Author: Editor

Our Reporter, Abuja  Arthur Christopher Mbanefo, one of Nigeria’s most distinguished accountants and a prominent figure in the country’s professional, academic and diplomatic circles, has died at the age of 95. Mbanefo, the Odu of Onitsha, was a renowned chartered accountant, elder statesman and former Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations. His death marks the end of a life defined by decades of service to Nigeria and the global community. Born on June 11, 1930, in Onitsha, Anambra State, Mbanefo received his early education at St. Patrick’s College, Calabar, before travelling to the United Kingdom, where he trained…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia  A report by Reuters, says the United States of America, has been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over a large portion of Nigeria, since late November, after President Donald Trump threatened military intervention against terrorists and bandits behind genocide against Christians in Nigeria. The surveillance flights were said to be tracking data and current and former U.S. officials show, signalling heightened security cooperation between Nigeria and the US. According to the exclusive report which was published on Monday, the purpose of the surveillance missions could not be immediately and independently confirmed. Trump had while responding to alleged Christian genocide…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia  Barely two months after the Nigerian Government came under intense pressure by President Donald Trump of the United States of America, to take action against insecurity ravaging the country, the Federal Government, Monday, officially designated kidnappers and violent armed groups operating across the country as terrorists. The designation, signaled a major escalation in the renewed crackdown against abductions, attacks on farmers and persistent community violence. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced the development during the Federal Government’s end-of-year press briefing in Abuja  According to him, the new designation marks a clear departure from treating…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Human rights advocates have raised alarm over what they describe as credible threats linked to ongoing calls for accountability over alleged abuses at the police facility known as Tiger Base in Owerri. Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), disclosed on Monday that an Owerri-based independent radio broadcaster and activist, Chinonso Uba, popularly known as Nonsonkwa, reported receiving a threat to his life earlier in the day. According to Nwanguma, the broadcaster said the threat originated from sources described as close to Tiger Base and asked that the information be…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The Wife of the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, has secured the release of 25 inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Abakaliki, as part of her 2025 Yuletide prison outreach. The intervention, which took place on Monday, saw Mrs. Nwifuru pay the fines imposed on the affected inmates, paving the way for their freedom and reintegration into society. The initiative was carried out through her pet humanitarian organisation, the BERWO Foundation, in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice. Speaking during the visit, the Controller of the Nigerian Correctional Service in…

By Kolawole Ogunbiyi  Across Nigeria’s farming communities, a quiet tragedy is unfolding, one that is often invisible to policymakers, traders, and consumers. This year, farmers worked harder than ever. They endured the soaring cost of renting farmland, battled skyrocketing prices of fertilizers and chemicals, paid labourers at rates far beyond previous seasons, and still found themselves racing against the constant intrusion of herders and cattle on their farms. Yet, when the harvest finally came, the reward for all that sweat and sacrifice was a devastating crash in grain prices. Farming has never been a simple venture, but 2025 pushed many…

Trump recalls US ambassador to Nigeria United States President Donald Trump has recalled Richard Mills, the US ambassador to Nigeria, as part of a sweeping diplomatic shake-up affecting more than two dozen American missions worldwide, with Africa emerging as the most impacted continent. Nigeria is among 15 African countries whose envoys have been recalled. Others on the continent include Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia and Uganda. In the Asia-Pacific region, the shake-up affected Fiji, Laos, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vietnam. In Europe, Armenia, North Macedonia,…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia  The Federal Government has declared Thursday, December 25, and Friday, December 26, 2025, as public holidays to mark the 2025 Christmas and Boxing Day. It also declared Thursday, January 1, 2026, a public holiday for the New Year celebration. The declaration was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr Magdalene Ajani, on behalf of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. According to the statement, the minister urged Nigerians to reflect on the values of love, peace, humility and sacrifice associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. Tunji-Ojo…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia  A group known as PDP Frontiers for Change & Progress, has lambasted those criticising the Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara over his genuine efforts to rebuild the party. The group in a statement by its National Coordinator, Hon.Ikpegbu Emeka-Yellow, described Wabara’s attackers as “APC moles and agents of destabilisation.” “It is not only mischievous but a shameless display of political naivety for anyone to fault genuine efforts by Wabara to woo a serving Governor,” the statement said. According to the group, if other political parties including the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC; and the…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation (CALMHAF) and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at deepening access to mental healthcare for Nigerians. The MoU was signed under a joint programme titled the “Total Care Mind and Body Initiative.” Speaking after the signing on Monday in Enugu, the Founder and Executive Director of CALMHAF, Rev. Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, said the historic agreement builds on an earlier courtesy visit by the UNTH Foundation team. Nwachukwu explained that the initiative would focus on providing holistic mental health support within…