The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria) has criticized the Abia State House of Assembly over what it described as a failure to exercise its oversight role in the alleged mismanagement of ₦54 billion allocated to the education sector. The group said it was disturbed that despite the huge allocation, the state’s 2024 Budget Performance Report showed no tangible improvement in infrastructure, teaching capacity, or student outcomes. FENRAD accused the Assembly’s Committees on Public Accounts, Appropriation, and Education of neglecting their duty by failing to investigate the alleged poor use of funds. “A budget is not a…
Author: TheStories
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says more than 2.5 million Nigerians have completed their online voter pre-registration since the nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise began on August 18. This was disclosed in an update on the exercise released by Mr. Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, after the commission’s regular meeting on Tuesday in Abuja. Olumekun said no fewer than 72,274 citizens also participated in in-person registration within five days of its commencement. “The cumulative figure at the end of week two shows that 1,218,482 (48.12 per cent) are male and…
On the evening of December 3, 2023, the serene village of Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was thrust into the global spotlight, not for its cultural richness or communal harmony, but for a tragedy that would haunt its residents and reverberate through the nation. In a brutal and unforgiving act of violence, an unmanned drone, purportedly belonging to the Nigerian military, unleashed a torrent of rockets upon a gathering of villagers celebrating Eid el-Maulud, the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. This incident, which claimed the lives of 120 individuals and left another 60…
The maiden edition of the National Education Quality Assurance Policy Committee Meeting is currently underway at the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna. Organised by the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service, Department of the Federal Ministry of Education, the event will run from September 2 to 4, 2025. It was declared open by the Minister of Education, Mr. Tunji Alausa, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Abel Enitan. Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji-Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, the minister commended committee members for their commitment. He…
In Nigerian politics, few figures have elicited as much controversy and scrutiny as Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State. His tenure is marred by allegations of deceit and manipulation, culminating in a portrayal that resonates with the words of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who described him as a “malicious liar” with a proclivity for “unfair embellishment of stories.” Let us unravel the layers of El-Rufai’s political persona, examine the implications of his habitual untruths, and the socio-political landscape he left behind. To understand the implications of El-Rufai’s actions, one must first confront the nature of his deceit. Obasanjo’s…
The Sokoto State Government has directed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to correct and resubmit their 2026 appropriation proposals for consolidation by the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. The directive was issued by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad Zayyana, at the end of the bilateral budget discussions with MDAs held at the Ministry. Dr. Zayyana explained that the corrections would enable the Ministry to proceed to the next stage of consolidating all MDAs’ proposals into the overall 2026 state budget. He noted that this process is vital to provide a clear picture of…
As the first morning of September rose today, I caught myself smiling—one of those involuntary smiles that could make a stranger pause and wonder, “Who’s he talking to? What’s so delightful?” The truth is, I was alone, but the feeling was real. Something about the beginning of a new month always carries with it an unexplainable wave of happiness, as if the calendar itself sprinkles a little hope into our hearts. Psychologists might call this the fresh-start effect—the way humans reframe time markers as opportunities to reset, begin again, and dream afresh. Yet, my excitement for a new month led…
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed claims that his political future is closed, insisting that nobody has the power to dictate his choices ahead of the 2027 elections. Jonathan was reacting to recent remarks by Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo (SAN) and rights activist Chidi Odinkalu, both of whom argued that he was constitutionally barred from contesting again. Keyamo’s claim Keyamo had insisted that Jonathan’s tenure was over, saying:“The law is clear. Jonathan has exhausted his chances of seeking another mandate. Any speculation about his return in 2027 is dead on arrival.” Odinkalu’s argument On his part, Odinkalu described the idea…
Veteran broadcaster Moji Makanjuola has condemned the reported assault on Comrade Ladi Bala, immediate past President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), allegedly by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC). In a statement, Makanjuola described the incident as “a direct attack on media freedom and workplace dignity,” stressing that journalists have faced harassment for too long. She called for a personal and public apology to Bala, noting that an apology to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) alone was insufficient. She also demanded a formal apology to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and other professional…
Amid rising debates over Nigeria’s security challenges, Abdulrahaman Kwacham, a prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholder from Adamawa State, has responded strongly to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s recent remarks on national security. Kwacham’s reaction follows El-Rufai’s comments on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where the former governor alleged that the Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) led by Nuhu Ribadu, was engaging in a policy of offering allowances and food supplies to bandits instead of directly confronting them militarily. He described this as a national strategy that incentivizes criminal groups rather than stopping them,…