Author: Editor

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki  Wife of Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, and former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, have called for gender equality and empowerment of women in Nigeria. The duo made the call in separate statements they issued to mark this year’s International Women’s Day. They also called for concerted efforts to eradicate Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country. Anyim in his statement noted the strength, resilience, and brilliance of every woman and girl in Nigeria and across the world. He described women as the heartbeat of every home and the backbone of our economy “On this International…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka No fewer than 100 women have taken to the streets of Anambra State to demand for the elimination of gender-based violence, child abuse and other fetish practices in their communities. The women, during their rally in Idemmili North Local Government Area, urged the leadership of communities to institute measures that ensure women inclusion and equality, end child abuse, domestic violence and other fetish practices like ritual killings, among others.  The rally was organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with VAPPLIC  with support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption programme, and powered by Supporters…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu  A corps member serving in Enugu State, Chidubem Okafor, has emerged winner of Fidelity Bank entrepreneurship grant meant for members in Enugu. Presenting the grant to Okafor, at a ceremony entitled “1st Quarter NYSC GAIM Season 6 Promo Winners,” Mrs Ivuoma Nwosu, the Sales Coordinator of the bank’s Enugu Region, said the grant was to help him start something after service. According to her, the gesture cuts across states in Nigeria to empower benefiting youth corps members. She disclosed that aside Okafor in Enugu State, eight other youth corps members across eight states also benefitted, stressing…

The celebrated thinker and writer is at her best not in the realm of fiction, but of fact Dream Count. By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Knopf; 416 pages; $32. Fourth Estate; £20 Can you be a good polemicist and a good novelist? To judge by the accolades offered to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, you can. Her novels have been lavished with awards and praise: “Americanah,” her third novel, won a National Book Critics Circle award in 2013 and was named one of the New York Times’s 100 best books of the century. Meanwhile, her polemics have been acclaimed by readers and, better…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State is reportedly unhappy with the insecurity at the Jerome Udoji Secretariat, Awka, the state capital.  Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, disclosed this Thursday when he played host to DSC Chioma Nnaewuru, the new Civil Defence Officer in charge of the Secretariat Complex. Addressing the new officer, Mefor, who decried the security challenges in the secretariat, charged her to be ambitious, analytical, and clear about what is needed to ensure full security in the state secretariat to be sent to the governor.  He said the security situation in the secretariat…

By Azu Ishiekwene The live drama staged in the Oval Office on February 28 between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was such that Zelenskyy might never have rehearsed in all his former life as a comedian. Except that it wasn’t funny. It was unprecedented. You would need to go back 64 years to find anything nearly as nasty as the Trump-Zelenskyy shouting match, with Trump’s deputy, JD Vance, enthusiastically fanning the flames.  The showdown between John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev before the Cuban Missile Crisis was hair-raising, but it wasn’t before a global…

Our Reporter, Abuja  Dr Doyin Okupe, former spokesman to President Olusegun Obasanjo, has died, aged 72. According to Arise TV, he died in a private hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos, Lagos State. Dr Okupe who had made public his battle with prostrate cancer, served as special assistant on media and publicity to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. When  President Goodluck Jonathan was having it tough with the media, Okupe was brought in as a senior special assistant on public affairs to the former President. Interestingly, Dr Okupe was the director-general of the Peter Obi Campaign Organisation in 2023. He later…

Ugo Nosiri, Owerri The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has inaugurated the reconstructed 8.7 kilometres Aba-Owerri-Nkworji road, located in Nkwere LGA of Imo State. The Chairman  of the Governing Board NDDC, Mr Chiedu Ebie, during the inauguration, reiterated the commission’s commitment to providing infrastructural development to the Niger Delta region. Mr Ebie thanked the Imo State Government for being supportive to the leadership of the commission and promised to continue contributing to the development of the state. The governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, in his reply applauded the commission for demonstrating unity in conducting the affairs of the NDDC.  He explained…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Abia State Government has intensified awareness campaign against glaucoma, which experts describe as “the silent thief of sight.” This is as the State has declared one week of free eye examination in all the eye care centres across the state beginning from March 13. Speaking at a road march in Umuahia to mark this year’s World Glaucoma Day scheduled for next week, the Administrator, Abia State Eye Health Management Bureau, Dr Mrs Betty Emeka- Obasi, called for collaboration among the stakeholders for sustained awareness campaign against glaucoma. Dr Mrs Emeka-Obasi who doubles as the Senior Special Assistant…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Chairman of Isi-Uzo Local Government Area, of Enugu State, Mr Obiora Obeagu says that Tuesday’s protest by some women of Eha-Amufu communities, was deliberate misinformation and politicisation of security matters in the Local Government by some political actors. He said the recent video of women protesting alleged killings by Fulani herdsmen in Eha-Amufu community were propelled by “total misinformation” and not a true reflection of current security realities in the LGA. In a statement he personally signed made available to newsmen, he  described as a callous attempt to dent and enmesh in controversy through acts of misinformation. He…