Author: Akanimo Sampson
Traditional rulers of Rivers State, a strategic oil and gas state in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria, are very concerned about the negative activities of some political leaders which have given the state a bad name. Consequently, such political leaders will incur the wrath of deities from kingdoms in the state as monarchs are bracing to place a dangerous traditional curse on them. Politicians including some functionaries of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari who collaborated with the military and party thugs in military uniforms to subvert the political will of the peoples of the state, are to be cursed…
Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian organisation committed to ending world hunger, is currently calling for generous financial support to enable them prevent children in the North-East axis of Nigeria from sliding deeper into tragedy. According to the group, which claimed that the December 26, attack on a military base in Baga, forced as many as 40,000 people to flee to safety in Monguno and more than 25,000 to flee to Maiduguri, pointed out that their officials are on the ground in both towns helping the newly displaced persons. The group’s emergency teams in the war-torn region are helping save…
Three strong political groups in Rivers State: Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Coalition of Political Parties (CUPP) and Coalition of Governorship Candidates have risen in support of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that by the evidence before them, the party won the governorship poll. Their argument is that since the state Constituency Collation Officers have declared 23 PDP candidates as duly elected for their respective constituencies for the state Assembly poll which ran simultaneously with that of the Governorship, Governor Nyesom Wike won his re0election bid. They are therefore, calling on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (…
While it might sound like something out of a science-fiction movie, Giuseppe Scionti , the researcher behind Nova Meat, has according to a Rael-Science post, managed to figure out a way of printing meat using vegetable proteins and a 3D printer. In an interview with Business Insider, the researcher explained that for over ten years, the specialist in biomedicine and tissue engineering has been working on bioprinting various synthetic tissues: from artificial corneas and skin to artificial ears. Now, as a compromise somewhere between insect proteins, lab-made meat, and total abstinence from meat of any form, the researcher has developed a new form…
Following a seeming war-scale military invasion of Collation Centres in Rivers State, a strategic oil and gas state in the Niger Delta and the capital of Nigeria’s oil industry during the March 9, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suspended the electoral process there on Sunday. But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the military action, saying the confiscation of the state’s governorship election results by soldiers is treasonable and accordingly demands the immediate release to avert serious crisis in the state. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan,…
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has won his re-election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) despite a fierce alliance between President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) and the armed security forces to stop him. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared him as the winner of the governorship election held on Saturday March, 9. He polled a total of 519, 712 votes to emerge winner, while his closest challenger, Nsima Ekere of the APC who was foisted on the party by Senator Godswill Akpabio, scored a total of 171, 978 votes. Ekere had…
The All Progressives Congress (APC), President Muhammadu Buhari’s party, did not have a smooth sail on the Saturday governorship poll in Abia, Oyo and Enugu states. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia has been declared the winner of the election in the state. The Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Professor Damian Ozurumba, declared him as the winner of the poll after he secured 261,127 votes, more than double the 99, 574 votes his closest rival, Dr Uche Ogah of APC got. Dr Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) finished third with…
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, says investing in innovation and research is key to ensuring the sustainability of date palm production, a valuable food and livelihood resource for millions of people in the Near East and North Africa. “The impacts of climate change are making water increasingly scarce, provoking droughts that are more severe and prolonged, and also contributing to the outbreak and spread of pests and diseases, such as the Red Palm Weevil,” José Graziano da Silva said on Sunday at the 11th Session of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation (KIADPAI).…
A policeman shot dead an election observer in Umuida community, Enugu Ezike, in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State. This tragic news broke as the authorities in Katsina State, President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state have said that gunmen killed one policeman and abducted three Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff in the state on Saturday. The Nigeria Police, Katsina State Command confirmed the killing alongside a Civil Defence operative and the abduction of three INEC Ad-hoc staff in Danmusa Local Government Area of the state. Spokesman for the command, Gambo Isah, a Superintendent of Police (SP), in a…
Apparently shaken by the scale of violence and the militarisation of the Governorship and State Assembly elections in Nigeria on Saturday, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the deficit of democracy the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has manifested. The party said the heavy militarisation, violence and killing of innocent Nigerians by President Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 9, elections was ‘’desperate’’. Spokesman of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said the world watched with utter horror as soldiers under the command of the Buhari Presidency, allegedly ‘’hound, arrest, shoot, terrorise opposition figures and…
Social Democratic Party (SDP) Deputy Governorship candidate in Cross River State, Wofai Ewa, says members of the State Executive Committee of the party who dumped their governorship candidate, Eyo Ekpo, to endorse Governor Ben Ayade, are scavengers who went to scam the governor. Ahead of yesterday’s Governorship and state House of Assembly polls, he pleaded with the electorate in the state to ignore any message from those he described as ‘’political contractors and scavengers’’. According to the obviously angry deputy governorship candidate, his party’s chiefs who rooted for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ‘’are hungry…
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has punctured President Muhammadu Buhari’s widely claimed integrity and anti-corruption stance, saying it is all grandstanding over thealleged violent rigging of the elections and his attempt to foist himself into a second term in office on the pedestal of stolen votes. The party said President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) should know that the PDP and the Nigerian people are focused and will not be distracted by any sort of blackmail in the pursuit of their allegedly stolen mandate. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement, ‘’we…
In the early hours of Saturday, materials for Mbalom electoral ward in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State were burnt by armed hoodlums. Governor Samuel Ortom, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate hails from Gbajimba in Guma. That was the visible signature in most parts of Nigeria: killings, ballot box snatching and the militarisation of the elections. There was also voter apathy experienced during the February 23 Presidential and National assembly polls was a child’s play when compared with what happened on Saturday. In Lagos, Katsina, Ogun, the Federal Capital Territory, Edo, Imo, Katsina, Delta, Adamawa and…
Going by the official figures of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), more than 2,800 Nigerians had their lives short-circuited by road disasters within six months last year. According to the data agency, out of the figure, 1,538 died in the fourth quarter of 2018. At leats 1,331 others died in the second quarter of 2018, a report by the NBS Road Transport Data (Q2 2018) had said. Out of this figure, 1,257 Nigerians that got killed were adults, representing 94% while the remaining 74 were children, representing 6.00% of the figure. The data equally revealed that ‘’1,047 male Nigerians,…
A global rights group, Human Rights Watch has raised an alarm on the worrisome abuses of children. In a new report, the group said Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government authorities are charging hundreds of children with terrorism for alleged Islamic State (also known as ISIS) affiliation. According to them, the prosecutions are often based on dubious accusations and forced confessions obtained through torture. A 53-page report, Everyone Must Confess: Abuses against Children Suspected of ISIS Affiliation in Iraq, shows that Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities often arrest and prosecute children with any perceived connection to ISIS, use torture to coerce confessions,…
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) have resolved to join forces to scale-up the availability and affordability of nutritious food for all in developing countries. The partnership aims to enable inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, focusing on new approaches which engage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to promote market-based solutions as a key tool for improved nutrition. The cheery news came as a group of prominent women joined three United Nations agencies on Friday, to mark International Women’s Day at an event recognising women’s contributions to building smart solutions for those…
The manufacturing sector of Nigeria’s economy is currently making frantic efforts to boost its contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). But, that will depend on the ability of the government to stabilise the foreign exchange market and ensure ease of doing business in the country. President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mansur Ahmed, says the economic bloc has already mapped out measures to do so via value addition. Manufacturing however, refers to industries belonging to the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) divisions 15-37, while value added is the net output of a sector after adding up…
United States Consul-General to Nigeria, John Bray and the Political Officer of the British High Commission in the country, Louis Edwards, on Friday stormed Port Harcourt, the Rivers State, following disturbing reports of assault on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains by soldiers. They met with Governor Nyesom Wike, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, Deputy Governor Ipalibo Harry Banigo, the state’s PDP Chairman, Felix Obuah and Senator Lee Maeba. The state government and the PDP have been issuing statements alerting the world on the alleged partisan activities of armed security forces in the state before this Saturday’s Governorship and state House of Assembly elections.…
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful Indeed, all praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, we seek His aid, and we ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our actions and from the evil consequences of our actions. Whoever Allah guides, there is none to misguide, and whoever Allah misguides there is none to guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the servant and Messenger of Allah. To proceed: Dear brothers and sisters! My…
At a Strategy Group Meeting of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping, a retired Rear Admiral, Dele Ezeoba, unequivocally indicted maritime operators for most of the reported cases of piracy in Nigeria. He said that nine of 10 reported cases of piracy in the country’s waters had an insider information. Already, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ex-naval chief is pushing for a well articulated security, communication and enhanced welfare of the crew of vessels and standard global practices to improve professionalism. According to him, there was need to renew the waterways for safe passage and ensure good navigation all…
A strategic and political risk consultancy, Menas Associates, has indicted President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying they used every trick at their disposal to win the February 23 presidential election. Mrnas which has been helping multinational companies operate in the Middle East, Africa, and other emerging markets since the late 1970s claimed that the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the distribution of largesse on the campaign trail, deployment of security forces, and the sporadic use of thugs helped the ruling party greatly. The political risk consultants who also provide actionable intelligence for…
Human Rights Watch, a global rights group says the saber rattling between India and Pakistan is ignoring Kashmiri human rights problems. The South Asia Director of the group, Meenakshi Ganguly, said ‘’last week, people around the world had to contemplate the possibility that India and Pakistan’s seemingly unending scrap over Kashmir could lead to nuclear conflagration.’’ According to her, ‘’Indians were outraged after a deadly attack by Pakistan-based armed group, Jaish-e-Mohammad, on February 14 targeted a security forces convoy. In the ensuing military escalation, voices on both sides promoting human rights and temperance could be barely heard over the jeering, taunting, threats,…
President Muhammadu Buhari appears to be risking everything in his administration’s all-out battle to grab the big oil states in Southern Nigeria. In furtherance of their security approach, the President on Tuesday, met behind closed-doors with the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with a directive that more security agents be deployed to Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states for the Governorship and state Assembly elections, This was happening as the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, banned unauthorised use of unmarked vehicles and vehicles with covered number plates. The ban was…
The seeming emergence of the people’s power in Akwa Ibom State under the watch of Governor Udom Emmanuel, follows the political Sunset of Senator Godswill Akpabio, a marginal political factor in the All Progressives Congress (APC) generally believed to be too boastful. Often, this former governor who dominated the affairs of Akwa Ibom for eight years (2007-2015), tends to be obsessed with his illusionary image of a political god. In his utopian world, he tends to see Udom as a thing he picked from Lagos, and single-handedly made the governor of the big oil state. The warped logic of the misled followers…
…Highlighted the Upland/Riverine Dichotomy, Practice of incoherent, Visionless Government and the need to rescue Rivers State from being in opposition to the Government at the centre as the three major reasons why Wike must go A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, attributed the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, as the initiator of the call for his sack by Rivers people. He explained that the abysmal failure that the Wike administration had subjected Rivers state to is the reason most Rivers people activated the ‘Wike-must-go-project’, adding that Rivers has lost out on…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday unveiled her most wide-ranging reforms in the history of the United Nations’ agency to modernise and strengthen the institution to play her role more effectively and efficiently as a global leading authority on public health. The changes are geared to support countries in achieving the ambitious “triple billion” targets that are at the heart of health agency’s strategic plan for the next five years: one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage (UHC); one billion more people better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.…
Former Delta State Governor and a prominent resource control advocate, James Ibori, is currently moving against his cousin, Emmanuel Uduaghan, whom he made politically in the state, and the factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, saying there is no alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in this coming Saturday Governorship and state House of Assembly elections. Ibori has been appealing to Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, and other ethnic groups in the state to massively vote to re-elect Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the other candidates of the PDP in the state. Delta, one of the big…
The leadership of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally taken on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging violations of the country’s electoral law and guidelines. In a letter dated Monday, March 4, addressed to INEC Chairman and jointly signed by the National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, and National Secretary, Sen. Ibrahim Umaru Tsauri, the party said the breaches were ‘’deliberate’’. Behold, the letter: PDP/DOM/INEC/19-004 Monday March 4, 2019 The Chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Zambezi Crescent Maitama District Abuja, FCT. Dear Sir, CASES OF INFRACTIONS AND DELIBERATE VIOLATIONS OF THE ELECTORAL LAW AND GUIDELINES…
Some bizarre political developments that will ultimately help to shape the politics of Nigeria have started to play into the open. While some stakeholders sympathetic to President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued to pile pressure on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to back down from contesting the allegedly flawed presidential poll in court, a refreshingly new twist is playing out for the two political antagonists. A Federal High Court in Abuja will from March 26, start to entertain some robust arguments whether or not to abort the presidential dream of the…
