Author: Editor

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Barely two months after declaring emergency rule in Rivers State, and appointing a Sole Administrator to oversee the affairs of the state, President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, sought the consideration and approval of the Senate and House of Representatives for N1.48 trillion appropriation bill for Rivers State. The request was contained in a letter read at plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. According to Mr President, the request, when approved, would be used “by the Emergency Rule Government of Rivers State to provide for education, agriculture, provision of free drugs, and others.” Akpabio explained that ₦166…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu  The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has inaugurated vanguard campaign against human trafficking in secondary schools in Enugu State. The South-East Zonal Commander of the Agency, Mr Jonathan Ukpai, said in Enugu that the programme was carried out in collaboration with International Center for Migration and Policy Development (ICMPD). According to him, the agency inaugurated 30 students each in Community Secondary School Obeagu, in Nkanu West, Local Government Area and Community Secondary School Obuoffia respectively as NAPTIP vanguard. The commander said that the NAPTIP vanguard would carry out campaign against human trafficking…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, has alleged that politicians and some members of the armed forces act as informants and collaborators to the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents terrorising residents of the state and other parts of the North. Zulum who has raised the alarm on many occasions that the insurgents are fast taking over his state, made the allegation during an interview on News Central’s Breakfast programme. The Governor also said the Nigerian Army lacks requisite equipment to engage and overrun the terrorists. He said that if not for sabotage and politics, Boko Haram could be…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Injury-ravaged Tottenham Hotspur Wednesday night in Bilbao, defeated Manchester United by a lone goal to emerge the 2025 Europa League champions. Spurs, without a number of their key players including James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and captain, Son Heung-min, who started from the bench, took the lead on 42 minutes through Brennan Johnson, after latching to a Pape Sarr’s cross from the left flank, which was badly dealt with by United’s defender, Luke Shaw and error prone goalkeeper, Andre Onana. Tottenham managed to hold on to their solitary goal lead to the end of the first half with…

By Shumm-u-él Mulenga Bukata Chanda  In a world marked by complex crises, from pandemics to conflict, misinformation to inequality, few voices echo as powerfully, as clearly, and as compassionately as that of Professor Obijiofor Aginam. As the Director of the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), Prof. Aginam is not merely speaking to the times—he is shaping them. A distinguished scholar of global health law and diplomacy, Prof. Aginam’s work embodies the spirit of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), reminding us that health is a global public good, not a national luxury. His…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki A member of the House of Representatives, Chinedu Ogah, has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to shelve its plan to implement computer-based examinations (CBT) starting in 2026. WAEC had recently announced that beginning next year, it would phase out the traditional pen-and-paper format for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in favor of CBT, similar to the model used by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). However, Hon. Ogah, representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency urged WAEC to reconsider the move, citing the challenges faced by students in rural areas who have…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki A young Abakaliki FC stunned Ikorodu City FC to progress to the final of the 2025 President Federation Cup. The ‘Rice Boys,’ a club formed just 7 months ago, defeated Ikorodu City 5-4 on penalties. The match had ended goalless in regulation time in a game decided in Bwari, Abuja. Goalkeeper Elochukwu Pascal was the hero of the day as he converted the winning penalty after saving the opponent’s sixth penalty kick.  Abakaliki FC dumped Yobe Desert Stars in the Round of 64, and also overcame Katsina United, Enyimba FC and Nasarawa United in subsequent rounds. They…

Ugo Nosiri, Owerri  The Imo State House of Assembly has passed into law a bill amending the State Security Organization (IMSO) Law No. 2 of 2021 to formally recognize vigilante groups as part of the official security architecture. The bill, sponsored by the House Majority Leader and member representing Owerri West Constituency, Hon. Kanayo Onyemaechi, was passed during plenary. Onyemaechi said the amendment became necessary in light of the growing wave of insecurity in rural areas, where many communities have continued to suffer from delayed security responses and unchecked criminal activities. According to the lawmaker, the exclusion of vigilante groups…

By Promise Adiele Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities presents two cities, Paris and London, with contrasting fortunes for French physician Alexander Manette. In the novel, Paris is a city where he serves 18 years in prison and in London, he enjoys freedom, living with his daughter Lucie, whom he had never met. Thus, Paris symbolizes confinement and estrangement while London signifies emancipation and self-discovery. A juxtaposition of the two cities with their dissimilar experiences for Manette inevitably locates their affliction and importance in equal measure. It underscores the wisdom in the old saying, ‘to understand a phenomenon…

By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu  Jazz is music but in some spheres jazz is juju. Jazz music with its African roots has the power of magic bordering on the occult that can turn normal human beings into jazzed up spirits.  Its the convulsive power of jazz that helps one to understand the house of power in Nigeria and its ill-assorted occupants.  Time was when Dodan Barracks in Lagos rocked with all that jazz as the seat of Nigerian power. It took one bloody abortive coup in Dodan Barracks, Lagos for the planned marathon move to Aso Rock, Abuja to turn into…