Author: Editor

By Jude Eze Watching Malam Nasir el-Rufai, the executive governor of Kaduna State in the evening of Thursday February 16, make a counter state-wide broadcast to President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier verdict in a nationwide address on the naira redesign policy, made me reminisce the tragic story of May 30, 1967. That was the fated date when the Late Igbo Leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, used his power as the Governor of Eastern region, to make a counter pronouncement to the creation of 12 states by then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and declared Eastern Nigeria “Independent State of Biafra.”…

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu On Saturday, 25 February, 2023, Nigerians will vote in an election to select the successor to the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari. This will be the seventh consecutive cycle of presidential elections since the country returned to civil rule in May 1999; the 10th since the onset of the presidential system of government in 1979. Nigeria’s start to the presidential system of government is by no means auspicious. The military supervised the first ballot in August 1979, which installed Shehu Shagari as Nigeria’s first elected president. The election ended up before the Supreme Court, establishing what would become a…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Vice Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Prof Aloysius-Okolie, has urged 6,313 students offered admission into various disciplines in the Institution for the 2022/2023 academic session, to eschew examination malpractices, ‘sorting’ for grades, cultism and other social vices. He congratulated the students on their successful admission into the Institution, and urged them to always pay the approved fees and register their courses within stipulated time to maintain their studentship. Okolie made the call at the permanent site of the university, at Agbani, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, during the…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Anambra State Government has received the interim report of the Anambra State Truth, Justice and Peace Committee. The State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, received the report at the Executive Chambers, Government House, Awka. Speaking shortly before the presentation, the Chairman of the committee, Professor Chidi Odinkalu who joined virtually, said that during the course of their assignment, they interviewed ninety-one witnesses in over twenty communities, thirteen federal agencies, four different states and other countries including South Africa, Argentina and Denmark. Professor Odinkalu explained that they discovered that there is no simple narrative to the crises of insecurity across…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Anxiety has enveloped the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State as the former Chairman of the party and one of its governorship aspirants, Senator Emma Nwaka, has filed a suit against the party’s February 4 fresh governorship primary. This is coming barely 72 hours after the PDP Vice Chairman, Abia South, Chief David Chigbu, dumped the party and declared support for Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, describing the PDP as “a nest of liars.” PDP conducted a fresh primary on February 4, that produced Chief Okey Ahiwe following the sudden death of its…

 Kabiru Ande, Abuja A member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Alhaji Seidu Baba, has said that the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is not and cannot  be the candidate of the North. The Northern Elder stated this to journalists at the 10th Anniversary of the NEF, which held recently in Abuja. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President, allegedly has been scheming to be endorsed as the sole candidate of the North. However, the Northern Elder said there is no such thing, as Northerners do not believe in Atiku’s candidature. He dismissed…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The ADM Basketball team from Enugu, on Friday won the third edition of the Sports, Music and Culture (SMAC) Basketball Tournament, tagged “basketball redefined” in Enugu. At the final match, played at the Indoor Sports Hall of the  Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, ADM defeated Black Tigers Basketball team 12-6. The tournament, which was sponsored by a basketball enthusiast, Arinze Nnaji, had 16 teams from Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu participating. The Hawks, another team from Enugu, beat Ebonyi team 12-11 in the third-place match. The winner went home with N100,000, the second-placed team N50,000 while the third-place winner pocketed…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Amid threats by some unpatriotic elements to stop elections in the South-East geopolitical zone during the forthcoming polls, security agencies, Saturday, embarked on ‘Operation Show of Force Joint Patrol’ around senatorial districts in Abia State, to re-assure residents of their safety and protection. Commissioner of Police, Abia State, Mustapha Mohammed Bala, who addressed newsmen during the patrol, said water-tight security arrangements had been put in place to ensure that the polls were  hitch-free in the state. He said that security agencies in the state would stop at nothing in ensuring the protection of lives and property before,…

By Agbo, Ochonu & Kperogi In the face of existential challenges facing Nigeria and leading up to the 2023 presidential election, the ensuing conversation arose among three Nigerians in the Diaspora on the way forward for a nation in crisis. Osmund: During our last chat, we spent quite a bit of time interrogating Mr. Peter Obi’s candidacy, weighing in on his prospects and challenges in the upcoming election. Though miles apart on some of the issues, we still were able to arrive at a consensus in a few other areas. We also touched on Tinubu and Atiku but not to the…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki Unknown assailants in the early hours of Friday attacked the home of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Izizi/Abakaliki Federal Constituency, Barnabas Ofoke, destroying cars and other property. Spokesperson of the PDP in Ebonyi State, Chika Nwoba, in a statement on Friday accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State for being responsible for the attack. The House is located in Izzi Local Government Area. Both Mr Ofoke and the APC governorship candidate and Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru, are from the local government. Ikengaonline could not independently verify his claim of APC involvement in the attack.…