Author: Chief Editor

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, has said Nigeria needed a new constitution, as against the amendment of the 1999 Constitution (as emended) to accommodate emerging issues of good governance for the greater interest of all Nigerians. He stated this when Senate Sub-Committee on review of 1999 Constitution met yesterday in Asaba, the state capital. Okowa, who expressed concern over the constitution, said a new constitution for the country had become necessary in view of inherent flaws in the 1999 Constitution. He, therefore, advocated the insertion of a clause to pave way for a rewritten constitution, which would continue to be…

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, demanded state police, fiscal federalism and a special economic status for the state as constitutional review public hearing begin across the country. Governor Sanwo-Olu made the demands at the opening of the two-day Senate zonal public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution under the leadership of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, held at Marriot Hotel, Ikeja in Lagos State, according to a statement by the state government. He said, “For us in Lagos State, the issues of State Police and fiscal federalism are at the top of the priority list for us,…

As the process of constitution amendment is ongoing in the country, the Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, on Wednesday said it would be better for the country to adopt the 1963 Constitution, which he said contained the principles of true federalism. The governor, who berated the current 1999 Constitution, noted that the constitution was improper and needed to have been changed before this time. Akeredolu stated this in his remarks at the opening of the zonal public hearing on the proposed alteration in the provision of the constitution, held in Akure, the state capital. According to the governor, there…

The former governor of Cross River State Donald Duke has returned to the Peoples Democratic Party. The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Caretaker Committee in Cross River State, Effiok Cobham, disclosed this on Wednesday at a press briefing in Calabar. When asked to confirm the speculations that the former Governor had returned to the party, he said, “Yes, he has registered.” This development follows the defection of Governor Ben Ayade to the All Progressives Congress on May 20. Duke earlier defected from PDP to the Social Democratic Party, where he contested the 2019 presidential election. He was a two-term…

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Wednesday sacked 19 political appointees to right-size the State’s public service. “He (EL-Rufai) has approved the disengagement of the first set of political appointees to depart in the ongoing right-sizing of the public service,” the governor’s spokesman Muyiwa Adekeye said in a statement. “The disengaged appointees are Bala Mohammed, Deputy Chief of Staff Legislative; Halima Nagogo, Special Assistant; Umar Abubakar, Special Assistant; Ben S. D. Kure, Special Adviser Political; Mustapha Nyusha and Jamilu Dan-Mutum. “Others are Umar Haruna, Special Assistant Political; Zainab Shehu, Special Adviser Social Development; Stephen Hezron, Special Assistant to SAD SD;…

The Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, has warned against attempt to legalise cannabis in Nigeria. In a statement signed by the agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, Marwa said this at a national security summit organised by the House of Representatives on Wednesday in Abuja. He said that the current moves by some stakeholders to push for the legalisation of cannabis in Nigeria would rob the country of the gains. The NDLEA boss said the gains so far made in the renewed war against drug abuse and trafficking in the country…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Kebbi has handed over siezed 632kg of Indian hemp and 199 sachets of 1,000 pieces each of five milligrams of Diazapam tablets to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Comptroller Hafiz Kalla in-charge of Kebbi Area Command of NCS handed over the items to the NDLEA Commandant in the state, Mr Peter Odaudu, in Birnin Kebbi on Wednesday. Kalla said that the handover was in compliance with the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali. He also said that it was in the spirit of inter-agency collaboration. Kalla said that…

He may shy away from the limelight, but there were few more popular members of France’s 2018 World Cup-winning side than N’Golo Kante, who on Saturday will aim to get his hands on one of the few trophies that has so far evaded him when Chelsea face Manchester City in the Champions League final. France supporters came up with a song for Kante during that triumphant summer in Russia, to the tune of the 1969 hit “Les Champs-Elysees” by Joe Dassin. As the song goes, “he is small, he is kind, he stopped Leo Messi”. It does take a ruthless…

Two conflicting arguments about how a nation can entrench masses- focused leadership and public institutions devoid of corruption/transparent governance stemmed this piece. The first came from Kurt M. Campbell and Jake Sullivan. While writing on the topic; Competition without Catastrophe, the duo authors among other concerns argued that the best defence of democracy is to stress the values that are essential to good governance, especially transparency and accountability, and to support civil society, independent media and free flow of information. Together, these steps could lower the risk of democratic backsliding and improve in the developing world. The second is from…

Though perceived differently by various interests, restructuring is today a subject on the front burner. It is as topical as it dominates all socio-political discourse in the country. And of course, the reasons are not far-fetched. Nigeria is literally on the brinks. Implosion is just a matter of when it can happen. There are varying potentialities for violence in every part of the country. Insecurity has grossly weakened the national economy and in its wake exposed the citizenry to untold hardships. The armed forced forces and other security agencies are extremely over-stretched. Agriculture is unfortunately crippled even as lives and…