Last week, the appointment of General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR (Rtd) as the Minister of Defence by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following the resignation of Alhaji Badaru, the former Defence Minister, was a crucial, honourable and meritorious appointment based on demonstrated competence. President Tinubu deserves praise for his swift action in making the appointment at a critical time when the national security situation worsened and threatened the nation’s unity. There was no better time than now when the American president, Mr. Trump, had coloured Nigeria’s insecurity with religious inclination, thereby worsening the fragility of Nigerian unity. Thank you, President Tinubu, for rising…
Author: Editor
Seated on a wooden chair in her family compound, 19-year-old Jamie Adamu, a single mother of two, recounts how she was sent out of school after her teacher discovered she was pregnant. By Martha Agas, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Jamie, from Numan in Adamawa, had her first daughter at 15 and her second at 17. She left school when she became pregnant with her first child and has not returned since, though she still dreams of going back. “I want to be a lawyer so that I can help people, ‘’she said. Now a food seller, Adamu says the…
The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, has confirmed that a Nigerian Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft was forced to land in Burkina Faso after entering the country’s airspace without authorisation. In a joint statement issued on Monday, the three military-led nations said the aircraft, which was carrying 11 Nigerian military personnel, was intercepted and diverted to the Bobo-Dioulasso Airport following what was described as an “in-flight emergency” while operating in Burkinabe airspace without prior clearance. The AES stressed that the Nigerian aircraft had not obtained the required overflight permission, describing it as a…
Fitch Ratings says it expects the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to adopt a cautious approach to monetary easing in 2026, noting that falling inflation across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) allows room for rate cuts but also presents risks if liquidity is not properly managed. The agency made the projection in its Sub-Saharan Africa Sovereigns Outlook 2026 released on Monday. “South Africa’s new inflation target is consistent with policy rate cuts, the Central Bank of Nigeria should continue to ease policy cautiously, and we see further cuts in Kenya and Ghana,” Fitch said. Fitch maintained a neutral 2026 outlook for SSA…
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has denied reports that it is withholding the Frontier Exploration Fund (FEF) from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC Ltd.). The Commission’s Head of Media and Strategic Communication, Eniola Akinkuotu, clarified in a statement on Wednesday that $185.123 million and N14.9 billion had already been approved for release. Akinkuotu explained that the FEF is not domiciled with the NUPRC, but in an account managed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He said the commission’s role is limited to evaluating the work programme submitted by NNPC Ltd., after which approval is granted for…
Every year on November 25, the world pauses to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and with each passing year, the urgency of its message becomes sharper, almost deafening. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is no longer whispered about in dark corners; it has become a national menace boldly splashed across headlines, talk shows, and social media timelines. First ladies, ministers of women’s affairs, celebrities, and media personalities raise their voices in a unified chorus urging women to speak up, insisting that reporting abuse is a testament of strength rather than weakness. But beneath this chorus, a…
A coup attempt in Benin was successfully thwarted today, the government announced. According to Alassane Seidou, the country’s interior minister, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny in the early hours of Sunday, December 7, 2025, aiming to destabilise the state and dismantle national institutions. The break-away soldiers — calling themselves the Military Committee for Refoundation and led by Pascal Tigri — briefly seized the state television station and declared on air that the government had been dissolved and a takeover succeeded. However, loyalist forces of the Beninese Armed Forces swiftly regained control, restoring order and ensuring the coup…
Two weeks ago, in what may aptly be termed security diplomacy, Nuhu Ribadu—the super cop who proved his mettle as a corruption-fighting czar and now serves as National Security Adviser—brought all his experience, and more, to bear on the task of dousing the fire threatening to engulf us from the guns of a ‘trigger-happy’ Donald Trump. The outcome of that effort a delicate exercise akin to shuttle diplomacy, has offered Nigeria a new lease of life and renewed global respect. It has been a multi-pronged initiative that has simultaneously deflected Trump’s fury and vitriol from us while reorganising our security…
Former Chief of Army Staff and Nigeria’s immediate past Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (rtd), has firmly dismissed allegations linking him to individuals purportedly involved in terrorism financing. The claims, published by Sahara Reporters and attributed to retired Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, were described as “false, unfounded and mischievous” in a statement issued by Brigadier General Sani Usman (rtd) on behalf of the former Army chief. According to the statement, Buratai has never been questioned, investigated or indicted by any security, intelligence, judicial or diplomatic authority over terrorism-related matters. It stressed that the report…
Last week, progressives, activists, intellectuals and trade unionists from all over Nigeria and the continent converged in the University of Jos for reflections and considerations on Fanon’s enduring legacy for the forces of change and social transformation. The conference recognised Fanon not merely as a revolutionary thinker, psychiatrist, and anti-colonial activist, but also as a prophetic voice whose ideas illuminate the persistent contradictions of post-colonial governance. Two veteran Fanonists, Professors Adele Jinadu of Nigeria and Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja from the Democratic Republic of the Congo – who have been working on the Fanon theme for over fifty years each provided seminal…