By Elijah Akoji Seven years after the Jigawa state government made a promise to provide ‘One Ward, One Health Centre’ across the 287 wards in the state, residents still decry poor access to quality health care service and have to travel long distances to seek health care. Relying on the state’s financials, and on-the-ground reporting in four Local Government Areas of Miga, Guri, Gagarawa, and Birnin-Kudu, Elijah Akoji reports on the dismal performance of the state government in the health sector. Jigawa A one-hour motorcycle ride on the 25-kilometer stretch of untarred road soaked in the rays of the scorching…
Author: Editor
Before now, climate change was the most formidable threat to security in Nigeria following constant danger to lives and order and other varying forms of social disruptions driven primarily by human activity. The burning of fossil fuels and removal of forests, resulting in a relatively rapid increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to a number of people suffering from the catastrophic effects of extreme disasters. Such disaster is said to be aggravated by climate change from prolonged drought in sub-Saharan Africa to devastating tropical storms sweeping across Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Sensing the need to arrest such…
As the Buhari Administration winds up, the question of his legacy is on the table. Unfortunately for the President who has always seen himself and built his image as an anti-corruption crusader, his legacy might well be that of running the most corrupt regime in the history Nigeria. At the core of the problem is the Ministry of Petroleum which he has been minister of since his return to power. Of course, one dossier President Muhammadu Buhari is supposed to know very well is that of petroleum after all he was Petroleum Minister from 1976-78. He was also Head of…
By Mainasara Shehu Ahmad The 2023 general elections are drawing closer and political parties across the states are trying to make informed decision in choosing saleable aspirants that are worthy of flying their flags as candidates for governorship elections. The calculations are intended to beat political opponents at the polls. This is not different in Sokoto state where the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also has bevy of aspirants, with each hoping to grasp the chance of flying the party’s flag. Rotation/ Primary election For the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto state, preparations are in top gear to choose…
By Lawrence Audu The Multinational Joint Task Force MNJTF, unknown to many Nigerians, has been in existence since the mid-1990s. Its purpose is to counter the activities of the mainly Chadian bandits, who used to terrorize the lake Chad basin areas during the administration of Sani Abacha. Nigeria deployed two battalions, and later added a battalion each from Chad and Niger who complemented their Nigerian counterparts. For some time, the criminality was largely contained. This Force was headquartered in Baga, and commanded by a Nigerian Colonel. Strategic importance of the Lake Chad and it’s Basin Sitting within the Sahel, a…
By Bala Ibrahim Barring any last minute change, Sardaunan Kano, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau is set to defect from the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, to join Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP. I know the two reasonably well, because one was my teacher and the other was my senior, having come from the same alma mater, GSTS Wudil. Both, are also the former governors of my state, Kano state. Politically, a conflict-free combination of the two would be a team too difficult to beat. But the question is the viability of actualizing such amiable ambition.…
By Solomon Asowata A cardinal goal of the federal government is to transform the Nigerian economy into a gas-powered economy by 2030. Ancillary to that is the hope to align the country with the global push for transition to cleaner sources of energy. To achieve that lofty goal, the federal government adopted gas as the vehicle for its energy transition journey, declaring January 2021 to December 2030 as the Decade of Gas Initiative. No doubt, the country is blessed with abundant gas resources; 208.62 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven gas reserves valued at over $803.9 trillion, and potential upside…
There are many highpoints and key achievements that will be credited to the tenure of Professor Joseph Adeola Fuwape, the Seventh substantive Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA. But there will always be the consensus by all and sundry, particularly the chroniclers of higher education history in Nigeria that the establishment of FUTA’s College of Health Sciences and the admission of the pioneer set of medical students in the 2021/2022 academic session is certainly the flagship accomplishment of his tenure that spanned May 24, 2017 to May 23, 2022. Before him, the seed of the commencement…
I am not from Iwo Land (in the State of Osun). My origin is far from the city, but my affinity for the town is high pitched. The interest is borne out of two reasons. These reasons made me a keen watcher of developments in Iwo land in terms of infrastructural, socio-economic, political and Islamic developments. The first is that Iwo prides itself as a citadel of Islamic knowledge: “Ilu Aafa.” There is a deep history, which made the town exceptionally Islamic compared to other towns in Yoruba Land. It has the first monarch in the entire land that accepted…
Zero Hunger is goal number two of the 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nation. The goal aims at ending all forms of hunger and malnutrition in the world by the year 2030. This means that all people – especially children and the vulnerable – have physical and socioeconomic access to sufficient and nutritious food at all year round to meet their food needs in all corners of the world. This seems to be an overambitious goal considering the current shocks threatening the food security situation in both developing and developed…