The silver lining in the Covid-19 pandemic dark cloud is the revival of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA). President Muhammadu Buhari last week gifted the Nigerian farming family with the pleasant news and appointed a tested technocrat, Prince Paul Ikonne, as Executive Secretary, to superintend Nigeria’s vast agricultural asset. Prince Ikonne’s appointment came about the same time the Read More
The renewed call by the senate last week for the de-centralisation of the Nigeria Police Force and the need for community policing as a way of addressing the country’s problem of insecurity reinforces the fundamental obligation of government, which is to guarantee the security of the life and property of every Nigerian. The call formed part of the recommendations of Read More
Last week’s commendation by President Muhammadu Buhari on the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, over the clean bill of health given to him by the Board of Directors of the financial institution is not only timely but also a major boost for the second term bid, which is due in September, of the embattled Read More
Today is being observed by the global community as World Malaria Day (WMD). The theme for this year’s commemoration is: “Zero Malaria Starts with Me”. The WMD was established in May 2007 by the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the cardinal objective of providing “education and understanding of Read More
The concern expressed by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and stakeholders on child and women rights over the poor commitment of government, particularly the state government in Northern Nigeria, to protecting the rights of children despite what they described as an increase in cases of abuse against children deserves thorough scrutiny. The relevant authorities have a responsibility to Read More
Obviously, flowing from the controversy surrounding the constitutionality and/or legality of the constituency projects of given to members of the National Assembly as well as the corruption to which the funds have been enmeshed, the senate last week passed for second reading a bill seeking to legalise constituency projects and dedicate 20 per cent of annual national budgets to such Read More
The approval last week of the appointment of Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem as the Acting President of the Court of Appeal by President Muhammadu Buhari is quite significant, having been the second female in a row to head the appellate court. Besides, her appointment, which is for an initial period of three months, with effect from March 6, 2020, when the Read More
The call by the senate last week for mandatory health insurance for all Nigerians, irrespective of their social status, is a welcome development that would guarantee the overall well being of Nigerians and increase the country’s life expectancy, which currently hovers around 50-55 years. The Chairman, Senate Committee on Heath, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, stated this in Abuja at a public Read More
In a country where one senior citizen dies in every 20 minutes as a result of many factors among which are poverty and lack of care, the policy of “Owo Arugbo” introduced sometime ago by the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state is highly commendable. A simple calculation shows that three aged people die every hour, 72 on Read More
The report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC) on Monday indicating that the nation’s economic growth rose to an annual rate of 2.55 per cent in the three months to the end of December 2019, its highest quarterly growth since a 2016 recession, without a doubt, gives cause for cheer and a pointer towards a buoyant economy. Although, the Read More
Not too long ago, two pupils of St. John’s Anglican Primary School, Agodo, in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun state, were murdered by a man named Lekan Adebisi, suspected to be suffering from psychiatric disorder. The incident which drove shock into the residents of the area once again brought to the fore the debate on securing the society Read More
The recent cash reward and accelerated promotion by the Governor of Borno state, Professor Babagana Zulum, to Mrs Obiagelli Mazi, who had served as a dedicated teacher in the state for more than 30 years is a refreshing narrative from the insurgent-ravaged state. The North-east state of Borno has been the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency for over 12 Read More
The allegation by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to the effect that lecturers across the country’s public tertiary institutions are diverting research grants to build homes, purchase cars, and engage in other frivolous activities is quite weighty and must be addressed as a matter of urgent national importance. This is coming days after an allegation of personnel budget inflation Read More
Last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stirred the hornet’s nest when it de-registered 74 of Nigeria’s 92 political parties on the ground that they failed to meet constitutional requirements that determine the continuous existence of political parties in the country. The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who released names of the de-registered political parties at a press Read More
The senate, for the umpteenth time last week, raised the alarm over rising rate of unemployment in the country and called on the federal, state, and local governments to urgently declare a state of emergency on the problem. The senate’s resolution on the declaration of a state of emergency on unemployment in the country reinforces the warning issued in Read More
Last week’s report to the effect that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Executive Committee (NEC) has concluded plans to set up a committee to review its performance and roles of its members in the 2019 general elections is the right foot forward in repositioning the PDP to play its role effectively as Nigeria’s main opposition party. PDP presidential candidate Read More
The recent report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) which rated Imo state as the least corrupt state in Nigeria is quite cheering, considering the fact that more than six former governors, including former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia state, an adjunct to Imo state, have been jailed on charges bordering on corruption.The rating is contained in the Read More
President Buhari said at his 77th birthday reception given him by his aides that “this system (democracy) which is supposed to be more accountable, is too slow for my liking.” I thought I saw the cat peeping out of the bag. One can understand the president’s apparent frustration with democracy. The president was once nicknamed Baba Go-Slow – not as Read More
The disclosure last week by the Minister of State, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uchechukwu Ogah, that federal government will establish regional courts to try and prosecute illegal miners in the country is a welcome development. The move will go a long way to address the problem of illegal and its attendant mayhem visited on innocent Nigerians. The Read More
President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent lamentation that corruption in the public sector is hampering the ability of government to deliver services to the people underscores the dire need for hands to be on deck in order to fight the cankerworm to a finish. President Buhari, therefore, called on the National Assembly to fast-track the passage of the Special Crimes Court Bill. Read More
The recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos state, which ordered the federal government to recover pensions collected by former governors serving as ministers and members of the National Assembly is a good omen for the nation’s democracy. This is so because the profligacy and corrupt tendencies of public office holders in the country have robbed the Read More
The next level administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has evidently hit the ground running as it makes a historic assent to the 2020 budget by January 1, 2020, thus returning the nation’s budget cycle to January 1 – December 31, the first time since the return to democracy in 1999. This feat is being made possible by the expeditious passage Read More
The reassurances by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to the effect that the commission will continue to work with the National Assembly and all stakeholders for the establishment of the electoral offences commission and tribunal is indeed a welcome development. The move will go a long way in ensuring the diligent and Read More
The launch last week of the National Security Strategy 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari underscores the commitment of the federal government to achieve its three pillars of the change agenda anchored on the fight against corruption, insecurity and revitalisation of the economy. The security roadmap was launched at the State House, Abuja, a day after the president unveiled the first Read More
The recent setting up of an adhoc committee to review the ownership structure of Power Distribution Companies (DisCos) by the National Economic Council (NEC) is the right foot forward at resolving the nation’s seemingly intractable electricity distribution crisis. NEC’s deft move is indeed a welcome development, coming on the heels of the senate’s mandate to its committee on power to Read More
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