By Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko This piece was first written and circulated for publication in 2012. I have revisited and substantially restructured it because of developments that have occurred since then, particularly the continuing international debate over the legal and human-rights status of unborn children. The question of whether an unborn child should enjoy legal protection and a right to life remains one of the most contested moral, legal, religious and public-policy questions of our time. In recent years, several European countries have continued to revise their laws concerning abortion and end-of-life issues. France, for instance, amended its Constitution in March…
Author: National Update
The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, has vowed to pursue a united and secure Nigeria, with poverty reduction and job creation at the centre of his administration’s priorities if elected in 2027. Obi stated this after he and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, ahead of their town-hall engagements in Sokoto State. During the meeting, Obi said the Sultan identified **security, poverty and employment** as three critical issues demanding urgent attention in Nigeria. The former Anambra State governor said the Sultan also reminded political…
By Friday Idachaba The Nigeria-Kenya Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NiKCCIMA) has secured membership of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), strengthening its platform for expanding trade and investment between both countries. The admission comes ahead of NiKCCIMA’s maiden Business Forum and formal launch scheduled for October 8, 2026, in Abuja, where the chamber plans to unveil a new framework for connecting Nigerian and Kenyan businesses under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Founder and Global President of NiKCCIMA, Arc. Roberts M. Achanya, said the chamber was admitted alongside the Ikere…
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja As Nigeria marks its 66th Independence anniversary, the Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) has called for a national reassessment of the country’s democratic journey, warning that insecurity, poverty, corruption, unemployment and economic hardship continue to undermine national development. The Executive Director of CHRCR, Idris Miliki Abdul, made the call in an Independence Day statement in Lokoja, saying Nigeria had survived decades of political, economic and security challenges but still faced major obstacles to achieving its development aspirations. Abdul said Nigerians had reasons to celebrate the country’s continued unity and progress in democratic governance,…
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has raised fresh red flags over Nigeria’s budget process, saying an ICPC analysis identified 4,508 projects worth about N434.5bn as inserted or padded in the 2022 Appropriation Act. CISLAC said the figures underscored the urgent need for a transparent audit trail showing how major projects move from the Executive’s budget proposal to the final Appropriation Act. The organisation made the disclosure on Monday at the 2026 Senate Press Corps Workshop in Abuja, where it challenged lawmakers, budget officials and journalists to subject significant budget changes to closer scrutiny. The paper was presented by…
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has warned that Nigeria cannot deliver the scale of development it desires with a national budget that remains small compared with those of countries with similar populations. Bagudu said Nigeria’s limited fiscal capacity was a more fundamental challenge than the controversies surrounding budget insertions, urging Nigerians to broaden the conversation around the size, funding and purpose of the national budget. The minister spoke at a capacity-building workshop themed “Leveraging Legislative Oversight and Media Collaboration to Safeguard the National Budget from Unlawful Insertions.” According to him, Nigeria has the smallest national…
The amount of Nigeria’s public debt attributable to each citizen has almost doubled in three years, rising from N383,442 to N716,822, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said. Atiku raised the issue on Monday as he questioned the Federal Government’s plan to seek a fresh $1.5bn from the World Bank amid a public debt stock of N166.79tn. The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, in a statement by his spokesperson, Phrank Shaibu, said the latest figures showed an 87 per cent increase in the notional debt burden per Nigerian. The Debt Management Office reported that Nigeria’s total public debt stood at…
The Federal Government is turning to the World Bank for another $1.5bn to tackle poverty, childhood deprivation and climate vulnerability, even as Nigeria’s public debt stock climbs to N166.79tn. The proposed borrowing, however, is not one $1.5bn facility. It consists of three separate $500m International Development Association credits targeting social protection, early childhood development and climate resilience. The fresh financing would further increase Nigeria’s exposure to the World Bank Group, which stood at $20.73bn as of June 2026. The proposed loans come as the country’s public debt has risen by N79.41tn in three years, from N87.38tn in June 2023 to…
The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 13 for hearing of a motion by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress seeking to amend their pre-election suit against President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress. Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the case on Monday to allow the parties to regularise their court processes. Atiku’s lawyer, Joseph Silas, told the court that he had received responses from the other defendants but had yet to receive Tinubu’s counter-affidavit opposing the amendment. However, counsel to the President, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, said the counter-affidavit was served on the plaintiffs…
The African Democratic Congress(ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged the All Progressives Congress(APC) to produce any court judgment convicting its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of corruption. The challenge followed recent attacks by APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, who questioned Atiku’s record and warned against entrusting the former vice-president with the nation’s treasury. In a statement, the ADC campaign council’s Director of Strategic Communications, Phrank Shaibu, accused Morka of presenting allegations and controversies as established judicial findings. Shaibu said Morka could raise questions about Atiku’s record but should provide the relevant court judgment if he was claiming that the former…