Author: Editor

…Raises alarm over plot to implicate him Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Prince Emmanuel Kanu, younger brother of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has raised the alarm over what he described as a plot by “Igbo enemies” to implicate and possibly jail him, just as they did to his brother. He said those behind the plot were the sponsors of a malicious media propaganda claiming that he is the same person as Emma Powerful, the IPOB Spokesperson. Prince Emmanuel was reacting to a social media article authored by one Stanley George, which claimed that “there…

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu When Olusegun Obasanjo returned as the president of Nigeria in May 1999, according to Mohammed Dikko (MD) Yusuf, a former Inspector-General of Police, (IGP) he “inherited a Police Force that was poorly equipped, decimated in numerical strength, deprived of necessary logistics, and lacking, as it were, moral and public support necessary for effective performance and the enhancement of the security of the nation.” Former IGP, MD Yusuf said these in the report he submitted in 2008 to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the Chair of the second Presidential Commission on Police Reform to report in as…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Catholic priest and Bishop of the Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Kukah, has flatly denied the existence of any genocide against Christians in Nigeria. Kukah, who is the Convener of the National Peace Committee (NPC), argued that genocide is not determined by the number of casualties but by intent. The bishop made the remark while presenting a paper at the 46th Supreme Convention of the Knights of St. Mulumba (KSM) in Kaduna. He said he aligned himself with the Vatican Secretary of State, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and all Catholic bishops in…

Our Reporter, Abuja  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has submitted a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, days after forwarding an initial batch of three candidates. The latest nominations were disclosed in an official statement issued on Saturday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. According to the statement, President Tinubu, in two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, urged the upper chamber to “consider and confirm expeditiously” 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees. The non-career nominees include several notable political figures: former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; former presidential…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has defended calls for foreign intervention in Nigeria’s worsening security crisis, saying the Federal Government has failed to protect citizens from relentless killings by terrorists and bandits. Speaking at the second edition of the Plateau Unity Christmas Carols and Praise Festival, held at the Ten Commandments Prayer Altar in Du, Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, Obasanjo lamented that the country is “being killed,” accusing the government of offering excuses instead of decisive action. “My brothers and sisters, I come to you today with a heavy heart. Nigeria is being killed. Nigerians…

…As ABSECTA regains accreditation of 80 programmes Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Governor Alex Otti says he is considering paying the N60 billion gratuity arrears owed Abia pensioners in installments. He also disclosed that over 27,980 applications had been received for only 4,000 teaching positions in public primary and secondary schools across the state. Similarly, Otti announced that the Abia State College of Education (Technical), Arochukwu (ABSECTA), which lost accreditation some years ago, has now regained it. Speaking during a media parley Thursday night in Umuahia, Otti said the committee set up to review the accumulated pension arrears had submitted its report.…

Our Reporter, New York  A Nigerian-born, Boston-based lawyer, Bennett Amadi, has called on the Nigerian government to seize the opportunity to resolve the case of the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, through a political settlement. He made the remark during a special episode of 90MinutesAfrica, dissecting the judgment of Justice James Omotosho, who sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on terrorism charges. The legal practitioner argued that the MNK case should not be treated as a “normal case” and therefore should be handled differently.  “Nnamdi Kanu’s case is a political case and should have been resolved politically,” Barr. Amadi stated.  He…

Our Reporter, Abuja Professor Moses Ochonu has accused President Bola Tinubu of disrespecting the people of Benue State with his comments and conduct following the Yelwata massacre, saying the President’s approach amounted to asking victims to “make peace with their killers.” Speaking on Thursday at the Ikengaonline November virtual town hall themed “Alleged Genocide, Trump’s Threat and the Propaganda Against Ndigbo,” the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in History and Professor of African History at Vanderbilt University in the United States, said Tinubu’s repeated calls for residents to “live in peace with herdsmen” were deeply offensive to a community reeling from mass…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The Ebonyi State Government has inaugurated a five-man Executive Committee (EXCO) to oversee the distribution and installation of medical equipment worth billions of naira for all general and primary healthcare facilities in the state, with Mr. Leo Ekene Oketa appointed as chairman. In a note of appreciation to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, Mr. Oketa, who also serves as the Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, expressed gratitude for the confidence reposed in the committee. He described the appointment as a privilege to contribute directly to strengthening the state’s healthcare system, in line with the governor’s…

…Says Igbo-blaming now a ‘culture and industry’ in Nigeria Our Reporter, Abuja Professor Moses Ochonu has dismissed claims that the Igbo ethnic group was responsible for Nigeria’s recent redesignation by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and related bodies, describing such allegations as “inaccurate, harmful, and rooted in Igbophobia.” Ochonu stated this on Thursday while responding to questions as co-guest speaker at the November edition of the Ikengaonline Town Hall meeting themed “Alleged Genocide, Trump’s Threat and the Propaganda Against Igbos.” The Vanderbilt University scholar said the attempt to link Igbos to the redesignation was a continuation…