Author: Editor
Odinkalu reacts, says it’s a sobering lesson Our Reporter, Abuja The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing and determination of his bail application. The presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, also directed that Malami’s co-defendants—his son, Abubakar Malami, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe—be remanded in custody. The order followed arguments presented by the defence team, led by Joseph Daudu (SAN), and the prosecution, represented by Ekele Iheneacho (SAN). Malami and his co-defendants are facing…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Chidi Odinkalu, has strongly disputed reports claiming that 34 lawyers failed integrity tests during the recruitment process for new judges of the Federal High Court, describing the claim as “factually inaccurate” and unfair to the affected candidates. Reacting to news report that “thirty-four lawyers have been dropped from the process of being appointed judges to the Federal High Court of Nigeria after failing an integrity test introduced under new guidelines approved by the National Judicial Council (NJC)” on Monday via an X post, Odinkalu said while there were…
Our Reporter, Abuja A broad coalition of Nigerian civil society organisations has demanded answers from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the country’s security leadership following a reported United States air strike carried out on Nigerian territory on Christmas Day, raising concerns about sovereignty, civilian safety and constitutional governance. In a press statement issued on Monday under the banner, Nigerian Joint Civil Society Action, the groups expressed what they described as “grave concern and deep alarm” over both the strike itself and what they called the “silence, absence, and abdication of responsibility” by Nigeria’s political and military authorities in its aftermath.…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Ogun State Government has confirmed that two foreign nationals tragically lost their lives in a road crash involving world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State on Monday morning. According to the state government, the accident occurred shortly after 11:00 a.m. within the Makun axis of the busy expressway. This was contained in a statement issued by Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Information and Strategy. It read: “Anthony Joshua and three other individuals were travelling from Lagos to Sagamu when the sport utility vehicle they were…
Our Reporter, Abuja Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has denied claims by Oyo governor Seyi Makinde that he promised President Bola Tinubu he would “hold PDP” for him ahead of the 2027 election. Makinde had alleged that Wike made the remark during a meeting with Tinubu, saying he confronted Wike afterward and ruled out supporting Tinubu’s re-election. The claim deepened an already strained relationship between the two PDP leaders, who were both part of the G5 governors that opposed Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential bid. Responding during a media chat on Monday in PortHarcourt, Wike described the allegation…
Our Reporter, Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday launched a fresh attack on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, accusing him of openly working against the party’s interests while still claiming membership. In a press statement issued by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party said Wike’s recent end-of-year media chat, in which he reportedly described himself as the “number one supporter” of the presumptive All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate for the 2027 election, confirmed allegations of anti-party activities that led to his expulsion from the PDP. According to the PDP,…
By Okechukwu Nwanguma Compounding this crisis of security is the Tinubu administration’s fixation on revenue extraction at a time of deepening poverty and social distress. Rather than confronting corruption, waste, and elite impunity, the government appears determined to shift the burden of its policy failures onto ordinary Nigerians through aggressive and poorly sequenced taxation measures. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government has fundamentally breached the social contract with the Nigerian people—a contract implicit in his assumption of office, notwithstanding the unresolved controversy surrounding the credibility of the 2023 election conducted under a widely discredited leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission…
Our Reporter, Abuja A governance expert, Dr. Joe Abah, has blamed the persistent rise in domestic airfares on a system that benefits airlines, aviation agencies and the federal government, while leaving consumers to bear the cost. Abah gave the explanation in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, where he argued that claims by government officials that high ticket prices are solely the result of market forces are misleading. According to him, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has the power to ensure fair market pricing only on the base fare of airline tickets. This, he said, has created…
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu “A Judge who takes advantage of the judicial office for personal gain or for gain by his or her relative or relation abuses power…. such abuse of power profoundly violates the public’s trust in the judiciary.” Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rule 8:3 (2016) Eight and a half years ago, in May 2017, a viral audio clip circulated which was said to be a conversation between a male Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a female judge who, in the preceding year, presided over an election petition…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has issued the Final Transfer of Regulatory Authority Order to the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA), officially empowering ASERA as the statutory regulator of electricity sector activities in Abia State. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ASERA, Mr Emeka Onyegbule, disclosed this on Thursday in Umuahia, stating that the authority to regulate the Abia electricity market took effect from December 24, 2025. He recalled that the Nigerian Constitution was amended in 2023 to allow states to generate, distribute and transmit electricity within their jurisdictions. According to Onyegbule, following the…