The Doyin Abiola I knew
By FEMI ADESINA When you have a bachelors degree in English and Drama tucked in your belt, and follow up with higher degrees in Communication Studies up to doctoral level,…
Author: Policy and Politics
FG puts 2024 budget performance at 80% as Reps raise concerns
Isaac Samuel The Federal Government Wednesday declared that the performance of the 2024 budget has reached about 80 per cent, with critical projects still underway across the country. Minister of…
2027: We lack power to punish politicians engaging in early campaign — INEC
Isaac Samuel The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted that it currently lacks the legal powers to sanction politicians and political parties engaging in premature campaigns ahead of the…
Edun, Abbas clash as Nigeria’s debts hit N149.39trn
Isaac Samuel The Minister of Finance Wale Edun and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, on Monday, clashed over the true state of Nigeria’s debt profile. While Abbas…
You are not my mentor, Uba Sani tells El-Rufai
Isaac Samuel Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has distanced himself from claims of being under the mentorship of his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, declaring that his political inspiration comes…
Taxation, increased revenues and the limits of fiscal reforms
By ETIM ETIM If any evidence was needed to prove the efficacy of President Tinubu’s fiscal reforms, the latest report from the Ministry of Budget & National Planning would suffice.…
APC versus PDP: Will Umo Eno and Udom Emmanuel start fighting?
By ETIM ETIM The visit of former Governor Udom Emmanuel to Akwa Ibom State last Wednesday has triggered spirited discussions in some quarters, particularly because some appointees of Gov. Umo…
From Miracle to Meltdown: Botswana’s collapse is no longer a warning – It’s a Prototype
By Paul Hattingh BOTSWANA WASN’T SUPPOSED TO FALL — BUT IT DID For six decades, Botswana stood as the poster child of African stability. No coups. No hyperinflation. No dictatorships.…
How Sujimoto CEO, Ogundele, defrauded Enugu gov’t of N5.7bn – official
ENUGU VS SUJIMOTO Enugu State Government has accused the CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, Olasijibomi Ogundele, of defrauding the state of nearly N6bn, noting that Ogundele vanished into thin…
Simon Ekpa’s loyalists to appeal six-year jail sentence
Isaac Samuel Loyalists of Finland-based pro-Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, under the auspices of Biafra Republic Government in Exile (BRGIE) has vowed to appeal the six-year jail sentence handed to Ekpa,…
Pregnant Woman’s Death: Akwa Ibom Assembly demands disciplinary action against on-duty medical personnel
Comfort Isaac Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly committee on health has called on the Ministry of Health and the Hospitals Management Board, to take immediate disciplinary action against medical…
NCAA DG decries rise in aviation fraud, seeks EFCC’s intervention
Comfort Isaac The Director General, DG, of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Captain Chris Najomo has raised the alarm over the rising cases of fraudulent activities in the aviation…
We’ll not run Ibom Hotels at a loss again – Gov. Umo Eno
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has said hospitality facilities belonging to the state government would no longer be run at a loss, under his administration. Governor Eno gave…
PDP governors, Wike loyalists in showdown ahead of Nov. convention
Isaac Samuel Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have drawn a battle line with loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom…
CVR: INEC registers 2.5m in two weeks
Isaac Samuel The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that 2,532,062 Nigerians have pre-registered online in the first two weeks of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. According to…
No mistake choosing you as VP, Tinubu tells Shettima at 59
Isaac Samuel President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extolled Vice President Kashim Shettima on his 59th birthday, saying his choice of him as deputy was deliberate and has proven right. Tinubu…
Daunting challenges await new UniUyo VC
Comfort Isaac It was a chilly Wednesday evening early August at the University of Uyo Main Campus. As the rains attempted to give way for students and lecturers to go…
2027: I won’t contest against Tinubu
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has declared that that he will not be contesting in the 2027 presidential election. The former Governor of Rivers State also…
Ribadu: Federal Government not paying bandits
Press Statement Ribadu: Federal government not paying bandits The attention of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has been drawn to comments made by the former Governor of…
El-Rufai alleges FG paying bandits to halt killings
Isaac Samuel Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Federal Government of making payments to bandits in a bid to stop them from killing Nigerians. The former governor…
El Rufai: Kaduna Government paying bandits
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai has claimed that the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, is paying huge amount of money to bandits to appease them. “I…
Former Inspector general of Police, Solomon Arase, dies in Abuja hospital
A former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, died early Sunday morning in Abuja hospital. The following is a statement issued by the police authorities a short while ago: The…
Farooq Kperogi’s flaws and ethical breaches
By Abdullahi Hamzi Farooq Kperogi is rightly acclaimed as a versatile academic and a titan of Nigerian media commentary. But, a closer examination of his record reveals significant flaws and…
How Tinubu’s Exchange Rate Reforms Turned the Naira into Nigeria’s Export Engine
By Tanimu Yakubu When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration dismantled Nigeria’s rigid foreign exchange regime in 2024, critics were quick to call it a currency collapse. The naira plunged to…
Conditions now right to lift Rivers Emergency Rule – Wike
Isaac Samuel The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Saturday expressed optimism that the state of emergency declared in Rivers State would end on September 18.…
INEC fires back at ADC over claim on Osun’s voter registration figures
Isaac Samuel The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has knocked the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over claims that the number of pre-registrants recorded in Osun State during the first week…
Doctors threaten to withdraw services in Ibom Specialty, St Luke’s hospitals over poor welfare
Comfort Isaac The Nigerian Medical Association Akwa Ibom State chapter has threatened to call up members working in Ibom Multi-Specialist hospital and St Luke’s hospital in the state, if the…
2027: Atiku wants Nigerians to elect next INEC chairman, RECs
Isaac Samuel Ahead of the 2027 general elections, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has proposed that Nigerians should directly elect the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Resident…
Executive movements at Access Holdings
By ETIM ETIM Access Holdings on Thursday announced the appointment of Mr. Innocent Ike as the substantive Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Company, effective August 29, 2025, following…
APC opens 2027 presidential race to all aspirants
Isaac Samuel The All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that its 2027 presidential ticket remains open to all party members, despite broad endorsement of President Bola Ahmed for a second…
ARISE Resort Sets December 2025 Opening
By Aniekan Umanah At exactly 4:05 p.m., the convoy of Governor Umo Eno rolled into the sprawling ARISE Resort , a bold tourism project rising from what was once a…
Tinubu’s Travels And PDP Blues
By Reuben Abati “Bros, how are you preparing for weekend?” “Which weekend? Today is Tuesday, you are asking me about weekend. Have you taken something today? Weekend? How?” “Just…
CVR: Osun, Lagos leads 1.3m voter pre-registration as S’East records lowest
Isaac Samuel The South West has recorded the highest figures in the first week of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) online voter pre-registration exercise, accounting for more than 61…
2027: PDP zones presidency to South, confirms Damagum as substantive national chairman
Isaac Samuel The Peoples Democratic Party has resolved to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South while retaining the existing National Working Committee zoning formula for the November elective…
Tertiary loan scheme: Another FG’s ploy to divert attention- ASUU
Comfort Isaac The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has described the Federal Government’s Tertiary Institution Staff Support Loan Scheme, TISSLS, as yet another antics to divert attention from signing…
I will contest for presidency in 2027 – Atiku
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports suggesting he may not contest the 2027 presidential election, insisting he remains committed to the race and to rescuing Nigeria from what…
Obasanjo, Malema, over 20,000 Lawyers Converge on Enugu for 2025 NBA Conference
Enugu, the capital of the old Eastern Region, is a beehive of activities as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, firebrand South African politician, Julius Malema, and over 20,000 lawyers converge for…
Gov. Eno speaks on Comfort Emmanson-Ibom Air controversy
By ETIM ETIM Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has announced that he has waded into the dispute between Ibom Air, the state-owned airline, and Ms Comfort Emmanson, a…
Reps query NERC, firms over N59b mass metering fund
Isaac Samuel The House of Representatives has queried the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Meristem Wealth Management Limited, and NESI-Stabilization Strategy Limited (NESI-SSL) over the alleged non-utilisation of N59 billion…
Gov Eno sets committee against illegal mining in Akwa Ibom, orders revocation of lands illegally procured
Comfort Isaac Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno has inaugurated a committee to combat illegal mining activities in the state. He also directed that all lands procured by oil…
Nigerians flock to INEC portal as over 500,000 register in five days
Isaac Samuel The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said 505,906 citizens have pre-registered online for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise within just five days. INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood…
A message to political appointees in Akwa Ibom State
By ETIM ETIM I watched the Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency Town Square meeting on TV yesterday and was surprised to hear Gov. Umo Eno announce that some of his political appointees…
From Birthday Celebration to Lasting Legacy: How Tunji Bello Built an Auditorium for LASU
By Tony Onyima, Ph.D. When the ribbon was cut to unveil a gleaming new auditorium at Lagos State University (LASU), the following applause was more than just for the tall…
Ex-militants, oil firm clash over alleged poor treatment of host communities
Isaac Samuel A coalition of ex-militants under the aegis of the Niger Delta Volunteers has raised concerns over alleged neglect and poor treatment of host communities by Sterling Oil Exploration…
INEC to present certificates of return to winners of by-elections Thursday
Isaac Samuel The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that Certificates of Return will be presented to winners of the just-concluded bye-elections across the country on Thursday, August 21,…
Okello Oculi’s Banana Man: Musings On Tradition, Colonialism and Modernity
By Yusuf Bangura Nyon, Switzerland 17 August, 2025 Bangura.ym@gmail.com Published in 2019, Banana Man is the last novel of Okello Oculi, the Ugandan literary scholar who spent most of his…
Day one: INEC CVR portal attracts 26,255 Nigerians
Isaac Samuel The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise recorded 26,255 hits on its online portal by 12:35 p.m. on the first…
Paternity fraud: 25% of Nigerian men not biological fathers of children tested — Report
A new report by Lagos-based forensic laboratory, Smart DNA, has revealed that one in four Nigerian men who underwent paternity testing in the last one year were not the biological…
Key Takeaways from Our Tour of Enugu and Ebonyi States
By Bayo Onanuga We returned to Abuja on Saturday after a three-day working tour of Enugu and Ebonyi States as members of the National Communication Team, led by Alhaji Mohammed…
Violence, low voter turnout mar by-elections across states
Isaac Samuel From gunshots and ballot box snatching in Ogun to large-scale arrests of suspected thugs in Kano and widespread voter apathy in Kogi, Anambra and Oyo, Saturday’s by-elections across…