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Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has said he believes the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, should be released unconditionally. Okechukwu made the assertion while responding to questions as a guest speaker at the August edition of the Ikengaonline town hall meeting, on Thursday. The ex-DG of VON spoke on the theme: “Party Platforms and the South-East Agenda in 2027.” He said he shared the opinion of the majority of Ndigbo that Kanu should be released…
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The second batch of the Abia Leadership Academy trainees, an initiative aimed at building a large community of leaders in the state and beyond, has successfully graduated from the one-week intensive programme. Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Alex Otti said his intention for the programme was to re-direct the people to become better citizens. He, therefore, tasked the graduands with continuous learning. “My charge to you will be to keep learning, share, and influence the behaviour of others based on leadership. “Leadership is the ability to influence and drive outcomes. So, what we actually set out to…
Our Reporter, Abuja Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has condemned the Federal Government’s newly announced increase in the cost of international passports, describing it as another burden on already suffering Nigerians. Obi, in a statement on Thursday, said the hike further exposed the administration’s “disconnect from the people and their struggles.” “The obsession of this administration with putting a burden on the populace is becoming legendary and continues to reveal its apparent disconnect with the people and the suffering,” Obi said. The Federal Government recently raised the cost of international passports…
Our Reporter, Abuja Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has advised Ndigbo to forge stronger political alliances across the country as the 2027 general elections draw closer. Speaking on topic, “Party Platforms and the South-East Agenda in 2027,” at the August edition of the Ikenga Town Hall on Thursday, Okechukwu, who described himself as belonging to the “Zikist spectrum,” argued that the progress of the South-East is tied to Nigeria’s prosperity. “I believe in a pan-Nigerian nation where every citizen can prosper. If Nigeria prospers, the Igbos will prosper, because we are hardworking, industrious, and…
Lawrence Nwimo, Awka The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri Zone, has urged the Federal Government to address the union’s long-standing grievances and stop pushing lecturers in public universities “into sorrow.” The union made the call while rejecting the Tertiary Institutions Staff Support Fund (TISSF) initiative of the Federal Government, insisting that it was wrong to encourage lecturers to go into further debt. TISSF is a programme funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and TETFund, designed to support the well-being, career development, and financial stability of staff in tertiary institutions across the country. Speaking at a press conference…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki The remains of eleven Ebonyi indigenes brutally murdered in Ogboji, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, were on Thursday laid to rest in their various communities across Ebonyi State. Those laid to rest were: Ikechukwu Nwafor, Ebenezer Nwigbo, Uche Alegu, Monday Ofoke, Chidera Utobo, Akam Okechukwu, Sunday Offim, Sunday Ugada, Clement Ofoke, Chidera Nwogbala, and Sunday Nweke. The victims, who hailed from Izzi, Ikwo, and Ezza North Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State, were massacred on May 30, 2025, by gunmen while attending an Ebonyi indigenes’ meeting in Ogboji. Seventeen people were reportedly shot during…
By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu The looting going on in Nigeria surpasses whatever the goggled dictator General Sani Abacha was touted to have looted. I guess it was after witnessing the current looting of the day that Abacha’s wife made the claim that General Abacha’s quid saved for Nigeria has been looted! Let it be recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari made loud his deposition that Abacha stole no money! Which stands to reason because even in death Abacha keeps donating money to Nigeria. No ancestor has ever been this good to the Giant of Africa. What a benevolent ancestor, even…
…5-yr visa now N100k, 10-yr, N200k Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has increased visa fee by 100%. This is coming barely a year after the Federal Government approved an earlier upward adjustment in August 2024, which took effect from September 1, 2024. The new fees according to a statement signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, ACI AS Akinlabi, will take effect from September 1, 2025, and apply only to applications made within Nigeria. Immigration said the adjustment was aimed at maintaining the quality and integrity of the Nigerian passport while ensuring accessibility for citizens. The statement read in part: “The…
…Calls for Probe Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Abia State chapter, has accused the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, of sidelining its members in the disbursement of the African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Smallholder Farmers Initiative. AFAN also alleged that the Commissioner generated a fake list of beneficiaries and called for a probe into the process adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture in compiling the list. Abia is one of seven pilot states selected to implement the continental programme, which is designed to empower smallholder farmers with access to finance,…
Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki A policeman was killed on Wednesday in Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s South-East, when a team of policemen clashed with officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The incident happened at a mining site in Amaeze community, Ivo Local Government Area of the state. Chairman of Ivo Local Government Area, Emmanuel Ajah, confirmed the incident on Thursday when contacted. He said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ivo Division briefed him about the tragic confrontation between the two security agencies. “I was informed by the DPO that there was a clash involving the police and civil…