Author: Editor

By Arinze Chijioke In November 2021,  a Twitter user shared series of disturbing videos which captured moments when some young men were stripped of their cloths and had their hands and legs tied to pillars and beaten for either smoking Methamphetamine, popularly known as Mkpurummiri, or selling the substance. In one of the videos, youths of Ebenato Ekwe, a community in Isu LGA of Imo State were heard chanting “no more dealer” as they flogged a young man — whom they claim was a dealer in Meth. Since the last quarter of 2021, the South-East region has witnessed what is best…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has trained over 200 participants drawn from different tertiary institutions in the South-East on the use of its newly introduced digital platforms to improve communication and ease admission processes. They were trained on Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) and Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS) newly introduced by the Board for quality and efficient services. The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in his opening remarks said that the training was aimed at bridging the communication gap between JAMB, tertiary institutions and its regulatory agencies. Oloyede, who spoke via zoom said they  engaged the…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Foundation of Nollywood superstar and lawyer, Kanayo O. Kanayo, has announced a tuition-free university scholarship to 100 Nigerians. The celebrity who disclosed this in a video on his social media handle, said the gesture which is in partnership with Weldios University, Benin Republic, was part of the Kanayo O. Kanayo Foundation initiative and commitment to offer some support to educationally-disadvantaged Nigerians. “We have entered into a partnership with Weldios University Benin Republic to offer tuition-free scholarship to 100 Nigerians to pursue first degree in any discipline offered in the university,” he declared. According to him, applicants must…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Findings by Ikengaonline have revealed that Abia State is yet to meet its quota of ad hoc staff being recruited by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the 2023 general election. INEC had on September 14 commenced online recruitment of ad hoc staff to be engaged in the conduct of the 2023 polls. Disclosing the shortfall in a chat with Ikengaonline, Head, Voter Education, INEC, Abia State, Mrs Rebecca Jim, said that only little above 10,000 people had applied from the state. She said that 16, 248 ad hoc staff were required from the state but only little above 10,000 had…

Ben Ezechime, Enugu The Zonal Director, South-East Legal Aid Council, Mr Oliver Chukwuma, has said that, Enugu State and Anambra were the only states giving financial support to the Legal Aid Council in Nigeria. He said this in Enugu at a one-day sensitisation of stakeholders workshop on the Role and Responsibility of Legal Aid Council in the Administration of Justice in South-East, organised by the Federal Ministry of Justice. In his paper entitled “the Statutory Role and Responsibility of the Legal Aid Council,” he said that lack of adequate funding was the biggest challenge facing the council. “The Legal Aid Council is faced with…

Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki Stakeholders in Ebonyi State have called for measures to ensure sustainability of the interventions being supported by the United States Agency for  International Development (USAID) State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness, (State2State) Activity in the state. The stakeholders comprising senior government officials and members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who constitute the State Transformation Committee (STC) made the call  during the STC’s Quarterly Meeting which held at Cirenes Hotels Abakaliki. Speaking at the event, the State Team Lead of USAID State2State Activity, Dr. Sam Onyia, recalled that the STC was established in April 2021 by Governor David Umahi,…

Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative journalism, WSCIJ, Dr Motunrayo Alaka, has said that both accountability journalism and democracy are under threat in Nigeria. The WSCIJ boss who made the remark at the 17th  Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporters held in Lagos, noted with deep concern, the pool of risk journalists are faced with daily in the discharge of their duties. She regretted that although Nigeria is a democratic state, journalists still operate under hostile environment, a sad development she said, should not obtain under democratic dispensation. Dr Motunrayo, however, noted that despite the…

By Ike Okonta Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum. When you cease to participate in political activities in your country, other actors will rise up and take your place, and their doings may not be to your liking. That is what has happened to the Nigerian Left since 1999. It is beyond dispute that this political tendency, with the support of students, workers, peasants, market women, the unemployed and plain ordinary folk broke the spine of military dictatorship in our country and ushered in the democratic government that has now been in place for 23 years. But an unfortunate development…

Lawrence Nwimo, Awka Spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, has been awarded the certificate of excellence as the best crisis communication manager on security affairs, among the spokespersons of security agencies in the South-East. The award was conferred on Ikenga  by the Jury of Security and Emergency Management (SAEMA), during the Police Public Relations Officer Conference in Kakanfo Inn & Conference, Ibadan, Oyo State, Monday.  The Chairman of the Panel of Jury, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas Rtd, while conferring the honour, lauded Ikenga for his effective media relations and professionalism.  He noted that since the appointment of…

By Sylvanus Isa There are certain routine events and developments within the National Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) that are worthy of mention. Just on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, in Abuja, NAFDAC flagged off its nationwide media sensitization workshop on dangers of bleaching creams and arising from those dangers, the obligatory regulatory controls, which was organized for Association of Nigerian Health Journalists. The agency’s decision to carry along a critical stakeholder group in the sensitization exercise was surefooted: the media will deploy their various platforms in expanding and extending the frontiers of advocacy for government’s effort through the…