“Circumstances do not make the man; they reveal him.” James Allen’s words resonate deeply within the Nigerian and broader African context, where poverty is often explained almost entirely as a product of failed systems. Weak governance, corruption, colonial legacies, insecurity, poor infrastructure, unemployment, and limited access to capital are frequently cited, and rightly so. These structural realities are not imaginary. They shape opportunities, constrain choices, and create unequal starting points. Yet, even within the same cities, villages, institutions, and households, people facing similar constraints often experience radically different outcomes over time. This reality suggests that beyond systems and policies, poverty…
Author: TheStories
A former Commissioner for Tertiary Education in Niger State and Executive Director, Finance, at the North Central Development Commission (NCDC), Prof. Bashar Nuhu Tachi, has congratulated Governor Umar Mohammed Bago on the occasion of Niger State’s 50th anniversary. Prof. Tachi also extended his felicitations to the Deputy Governor, Yakubu Garba, and the entire people of Niger State, describing the golden jubilee as a historic milestone worthy of gratitude and reflection. In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Special Duties, Yahuza Isah Erena, and made available to THESTORIES on Tuesday, Prof. Tachi expressed profound gratitude to Allah for granting…
The Chairman of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, Isyaku Bawa Kuta, has sworn in seven newly appointed supervisory councillors, charging them to uphold accountability, teamwork and dedication in the discharge of their duties. A statement by the Principal Information Officer of the local government, Abubakar Abdullahi el-Kurebe, said the swearing-in ceremony, which took place on Wednesday at the Local Government Secretariat in Kuta, formally marked the commencement of the appointees’ official responsibilities across key sectors of local governance. Speaking at the event, Hon. Kuta expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the smooth conduct of the ceremony and described…
Recent public debate on whether tax authorities can lawfully direct banks to debit taxpayers’ accounts without a court order has brought the issue of the “power of substitution” back to the centre of Nigeria’s fiscal discourse. Some commentators have portrayed this authority as a radical expansion of state power. Yet both the Presidential Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms Committee and the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service have clarified that the power is neither novel nor arbitrary. It is deeply rooted in Nigeria’s tax architecture, reflected in earlier statutes, and consistent with global best practice in modern revenue administration. At the…
Inside a quiet hall in Sokoto, dozens of Islamic clerics sat side by side, their phones and notebooks open, listening closely as they learned how a single fake video or voice message could ignite fear, division or even violence. For many of them, this two-day workshop was their first direct encounter with the hidden world of artificial intelligence, deep fakes and digital manipulation. The training, Organized by Alkalanci a Hausa-language fact-checking and media literacy organisation dedicated to combating fake news, misinformation, disinformation and mal-information in collaboration with the Sokoto State Ministry of Religious Affairs, brought together religious leaders from across…
Nigeria is once again at a familiar crossroads where policy choices expose deeper structural contradictions within the federation. The ongoing controversy surrounding the siting of the proposed National Gold Refinery in Lagos State is not merely an administrative disagreement; it is a constitutional, economic, and moral question that strikes at the very heart of equity, federal balance, and inclusive development. The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has rightly raised fundamental concerns about the decision to locate a gold refinery thousands of kilometres away from the primary gold-producing regions of the country. The Coalition of Funtua Community-Based Organisations strongly aligns with this…
Last week, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control had commenced enforcement of the long-debated ban on the production and sale of alcohol packaged in sachets and small bottles below 200 millilitres. According to the report, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made this disclosure during a media parley in Lagos, explaining that the move followed a directive of the Senate. Although the agency had announced as far back as November 2025 that enforcement would begin by December, the process was briefly halted after the Federal Government ordered a…
When someone casually typed, “Finally, the much-talked-about Almighty Kano has fallen to the APC,” it felt like a curtain drop. Weeks of suspense, anxiety, partisan arguments, and relentless speculation suddenly found closure. The internet buzzed. Headlines raced each other. And then the confirmation landed: Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had officially resigned from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). Punch Newspaper captured the moment with clinical precision on January 23, 2026, at 5:20 p.m., reporting that the Kano governor left the NNPP alongside a formidable political convoy: 21 members of the State House of Assembly, eight members of the House of…
A few days ago, the National Chairman of the APC ignited an intense national conversation with a policy direction he proposed for the ruling party should it secure re-election in 2027. According to a report by Daily Trust titled “2027: No Appointments for Non-APC Members – National Chair, Yilwatda,” Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda declared that political appointments after the next general elections would be reserved strictly for party loyalists, not technocrats or professionals detached from partisan politics. What might ordinarily have passed as a routine partisan declaration quickly transformed into a viral moment, setting social media ablaze and polarising opinion across…
At the Yar’akija Primary Healthcare Centre in Sokoto metropolis, women sit patiently with their children, some clutching infants while others guide their older children through the busy clinic halls. For many, visiting a healthcare centre was once a rare or uncertain experience. Today, these visits are becoming a regular part of life, offering routine immunisations, advice on nutrition, and support for adolescent health. For these families, the change is small yet profound, a sign of hope and care reaching them closer to home. This shift was highlighted during a high-level EU delegation visit, accompanied by UNICEF, UNFPA, the International Labour…