“China has become an indispensable partner in addressing shared challenges and pursuing regional and national interests.” —Olalekan A. Babatunde Each time I am in China, while watching CCTV English channels, I used to see the arrival of presidents, leaders, and captains of industry. There are reports of the arrival of leaders from across the world: Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas for state visits, bilateral talks, and to sign one contract...
No nation survives by suppressing uncomfortable truths—Dr. Anthony Obi Ogbo More than five decades after the Nigerian Civil War ended in 1970, former Head of State Yakubu Gowon has finally offered his own detailed account of the conflict that permanently reshaped Nigeria. Gowon, who became Nigeria’s leader in 1966 after the counter-coup that followed the assassination of General Aguiyi-Ironsi, presided over the most tragic chapter in the nation’s history—the Biafran War that claimed millions of...
Obafemi Hamzat, the Lagos State Deputy Governor and 2027 All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant on Thursday emerged winner of the governorship primary in Lagos State. Rtd Gen. Jonathan Temlong, the Returning Officer, while announcing the results at the Collation Centre situated at the APC Secretariat, Ikeja, said that Hamzat polled 657, 917 votes to defeat his rival, Olanrewaju Jim-Kamal, who scored a vote. He said the total number of accredited voters for the primary was 657,974....
Barrister Barakat Odunuga-Bakare on Wednesday secured a landslide victory over incumbent lawmaker Desmond Elliot in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries for Surulere Constituency I of the Lagos State House of Assembly. Odunuga-Bakare polled 11,385 votes to defeat Elliot, who scored 270 votes across the wards in the constituency, in an exercise that recorded a high turnout of party members. Results from the various wards showed overwhelming support for Odunuga-Bakare, who is backed by Femi...
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has withdrawn from the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), just hours before the exercise scheduled for Thursday. The Governor announced his withdrawal in a personally signed statement issued late Wednesday. In the statement titled ‘My decision to withdraw from the Rivers State Gubernatorial Primaries’, Fubara said his decision followed “deep reflection and extensive consultations”, adding that he would back the eventual candidate of the party. He...
Staff of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu on Tuesday embarked on an indefinite strike over promotion and other staff welfare-related issues, following the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum issued by joint unions in the health sector to the hospital management. The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals in Enugu State, Mr. Benneth Asogwa, expressed dissatisfaction with the hospital management, led by Dr. Ngozi Unaogu, for failing to address workers’ welfare, especially regarding...
Nigeria’s military says at least 175 ISIS fighters have been killed in ongoing joint operations with the United States in the North-East. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Samaila Uba, director of defense information at the Defense Headquarters, said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the United States Africa Command. According to him, the operations, which began a few days ago, have significantly degraded ISthe IS presence in the region. “The Defense Headquarters...
Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in Gombe State, citing alleged violations of the Electoral Act 2026 and a lack of transparency in the process. In a statement issued on 19 May 2026 by Barrister Ibrahim M. Attahir on behalf of the Pantamiyya Movement, the former minister said his decision followed what he described as the party’s failure to provide “a channel of communication and information essential...
The national screening committee of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has cleared Peter Obi as the party’s sole presidential aspirant ahead of its forthcoming primaries for the 2027 general election. Obi arrived at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja at about 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, accompanied by Victor Umeh, senator representing Anambra Central. He was subsequently screened by the committee headed by Sam Egwu. Speaking after the exercise, Egwu said the panel was satisfied with...
Young Nigerians have shown a remarkable ability to create waves in the digital space. With a single click, they can expose a politician’s corruption, rally tens of thousands of supporters behind a single hashtag, and keep every political actor on edge from dawn until dusk. However, as the 2027 general elections draw closer, it is time to face an uncomfortable truth: loud online noise isn’t the same as real power in the political sphere. If...
