NIGERIAN NOTCH

By Christian ABURIME  Just because talk is cheap, and opinion is free, every scumbag thinks they can spew reckless inanities in the public space.  Hiding under the guise of democratic liberty, all manner of despicable empty shells masquerading as public affairs analysts in Anambra State now have an opinion on Governor  Chukwuma Charles Soludo and his administration.  Miserable busybodies that they are, they have no other job than vilifying a governor who has been busy making life better for Ndi Anambra in the past 19 months.   Although constructive, objective criticism is always welcome as part of improving governance, the antics of dimwitted roadside critics who always choose to intentionally twist issues or concoct fictitious tales in their desperate attempts to run down the government are most reprehensible.  If their relentless negativism is not sponsored madness, then maybe it is self-inflicted crass ignorance, obsessive insanity in ur...

Hundreds of youths in Agulu, Aniocha local government area have taken to the streets to protest against the killing of Peter Uduekwelu by touts engaged by Anambra state government. The touts who collect revenue for the government in Agulu were accused of stoning the victim leading to his painful and untimely death. The protesters were seen chanting angry songs and demanding the immediate intervention of the state government in curbing the activities of the touts who they say are notorious for there high-handedness. One of the leaders of the protests said, “We are inside Afor Agulu market protesting the killing of our brother who was killed by touts. “They call them revenue collectors. The stoned the man to death. So we are protesting. We don’t want them again in Agulu. This land forbids these touts. They are only good at killing our people. We can’t accept that anymore. The community and family of the deceased filed petitions to the state commissioner of Police Aderemi Adeoye and the s...

Big Brother Naija All-Stars edition winner, Ilebaye Odiniya, has thrown her weight behind the Nigeria’s Super Eagles to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for Cote D’Ivoire next year’s January. Coach Jose Peseiro’s side, who played out to a 2-2 draw with the Falcons of Saudi Arabia in an international friendly clash on Friday, have been drawn against hosts Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea in Group A phase of the continental soccer showpiece. The draw was conducted on Thursday night in Abidjan. The 22-year-old Kogi State-born actress and model, in a post on her official X handle, @IlebayeOfficial, said she will be personally following and cheering the Super Eagles to victory next year in Cote D’Ivoire. “The African Cup of Nations is exactly 90 days from today, I personally will be following and cheering the team to victory because I believe we have what it takes to bring the trophy home, and I hope you too will be supporting. “Our beloved super Eagles ca...

Former head of state, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, and the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Most Reverend Mathew Hassan Kukah, have called on all the gubernatorial candidates for Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo State polls to commit to violence-free elections. This is just as the major candidates in the upcoming governorship elections have engaged in a blame game over who and what is responsible for the violence in their respective states. As the gubernatorial election in the three states comes up on November 11, 2023, the National Peace Committee (NPC) co-chaired by Abdulsalami and Kukah is concerned about the peace and security in the states, and is keen to commit the candidates into signing a peace agreement. There have been concerns by Nigerians on why violence persists during elections in Nigeria despite efforts by the electoral umpire and other stakeholders. To this end, the National Peace Committee said it will not be discouraged by the behavior of some politicians during elections,...

The N150 billion Sovereign Sukuk whose offer for subscription closed on October 11, 2023, was well received with a total subscription of N652.827 billion, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said in a statement. DMO said the subscription level, which is 435 per cent of the amount offered (N150 billion), is an indication that the level of awareness of the product has increased and that investors are willing to support the financing of infrastructure. In response to this strong demand for the Sukuk, the DMO said it has allocated N350 billion to the diverse investors who subscribed to the Sovereign Sukuk. “The N350 billion will be used to finance the construction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory. “The DMO remains committed to meeting the needs of investors while also supporting the development of the domestic capital market,” the debt office said in the statement. The DMO on October 3, 2023, announced the sixth Sovere...

THIS TASK REQUIRES AN INDIVIDUAL  WHO IS BOLD ,DARING ,SELFLESS, AND A TRAILBLAZER  UNDERESTIMATE IFEANYI UBAH'S DRIVING FORCE AT YOUR OWN PERIL    Folks , the news of the selfless decision made by the Distinguished Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District to join the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR led ruling party ,the APC has continued to top charts in trending discussions all over the Southeast region.  Those that understand the need for Ndi Igbo to re evaluate their poliitcal prospects in the present dispensation after former president Buhari's exit from power are all filled with joy at this piece of news for indeed they know that Southeast morning in the race for redemption has finally come. A clear illustration of the level of disjointedness that  Southeast regional politics represents today can be found in the fact that the five states have four political parties at the helm of its affairs. While Imo and Ebonyi are both AP...

By Oluwaseun Adedigba Popular American Basketballer, Kobe Bryant is known for many of his quotes. The one that interests me the most is the one in which he stressed the importance of giving inspiration to a people and how that could make them become great at whatever they do. Bryant has never been a legislator, at least, not yet, but he seemed to have summed up the whole essence of lawmaking- giving the people the legal framework for greatness, giving a nation the right direction through legislation. Interestingly, Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, representing Nasarawa South, is a lawmaker, but he seemed to disagree with Bryant on the importance of people.  At least, his recent action on the floor of the Senate, in which he challenged the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, portrayed him as such. Could the Distinguished Senator have been ignorant of the Senate rules on passage of bills, did he merely play to the gallery or was out to show that he too, could challen...

President Bola Tinubu has endorsed the appointment of new Chief Executive Officers for various agencies and parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment. The announcement was made through a State House release issued by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity. These appointments reflect Tinubu’s commitment to revitalizing Nigeria’s economy by focusing on trade expansion, especially through the facilitation of small, medium, and large-scale industries. The newly appointed CEOs include Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN (Corporate Affairs Commission); Afiz Ogun Oluwatoyin (Industrial Training Fund); Kamar Bakrin (National Sugar Development Council); Olufemi Ogunyemi (Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority); Nonye Ayeni (Nigeria Export Promotion Council); Aisha Rimi (Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission); Bamanga Usman Jada (Oil & Gas Free Zone Authority); and Charles Odii (Small & Medium Enterprises ...

The Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) says it is committing a N2billion empowerment fund to revolutionise the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. The National President of the association, Dr Abdulrashid Yerima, said this in a media briefing on Friday in Abuja heralding the 2023 West Africa SME Exhibition scheduled for Oct. 26 to Oct. 28. Yerima said that the ‘MSME 4.0 Program and Empowerment Funds’ were designed to help MSMEs leverage the opportunities and benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). According to him, adopting digital technologies and solutions can improve the performance of SMEs, market position and adaptability in the changing world. “Under the theme MSME 4.0: Enhancing Productivity, Competitiveness, Resilience, and Sustainability in an Era of Digital Transformation, this program is poised to bring about significant positive change for MSMEs and the nat...

The Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has thrown its weight behind Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State amid the controversy surrounding the N170 billion loan approved by the State House of Assembly. The loan has generated reactions, with some civil society organisations, describing it as deeply alarming. In a statement issued by the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, he said the Mbah-led government should be given the benefit of the doubt.  Okwu, in the statement made available to journalists on Friday, said the important thing was to monitor the usage of the loan. He said from the array of projects flagged-off by the Governor, “there is clarity of purpose on the loan as approved by the State House of Assembly. “We also took notice of the fact that the Enugu State House of Assembly dominated by the Labour Party approved the loan after due consideration of the Governor’s roadmap for the development of th...

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukoyede as the executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The president also approved the appointment of Muhammad Hammajoda as secretary of the EFCC on a renewable term of five years. Olukoyede takes over from Mr. Abdulkarim Chukkol who has served as the acting chairman of the EFCC since the removal of Abdulrasheed Bawa.  Before his appointment, Olukayode has previously served as chief of staff to the former acting executive chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, and was later appointed secretary to the commission. A seasoned lawyer with over 22 years’ experience, Olukayode is a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence with extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC. Reacting to his appointment, senior special assistant to the president on Public Engagement, Fredrick Nwabufo, said the president followed due process befo...

Reports have it that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has lifted the ban on 43 items imposed under the Godwin Emefiele era. The current lifting was disclosed in a circular by the apex bank released on October 12, 2023.   According to the central bank, it will also boost liquidity in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market and intervene from time to time, stating that interventions will decrease as liquidity improves. The 43 Items are Rice, Cement, Margarine, Palm Kernel/Palm oil products/vegetable oils, Meat and, Processed Meat Products, Vegetables and Processed Vegetable Products, Poultry – chicken, eggs, Turkey Private Airplanes/Jets Indian Incense Tinned Fish In sauce (Gelsha)/Sardines Cold Rolled Steel Sheets Galvanized Steel Sheets Roofing Sheets,Wheelbarrows Head Pans Metal Boxes and Containers Enamelware Steel Drums Steel Pipes Wire Rods (deformed and not deformed) Iron Rods and ReInforcina Bars Wire Mesh Steel Nalls Security and Razor Wire Wood Particle Boards and...

Senator Ifeanyi Ubah representing Anambra South Senatorial District has dumped the Young Progressives Party (YPP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC). According to a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a brief plenary session on Thursday,  Ubah’s defection was due to irreconcilable differences in the YPP. The letter further explained that Ubah’s decision is in the interest of his constituents.

In its reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said like a befuddled mind jolted out of deep slumber, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi hugged a podium to echo a script authored by Atiku Abubakar, his senior partner and co-traveller on a dark ignominious alley to nowhere.   In a statement by its national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, APC said that in his drivel, Obi demanded that the President reintroduce himself to Nigerians, as though the 8.9 million Nigerians who voted him last February were all groggy when they made their free democratic choice.   “Mr. Obi must know that President Tinubu does not need a re-introduction. He does not have any identity problem, except the one contrived by the Atikus and Peters of our political firmament. “The 8.9 million Nigerians who voted him into office were, and remain, aware of his outstanding record and accomplishments as a defender of democracy, freedom, social and economic justice for over thre...

The BBC’s Global Disinformation Team has said it found no evidence that the Chicago State University (CSU) diploma certificate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu submitted to the country’s electoral commission was forged. Allegations that President Tinubu’s certificate was faked went viral on social media following the CSU’s release of his academic records last week. The BBC Team comprising Olaronke Alo, Fouziyya Tukur and Chiagozie Nwonwu – all bearing Nigerian names – said it had looked at some of the most widely circulated claims. Following February’s presidential election, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approached the Supreme Court in Nigeria seeking to have President Bola Ahmed Tinubu  disqualified after accusing him of submitting a forged CSU diploma certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). To obtain evidence for his case in Nigeria, Abubakar had approached a US court in August, requesting it to compel CSU to release ...

The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reveal his true identity. According to Peter Obi, Tinubu should not leave his identity to be defined by his aides, adding that even the international community will want to know his true identity. Speaking during a world press conference at the LP campaign office in Abuja, yesterday, Obi said Tinubu should save Nigeria from this present kind of embarrassment by revealing his true identity. “Tinubu should humbly and respectfully reveal his identity. Let the world know your name, nationality, certificates. You should indicate clearly where you did your NYSC. If there was a change of name, make it clear. The task is for Tinubu to urgently reveal his identity. People want to know your true identity. A leader cannot leave his identity to be revealed by proxies,” Obi said. Obi disclosed that having followed the prolonged identity crisis that recen...