THE new red flag raised in the House of Representatives over the scourge of narcotic drugs, especially among the youth of the country, is a call for the intensification of efforts to tackle the drug menace in our society. The story of drug abuse in Nigeria started with marijuana or weeds. But from the 1980s […]

THE recent tragic kidnap and murder of five-year-old Miss Hanifa Abubakar by her teacher, Abdulmalik Tanko, in Kano, elicited a number of knee-jerk reactions by people in high places which must be called to order. Governor Umar Ganduje, while on a condolence visit to the family of the deceased, vowed to sign the death sentence […]

WITH Nigeria’s sudden,  unexpected exit from the ongoing African Cup of Nation, AFCON 2021, in Cameroun, the near-unanimous clamour for Austin Eguavoen to be appointed the full-time Super Eagles’ Head Coach has dissipated into uncertainty.

In the middle of 2021, the Federal Government served notice that it would, as from June 2022, end petrol subsidy in line with the new Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, which has commercialised the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. However, as the new year unfolded, Organised Labour started making ready for a warning strike. It finally […]

NEGLECTED Tropical Diseases, NTDs, are a diverse group of diseases or infections caused by various pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and other parasites and toxins, that occur predominantly in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world.  They are widespread in the poorest and neglected regions and thrive among populations where safe water, good sanitation and […]

About three weeks after the dramatic display of rice pyramids in Abuja on January 16, 2022, to showcase the “arrival” of Nigeria as a major rice producer under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, what next? The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria, […]

WE wish to, once again, urge President Muhammadu Buhari to abandon his intention to “revive” what he refers to as “grazing reserves” allegedly gazetted in the First Republic. This issue returned to the front burner last week when he approved the so-called review of 368 “grazing reserves” in 25 states of the federation as presented […]

THE crash-out of the Super Eagles from the ongoing African Cup of Nations, AFCON 2021, in Cameroon has been generally accepted by Nigerians with equanimity, though the shock of unexpected early exit still rankles.

THE failure of the Federal Government to effectively tackle the insecurity challenge facing the nation presently has given rise to probably a worse form of insecurity: hunger. Insecurity is one of the cardinal programmes of this administration. Yet, we have seen armed insurrection, terrorism, banditry and herdsmen attacks on farmers and indigenous communities ballooning across […]

While commemorating this year’s International Day of Education on Sunday, January 23, 2022, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in Nigeria released the latest numbers in review of our education sector in 2021. The figures are grim. No fewer than 25 schools were attacked by Boko Haram and bandit terrorists in the North with 1,440 […]

A REPORT of the Auditor-General of the Federation for 2019 has revealed the unbelievable disappearance of 178,459 pieces of armaments from the armories of the Nigeria Police Force without any formal report of their whereabouts. Out of this figure, 88,078 AK-47 rifles and 3,907 assorted rifles and pistols could not be accounted for as at […]

THE elaborate posturing by the Federal Government towards the removal (once again) of the controversial petrol subsidy must be shelved until the right things are done. The people, who depend on petrol for their livelihood, must be protected first. We have always been exponents of petroleum products deregulation because that is the ultimate destination for […]

RECENTLY, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Abuja, Professor Abdul-Rasheed Na’ Allah, called on the Federal Government to establish a mechanism for assessing Nigerian university professors to determine their contributions to the industry and national development.

FOR over seven years, the nefarious activities of unpatriotic citizens have been producing soot which has been polluting the air around Port Harcourt and its environs, such as Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre, Oyigbo and the Ogoni areas.

The 2023 political season started flowering towards the end of 2021 when the various regions and geopolitical interest groups began staking claims for their right to produce the next president. Already, several presidential aspirants have emerged. These include former presidential adviser, Dr. Doyin Okupe; corporate mogul, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa; former Deputy Governor of the CBN, […]