Author: Editor
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Determined to deepen digital literacy and internet-based education across the country, IHS Nigeria Limited has extended its Digital Literacy Training and School Connectivity Programme to Abia State. The initiative, which began in Osun State, is in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) under its School Connectivity Programme, with the support of the Abia State Government. One hundred teachers and school heads drawn from 50 public schools in Abia were trained during the programme, which also featured the distribution of 50 internet routers. Speaking at the event in Umuahia, the Director of Sustainability at IHS Nigeria,…
By Azu Ishiekwene The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is an animal that eats its curator for lunch. To survive it, either do not get close or prepare to feed this beast with an endless supply of oil deals, the country’s lifeblood. When former Governor Nasir El-Rufai accused NNPC of being a parallel government and added that if Nigeria does not kill NNPC, corruption will kill it, he was right. After the bazaar of the former Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke era, and those before it, the hope was that President Muhammadu Buhari would use his wealth of experience to…
Our Reporter, Abuja The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended the decision to appoint Fuji music star, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1, as an ambassador for good conduct in the aviation sector, stressing that the role is voluntary and carries no financial benefits. In a statement on Wednesday, Keyamo said such engagements are a common global practice in which repentant offenders are enlisted to publicly campaign against the very conduct they once exhibited, describing it as akin to community service. “For further clarification, it is common practice all over the world that a…
Our Reporter, Abuja Amnesty International has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to address a deepening security crisis in the South-East, alleging that thousands have been killed and hundreds forcibly disappeared in a wave of violence involving both state and non-state actors. In a new report titled A Decade of Impunity: Attacks and Unlawful Killings in South-East Nigeria, the rights watchdog said at least 1,844 people were killed between January 2021 and June 2023, while hundreds of others were arbitrarily detained or disappeared. The 94-page report documents killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and mass displacement in the region, allegedly perpetrated…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Civil society organization, Centre for Human Rights Advocacy and Wholesome Society (CEHRAWS), has demanded justice for Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmason, who was detained at Kirikiri Maximum Prison following an incident at the airport. CEHRAWS told the Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, and Ibom Air that dropping the charges against Emmason did not exonerate those who violated her human rights by exposing her nudity during the incident. Executive Director of CEHRAWS, Peter Chuka Okoye, in a statement on Wednesday, called for appropriate sanctions against those found culpable to forestall future occurrences. The statement read: “The Centre for Human…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki Four people, including two children, have been killed in a fresh attack on Ikembe Ezza Community, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, August 12, comes barely two weeks after a similar assault in Egumkpuma Ezza Community, also in Ivo LGA. According to eyewitnesses, some gunmen stormed the village in the early hours, setting several houses ablaze. The witness claimed the attackers were from Ishiagu. However, this claim could not be independently verified. A middle-aged woman was reportedly slaughtered in a gruesome manner, while a young girl and two children were…
Our Reporter, Abuja The Federal Government has placed a seven-year moratorium on the creation of new federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, in a bid to tackle falling standards and overstretched infrastructure in the nation’s tertiary education system. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the decision on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Alausa said the suspension covers all categories of federal tertiary institutions and is intended to curb duplication, reduce waste, and channel resources toward upgrading existing facilities and…
Our Reporter, Abuja An Ikeja Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday discharged Comfort Emmanson, accused of unruly conduct and assault on an Ibom Air flight, after the police withdrew a five-count charge against her. The withdrawal followed Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo’s directive after consultations with stakeholders and appeals from concerned individuals. Ibom Air also agreed to drop its complaint over the August 10 incident. Emmanson, arraigned Monday and remanded in Kirikiri after failing to meet bail conditions, was freed following the court’s approval of the prosecution’s request to withdraw the case.
Lawrence Ndubeze, Awka The Anambra State Government has reassured land owning communities in Mamu Forest Reserve that it will not interfere with their enclaves in the proposed Awka 2.0 project area. Commissioner for Lands, Prof. Offornze Amucheazi, gave the assurance during an enforcement visit to the site alongside the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Dr. Ossy Onuko, the State Surveyor General, Mr. Chinedu Idigo and representatives of the affected communities. Addressing community stakeholders in Awka, Prof. Amucheazi urged the leaders in Ndiukwuenu to avoid misrepresenting facts or misleading residents about the project impact on their land.…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Federal Government on Wednesday announced the withdrawal of the suit against the Ibom Air passenger, Comfort Emmanson, thereby clearing the way for her release from Kirikiri Maximum Prison. Recall that there has been widespread backlash from members of the public over her swift arraignment and incarceration, while Fuji star, Wasiu Ayinde (a.k.a. KWAM 1), who allegedly committed a similar offence recently, remains free. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would reduce the one-year flight ban placed on KWAM 1 to one month. According to the minister,…