Author: Editor
Our Reporter, Abuja All abducted schoolchildren taken from St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Papiri community of Niger State have now been released, following the freedom of the final group of 130 pupils, bringing the total number rescued to 230. Officials of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) confirmed the development on Sunday. The latest release brings an end to days of fear and uncertainty for the families of the victims and marks a major breakthrough for security agencies involved in the rescue operation. With the freedom of the last group, authorities confirm that no pupil remains in…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu His Royal Majesty (HRM), Igwe Samuel Asadu, Chairman of the Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers and traditional ruler of Edem-Ani in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been honoured with the Nutrition Champion and Ambassador Award. The award was conferred by the State Committee on Food and Nutrition, in collaboration with the Local Government Committees on Food and Nutrition, during an investiture ceremony held at the People’s Palace, Ozara Edem-Ani. The event attracted government officials, community leaders, and stakeholders from the nutrition and development sectors. Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the State…
Ben Ezechime, Enugu The management of the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), Enugu, has rewarded its best research team for 2025 with a cash prize of ₦500,000 for developing a Smart Shared Metering System. Presenting the award at the institute’s 2025 end-of-year event held at PRODA headquarters in Emene, Enugu, the Director-General, Dr Peter Ogbobe, described the innovation as the first of its kind in Nigeria. “The meter-sharing system is a major innovation because the team started from scratch,” Ogbobe said. “It is a unique system that will solve many problems.” He explained that once approved and fully operational, the system…
…Says party won’t hesitate to field Otti if he defects Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, has expressed confidence that the party will bounce back strongly before the 2027 general elections. The former Senate President, who spoke with journalists in Umuahia, said the PDP would not hesitate to field Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, as its governorship candidate should the governor decide to consider the party as a platform for his second-term bid. Wabara said the ongoing efforts of the Tanimu Turaki–led National Working Committee (NWC)…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, has criticised the House of Representatives for refusing to criminalise vote-buying at the level of party primaries, describing the decision as a setback to Nigeria’s democratic reform efforts. In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Obi said Nigerians had hoped the House would take a decisive stand against what he called the “cancer of vote-buying,” but lamented that such expectations were dashed by the lawmakers’ action. According to him, by declining to outlaw vote-buying at its foundational stage, the House had chosen to “protect…
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu All judges are politicians whether they know it or not.” Enrique Petracchi, former Chief Justice of Argentina, (2002). Among lawyers trained in the traditions of the Common Law, judicial power is often mis-understood. In Nigeria, the 1999 Constitution divides the powers of the federation between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The first two are elected. Judges are not. In the elected arms, it vests the legislative and executive powers of the federation. In turn, the same constitution vests the “judicial powers of the Federation” in the courts. This suggests that judicial power is political…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, has launched a blistering attack on the Federal Government, accusing it of presiding over what he described as a dangerous descent from padded budgets to the forging of laws, warning that Nigeria’s constitutional order is under grave threat. Reacting to allegations over unlawful insertions into the newly passed tax laws in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, Obi alleged that laws currently being enforced by the executive arm of government contain provisions that were never passed by the National…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Minister of Works and former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator David Nwaeze Umahi, has come under intense criticism over his recent claim that Ndigbo should abandon the agitation for Biafra because the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has ended all forms of marginalisation against the Igbo. However, Igbo groups in the diaspora, including the American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Rising Sun Foundation, and Ambassadors for Self-Determination, have strongly disagreed with the minister’s position. In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the groups described Umahi’s remarks as “unguarded” and an “insult to the sensibilities…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has vowed not to seek any political office after completing his tenure as governor. Otti made the declaration while reacting to allegations in a viral video that his recent visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, was motivated by an alleged vice-presidential ambition. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, the governor dismissed the claims, insisting that he harbours no vice-presidential, presidential or senatorial ambition after leaving office. While acknowledging…
By Owei Lakemfa It is difficult to be a patriot when you don’t know where the truth lies. It is good to stand by your country. But at least, you should know where your country stands to be able to stand by it or with it. However, where the vision is blurred, it becomes difficult to know where to stand. That is the dilemma of not a few Nigerians. But let us start from the good news that the eleven Nigerian military officers on board the C-130 aircraft that made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso were freed on December…