By Michael Chibuzo No one saw it coming. It started on Tuesday with a short notice from the state house announcing a presidential broadcast scheduled for 7pm. After few paragraphs of President Tinubu’s national broadcast, it was obvious to keen observers that he was going to declare a State of Emergency in Rivers State. And so he did. But how did we get here? BACKGROUND TO THE WIKE VS FUBARA GAME OF THRONES The genesis of the Rivers State political crisis can be traced to a falling out between a political godfather and his godson in 2023. For whatever reason,…
Author: Michael Chibuzo
…protesters demand removal of Olu Agunloye as SDP national secretary Few days after former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), crisis has hit the SDP following calls by forces loyal to El-Rufai for the SDP National Secretary, Ola Agunloye to resign. On Wednesday, some protesters stormed the national secretariat of the Social Democratic Party in Abuja demanding the removal of Olu Agunloye as the party’s national secretary. The protesters accused Ola Agunloye, who is a former Minister of Power and Steel under the administration of President…
…harps on the need to always uphold the rule of law President Bola Tinubu, addressing political leaders from the South-South on Tuesday in Abuja, emphasised the critical need for adherence to the rule of law in Rivers State to ensure lasting peace and prosperity. During a meeting with representatives and leaders of the Niger Delta under the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), President Tinubu reiterated that respect for the judiciary is crucial in upholding democracy and fostering harmony. The President advised the leaders to be more broadminded, selfless and focused on the larger vision of salvaging the region, politically and economically,…
As the storm generated by comments made by Bashir El-Rufai regarding insecurity in Southern Kaduna continues to rage, online tweeps have unearthed past posts on X (formerly Twitter) made by the son of the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai weighing in on the disappearance of Idris Abubakar popularly known as Dadiyata in 2019. On 2nd August 2019, unidentified men abducted Dadiyata at the entrance of his home in the Barnawa neighbourhood of Kaduna metropolis and since then his whereabouts has not been established. Dadiyata was a vocal critic of the government. Following his abduction and disappearance, an online campaign…
Bashir El-Rufai, one of the sons of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has made veiled threats against residents of Southern Kaduna in an online spat with an X (formerly twitter) user. Bashir El-Rufai in response to a quoted post by a handle called AIG (@qykali), said: It is your stupid mother that is an elephant. And Southern Kaduna residents will keep seeing sheghe if they continue to attack indigenous Fulani herdsmen. Oloshi Bashir El-Rufai had earlier made a post in which he said, “conspiracy theories flying about Pablo’s former ties with SDP, then that must mean he/they have moles…
The Tinubu administration will soon begin mass electric vehicle transportation in northeast Nigeria, following the approval of a couple of electric vehicle procurement contracts by the Federal Executive Council. According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, last week, FEC approved contracts worth almost $100 million, or N151.9 billion, to supply buses and tricycles and establish charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. According to him, the council approved the contract for the supply of ten 17-seater electric buses. Bluecrest Integrated Concept Limited, the beneficiary, will supply the buses within six months for N2.9 billion. “Messrs…
The Federal Government has converted the Gombe State government-owned General Hospital, Kumo, into a Federal Medical Centre. According to a state house press release signed by Bayo Onanuga, the Kumo Federal Medical Centre is the second federal medical institution in the state, after the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe, the capital. The teaching hospital was initially a medical centre before being upgraded into a Federal Teaching Hospital. The Kumo Federal Medical Centre according to the statement will serve as a tertiary health hospital, contribute to the training of medical personnel, and boost health care service in Gombe State and the…
The Federal Government has adopted the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) in Ijagun, Ogun State as a Federal University. Established by the Ogun State Government in 2005, TASUED holds the distinguished position as Nigeria’s first specialised university of education. It was named after Dr Tai Solarin, a revered activist and the founder of Mayflower School in Ikenne. As a federal institution, TASUED will be the first federally owned tertiary school in Ogun East senatorial district. With a well-developed infrastructure and academic programme, the transition requires minimal federal investment. President Tinubu approved the adoption on Friday and thanked the Ogun…
More than a week after the Supreme Court judgement that recognised Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara in a sign of accepting defeat has invited the Martin Amaewhule-led house of assembly members to a meeting on Monday. The Monday meeting is expected to take place at the government house in Port Harcourt, according to an invitation letter dated March 7, 2025 written to the Speaker by the secretary to the state government, Tammy Danagogo. Fubara has so far chosen not to communicate directly with the Martin Amaewhule-led…
President Bola Tinubu has approved a subsidy on kidney dialysis for Nigerians suffering from kidney ailments as well as cost of radiotherapy. For dialysis, the President approved a reduction in cost for from N50,000 to N12,000 per session. For radiotherapy, the federal government will be covering up to N400,000 per session for benefitting patients. The program will be available in 10 different federal government medical institutions across the six geopolitical zones. Participating institutions include the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Ebute-Metta Lagos, the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jabi, Abuja, the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri,…