Author: Editor

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Igbo youth leaders have condemned a fake news report allegedly quoting the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta Mbata, as calling on Igbo men to arm themselves. The widely circulated statement falsely claimed that Senator Mbata said: “Every Igbo man from 18 years up must get a gun, stack weapons. Igboland is under terrorist siege and must be defended. A war is coming in days.” Reacting, the Igbo Youth Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly, in a statement signed by its leader, Mazi Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, described the report as “mischievous, clueless and malicious propaganda.” The group called…

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu When he presented his budget proposals for 2024 to Nigeria’s National Assembly, the first full year of appropriations under his presidency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu identified as his priorities human asset development, poverty reduction and fighting insecurity.  Last week, his official spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, appeared to forget or renounce that policy direction, when he acknowledged that 133 million Nigerians were multi-dimensionally poor but claimed that had nothing to do with the Federal Government. According to Mr. Onanuga, the states and local governments were responsible for that. On the same day, 450 kilometres away, Vice-President, Kashim Shettima,…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Amid the controversy surrounding the alleged rejection of electronic transmission of election results in the proposed Electoral Act Amendment Bill, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has insisted that the Senate cannot be intimidated by any individual or group. Akpabio spoke on Saturday at the public presentation of a book authored by Senator Effiong Bob, held at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja. He said the Senate would not succumb to pressure or public outcry, but would instead “do what is right to give Nigerians an Electoral Act that will advance democracy.” The Senate President described the uproar over Section…

Our Reporter, Abuja  The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has called on the National Assembly to reverse the Senate’s recent position and pass an amendment to the Electoral Amendment Bill that would make electronic transmission of election results mandatory. The call followed the adoption of a report by the NBA President, Mr. Afam Osigwe, SAN, by the Association’s National Executive Council (NEC at its meeting held on February 5, 2026, in Maiduguri, Borno State. In the report, Osigwe drew NEC’s attention to the Senate’s rejection of a proposed amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Amendment Bill. The rejected amendment sought…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has decried the perceived high level of corruption in Nigeria’s judicial system, describing it as a grave social malaise. Osigwe spoke on Friday in Enugu at the 17th Memorial Lecture of Ralph Opara, organised by the National Association of Seadogs (NAS). Delivering a lecture titled “Corruption in Nigeria: A Menace to Democracy and Social Justice,” the NBA president said judicial corruption had become a significant societal problem, adversely affecting the judiciary, governance, and economic development. He noted that the topic was particularly apt, as many…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The National Association of Seadogs (NAS), Enugu State Branch, has conducted a medical outreach in Owo Community, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, benefiting about 1,500 residents. Speaking to journalists during the exercise held at Cecilia Memorial Hospital, Owo, the Vice President of NAS, Enugu Branch, Dr Ogbodo Okechukwu, said the outreach was targeted at providing free medical services to 1,500 persons. Okechukwu, a consultant public health physician, explained that Owo Community was selected because of its peculiar needs, noting that the area has a high population of vulnerable people. He said the medical outreach,…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, has declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over Abia State in the 2027 general elections, alongside securing a second term for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Uzodimma made the declaration on Friday in Umuahia during the inauguration of the Abia State chapter of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, a pro-Tinubu political movement. He spoke through the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Mrs Nkeiruka Onyejeocha. The Imo governor, who also serves as the National Chairman of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, said President Tinubu…

By Uche Ugboajah Even then, Senator Akpabio has not, in any shape or form since he emerged as Senate President, displayed any capacity for independent thinking or the pursuit of any public good. He is either “sending prayers” to his colleague senators or “eating while the people protest over hardship.” A few days ago, the Senate passed what it called the 2026 Electoral Bill. The House of Representatives had earlier passed its version of the same bill, and all that will happen next is the harmonisation of the two bills for onward transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs Priscilla Chidinma Otti, has empowered five survivors of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) with cash support and urged the Federal Government to strengthen enforcement mechanisms to permanently eliminate the practice nationwide. Mrs Otti made the call in Umuahia during an event marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, held at the International Conference Centre. She described FGM as a grave violation of the fundamental rights of women and girls, stressing that the practice has no medical or cultural justification and exposes victims to severe pain, infections,…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka No fewer than 80 students from Anambra State have received full sponsorship for the 2026 Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) registrations, courtesy of the Joseph Onuorah Foundation (JOF). The Foundation sponsored the 2026 JAMB registration for 55 indigent and underprivileged students drawn from various communities in Orumba North and Orumba South Local Government Areas of the state. It also extended the gesture to 25 deserving candidates sitting for the 2026 WAEC examinations in the same communities, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 80 students. In a statement signed by…