaps. Because Abia participates in the open government partnership (OGP) initiative, automatically, the state is eligible for the World Bank-backed State Fiscal Transparency Accountability…