Chikezie OMEJE 234 posts

A CHINESE company, Kwo Chief Investment Limited, has finally shut down its illegal charcoal production at Obimo in Nsukka local government area of Enugu State. The company’s termination of the operation comes after three months that The…
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For many years, Dana Air, a domestic airline operator in Nigeria, raised millions of naira through inflight donations to Sri Sai Vandana Foundation, an illegal organisation that was not registered until October last year after The ICIR…
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One year after the federal government pledged to rebuild communities and resettle locals displaced by herdsmen, a single house has not been built anywhere in Benue and Plateau states. Now, the displaced persons live in fear that they may…
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AN illegal charcoal factory by a Chinese company in Enugu State has continued operation after more than two weeks that the facility was purportedly sealed off by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency…
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THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano State, winner of the gubernatorial election, amidst protest by the opposition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). After the collation…
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THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended all electoral processes in Rivers State over widespread violence that marred voting and collation of results in the Saturday’s gubernatorial and state house of assembly…
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ACROSS the Abuja City Centre, polling units are deserted by voters as eligible voters complained that they have realised that their votes do not count after the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections. The election being…
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NIGERIANS have begun to lament how their country is backward by drawing comparison with Senegal after the two members of Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) held presidential elections a day apart. Nigeria’s Saturday’s…
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AS COLLATION of results for the presidential and National Assembly elections is on-going across the country, Nigerians have already begun to compare notes between the Saturday’s polls and previous elections. "Could this be the most violent…
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THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has praised the functionality of smart card readers for the accreditation of voters, despite widespread failures of the card readers across the country. In many polling units monitored…
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Investigation by The ICIR shows that regulatory and law enforcement agencies are aware of an unauthorised Chinese company that drives massive logging of wild trees for unprecedented charcoal production in Enugu State. But they have done…
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BAYO Onanuga, managing director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has accused  freelance journalist Ahmad Salkida of committing treason due to his “precise knowledge of Boko Haram ,” the Islamic terror group fighting to control territories in…
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THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed  presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for today till  February 23. The postponement, which was announced by INEC Chairman,  Mahmood Yakubu, just five…
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THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo State is running behind schedule in the distribution of voting materials to the 27 local government areas as the sorting which ought to have been concluded on Thursday was still…
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BINTOU Camara, Director of Africa Programs, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, has praised Ethiopia for passing a new regulation for tobacco, describing it as “historic public health legislation that will become one of Africa’s strongest laws…
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Children caught up in the Boko Haram's 10-year-old insurgency suffer damage not so easily repaired. They are now struggling with distressing memories and ongoing adversities – resulting in an upsurge of psychological trauma.
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THE central message in the open letter by Olusegun Obasanjo, former president, is that the 2019 general elections, more specifically presidential election, will be rigged in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari. The other issues he raised…
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PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari was unsystematic and passive in answering questions that Kadaria Ahmed asked him on live television between 8 and 10 pm on Wednesday at the presidential town hall, co-produced by Daria Media and NTA with support…
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LAST week, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) released a statement that it intercepted a 40-feet trailer with codeine and other illicit drugs in Lagos, but investigation by The ICIR reveals that the…
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AN estimated 25,685 babies will be born in Nigeria on New Year’s Day, according to Unicef, the UN children’s agency. Unicef said Nigerian babies make up 6.5 per cent of the estimated 395,072 babies born on New Year’s Day globally. “Within…
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The ICIR investigations show that hundreds of millions of naira released for HIV campaigns, counselling and testing services may have ended in private pockets of contractors and government officials, as companies were specifically…
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INTERNATIONAL and local activists are asking the Federal Government to cancel the 2011 resolution agreement that yielded ownership of the controversial oil block OPL 245 to Shell and Eni after evidence emerged that the oil giants undercut…
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NEW findings suggest that Nigeria will lose $6 billion in revenue to international oil companies, Shell and Eni, over the deal on the controversial oil block, widely known as Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245. Leaked emails and…
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OBY Ezekwesili, the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) has faulted The ICIR’s fact check on her claim that from the year 2000 till date, Nigeria has never reduced the number of out-of-school children…
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OBY Ezekwesili, the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) says that from the year 2000 till date, Nigeria has never reduced the number of out-of-school children except the period she was the minister of…
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LAST year, 1, 359 infants in Nigeria tested positive to HIV, a spike in mother-to child-transmission when compared to previous years. “1,359 is a challenge to us because we used to have less than 100 some years ago,” says Gbenga Ijaodola,…
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THE Red Card Movement, citizens' political mobilisation founded by Oby Ezekwesili, has tweeted after one month of inactivity. “Our Convener, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has stepped aside from the membership & leadership of the RCM. This follows…
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DONALD Duke, former governor of Cross Rivers State and presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has claimed he earns an average of N156 thousand in a month since 2015. The presidential candidate, who promises to improve…
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AMIDST the excitement of New Year resolution, Oby Ezekwesili gave a red card to Nigeria’s ruling party and the main opposition party.    Her goal then was to ensure that neither the All Progressives Congress (APC) nor the Peoples…
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FOR failing to bring murderers of journalists to justice, Nigeria is ranked 13 out of 14 countries in the 2018 Global Impunity Index released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). This is the sixth time that Nigeria is featured on…
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NIGERIA'S progress in the latest Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) is confusing.  The media, including The ICIR, reported on Thursday that Nigeria moved up 10 places in the 2018 Global…
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A new climate change report by 91 scientists from 40 countries has warned that hundreds of millions of people around the world will face the immediate risks of worsening drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty if global warming is not…
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ATIKU Abubakar, former Vice President, has emerged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after he defeated eleven other aspirants at the party's presidential primary election in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.  He…
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THE First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for not providing fair and neutral arrangement for its primary elections. The President’s wife expressed her disappointment on Twitter on Sunday, pointing out…
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RABI’U Musa Kwankwaso says he is more popular than President Muhammadu Buhari in the northern part of the country which has been the stronghold of the president. Kwankwaso told Premium Times in an interview that he would easily defeat…
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FROM fewer than 50 million people in 1960 to an estimated 198 million people now, population is the unparalleled and unrivalled growth that Nigeria has recorded since Independence.  With this superlative growth, Nigeria is the seventh most…
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EARLIER in September – when leaders from states and regions, cities, business, investors and civil society around the world gathered at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco – a plethora of commitments were made by the leaders…
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THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced on Friday that it has taken over the Skye Bank over the inability of the bank to meet its banking obligations. CBN said the bank has been under stress since 2016 and the shareholders of the bank…
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Chikezie OMEJE writes from San Francisco, USA. WITH over 50 per cent of the forests in Nigeria located in Cross River, the state is proposing that international funds should be given directly to the states, rather than the federal…
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Chikezie OMEJE writes from San Francisco, USA. AFTER more than one year that Donald Trump, the United States President, had announced the withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement, Jerry Brown, the governor of California, is…
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Chikezie OMEJE writes from San Francisco, USA. THE Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, United States, begins today, one of the global events to galvanise action towards saving the Earth. More than 4000 delegates from around the…
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FOURTEEN people have been killed by cholera outbreak in Borno State. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( UN OCHA), in a statement on Thursday, said 380 cases of suspected cholera in eight local government…
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Each year, more than seven million babies – equal to the population of Sierra Leone – are born in Nigeria.  But over four million of these babies do not exist legally because their births are not registered. They do not have a birth…
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AT least 30 Nigerian soldiers were killed in combat with Boko Haram jihadists who overran a military base in the northeast near the border with Niger, according to AFP. The international news agency reports on Saturday that scores of…
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Kingsley Moghalu’s integrity is open to question after he rejected a straw poll to select a consensus candidate among the presidential aspirants to challenge the candidates of the two dominant parties – All Progressives Congress (APC) and…
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THERESA May, Prime Minister of United Kingdom (UK), appears to be the first leader of a country to recognise Nigeria as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty. As part of her three-day visit to Africa, May…
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THE Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved 732 million to develop an interactive online portal for solid minerals in Nigeria. But after almost one year that the portal was launched, it is still static and unresponsive. Checks by The ICIR…
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KOFI Atta Annan, a twin and schoolboy from Ghana, who rose to the world’s stage to become the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) and won Nobel Peace Prize, died at the age of 80 on Saturday in Bern, Switzerland. He was a…
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THE Wuse Zone 2 Magistrate Court has adjourned the trial of Jones Abiri, a Bayelsa-based journalist who was arrested by the Department of State Service (DSS) and kept in captivity for over two years without trial. Abiri was released on…
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FOR the second time, the Department of State Service (DSS) has failed to present any witness against Jones Abiri who was detained for over years without trial. The Wuse Zone 2 Magistrate Court adjourned the matter to Friday and threatened…
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WITH a population of about 200 million people, Nigeria has fewer than 50 medical professionals who are specialists in cancer treatment, says Runcie Chidebe, Executive Director of Project Pink Blue, a cancer-fighting organisation. To…
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A NEW orange-fleshed sweet potato that looks like a carrot is now being planted and sold in Nigeria. Yellow cassava and orange maize are also available. While these new varieties of staple crops are open to question from curious Nigerians,…
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DURING much of the school hours, newly installed water points remain dry at Anuli Community School in Ezinifite, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.  Faced with this problem, pupils in the school have found alternative. They use…
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THE Federal Capital Territory Public Health Department has carried out eye screening at Ruga, close to Abuja City Gate, where children are going blind due to itchy eye infection. The ICIR first reported how more than 20 children in the…
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AN Abuja Magistrate Court at Wuse Zone 2 has lessened the bail conditions for Jones Abiri, a Bayelsa-based journalist and publisher who was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) for two years without trial. Counsel to Abiri,…
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ACTING President, Yemi Osinbajo, has sacked the Director General of Department of Security Service (DSS), Lawal Daura. Laolu Akande, the spokesman of Osinbajo, announced this on Twitter. He said Daura had been directed to hand over to the…
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THE Department of Security Service (DSS) has failed to bring any witness to court at the commencement of hearing on the detained journalist, Jones Abiri. Abiri, Bayelsa-based journalist and publisher,  was kept in detention by the DSS for…
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NO girl has ever transited to secondary school in more than 40 years history of Mazangari Primary School in Bodinga, Sokoto State, until recently. The primary school – established in 1972 – broke the record last year through a cash transfer…
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IT begins with itching. Swelling of the eyes follows. The swollen eyelids tighten up and the children are unable to open their eyes. More than 20 children are having this eye infection in Ruga, a remote settlement around the Abuja City…
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NIGERIANS are split over the rightness of branding police operational cars with Dangote Foundation because the cars were donated by the African richest man, Aliko Dangote. A report by The ICIR, detailed how 150 cars donated by the…
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IN Abuja and across some of the states, brand new police operational cars have been sighted with the name of the African richest man, Aliko Dangote, written on them as the donor. On the bonnet and both door sides of the white painted…
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BEYOND diversity, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is also bringing policy expertise and global financial connections to Twitter. The social network with over 336 million users has struggled to make profits in its 12 years of existence. Former Nigerian…
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WILLIE Obiano, Governor of Anambra State, earmarked N42.6 billion for his security votes in three years – money he will never be held to account and he can spend it however he wants without any consequence. The proposed three-year…
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CIVIL Society Scaling-up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) says every state in Nigeria has a problem of childhood malnutrition and government must step up efforts to address the problem. Beatrice Eluaka, Executive Secretary of CS-SUNN stated…
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KEMI Adeosun, Minister of Finance, has refused to comment on the allegation that she skipped the one-year mandatory national youth service but instead she forged an exemption certificate. Also, the federal government has kept silent on the…
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MARYAM Uwais, the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments invited the ICIR for a meeting on Monday last week after an investigation into how the poorest Nigerians have been excluded from the cash transfer scheme. Uwais did…
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ADAMU Ciroma’s unusual left eye was not just his unique facial feature but also played pivotal role in his career. He could have studied law in the United Kingdom but an eye problem stopped this wish. His doctor told him though he could not…
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Living in extreme poverty does not entitle a household to N5, 000 monthly handouts, a social protection initiative by the federal government. It is rather a game of chance, determined by residence and individuals’ luck – investigations by…
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PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly scored himself high in the area of security despite the  frequent killings of Nigerians by suspected Fulani herdsmen and other terrorist groups. Terror perpetrated by herdsmen is often conceived as…
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FACES of Sierra Leonean doctors who lost their lives during the Ebola crisis have graced the country’s postage stamp as a tribute to their fight against Ebola virus that ravaged the country between 2014 and 2015. While people across the…
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THE police on Sunday invited Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate and the number three citizens of the country, for interrogation over a connection with bank robbery in his state, Kwara. The police, however, rescinded the invitation…
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Cigarette smokers do not care how long they will live or the health risks associated with smoking. If they do, nobody will be a tobacco smoker in Nigeria. On any pack of cigarette sold in Nigeria, there is a boldly written caveat: “The…
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MUHAMMADU Buhari took oath of office as the President of Nigeria exactly three years ago, after a campaign obsessed  by the sense of obligation to   kill corruption. "We have to because there are serious citizens of this country…
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A CONCLUSIVE investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had absolved former President Olusegun Obasanjo of corruption, according to EFCC’s report obtained by the Premium Times. This is coming on the…
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MUHAMMADU Buhari, Nigeria’s President, loves to repeat a claim about oil prices averaging $100 from 1999 to 2014. This claim has been fact-checked and debunked but Buhari cannot stop his obsession with this disinformation. On…
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EVIDENCE has shown that when parents are specifically empowered to send girls to school, they gain an advantage over boys. Consequently, boys become envious, frustrated and eventually withdraw from school. Between 2014 and 2016,…
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A video emerged online Wednesday, showing a scene where Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), was struggling to read his speech at an event. The video recording was done on Monday in Kano where Idris went to…
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Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, has claimed that the Federal Government has implemented 14 of the 15-point demand that prompted the strike by the Joint Health Workers Unions (JOHESU). The minister claimed that the strike…
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Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) will consider sending a medical team to Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where new cases of Ebola have been confirmed. The Federal Ministry of Health has also been directed to step up…
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A budget of N8.612 trillion for 2018 was presented to the joint session of National Assembly on November 7, 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari.  Six months after (183 days), the budget is yet to be passed by the lawmakers –…
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While President Muhammadu Buhari and other politicians could fly out of the country at any moment for medical treatment, patients that require emergency treatment at the Federal Government-owned hospitals could not even secure a…
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An increasing number of Nigerians are embracing the controversial ketogenic diet. This diet has shown dramatic weight loss but its effect on dieters is highly open to question. The keto diet is based on unproven scientific claims,…
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A Federal High Court in Abuja has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) 45 days to conclude its investigation and charge Patience Jonathan, former First Lady, to court. The court’s decision followed an…
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Aminu Yaminu, suspected Boko Haram commander and the alleged mastermind of recent killings in Benue State has been arrested by the army, according to Daily Trust. The suspect, also known as Tashaku, was arrested by the…
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Ruqayya Wamakko, a medical doctor and the Reproductive Health Coordinator at the FCT Primary Healthcare Development Board, has advised nurses and midwives to stop shaving the pubic hair of women who come to the hospital to deliver…
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China’s presence in the continent is creating an impression of a new saviour complex – the second largest economy in the world has come to uplift Africa from infrastructural poverty.  China seems to be willing to help African…
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Attempts to cover up years of graft in Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana in Afikpo, Ebonyi State have failed, resulting in a strike, extortion of students and a harrowing learning environment. The Akanu Ibiam Federal…
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Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says he accepted to serve as Director, Strategic Communications, President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation for the 2019 election because Gani Fawehinmi, his late former boss…
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Russian investigative journalist, Maksim Borodin of Yekaterinburg, has died of injuries sustained on April 12 when he fell from the window of his fifth-floor apartment.  According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,…
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The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) is inviting applications from journalists for training/capacity building in the areas of human rights and criminal justice reporting. The project, tagged ‘Voice for Change…
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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has secretly pulled down inaccurate and misleading 'Education Statistics' uploaded on its website after the ICIR fact-checked the data. The education statistics gave a breakdown of school enrolment…
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Forget reciting the alphabet or memorizing the numbers from one to 10 or 100. For children, play is actually a better way to learn than traditional school work. Studies have found evidence that play is the natural way which children…
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Fear of the known – killer herdsmen – dissuaded taxi drivers in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, from taking the ICIR reporter to Guma and Logo, the two local government areas in the state that have become the epicentre of repeated hate…
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Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has released a list of alleged looters of public funds who are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Omokri’s list containing names such as  Rotimi Amaechi, …
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Sergei Mavrodi, Russian businessman whose MMM pyramid scheme deprived millions of Nigerians of their savings in 2016, has died of a heart attack, according to the Russian media. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that the…
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In a lot of campaigns against the handing out of girls to full-grown men in marriage, there is huge talk about how the education of the child brides is impeded, or the health hazards of of an unready female body having to stomach…
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Safe drinking water is a luxury in Nigeria and only a negligible percentage of the population has access to this luxury. Budgeting for clean and safe drinking water provision has been abysmal over the years. As a result, 57 million…
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Marielle Franco, a female black politician, has been shot dead along with her driver by two men in what appears to have been a targeted assassination. Franco, 38, was a groundbreaking politician who had become a voice for…
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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently reported that the number of children who enrolled in public early childhood education dropped from 4,672,908 in 2015 to 2,694,787 in 2016. Enrolment in private early childhood…
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The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), a nonprofit organization, has commended the Federal Government on the increase of excise duty on tobacco products in the newly- approved amendment of excise…
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In post–World War II America, when John D. MacArthur earned his millions, he was the least known of the nation's wealthiest men. Even after he earned his great wealth in insurance and real estate, MacArthur lived in relative…
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Bako Abdullahi, Acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has handed over to Musa Usman Abubakar, Secretary of the commission, as the Senate delays the confirmation of…
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Don Okere, Editor of Daily Independent, has insisted that the newspaper will not retract a story for which the State Security Service (SSS) has detained a journalist. Okere said the SSS had demanded that the retraction of the story…
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In reaction to 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index by the Transparency International (TI), the Nigerian government wondered where the Berlin-based corruption watchdog got its facts to rank Nigeria 148 out of 180 countries, despite the…
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Adesola Bello, a beneficiary of Presidential Special Scholarship for Innovation and Development (PRESSID), and a PhD student at Imperial College, London, is currently seeking to raise the sum of N10,453,170 (£21, 333) on GoFundMe to…
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Kerry Washington, an African-American Hollywood actress, made headlines in Nigeria last week when she tweeted in one of the country’s three dominant languages, Igbo. The tweet, reported by the News Agency of Nigeria, was a birthday…
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The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is looking for an editor for Sub-Saharan Africa. The deadline for application is February 28. Journalists with three years of experience can apply for this half-time, remote…
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The Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize is inviting entries from journalists committed to defending democracy and human rights. The Prize, sponsored by the European Commission, awards excellence in written, radio and broadcast…
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Abba Umar and Yusuf Mohammed have been sentenced to 60 and 50 years jail terms respectively for refusing to denounce Boko Haram at the mass trial of the suspects in Niger State, according to Daily Trust. By Friday, 475 Boko Haram…
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The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has conducted a four-day business skills training for 72 Nigerian migrants returning from Libya. According to a statement by Ikechukwu Attah, a communication assistant with IOM,…
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Abdulaziz Yari, Governor of Zamfara State, has not returned to the state three days after tens of people were massacred in his state, according to Premium Times. Several people were killed in the state on Wednesday and Thursday by…
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The Federal High Court, Abuja, has adjourned hearing of a suit filed against the Attorney General of the federation (AGF) by the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF) to February 28, according to The Cable. The foundation…
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Two journalists and one citizen journalist have already been killed in connection with their work so far this year, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The France-based media watchdog said Carlos Dominguez Rodriguez, a Mexican…
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Kingsley Moghalu,  former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has indicated interest in contesting the 2019 presidential election despite the speculations that 2023 will be the turn of the Igbo. Moghalu told…
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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, has won a coveted prize of $5 million for leadership achievement in Africa. It is the first time in three years that the jury of the award has found a winner. Sirleaf, the first…
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Ada Onyejike-Ananaba, founder of the Girl Child Art Foundation (GCAF), will be arraigned in courton Monday  for allegedly abusing her 10-year-old domestic servant. According to a source at the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) in…
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Of the 7.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance this year in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 930,000 are estimated to be in areas that are hard to reach for humanitarian organisations. Edward…
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Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, has expressed his "sympathies" to Danladi Umar, Chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), who is facing a corruption charge from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC). On behalf…
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Nigeria’s national education policy states that children in preschool and lower primary school should be taught in their mother tongue or the local language where they live. But in practice, most children are taught in English all across…
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Sadiq Daba, a veteran broadcaster and actor, will join other Nigerians to lead the Abuja Cancer Awareness Walk this weekend as part of the activities to commemorate the 2018 World Cancer Day. Daba recently returned to the country after…
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After two decades of supporting journalists to cover crucial under-reported issues across the world, the International Reporting Project (IRP) has wound up its operations. John Schidlovsky, Director of IRP, announced the close out…
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For the urban poor, charcoal provides an affordable source of energy for cooking. As rural farmers turn to charcoal production to meet urban demand, this seemingly lucrative business is depleting Nigeria’s forest resources, with…
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The Federal Government has cut funding for a nutritional programme designed to save thousands of lives among an estimated 2.5 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Last year, the Federal Government earmarked N1.2…
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Kidnappers have killed two policemen and abducted two foreigners — an American and a Canadian — in Kaduna State. Mukhtar Aliyu, spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, confirmed the attack, saying the two policemen…
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Administrative items such buying of cars, retrofitting of government offices, trainings, consultancies, and purchase of furniture and computers make up at least 42 percent of the capital expenditure in the 2018 budget, BudgIT. a…
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For meeting crucial targets on polio eradication campaigns, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) will fulfill its agreement with Nigeria by paying off the country’s $76 million debt to Japan. The Japanese government provided…
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Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, says the media coverage of killings in the north central part of the country has not been balanced, as attacks on the Fulani went unreported. In what Sanusi described as genocide, he said many Fulani…
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Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of Commonwealth, says Nigeria should be restructured to solve its increasing security and economic challenges. “We should have no more than eight federating units,” Anyaoku told The Nation in…
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Facebook, the social media platform, will henceforth restrict the amount of public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — that the users are exposed to. The restriction will significantly prevent publishers…
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Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications, says the South West campaign office for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari would be inaugurated on January 20. Shittu said that Buhari's supporters are urging him to re-contest,…
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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to "take partisan politics out of the appointments to boards of agencies and parastatals" to show that his government is truly one of change.'…
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Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) failed to remit $16.8 billion from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to either the Federal Government or federation account, in 15 years, the 2015 Nigeria Extractive Industries…
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Over the weekend and Christmas holiday, thousands of Abuja residents —  both adults and children — thronged the amusement parks in the city to have adrenaline-pumping rides that appear to be safe but can be dangerous. Last year, two girls…
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Additional reports by Damilola Ojetunde and Victoria Nwaziri For three consecutive years, President Muhammadu Buhari has presented budgets that are more reckless and ridiculous than his predecessor's. Buhari did not only adopt…
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Additional reports by Damilola Ojetunde and Victoria Nwaziri Twenty states that have so far presented their 2018 budgets are proposing to spend a total sum of N6.1 trillion. When the remaining 16 states present theirs, the…
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An Italian judge has ordered oil majors Royal Dutch Shell and Eni to stand trial over alleged corruption in Nigeria, according to Reuters. Eni executive, Claudio Descalzi, and his predecessor, Paolo Scaroni, will also face…
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ActionAid International, a non-governmental organisation, wants Libya suspended from the African Union (AU) until all captive and bonded persons within its soils are released.  This was contained in a letter by the organisation to…
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Contracts worth over N300 million awarded to briefcase companies by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for the construction and renovation of classrooms in Ebonyi and Imo states were either not done to specifications or never…
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The 36 state governors of the federation have approved the release of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to boost the Federal Government's fight against Boko Haram. Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State State,…
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President Muhammadu Buhari says the mammoth crowd that welcomed him to Kano has convinced him that he still is loved by the electorate enough to win the 2019 election. “I am overwhelmed by the sea of people I see,” Buhari said at the…
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In this second part of two articles on malnutrition in Nigeria, CHIKEZIE OMEJE reports that food choices and lifestyle changes are increasing obesity among children, with serious consequences such as hypertension, diabetes and heart…
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The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice has rescued a 10-year-old girl in the home of Ada Onyejike Ananaba, founder of the Girl Child Art Foundation (GCAF) — a non- profit organisation…
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Ileogben Sunday-Adeoye, a Professor and Chief Medical Director of the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has charged journalists to tell the stories of survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM) in a…
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Goodluck Jonathan, the former President, has asked Kashim Shettima, Governor of Borno State, to tell the truth about his role in the abduction of Chibok school girls by Boko Haram in April 2014. On Thursday, Shettima had said …
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Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, has recounted two encounters that convinced him that Goodluck Jonathan, the former President, condoned corruption and was never prepared for leadership. Saraki shared his experience on…
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North West, the most populated region in Nigeria, has the highest undernourished children. Fifty-five percent of children in the region are stunted, suggesting they are not growing proper physically or mentally. The region is not affected…
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Ibrahim Idris, Inspector-General of Police, says there is no law that prevents him from marrying a serving female police officer. He stated this in response to Isa Misau, the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District,…
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Ibrahim Magu, chairman of the commission, was misunderstood on the payment of reward to the person who gave the information that led to the recovery of huge cash at a luxury…
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The Federal High Court, Abuja has declined N500 million damages sought by Ali Ndume against the Nigerian senate for his suspension. The court, however, declared that his suspension by the senate as illegal and ordered that all his…
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Yakubu Galadima, the lawyer to the whistle-blower who helped the Economic  and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to recover $43.5 million, £27,800 and N23.2 million at No. 16 Osborne Road, Flat 7B Osborne Towers in Ikoyi, Lagos, has…
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Ibrahim Dankwambo, Governor of Gombe State, has thrown his weight behind the agitation for restructuring, saying it will create a better federation. Dankwambo, a former Accountant General of the Federation, said restructuring…
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Garus Gololo, Benue State Coordinator of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, says members of the association cannot accept the state's anti-grazing law because they were never consulted before it was drawn up. He also…
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Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, says the state has lost over N95 billion worth of goods and property, including his rice farm, to attacks by herdsmen attacks. “If you go to the rural areas, you see schools, churches, hospitals,…
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Cornelius Adewale, a former vegetable farmer and current Ph.D. candidate at Washington State University, has won the Bullitt Foundation Environmental Prize for 2017 for his leadership role in developing an app and web tool that can…
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“Everything can be made in Aba,” says Uche Jumbo, a Nollywood actress, on a billboard along the Aba-Owerri road in Aba. Wearing a headgear and beaming with a bold smile, Jumbo announces she is proudly "Nwa Aba" — a child of this commercial…
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Babachir Lawal or Boss Mustapha? Who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)? Well, we can't really say. Your answer depends on the websites you've been visiting. If you have been reading the ICIR, Mustapha would be…
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Doctors have warned that toilet papers do little to remove faeces, and have therefore advocated the use of wet wipes or toilet bidets. Doctors also say apart from cleanliness, excessive wiping could cause health problems such as anal…
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President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked Babachir Lawal, the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and Ayo Oke, the suspended Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Boss Mustapha, a chieftain of All…
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Sule Lamido, former Governor of Jigawa State and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, says the thieves in the ruling All Progressives Congress are bigger than the ones in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party…
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The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has resolved to investigate the rising cases of illegal human organ harvesting in the country, which other law enforcement agencies wrongfully call ritual murders.…
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Yakubu Gowon, former Military Head of State, says the restructuring of the country as currently agitated for, is impossible. The retired general, who spoke in Minna, the Niger State Capital, on Saturday pointed out that the ethnic…
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Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and former Minister of Environment, has urged older Nigerians to stop competing with younger Nigerians for UN jobs. NAN reports that Mohammed spoke at a cultural night organised by Nigerians…
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Muhammdu Indimi, the businessman from Borno State who admitted donating $900,000 to Lynn University, US, last year, says he never had any formal education but he now supervises those with masters and Ph.D. “Thank God today, as an…
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Ibrahim Magu, Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), says Nigeria's war against corruption must continue with or without him.  President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted Magu is the only man for the job after the…
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The Nigerian army has admitted abandoning 22 people killed inside a primary school by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. Daily Trust reports that Anthony Atolagbe, Commander of Operations Save…
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Children in rural communities in Adamawa and Ebonyi states will gain from a new programme by UNESCO to build their resilience over hardship through play. A statement by UNESCO says the programme will help disadvantaged children to cope…
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Daphne Caruana Galizia, the journalist who led the Panama Papers investigation into corruption in Malta, was killed on Monday in a car bomb near her home. "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate," she wrote…
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The Federal Ministry of Health has written a letter to the Nigerian Medical Associations (NMA) to alert doctors on the increasing number of human kidney trafficking. According to the letter, signed by Wapada Balami, Director of Hospital…
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The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and nearly 200 other public health and human rights organisations have asked the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to drop tobacco companies from its membership. A letter from the organisations to…
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In a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari,  Ibe Kachikwu, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources raised two strong allegations against  Maikanti Baru, Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).…
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Abubakar Badaru, Governor of Jigawa says those agitating for the division of Nigeria should get their acts together and participate in the political dispensation, instead of heating up the polity. In an interview with Daily Trust, he…
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Germany has launched a two-year study to determine the origins of more than 1,000 human skulls, mostly from Rwanda, brought to Europe during the colonial era for racial “scientific” research, AFP reports. Billed as an…
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Two years of free pre-primary education, six months of paid maternity leave, and four weeks of paid paternity leave are the three policies that UNICEF says the Nigerian government must implement to reverse the poor physical and mental…
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John Magufuli, Tanzanian President, has readjusted his monthly earnings to 9 million Tanzanian shillings ($4,000), making him one of the lowest paid African leaders as he pursues a much-criticised policy of deep public spending cuts,…
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Emem Opashi is the director of the Sage School, an early childhood development centre in Abuja. Emen who is an early childhood educator and trainer also consults for local and international organizations on early childhood education. In…
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A group of 17 non-governmental organisations has filed a suit against the federal government before the Abuja Federal High Court over permits issued by the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) for Genetic Modified (GM) cotton and…
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From almost 2,000 proposals, four finalists have emerged in the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change, a global competition to win single $100 million grant to implement a project that will make the world a better place.…
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An estimated 7.4 million babies are born in Nigeria every year but 94,000 of them die on the first day of birth while 240,000 others die before they are one month old, according to the Federal Ministry of Health. Policymakers in…
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Amina Yuguda, a journalist from Adamawa State, has won the third BBC World News Komla Dumor Award. She is now the second Nigerian to win the award in a row after Didi Akinyelure, a business journalist who won it last year. The…
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Violet Brown, a Jamaican who until Friday was the world’s oldest person, lived for 117 years and 189 days. Want to know why she lived that long? Hard work and Christian faith. Brown, who lived through three centuries, was born on…
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Zannah Mustapha, a lawyer in Borno State who negotiated the release of Chibok girls from Boko Haram captivity, has won $150, 000 UN prize for providing an education to children caught up in conflict in the northeast part of…
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Bolaji Akinyemi, a professor of political science and former Minister of External Affairs, says an average person on the northern streets believes in Buhari in the way that they don’t believe in Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President or…
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Mary Olaniyan, an 18-year-old student of the Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, who spent 11 days in a thick forest with kidnappers, has narrated how "big men in expensive cars" patronised her captors for "human flesh". “I saw…
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Ten Nigerians have arrived Lebanon to begin a 10-day intensive study on history and culture at Cedars Institute, Notre Dame University (NDU) on the Wole Soyinka Foundation's Study Abroad in Lebanon (SAIL) programme. The…
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 'Salvus', a web-based platform providing an opportunity for victims of sexual violence to report and get justice, has been launched. The initiative is being undertaken by Hacey Health Initiative, with support from the Stars…
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In 18 months, between January 2016 and June 2017, 430 persons have been killed in road accidents in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Investigation by the ICIR, however, reveals that at least 50 percent of the crashes were caused by…
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The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) has delisted tobacco companies from participating in its initiative of involving corporate leadership to achieving the UN development goals. UNGC, which involves the participation of over…
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Soldiers have surrounded the country home of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with about 10 armoured carrier vehicles and seven Hilux vans on Tuesday, according to Punch. The presence of the soldiers has…
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Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, says the federal government approved the new rail line to Daura to enable its landlocked neighbours, like Niger, import goods from Nigerian ports instead of going to Togo and Ghana. The new…
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Ghanaian referee Joseph Odartei Lamptey on Wednesday lost his appeal to upturn a life ban from participating in any football competition after the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) found him guilty of match fixing.…
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Italian psychiatrists and psychologists are struggling to help free Nigerian women forced into prostitution in Italy, according to the Guardian UK. Psychologists in hospitals across Sicily say they are witnessing a growing mental…
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Kingsley Ikeri, a Nigerian, has been killed by the police at Vryheid town in Kwazulu Natal Province of South Africa for allegedly carrying drugs. The Nigeria union in South Africa confirmed this to NAN on Friday.. Within the past…
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Ethiopian Airlines, which is wholly owned by the Ethiopian government, has made an offer to the federal government to take over the management of Arik Air, Nigeria's largest airline. Esayas Weldemariam , Director of International…
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Twenty-three-year-old Rafael Ochoa was a PhD student when he committed suicide in April 2016, and an inquest into his death has revealed that intense pressures from his Computer Science degree and upcoming sporting competition…
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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has sacked George Thompson Sekibo, the senator representing Rivers East Senatorial Zone under the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The appellate court dismissed an appeal filed by Sekibo…
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The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed minimum cut-off marks for admission into universities at 120, the lowest in recent history. That of polytechnics and colleges of education were pegged at 100, and…
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Fresh revelations by the Guardian UK have further proven that the British American Tobacco (BAT) engaged in widespread bribery and corruption in many African countries to undermine efforts to curb smoking. The Guardian report…
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The federal government released N760.18bn Paris Club debt refund to 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the first six months of the year, it has been revealed. According to the latest Quarterly Review NEITI Quarterly…
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The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is worried that Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps in north-eastern Nigeria have become death traps. Following Tuesday's multiple suicide bomb blasts that killed 27 and injured 83 outside a…
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Charly Boy and his men entered Wuse market, Abuja, mid-morning on Tuesday but what ensued afterwards was a clash that eventually assumed ethnic dimension. Charly Boy has been leading a protest against President Muhammadu…
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Destiny Trust, a social intervention providing education, rehabilitation and empowerment to homeless children, has launched a crowdfunding campaign tagged '1000HelpingHands' to raise money to put 100 out-of-school…
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Charly Boy, popular musician and leader of the #OurMumuDonDo protest, would have been lynched on Tuesday when he visited Wuse market, Abuja, but for the intervention of Igbo traders. Charly Boy, whose real name is Charles Oputa, has…
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Pervasive corruption and the attitude of Nigerians who are not shocked by scandals make it difficult for investigative journalism to thrive in the country, Dele Olojede, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has said. Speaking in an…
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Despite its standing as an Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram has bombed more Islamic than Christian institutions, a study by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, United States Military Academy, has revealed.…
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Children imprisoned with convicted armed robbers and murderers at the Badagry prison in Lagos are hungry, sick and dying with chicken pox, ringworm, scabies and leprosy, a report by the Nigerian Tribune has revealed. According to the…
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An outbreak of Lassa fever has been reported in Lagos, with two deaths already recorded, including that of a 32-year-old pregnant woman.  More than 100 people have been placed under surveillance, too. To keep safe from this…
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Jacob Zuma, South African President, has survived another no-confidence vote, the eighth time he has faced such political test in his eight-year presidency. However, this was the first vote held through secret balloting, and the…
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For how long can Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s ailing President, stay in London for medical treatment? Is the answer indefinite, until the expiration of his first term in 2019? After a 49-day medical vacation in London early…
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Protesters fired up by anti-establishment songs of Afrobeat musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti on Monday demanded the resumption to duty or resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari. Coincidentally, Fela was a vocal opponent of Muhammadu…
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Dozens of worshippers were killed by an unidentified gunman during an early-morning Mass on Sunday at the St. Philips Catholic Church, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State. According to NAN, many of the…
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A popular belief in Nigeria is that everyone needs to drink water to survive. Legendary musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti captured this feeling in a popular song, Water No Get Enemy. However, scientific evidence shows that water is an enemy,…
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Matthew Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, has called for full prosecution of British American Tobacco (BAT), a UK tobacco company, for allegedly bribing politicians and government officials to suppress…
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Poverty is not a barrier to raising high-fliers, writes Chikezie Omeje after returning from a reporting trip to Uganda where he observed how poor and rural dwellers are taking bold initiatives to create a better future for…
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Police officers have burgled and looted an Abuja home of Goodluck Jonathan, former President of the country. According to PREMIUM TIMES, the three police officers involved in the criminal act were assigned to guard the house. They…
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The United Nations, through a new fund set up to tackle the crisis-hit northeast, has allocated over $10.5m to help thousands of women, children and men in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance. This was part of the money…
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