Author: Editor

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Supporters of Peter Obi, a frontline presidential aspirant of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Friday unveiled a grassroots political platform known as the Village Boy Movement, positioning it as a counterforce to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s City Boy Movement. Speaking at the launch, the Convener of the movement, Maazị Tochukwu Ezeoke, who styles himself the National Village Headmaster, described the initiative as a disciplined nationwide organisation founded on the ideals of earned prosperity and service-driven leadership, rather than proximity to power or ostentatious displays of wealth. Ezeoke said the movement offers what he termed a…

By Azu Ishiekwene There Was a Country, lamented Chinua Achebe, Nigeria’s literary icon and one of the world’s greatest storytellers. Achebe’s title evokes many things in the mind beyond its primary thematic concern – a journal of the author’s experiences of the Biafran War, which raged between 1967 and 1970. Among other things, it raises the question: What happened to the country? Biafra was stillborn. But what happened to Nigeria? If the groundnut pyramids were evacuated and the cotton ginneries, leather tanneries, textile factories, car assembly plants, electricity projects, steel complexes, petroleum refineries, and every state project that would have…

By Owei Lakemfa Africa is in the vile grip of insecurity. This was the verdict of the African Union, AU, Heads of State 39th Summit which held on February 14, 2026 in Addis Ababa. This should call for a state of emergency. But this was not part of the Summit outcome. It was business as usual. In the first place, the AU’s vehicle for combating insecurity and conflicts, is its Peace and Security Council, PSC, which is responsible for the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts in the continent. It is the continent’s “collective security and early warning arrangement intended to…

By Cheta Nwanze The consequence is not just lost medals or preventable deaths. It is a deeper corrosion. A generation of young Nigerians learns that effort within the system yields nothing. They learn to look outward, to seek the exit. They japa from healthcare, from academia, from sports. And those who remain are forced into the exhausting work of being their own emergency services, their own advocates, their own support systems. The death of Ifunanya Nwangene from a snakebite in Abuja was not a freak accident. It was the predictable outcome of a health system in total collapse, a system in…

Our Reporter, Abuja  The Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, on Thursday inspected the ongoing 44.1-kilometre Enugu–Ugwogo Nike–Opi–Nsukka dual carriageway project, describing it as a critical socioeconomic lifeline for residents of the state. During the inspection tour, the governor assessed the pace and quality of work on the corridor, which links Enugu to Nsukka through Ugwogo Nike and Opi. Beyond reviewing construction progress, he said he also visited identified security flashpoints along the route, stressing that infrastructure development must be complemented by enhanced security measures. “Infrastructure and security must go hand in hand,” he stated, noting that the government has…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, will on February 25 be arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime and threats to national security. The case was assigned to Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court (FHC) by the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho. The DSS filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. According to the charge, El-Rufai allegedly admitted during a February 13 interview on Prime Time on Arise TV in Abuja that he and his…

…Insists Igbos are natives, not strangers in Rivers Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Indigenous Igbo communities in Rivers State have demanded the immediate interrogation of former Niger Delta militant leader Asari Dokubo over what they described as serial anti-Igbo rhetoric and unprovoked threats against the ethnic group. The call was made by the Indigenous Igbo Congress (IIC), Rivers State, which accused Dokubo of profiling the Igbo and peddling inflammatory narratives capable of inciting ethnic and religious unrest. In a statement signed by its President-General, Chimenum Amadi, and Secretary-General, Ogenma Victor Denial, the IIC rebuked Dokubo over viral videos in which he blamed…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has vowed to mobilise Nigerians nationwide to safeguard future elections, accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of undermining democratic credibility by signing the amended Electoral Act into law. The opposition party stated this on Thursday in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, who criticised what he described as the undue haste with which the bill was passed and assented to, despite widespread public objections. “With the alarmingly speedy assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, President Tinubu has effectively signed the death warrant on credible elections, pushing Nigeria’s democracy…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Renowned political economist Pat Utomi has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment), describing it as a grave setback for Nigeria’s democracy and a direct confrontation between the political elite and the citizenry. In a series of posts on X on Wednesday, Utomi said the signing of the amended law marked a dangerous turning point for the country, warning that democratic freedoms were being eroded. “The line is drawn. It is politicians in power versus the Nigerian people. Before us is life and death. Choose life that you may live,” he wrote. Utomi…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, was quizzed on Wednesday night by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). His arrest came shortly after his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he had been detained since Monday over alleged corruption-related offences. El-Rufai was reportedly granted bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday. However, witnesses said he was immediately taken into custody by DSS operatives who had laid in wait at the EFCC headquarters. The former governor’s latest arrest is linked to allegations that he unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of Nigeria’s…