Author: Editor

Ben Ezechime, Enugu Rt. Rev. Christian Onyia, Bishop of the Anglican Communion, Diocese of Nike, Enugu State, has said that the 2023 elections, to a larger extent, did not meet the credibility criterion. Onyia said this on Saturday while delivering his Bishop’s Charge at the 2nd Session of the 6th Synod of the Diocese at the Church of the Beatitudes, Trans Ekulu, Enugu. According to him: “As expected in every contest/competition, winners have emerged. “Nonetheless, it is more honorable to accept defeat in a competition if the process and the resultant outcome are seen to be fair, open and credible.” The…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has tasked the Abia State Governor-Elect, Dr Alex Otti, on transparency and accountability. Okonjo-Iweala who gave the charge while speaking at the formal inauguration of Otti’s Transition Council, noted with regret that Nigerians had lost confidence in Government. Delivering a virtual keynote speech at the event, the  former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, said the erosion of confidence in public office holders was as a result of lack of transparency among those in power. According to her, many Nigerians no longer…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has made adequate preparations and arrangements for the forthcoming Oji River State Constituency Supplementary Election in Enugu State. Mr Rex Achumie, the INEC Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP) in Enugu State, disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu on Friday. INEC has scheduled Saturday, April 15, for the Oji River State Constituency Supplementary Election. It would be recalled that INEC declared Oji River State Constituency inconclusive following the inability of election to hold at a polling unit on March 18. Achumie noted that the supplementary election “is no big…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has been accused of cloning the identity of Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in Britain, culminating in his recent detention by UK immigration officers at Heathrow Airport in London. Peter Obi Support Network (POSN) in a statement issued Friday expressed shock at the extent the APC Government of President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to go in its bid to neutralise the influence of Obi, who it sees as a nightmare and the main threat to the stolen mandate it parades. “From spending billions of naira paying…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State Governor-Elect, Dr Alex Otti, has promised to do things differently and work towards actualising the lofty dreams of the founding fathers of the state. Otti who made the promise Friday while inaugurating the transition committee that would midwife his administration, said that Abia’s new dawn had begun. He said that he would run a slim government with few political appointments but provide an environment that would make businesses to thrive. Otti who inaugurated the committee in Aba, charged the members to produce a policy road map for his administration. The governor-elect who also said he…

By Owei Lakemfa The world seems unaware that a peace process of seismic proportions is under way. Islam is a religion with over 1.8 billion followers but its two broad movements, the Sunnis led by Saudi Arabia and the Shiites led by Iran have been in disagreement for long, sometimes leading to violent confrontations. A major difference between the movements is that while the Shiites believe that the religion should be led by descendants of the Prophet (SAW), the Sunnis do not. Over the ages, other differences emerged. However, the 1979 Iranian Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeni which abolished the 2,500 old  monarchy…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu Customers of commercial banks in Enugu State have expressed their frustrations and disappointment over inadequacies of the activities of commercial banks in the state. In separate interviews in Enugu some bank customers decried the ineptitude of the banks in their dealings with customers. Some of the customers lamented that while the failed cash swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has relapsed commercial banks are now struggling to cope with the aftermath. A customer, Mrs Florentine Ogbodo, said she transferred money through a PoS from her bank since March, adding that while the transfer was not…

Twelve female reporters from different news media organisations, completed a first three-day training to build their capacity as champions of the newsroom and news to become fellows of the 2023 Champion Building edition of the Report Women! Female Reporters Leadership Programme (FRLP) of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) took place from Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 April 2023, says Motunrayo Alaka, Executive Director/CEO of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ). The training was focused on leadership skills, investigative reporting, and mainstreaming girls and women as leaders and expert sources in the news. The resource…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Nigerian investigative Journalist and founder, Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Fisayo Soyombo, has said that the spokespersons of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) appear to be misleading the international community on the functions and use of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS machines in the February 25, presidential election in Nigeria. The ace investigative journalist also maintained that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, might not regain public confidence over its failure to transmit the results of the presidential poll via the BVAS.  Soyombo was reacting to Thursday’s international campaigns of the Tinubu…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC), has issued a damning report against the British Government for abandoning  the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu; and other British nationals abroad who are victims of political persecution. The report is sequel to petition by Kanu’s family accusing the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, of not making any substantial efforts to save Kanu, a British citizen. FAC said that the UK Government “is failing to prevent Abductor States from weaponising the citizenship of British nationals for geopolitical ends.” Kanu has remained in solitary confinement at the Abuja…