Author: Editor

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has assured traders in Aba that no existing shop owners will lose their shops in the ongoing remodelling of Ariaria International Market and Ekeoha Market. The governor gave the assurance on Thursday at the Michael Okpara Auditorium while receiving a delegation of the National Executive Council of the National Association of Nigerian Traders. Otti said original shop owners would enjoy the first right of refusal before any shop is allocated to others, stressing that he had issued firm instructions to that effect. “What we call first right of refusal will be…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Former Green Eagles captain, Dr Olusegun Odegbami, has announced that five generations of Nigeria’s national football team players will converge on Uvuru-Mbaise, Imo State, next weekend for a historic reunion and novelty match in honour of Chief Obioma Success Akagburuonye. Odegbami disclosed this in a social media post on Friday, describing the event as a unique football and socio-cultural celebration to recognise Akagburuonye, who was recently named Sun Newspapers’ Humanitarian of the Year 2026. According to him, former internationals drawn from the Green Eagles of 1980, Flying Eagles of 1983, Golden Eaglets of 1985, the Daman Miracle…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has projected a total expenditure of N873.778 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday while presenting the Commission’s 2026 budget proposal alongside the estimated cost of the 2027 polls before the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters. Amupitan clarified that the projected N873.778 billion election budget is separate from INEC’s proposed N171 billion allocation for the 2026 fiscal year, which is intended to cover routine operations, including by-elections and off-cycle governorship polls. He explained that the estimated…

Our Reporter, Abuja  The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) to investigate allegations of abuse of office, monetisation of bail, retaliatory prosecution and deliberate frustration of bail against the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ajuwon Police Station, Ogun State, Yusuf, and officers under his command. In a petition dated February 12, 2026, and signed by its Executive Director, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC said the complaint arose from the treatment of Mrs Akinluyi Rosemary, a 44-year-old widow, who was allegedly turned from a complainant into an accused person following her report of…

Our Reporter, Abuja  The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed as false and malicious a publication attributed to former Ekiti State Governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose, alleging secret political dealings involving Atiku and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde. In a press release issued on Wednesday, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the report titled “Between Atiku and Makinde, Untold Story of What Happened in Minna Yesterday” as a “reckless and malicious fabrication” devoid of any factual basis. Shaibu stated that Atiku was not involved in any form of political negotiations as claimed in the…

By Sola Adeyemi  Biodun Jeyifo, who has died at the age of 80, was one of the most formidable and beloved figures in African letters: a critic of rare moral clarity, a teacher whose influence spanned continents, a playwright and poet whose creative imagination was inseparable from his political commitments, and a family man whose gentleness at home stood in striking, endearing contrast to the intellectual ferocity he could summon in debate. His passing marks the end of an era in Nigerian and African literary scholarship, for he belonged to that generation of thinkers who believed that literature mattered not…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has received the Torch of Unity for the second edition of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Sports Festival, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to youth development and sports excellence. The Torch of Unity, a symbolic emblem of peace, unity and sportsmanship, is touring the nine Niger Delta states ahead of the festival scheduled to hold in Edo State from February 20 to 27. Governor Otti received the torch on Wednesday at the Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia. He was represented by the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Merebole. The…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Abia State Internal Revenue Service (ABIRS) has sealed the Umuahia and Aba offices of telecommunications giant, Globacom Limited, over alleged non-compliance with its tax obligations to the state government. The action, according to a statement issued by the Deputy Director of Information, ABIRS, Emelle Akunna Loveth, was carried out pursuant to a valid order of the High Court of Abia State, Umuahia Judicial Division, in Suit No. HU/225M/2025 between the Abia State Internal Revenue Service and Globacom Limited. The court order, dated January 14, 2026, directed Globacom to remit to the Abia State Government the sum…

By Max Amuchie  When news filtered in on Wednesday, February 11, about the passing of Professor Biodun Jeyifo, I found myself journeying back 35 years, to my National Youth Service days at Teachers’ College, Kagoro, in the southern part of Kaduna State. It was 1991. We were young, idealistic, and argumentative in the best sense of that word. We believed ideas mattered. We believed debates could shape society. Kagoro, quiet and reflective, became for us a space of intellectual exchange. It was there that I first heard the name Biodun Jeyifo. I was speaking with my fellow corps member, Adekola…

Our Reporter, New York  Prince Adewole Adebayo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s foreign engagements have attracted $50 billion in investments into Nigeria, describing the assertion as exaggerated and unsupported by evidence. Adebayo made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Rudolf Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica, where he questioned both the credibility of the claim and its supposed impact on the economy. According to him, an inflow of such magnitude would be impossible to conceal and would have produced visible effects across key economic indicators. “The statement that President…