Opinion

Honorable Juliet Egbo, Most Viable Option For Minister In Dawn Of Upswinging APC In Enugu State

Honorable Juliet Egbo, Most Viable Option For Minister In Dawn Of Upswinging APC In Enugu State

By Stanley Sylvester Following the recent resignation of Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and the laudable transition of His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State into the Chief (Dr.) Ben Nwoye-led All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, attention has been turned to finding a competent, loyal, and service-driven individual to fill the vacant federal ministerial slot allocated to Enugu State. Among other names worthy of serious national consideration is that of Hon. (Mrs.) Juliet Egbo, a proven leader, well educated, a community builder, and staunch loyalist of Governor Mbah. A former APC House of Representatives…
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Iyaloja-General At Oba of Benin’s Palace

Iyaloja-General At Oba of Benin’s Palace

FESTUS ADEDAYO The earliest example of personal rule gone awry in the world was given in the biblical account of Eli, the prophet. Personal rule has become prevalent in Africa and other Third World countries. In the account, Eli was High Priest and Judge of Israel in the city of Shiloh. Kind-hearted to the troubled and oppressed, the prophet’s renown for kindness became weightier in the narrative of his comforting words to Hannah, one of the hitherto barren wives of Elkanah. When Hannah eventually gave birth to a son named Samuel, Eli extended his affable disposition to Samuel’s upbringing at…
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Treat First, Report Later: The Lesson From Somtochukwu’s Needless Death

Treat First, Report Later: The Lesson From Somtochukwu’s Needless Death

By PAULYN OWHIEVBIE UGBODAGA The tragic death of Somtochukwu Christelle Maduagwu, the vibrant young Arise News anchor, has once again exposed a grave fault line in Nigeria’s healthcare system: the reluctance to treat emergency cases involving gunshot wounds without first demanding identification or police clearance.According to reports, Somtochukwu was shot during a robbery in Abuja and rushed to a hospital. Instead of immediate care, hospital staff allegedly insisted on some form of identification before attending to her. She died before help could come. Sadly, her case is not an isolated one. Over the years, countless Nigerians have lost their lives…
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Fubara, Natasha And The Season of Reinstatements

Fubara, Natasha And The Season of Reinstatements

By SHEDDY OZOENE Nigerian politics has always been filled with drama, but the last six months could easily pass for a badly scripted series. Nigerians were treated to two running political comedies, from the city of Port Harcourt to the hallowed chambers of the Nigerian Senate. President Bola Tinubu’s decision to declare a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025, was one leg of the comedy. Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly, justifying his action with claims of a breakdown in governance, threats to national security, and the alleged sabotage…
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My Childhood Trauma

My Childhood Trauma

By OREVA GODWIN A lot of us have had traumatic childhoods. Some have healed, while others still carry the scars. Trauma comes in different forms, from our parents, siblings, relatives, childhood friends, teachers, and even religious leaders. Many of you know that when I write, I do so with passion, straight from the heart. I try to paint clear pictures that play in the minds of my readers as they read through each story. This is mine. I started school at age two. I remember everything like it was yesterday. You see, I have what is known as hyperthymesia. I…
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Ladoja And Characterization Of Ibadan People

Ladoja And Characterization Of Ibadan People

By Kehinde Olaosebikan Today, Ibadan is abuzz with history as the world converges on one of Africa's largest traditional cities for the coronation of H.E. Senator Oba Rasheed Adewolu Ladoja as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland. The momentous occasion is of great importance not only to Ibadan people or Oyo State, but also represents a milestone, an altitude in traditional institutions across Nigeria. As a trailblazer - the first former governor, former senator and a sitting king to be made a King, the coronation of the new Olubadan marks a new height in traditional institution and royal matters. The expected…
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Quickie Republic: Short Thrills, Long Pains

Quickie Republic: Short Thrills, Long Pains

By FUNKE EGBEMODE It all started with Lux soap. The housekeeper said she bought a pack of six bars for N5, 400. My 92-year-old father gasped. ‘For just soap? Was that for a carton or two cartons?’ I told him, it was for just six bars. ‘Where is this country heading now?’ That is a frequent question my father asks these days. The old man just cannot understand today’s prices of anything. How can he? He bought his brand new Vauxhall Chevette E for N4,800 and now his soap costs N5,000! Of course, he is confused. I told him I…
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Fubara And The Witches

Fubara And The Witches

FESTUS ADEDAYO Three Nigerian “witches” just got beaten by a midnight downpour. They are, Siminalayi Fubara, Nyesom Wike and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in ascending order. Last Thursday, September 18, 2025, there was an initial apprehension in Rivers State over whether its reinstated governor, Fubara, was “coming home.” An earlier excitedness over the end of emergency rule got momentarily dampened. Apprehension however dissolved when Fubara’s nemesis, FCT Minister, Wike, proclaimed that indeed, Fubara was coming home. The frenzy over Fubara “coming home” was similar to "It's coming home!", a phrase taken out of the 1996 song, “Three Lions”, composed for England…
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Ibas Takes His Inglorious Leave As Fubara Returns

Ibas Takes His Inglorious Leave As Fubara Returns

By IKECHUKWU AMAECHI It is no longer a matter of conjecture. As Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, haughtily disclosed on August 30, President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, announced an end to the six-month emergency rule he imposed on Rivers State on March 18. Unlike the emergency rule proclamation which he made via a national broadcast, the president ended the ill-advised political manoeuvre via a statement he personally signed, expressing satisfaction that the inglorious measure had achieved its objectives. Claiming that it would have been a colossal failure on his part not to have made the proclamation,…
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Soludo: A Governor And His Indiscretions

Soludo: A Governor And His Indiscretions

By SHEDDY OZOENE When Professor Chukwuma Soludo indicated interest in becoming governor of Anambra State, there was so much excitement in the air.  Here was a globally respected economist, a technocrat of uncommon intellect, and one of Ndigbo’s brightest stars—armed with credentials that promised to redefine governance in the state. His rise from a respected academic to Presidential economic adviser under Olusegun Obasanjo, and later, Governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, put him head and shoulders above other aspirants. When one adds his “Dubai-Taiwan” vision, one would appreciate why the imagination of the people who are famous for their high business…
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