Author: Editor
By Nnamdi Elekwachi In 1997, almost 20 years ago, many Igbo billionaires supported Abacha’s self-succession agenda to my consternation then as a lad who was just beginning to follow happenings in Nigeria. I remember, for instance, the two Arthurs: Arthur Eze and Arthur Nzeribe. There were others, including Igbo political has-beens and opinion leaders, but a young man shocked those of us in Aba with his youth and creativity as one of Abacha’s most flairsome supporters. He is none other than Dan Kanu (known simply as Dan Omire in Aba), son of an Aba-based millionaire who staged the famous ‘two…
By Promise Adiele In the title of this essay, I have carefully avoided mentioning any Nigerian musician in the same sentence with Fela’s name. It is deliberate. I cannot, in good conscience, insert the name of any Nigerian or African musician alongside Fela’s name. Doing so is tantamount to blasphemy and further desecrates the name Fela Kuti. Anyone comparing Fela Kuti with any Nigerian or African musician, dead or alive, commits sacrilege and profanes the African cultural canvas which inspired Afrobeat as a music genre. I sympathize with those who compare Fela to any Nigerian musician. Such people revive the…
By Chinedu Makata By any serious standard, leadership is not measured by rhetoric but by consistency, fairness, and moral clarity. A leader who calls for unity must, in both word and deed, avoid actions that sow division or elevate personal preferences above collective justice. It is against this backdrop that recent comments credited to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, require careful and honest scrutiny. While urging the South-East to unite and present a common front in the quest for a sixth state, he is at the same time advancing Anim State as the favoured proposal.…
Our Reporter, New York Accomplished investment banker, Dr. Nnaemeka Obiaraeri, has called for a national dialogue on Nigeria’s unity and the treatment of its indigenous people, emphasising that the continued marginalisation of certain groups—particularly the Igbo—poses a serious threat to national cohesion and development. Speaking with Rudolf Okonkwo during an exclusive interview on 90MinutesAfrica, Dr. Obiaraeri dismissed claims that Nigeria’s unity is “non-negotiable,” describing such positions as unrealistic in the face of deep-seated grievances across the country. According to him, sovereignty ultimately belongs to the people, and Nigerians must be willing to “sit down as a people and renegotiate our…
By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo I tried—more than once—to invite Emeka Umeagbalasi of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) onto 90MinutesAfrica. I called. I texted. He never responded. So when I woke up last Sunday to find him on the front page of The New York Times—reduced to a “screwdriver salesman in Onitsha” blamed for influencing a U.S. airstrike—I knew something had gone terribly wrong, not just for Emeka, but for Nigerian journalism itself. Over the past two years, I had repeatedly attempted to bring Emeka on the show. His work documenting human rights abuses in…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Presidency has dismissed concerns over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s brief stumble during a state visit to Turkey, assuring Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm. In a statement posted on his verified X handle, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr. Sunday Dare, said President Tinubu remains hale and hearty and has continued with his official engagements as scheduled. According to Dare, the President moved straight from the ceremonial reception in Ankara to bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other top government officials. “President Tinubu, after a…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has condemned the deployment of security personnel to Onitsha, Anambra State, describing it as a deliberate attempt to provoke violence and destabilise the South-East. The group was reacting to Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s decision to shut down markets in the commercial city following traders’ observance of the Monday sit-at-home earlier declared by IPOB. In a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB accused the governor of unleashing military and police operatives on peaceful traders and protesters, alleging that live ammunition was fired during the protest. IPOB described the…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia In a bold move to deepen economic growth, improve the business climate, and attract investors, the Abia State Government has commenced steps to establish a comprehensive industrial policy for the state. To this end, the government has inaugurated a committee to midwife the formulation and implementation of the policy. The Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Government House, Umuahia, while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti. Prince Kanu explained that the decision to put an industrial policy in place became…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has approved the appointment of Coach Deutsch Detchoua Gustave Emmanuel as the new Head Coach of Enyimba International Football Club, Aba. According to a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, the appointment is part of the government’s renewed commitment to reposition Enyimba FC, Nigeria’s most decorated football club, for a return to glory both domestically and on the African continent. Enyimba International Football Club, a two-time CAF Champions League winner and multiple Nigerian league champion, has long been one of Abia State’s strongest sporting brands, projecting the state’s…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Dr. Sam Amadi, has defended the controversial “Obi or Nothing” slogan, describing it as a symbol of political resilience rather than extremism. Dr. Amadi made the remarks on Sunday during an X Space discussion organised by the Diaspora Obidients, themed “Harnessing the Obidient Energy: The Role of the Obidients Movement in ADC.” The session focused on the growing alliance between the Obidient Movement and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as well as the ideological tensions within the…