IN 2024, Nigeria’s Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, admitted that ‘children as young as 14 and 15’ are involved in illegal oil theft and refining in the country’s Rivers and Bayelsa States. Poverty, a lack of viable alternatives and normalised criminal enterprises in some communities have drawn children into these extremely hazardous illegal oil refining environments. A […]
By MAGNUS ONYIBE THE recent revelation by Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), that more than 7,000 Nigerians are currently stranded in Libya, inspired this intervention. Her statement revived painful memories that moved me, eight years ago in March 2017, to publish an article lamenting the surge of illegal migration […]
By EMMANUEL AGBO ON a mildly sunny morning in January, Blessing Bolaji squeezed into a packed Toyota Space Bus headed from Ogudu to Lagos Island. As the bus cut through traffic, a conversation among passengers stirred something painful in her. Ms. Bolaji joined in, recalling the long, exhausting commutes she once endured from Ogun State […]
By CHINAGOROM UGWU THE Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar, has lamented that justice in Nigeria has become a “purchasable commodity”. He said the poor in the country are now victims while the rich do not face prosecution. Mr. Abubakar spoke as a guest speaker at the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)’s Annual General Conference in Enugu on […]
By RONAK GOPALDAS AS Saudi Arabia seeks to reposition itself in an evolving global order, it’s becoming increasingly clear that no global actor can shape international affairs without an Africa strategy. Although a latecomer, the Kingdom’s nascent African engagement combines geopolitical ambition, commercial interests and soft power projection. To carve out a distinctive role in […]
REASON and logic prevailed at last, penultimate week, when the federal government admitted the fact of the systemic dysfunction and proliferation of tertiary institutions in the country. As a result, it imposed a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new universities, polytechnics and colleges of education at the federal level, so that the inadequacies in […]
By TUNDE ELUDINI FORMER Green Eagles midfielder, Sylvanus “Quicksilver” Okpala, has called for greater respect and recognition for Nigeria’s past sporting heroes, insisting the country must value its icons well beyond their playing years. His appeal comes amid an outpouring of tributes after the passing of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Peter “Dodo Mayana” Rufai. The celebrated shot-stopper, […]
By CHRISTIANA ALABI-AKANDE ON Wednesday 30 September 2020, Favour Okechukwu, 11, was gang-raped to death in Ejigbo, a low-income suburb in Lagos State. The victim’s family had expected swift justice, but almost five years later, it remains a mirage. Frustrated by her failure to secure justice for her late daughter, the deceased’s mother, Ruth Okechukwu, […]
By KABIR YUSUF THE Director-General of Protocol to the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Rogo, stands accused in a staggering ₦6.5 billion corruption scandal now under investigation by Nigeria’s two foremost anti-graft agencies: the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Investigators allege that Mr. Rogo masterminded […]
WITH the startling thuggery and electoral malfeasance that marred the recent by-elections in some states, Nigerians fear that the 2027 elections may turn out to be the most awful in the nation’s history, given the proclivity of politicians to win at all costs and subvert the will of the people. Elder statesmen, leaders, lawyers, and […]