Author: Editor
Our Reporter, Abuja WomenAid Collective (WACOL) has joined hands with Ford Foundation in a move to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in Anambra State. The group on Wednesday, at Don Ritz Hotel Awka, commenced a two-day Women’s Rights Advocacy and Leadership Training of 50/50 Action Women for the elimination of violence against women and girls in Anambra State. The training is said to be aimed at enhancing the capacity and advocacy skills of community women leaders and advocates, for the promotion as well as the protection of women’s rights in their respective communities. After the…
I spoke to Dr Chinelo’s father. We have a mutual friend. He is in pain. He told me that he did his NYSC in Kaduna in 1982. He had fond memories of Kaduna before this descent to chaos. He doesn’t know how to get to Kaduna. Airlines are cancelling flights, train from Abuja is not an option, the road to Kaduna is under the control of bandits. I told him Nigeria did not happen to you. Bad governance did. It was in Nigeria that Igbos who returned to the North after the war got the rents their neighbours collected on…
“As long as my Ikenga is active, I can wrestle in the land of the spirits” – Igbo proverb In precolonial Nigeria, the Igbo administrative unit was some sort of a quasi-democratic republican system of government. It was a system deeply rooted in the people and guaranteed equality among its citizens, as opposed to a feudal system where a king lorded over his subjects in an empire. The Igbo society at the time could be described as acephalous, operating a system devoid of centralization. Village by village rule fostered participatory democracy based on strong traditional values and beliefs. Every…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Governor Nasir El-Rufai, of Kaduna State, Wednesday, blasted the Nigerian military for failing to prevent the attack by terrorists on Abuja-Kaduna bound passenger train on Monday that claimed the lives of no fewer than eight out of the 970 passengers on board while scores of others were wounded and abducted by the terrorists. El-Rufai, who said he was “frustrated and helpless”, alleged that the military knew the location of the bandits behind genocidal attacks in parts of the state but for reasons only known to it, had refused to bomb their hideouts. The aggrieved governor queried the…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia In an apparent move to douse the nationwide anger over the crashing out of the Super Eagles in this year’s World Cup competition in Qatar following their 1-1 draw with the Black Stars of Ghana, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, has apologised to Nigerians as well as the Federal Government over the poor performance of the national team. NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, regretted that Super Eagles failed to qualify despite the enormous support by both the Government and Nigerians. Sanusi in a statement obtained by Ikengaonline, Wednesday, regretted that the hope of Nigerians who thronged…
Nigeria does not have a constitution, according to renowned human rights lawyer, Femi Falana. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria said this on Sunday on 90MinutesAfrica hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo and Chido Onumah. “What we call a constitution or what our courts refer to as a constitution is a legal document which is better called Decree 24 of 1999 signed into law by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar,” he noted. Falana, who is a principal partner at Falana and Falana Chambers, said the Nigerian constitution is not “a legitimate document, but a legal document which we had all thought was going to…
Our Editor, Abuja Popular actor and entertainment guru, Kanayo O. Kanayo has rubbished the rumour of his death that has been circulating in the media, describing it as the handiwork of jobless and devious people. In a telephone conversation with Ikengaonline Wednesday night, the actor, lawyer, and businessman, said he had earlier debunked the wicked rumour and would not want to give it more unnecessary traction by going over it again. “You know in this country some people will simply buy a phone, load it with data and begin to spread falsehood about other people, including false news about their deaths.…
Ike Mmachi, Abakaliki. A former senator in Ebonyi State, Senator Julius Ucha, has declared his intention to vie for the governorship position of the state under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2023. Ucha made the declaration when he paid a courtesy call on the State Working Committee of the party. His words: “I am here to inform the party leadership of my intention to run for the governorship of Ebonyi State come 2023. It is over a month now that the political space was thrown open by our leader and we are also aware that…
Chukwudike Ndubeze, Awka The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has rejected move by the Federal Government to name the Onitsha second Niger Bridge after President Muhammadu Buhari. The group registered their protest in a statement issued on Wednesday by the IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, who stated that the bridge should be named after Chinua Achebe, late Dora Akunyiri, Joe Achuzia or other accomplished Igbo patriots, and not Buhari. Powerful made this call in response to a statement by Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, that the Second Niger Bridge has been named after the President. The statement made…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Abia State chapter, Tuesday, put on hold, a peaceful rally it had earlier planned over accumulated salary arrears to doctors at Abia State University Teaching Hospital, ABSUTH; and their counterparts at the state’s Health Management Board. According to NMA, the planned rally was to protest 26 months, and 11 months salary arrears owed doctors at both institutions. NMA gave the state Government two weeks to pay at least 80% of the accumulated salary arrears of doctors at the affected institutions or the union would push ahead with the planned protest.…