By Ehichioya Ezomon As in every issue or event in the polity, mixed reactions greeted the report on Thursday, May 22, 2025, that the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, had directed all commissioners and other political appointees in his government to either defect with him to the All Progressives Congress (APC), or resign from their positions. This comes barely one month after the “political tsunami” that swept through the Delta State chapter of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), when Governor Sheriff Oborevwori; former Governor and ex-vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 General Election,…
Author: National Update
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has issued a bold call to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately sack underperforming ministers and security chiefs, warning that the ongoing hardship and insecurity in the country demand urgent corrective action at the highest levels of government. Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the former Abia State governor said the Tinubu administration cannot afford to retain officials who have failed to deliver results, especially as millions of Nigerians continue to face worsening living conditions. “Some people working with the President should be relieved of their duties,” Kalu declared. “Some of them should go…
By Tunde Olusunle Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in his farmhouse address in Otta, Ogun State during the last weekend of January 2002. It was supposed to be a short get-away from work in Abuja where he was routinely out of bed before 6am and rarely retired before 2am the next morning. But work followed him to Otta, salient files from his Abuja office shipped over. Some of his senior aides and public officers also stopped by. From Otta, he was scheduled to undertake a two-day official visit to Katsina State. It was part of his countrywide tours, appraising the…
**As Niger Government Says Over 1,000 Still Missing Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has donated N20 million to support victims of the devastating flood in Mokwa, Niger State, which claimed over 153 lives and affected more than 3,000 households. During a condolence visit to the Niger State Government House on Monday, Obi expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and emphasized national unity, stating, “Whatever happens to Niger, happens to Nigeria.” He was received by the state’s Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, who disclosed that over 1,000 people remain missing nearly a week after the flood. While commiserating…
By Adamu Muhd Usman “The challenge is not to manage time but to manage ourselves.” — Stephen Covey Malam Umar Namadi, popularly known as Dan Modi, distinguished himself among the contenders for the Jigawa APC gubernatorial ticket—not because he was the loudest or most visible, but precisely because many did not expect him to run, let alone win the 2023 primaries or the general election. This skepticism was not rooted in a lack of experience or popularity, but rather in his humble and austere personality—even as Deputy Governor of the state. Yet, by Allah’s grace, Malam Umar Namadi (FCA) defied…
Professor Edmund Ugwu Agbo, a leading African scholar and Chief Organizer of African Week 2025, has said that Western powers are keeping Africa poor and dependent through modern neocolonial tactics and by supporting weak leaders across the continent. Speaking during the opening ceremony of African Week in Abuja, Agbo, who is also a Professor of Law at the United Nations University for Peace, said Africa is still being controlled—not through direct colonization, but through debt, manipulation, and foreign policies. “We are in a worse kind of colonization,” he said. “It is not about land anymore—it is about control through the…
As Nigeria hosts the 2025 African Week—a forum promoting reparations, repatriation, and regional unity—a fresh controversy is brewing over what critics see as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s contradictory approach to intellectual engagement. While the president has repeatedly called on Nigerian intellectuals to offer solutions to the country’s growing crises, he is now facing backlash for allegedly targeting those who have done just that. Speaking at the opening of African Week in Abuja, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, Secretary-General of the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI), did not hold back. “The president urged intellectuals to bring ideas, saying that if Nigeria…
Federal lawmaker Hon. Mascot Alexander Ikwechegh has issued a stark warning to the APC-led federal government, urging it to shift from “endless rhetoric” to meaningful action that directly impacts the lives of ordinary Nigerians. Ikwechegh, who represents Abano and Abasal Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives and serves as Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Poverty Elimination, delivered the remarks during an interactive session with journalists marking two years of the current administration. “It’s been two years. Nigerians are hungry. There’s no other way to say it,” he said. “The subsidy removal may have been necessary, but the way…
At a birthday event for former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi in Abuja, well-known scholar Dr. Chidi Amuta gave a strong warning about Nigeria’s growing problem with poverty. In his speech called “Democracy and the Republic of Poverty,” Dr. Amuta shared shocking facts: 75 percent of people in rural areas live in poverty, and over 41 percent of people in cities are also poor. This is twice as many as five years ago. He said, “Poverty is no longer just a number. It is now the biggest enemy of Nigeria. More than half of our people live in poverty.” Dr.…
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that he remains committed to the party despite political tensions and public speculation about his loyalty. Speaking during his monthly ministerial press briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike emphasized that he remains firmly rooted in the PDP and continues to work hard for the party, even as he occupies a key position in President Bola Tinubu’s APC-led federal government. “I’m still in PDP and I work hard for this party,” Wike stated. The former Rivers State governor also took…