Igbos are fleeing Enugu state and other parts of the eastern region in massive drove as the proscribed terror group, IPOB, continues its terror campaign characterized by killings and abductions. Their choice destination is Lagos State, the country’s commercial capital in the west. Enugu, the former capital of the eastern region, became untenable for residents who are caught between the gunfire of marauding IPOB agents and government sanctions over compliance with IPOB restrictions. The government began clamping down on businesses and individuals obeying the sit-at-home order issued by IPOB, after warning them against doing so. But residents insist that the…
Author: Albus Dauda
Nigeria’s famed ‘third force’ political organization, the Labour Party, campaigned as the forerunners of a ‘new Nigeria’ in the last general elections. But no sign of that has emerged in Abia State, the only state where the party managed a disputed victory in the country. Alex Otti, its governor, has maintained the old and widely criticised tradition of waste, abuse of government processes and non-transparency, disappointing expectant voters who thought his election would prove a turning point for the poor state. Although Otti promised to prune down the size of government by abandoning the practice of appointing numerous aides, many…
Stella Okotete, aged 39, is going to be a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Not because there is an absence of opposition to her nomination and now certain confirmation, but because lazy gossip and lies cannot set fire to decades of unparalleled excellence. Her rise to the Federal Executive Council, the foremost organ of the country’s executive branch of government, caps a norm-defying career. She, at once, shattered a glass ceiling for women and young people, highlighting the breathtaking pace of progress the country is recording under the reformative leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For agents of…
Nigerians have expressed dissatisfaction at the NLC’s insistence on staging a protest on Wednesday, August 2, despite President Tinubu’s Tuesday reassuring address promising immediate economic relief, particularly in the major areas of food and transportation cost. They wondered why the labour union intends to continue with the protest action, which could cause chaos, when the government has already addressed all of its listed demands, including the provision of buses to cut transportation costs and the release of over 200,000 metric tonnes of grains and other staples to ensure access to affordable food. The government has also committed to the imminent…
Critics have accused Abia state governor, Alex Otti, of betraying his promise to run a lean government following his recent appointment of over 50 aides, including forgotten music and entertainment stars. Otti whose victory on the platform of the Labour Party remains a subject of legal dispute, had promised to tow a different path to previous administrations in the state by not “appointing special assistants who basically do not have an office but collect a salary every month.” He vowed to cut down the cost of governance by keeping the size of government to the bearest minimum, prioritizing instead high-impact…
AFTER DARKNESS COMES THE GLORIOUS DAWN My fellow citizens, I want to talk to you about our economy. It is important that you understand the reasons for the policy measures I have taken to combat the serious economic challenges this nation has long faced. 2. I am not going to talk in difficult terms by dwelling on economic jargon and concepts. I will speak in plain, clear language so that you know where I stand. More importantly, so that you see and hopefully will share my vision regarding the journey to a better, more productive economy for our beloved country.…
In 2015, while undergoing Senate screening as a ministerial nominee, former Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola delivered a line that is now one of the most memorable political quotes in the country: “May our loyalty never be tested”. Most political actors certainly agree with the supplication. But few managed to escape the fate in the last general elections, particularly members of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). From the primary stage to the election proper, the stiff presidential race tested the durability of the alliances that gave birth to the party and the individual loyalty of some of its most prominent…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the removal of all restrictive conditions previously posed to beneficiaries of the administration’s student loan offers. The loans, recently passed into law by the president, will now be available to any household or individual that may desire financial support. The new directive was announced in a statement by presidential spokesman, Dele Alake, earlier today. He said, “In line with his promise to ensure no Nigerian student abandons his or her educational pursuits as a result of lack of money and economic circumstances of their parents, President Tinubu has also approved the removal of all…
The ministerial nomination of Nasir El Rufai, the immediate-past governor of Kaduna state, has greatly rattled Shehu Sani, the Senator who represented Kaduna Central between 2015 – 2019. Obviously still reeling from their previous political clash which resulted in his disgraceful exit from the Red Chamber and anti-climatic reduction to a social media commentator, Sani has embarked on a media campaign aimed squarely at tarnishing El Rufai’s imminent cabinet role. He is presently on an interview spree as a self-appointed chief analyzer of the administration’s unfolding cabinet. In this role he carved for himself, he has talked himself hoarse about…
Ngozi Okolie, the member representing Aniocha/Oshimili Constituency in Delta State on the platform of the Labour Party, has been sacked by the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba. The nullification of his victory is due to circumstances surrounding his nomination as the party’s candidate as the court found that he was not a duly registered member of the party when the primary took place. In its judgment delivered today, July 24, the Tribunal held that Okolie was not duly sponsored by the Labour Party as he was not a member of the party as of May 28, 2022,…