Author: Editor
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has sparked a fresh political storm after issuing a scathing “thank you” message to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, alleging that the elder statesman “belongs to the zoo.” The unusual message, sent via SMS and made public on Monday by Obasanjo’s Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, came barely 24 hours after the former President attended Fayose’s 65th birthday celebration. According to Akinyemi, Fayose’s message sharply criticised Obasanjo over comments the former President reportedly made at the event. Fayose’s Fierce Rebuke In the text message, Fayose thanked Obasanjo for attending his birthday but…
Chinwendu Uzoatu, Awka The Anambra State chapter of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW) has celebrated the 2025 Chinua Achebe Literary Festival and Memorial Lecture. The 10th edition of the annual event had the theme: “Revisiting The Trouble With Nigeria: The Achebean Perspective.” Held at the Anambra State Central E-Library, Awka, the festival attracted students, writers, and notable dignitaries. In his welcome address, the state coordinator of SYNW, Mr. Izunna Okafor, said the event was not only aimed at honouring the late literary icon, Chinua Achebe, and his globally acclaimed works but also at promoting creative writing and a strong…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Insecurity in northern Nigeria worsened on Sunday night as armed bandits invaded Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing the vice principal and abducting 25 female students. According to local sources, the attackers, who were heavily armed and in large numbers, stormed the school at night and began shooting sporadically before gaining access to the hostels. Unconfirmed reports also indicated that additional bodies were sighted within the school premises after the raid. “They came in large numbers at night and started shooting wildly before entering the school,” a community source said.…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The Ebonyi State Government has trained and empowered 100 young people with market-ready skills and start-up equipment as part of ongoing efforts to build a skilled, self-reliant workforce in the state. The beneficiaries completed a three-month intensive vocational programme, which ran from August 15 to November 15, 2025. The initiative was organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Job Creation in partnership with Genolanor Interior Design, Abuja. According to the Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Leo Ekene Oketa, the programme aligns with Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s commitment to youth development as outlined in…
Our Reporter, Abuja Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has encouraged the Super Eagles not to be discouraged by their defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Sunday’s 2026 World Cup qualifying playoff in Morocco. In a statement after the game, Obi said he understood how disappointing the result was for the players and the millions of Nigerians who had hoped for a victory. He commended the team for their hard work and sacrifice, noting that wearing the nation’s colours comes with the weight of high expectations. Obi urged the players to…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Victims of police brutality and extra-judicial killings in Abia State have protested the non-payment of the N511 million compensation approved for them by the State Government on the recommendation of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry. In a petition signed by Dr. Osita Nwabuko and Harrison Ikwue, the victims lamented that while several states had since complied with the Federal Government’s directive to compensate victims of police brutality, Abia State had failed to do so. Police brutality triggered the 2020 #EndSARS nationwide protests, which culminated in the killing of demonstrators at the Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos. Following public…
The Super Eagles saw their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico fade away after losing 4-3 to the Leopards on penalties at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday night. The encounter ended in a 1-1 draw, with a tired-looking Nigeria side, who had played 180 minutes against Gabon in midweek, taking their foot off the pedal after making a promising start to the game, and Congo capitalising to take the match to extra-time before eventually winning on penalties. Super Eagles off to a bright start The Super…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Barely a week after his altercation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, a naval officer, Lt. A.M. Yerima, on Sunday evening escaped an alleged assassination attempt in Abuja. According to reports, the officer was trailed by unidentified men dressed in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans with no number plates. The suspects allegedly followed him from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Kubwa Expressway to Gado Nasco Way. Sensing danger, Yerima was said to have executed a “strategic maneuver,” successfully evading the suspected assailants. The incident reportedly occurred around…
By Mukaila Kareem I do not write about politics and in all my newspaper work I have published only one political article. That was when a Nigerian Minister of Finance was removed from office over a controversy involving her participation in the National Youth Service Corps. The NYSC was created to integrate freshly minted graduates under thirty into every part of the country through a one-year national placement outside their ethnic region. My writing usually comes from my lived experience in the village, my trade of physiotherapy and the ancestral benchmark of farming and hunting and gathering societies. These elements…
By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu An unlikely coincidence of ballots in a forty-five day period from the middle of September to the end of October 2025 has cast a new light on the state of democratic governance in Africa and now threatens to unscramble the ritual hollowness that has become the fate of elections on the continent under the indifferent watch of the African Union and other regional institutions in Africa. How the continent’s leaders and institutions handle the aftermath could have serious implications for the stability of the continent. On 16 September, Malawi went to the polls to elect their…