Author: Chief Editor

*How the deposed Emir talked himself into trouble Yesterday, March 9, 2020, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State did what his former charismatic predecessor, the late Abubakar Rimi, planned to, but could not do: He deposed the Emir of Kano and split the Kano Emirate into four chiefdoms. When it started, it was as if Ganduje was following in the footsteps of the late Rimi, because exactly 38 years before he split the Kano Emirate into four, Rimi had, as the governor of old Kano State that comprised the present day Jigawa State, carved same number of emirates with…

He has always found himself at cross-purposes with the establishment. His elevation to the traditional governance institution was enhanced by his romance with the progressives, whose causes are antithetical to the dictates of the feudal system. And so, in the clash of the contrasting ideals that failed to coalesce with the emergence of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano, the deconstruction of Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II finds expression. Perhaps, it has to do with his educational accomplishments or his background as a prince. The fact remains that in his 57 years on earth Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has combined…

When Sanusi Muhammad II shot himself into intense national reckoning, not because of his job as the number one banker, but because what some termed his loquaciousness in vilifying former President Goodluck Jonathan, many knew he was in tune with the then opposition All Progressives Congress party that was contesting for power. His wishes soon came true in 2015 when Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) became president. Becoming an emir, according to him, was his ultimate ambition; it was his reward for his hard work in ousting Jonathan. Had he stopped at enjoying the opulence of his office, Sanusi would still…

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has defended the loan approval granted by the Senator Ahmad Lawan-led Senate to President Muhammadu Buhari. Bamidele said the approval given to Buhari to borrow a staggering sum of $22.5 billion foreign loan, was not done for political patronage, but to save the country’s economy from sliding into recession. Bamidele spoke in Iyin Ekiti during a programme organised for the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and former Ekiti State Governor, Chief Niyi Adebayo, to celebrate his appointment as a member of the Federal Executive Council…

The outbreak of the coronavirus may be aggravated unless efforts are made to check the resulting panic among Nigerians and the misinformation on social media. Sensational news headlines circulating on social media at the moment, with regard to the deadly disease, give cause for concern. A potent way to check the danger posed by the outbreak is through well planned and sustained information management. It is for this reason that efforts should be made to put a stop to the ongoing abuse of information on social media. To date, several cases of coronavirus infection have been reported in over 25…

Eze Onyekpere The International Women’s Day 2020 focuses on the theme of an equal world as an enabled world, generational equality and realising women’s rights. It raises the poser on how to forge a gender equal world. It calls for the celebration of women’s achievement; raising awareness against bias and taking action for equality. At no time is the theme of the women’s day more relevant to Nigeria than now, in view of recent events in the last couple of weeks as well as the entrenched prejudices and discrimination littered along the corridors of our legal and policy landscape. In…

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has announced a second confirmed case of Coronavirus in Nigeria. The PUNCH learnt that the victim had contact with the Italian that brought coronavirus to Nigeria. The victim was said to be one of those under isolation. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed this in a tweet on Monday. NCDC tweeted, “This second case is a contact of the index case, in Ogun State. “The new case has been in isolation and was tested as part of our strategy to test all contacts of the index case.” Details later… …

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 23 suspected cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been identified in Edo, Lagos, Ogun, FCT and Kano states, out of which one was confirmed positive “index case” with no death. NCDC Director General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this while speaking with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, adding that as at March 7, there was no new confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country. NAN reports that this was the eighth national situation report, following the confirmation of the first case of COVID-19 disease in the country on Feb. 27,…

Towards the twilight of his career five years ago, the then Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Dikko Inde was confronted with a catalogue of allegations that raised doubt about his integrity. His accusers were unrelenting in their onslaught with a view to compelling the embattled CG to explain all his deeds which they stoutly believed were not in the best interest of the nation’s customs. Though reports had it that the Katsina-born ex-Customs boss was unperturbed about all the seeming damaging allegations of misconduct made against him; but his accusers had persistently vowed that they are armed with…

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree early Sunday that will put millions of people across northern Italy under lockdown due to the novel coronavirus. The sweeping move puts the entire Lombardy region, as well as 14 other provinces, under travel restrictions, and is one of the toughest responses implemented outside of mainland China to get the Covid-19 epidemic under control. CNN is verifying exactly when the lockdown will go into effect. The announcement came after Italy saw a dramatic spike of 1,247 confirmed novel coronavirus cases on Saturday, the Civil Protection Department said in a statement. The country…