Opinion

POINTBLANK WITH Smart Emmanuel. 09066642354 In times past, I deliberately refrained from engaging in discussions on religious or faith-based matters, believing firmly that faith is a deeply personal affair between a living being and his Creator. However, I have come to realize that there is a pressing need to remind…

By Nasrudeen Abbas A group, Concerned Indigenous Yoruba Muslims, has dismissed a viral report claiming that the Chief Imam of Ibadanland and the League of Imams in Yorubaland rejected the authority of the Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar in determining the commencement of Ramadan in the South-West. The report, which circulated on…

By ObongUnwana Micheal Joseph Okon -Ituk Mbang Uruan Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has been chasing a dream, a dream of reclaiming 76 oil wells awarded to Akwa Ibom State by the Supreme Court in 2012. But from all indications, it seems he might have been misled by…

By Abidemi Adebamiwa Nigeria is being urged to celebrate a calmer exchange rate as evidence that the economy is finally finding its feet. On paper, the naira looks steadier. On the streets, life feels no lighter. That gap is why the applause sounds forced. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not…

POINTBLANK WITH Smart Emmanuel 09066642354 There are moments in a society’s political journey when one must pause and ask: how did we get here? How did we descend from debates, persuasion, and policy to curses, libations, and threats of generational punishment? The recent report attributed to a group calling itself…

By Azuh Amatus In recent years, Nigeria has sought to address the persistent financing challenges faced by its youths in accessing tertiary education. A major milestone in this effort is the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), a government-backed student loan scheme designed to reduce financial barriers and…

By Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri As the saying goes, “if you want to hide something, put it in a book”. Nothing brings this saying to life more than El-Rufai’s recent confessions about wire-tapping the National Security Adviser’s (NSA’s) phone. For too long, independent reports have exposed overwhelming evidence of the abuse of…

By Prof. Chiwuike Uba In recent years, Nigeria’s electoral reforms have been dominated by one seductive idea: technology will save democracy. Electronic accreditation, Bimodal Voters Accreditation. System (BVAS) deployment, and the promise of real-time transmission of results were presented as watershed moments in the struggle against electoral fraud. Many citizens…

By Dr. Austin Orette If an individual can steal from the government willy-nilly and we find out many years later, and only after the fact, it means we have no checks and balances. Due to the lack of checks and balances, the nation has become a prison where everyone is…

POINTBLANK with Smart Emmanuel 09066642354 Imo State, since its creation in February 1976 from the old East Central State, has stood as one of the intellectual and cultural pillars of Igboland. Our people, spread across Owerri, Orlu and Okigwe zones, are known for enterprise, courage, industry and unwavering determination. From…