Certificate Mills And Doubtful Acquisitions

 By Austin Oboh

 The Federal Government appears to have been recently startled out of a long slumber that had stretched on for years while more and more Nigerians discovered has­sle-free means of acquiring diploma and degree certificates with the cooperation of our West African neighbouurs. 

And in other cases, certificate mills sprouted at street corners, right under the watch of monitoring authorities, to feed the Nige­rian crave for certificates (not learning). Tuesday announcement by the Federal Ministry of Education suspending the ac­creditation or recognition of certificates from some West African countries, espe­cially Togo and Benin Republic, may have come like a knee-jerk reaction but it was a rousing up prompted by an embarrassing expose’ from a journalist who went as far as cracking his way through the NYSC with his arranged documents. The NYSC secretariat, with all its checks erected to stop impostors in their tracks, could not stop him. Again, state authorities were caught napping.

War Against Terror: Nigeria Needs Foreign Assistance

 By Emeka Alex Duru

A significant prayer point among the Igbo is that challenges do not force one to seek favours from an enemy. The supplication is deep. Seeking assistance from one’s enemy is an extreme point in desperation and fraught with uncertainties.

If it is turned down, the supplicant is left with shame; if answered, it is like drinking from a poisoned chalice in which the beneficiary, if ever he survives, is perpetually beholden to the questionable benefactor. It is dicey, from whatever angle it is looked at. A Nollywood flick of the early 1990’s, titled Living in Bondage, offers an analogy here.

Nigeria Needs Safe Schools

 By Gordon Brown

Edinburgh—In the last few weeks, more than 300 children have been abducted from Nigerian schools in a new wave of kidnappings by terrorist groups hellbent on extorting money and spreading fear.

By now, the pattern is depressingly familiar. On the morning of November 17, gunmen broke into the dormitories of a girls’ secondary school in Maga, a town in the northwestern state of Kebbi, killing the vice-principal and abducting 25 students. Only days later, on November 21, assailants staged an early-morning attack on St. Mary’s, a co-ed Catholic school in Papiri, a town in the neighboring state of Niger.

It was first reported that 227 people were abducted, but that number has since risen to 303 students – between the ages of eight and 18 – and 12 teachers, surpassing the notorious mass abduction of 276 female students in Chibok in 2014.

Peter Obi: Insecurity And The Crisis Of Accountability In Nigeria

 

Recently, a disturbing video emerged from Kwara State in which suspected terrorists arrested by security forces claimed that ammunition and logistics were supplied to them by government officials. This allegation, now circulating widely, demands nothing less than an immediate, transparent, and independent investigation. 

Over the years, trillions of naira and billions of dollars have been continuously collected by the government in the name of security. Yet insecurity has only expanded across the country, and in an increasingly brazen manner. 

This type of news fallout goes to give credence to the much-referenced quotation of late military leader General Sani Abacha that “Any insurgency that lasts more than 24 hours, the government is involved.” 

Nigeria’s Insecurity: Whither State Police?

 By Tonnie Iredia

Many scholars are agreed that in running large entities, be they companies or even countries, there is wisdom in embracing decentralization whereby decision-making powers are distributed across various levels.

It stands to reason therefore that a large heterogeneous political entity such as Nigeria which is almost 4 times the size of the United Kingdom ought to consciously avoid centralization. Unfortunately, some Nigerian leaders still cherish the unitary system of government which the military under the guise of national unity foisted on the country many years ago. In reality however, an exceedingly powerful federal centre can only create strong men and not effective institutions.

Peter Obi On The N20 Trillion New Loans To Finance The Budget e

 

*Obi
Today, Nigerians woke up again to the troubling news that the Federal Government is planning to borrow about ₦20 trillion in new loans to finance the 2026 budget. This is at a time when debt servicing alone is projected to gulp nearly half of our national revenue, and when our borrowing requirement has surged by over 72%.

At a time when Nigerians are struggling under unprecedented hardship, insecurity, and unemployment, we must ask the most important and logical questions: Where is the revenue from 2025?

Peter Obi On The Seizure Of Nigerian-Owned Vessel In The US Because Of Oil Theft!

*Obi

My attention has been drawn to reports that the Nigerian-owned supertanker was seized by the United States authorities over allegations of crude oil theft and related illicit activities. While the full facts are still emerging, this development is deeply troubling and speaks to a much bigger crisis that has continued to undermine our national economy, our global reputation, and the future of our young people.

Daily Manna: Rescuing Mankind Through A Devotional

 Book: Daily Manna: A Daily Devotional Guide (January – December 2026) 

Author: W.F. Kumuyi

Pages: 379

Publishers: Life Press Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria 

Reviewer: Banji Ojewale 

In ancient times, the sages sought to know the bowels of the future by looking into the bowels of animals. They would spread the skin of a slain beast, and after studying the surface contours, lines and features, they would determine whether a journey scheduled for a future should be undertaken or not or whether the gods approved or disapproved the levying of a war. For a long time in history, according to legend, this meeting point between living men and lifeless creatures was the answer to man’s immanent crave to see beyond his present. 

Rising air Fares As Threat To National Economy

 By Adekunle Adekoya

Two major ironies are staring Nigeria in the face at the moment, in so far as it concerns air travel. A few days ago,  the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development rolled out the drums to celebrate 100 years of civil aviation in Nigeria. An international air show was organised and held in Abuja, among other events, to commemorate the milestone. It was on November 1, 1925 that the first flight into Nigeria landed in Kano.

It is therefore an irony of developments that citizens of a nation celebrating 100 years of civil aviation can no longer afford to travel by air. It has been in the news for some days now that the cost of air travel tickets to the South-Eastern part of the country, in particular, is hitting an all-time high.

Benin: Between Military Claws And Bloody Talons Of President Talon

By Owei Lakemfa

Early morning Sunday, December 7, 2025, while many Beninois slept, hoping to go to church, mosque and traditional places of worship at dawn, some members of their armed forces fanned out. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Paschal Tigri, they planned to bring the people under their claws.

*Tinubu and Talon 

At 05:00 they attacked the Presidential Palace and then retreated to the national broadcaster, the SRTB where they announced the removal of Patrice Talon, President of the French vassal state. The rebels accusations against Talon include imposition of harsh economic measures on the people such as increased taxes and cuts in healthcare. Others include clamping down on the opposition and deteriorating security situation.

Tinubu Can Find Soldiers For France But Not For Nigerians Dying In Their homes

 By Sa'adiyyah Adebisi Hassan

When the Benin Republic political crisis began, Nigerians woke up to a Nigerian army deployment that appeared out of nowhere – jets, troops, machinery, rapid response, zero bureaucracy. Less than 24 hours.

Compare that with years of massacres, kidnappings, mass abductions, villages burnt, clergy murdered, schools emptied, highways captured, and entire states under terrorist rule and suddenly Nigeria is “confused”, “slow”, “gathering intelligence”, or “waiting for weather clearance.”

10 African Countries With The Longest Road Networks

 Roads are the lifelines of Africa’s economies, connecting people, goods, and services across vast distances. They move produce from farms to markets, workers to factories, students to schools, and patients to hospitals.

An estimated 80% of goods and 90% of passenger traffic in Africa rely on roads, making them indispensable for daily life and economic growth. Yet, despite their importance, many road networks across the continent remain underdeveloped or poorly maintained.

Top 10 African Countries With Most Reliable Electricity Supply

 Across Africa, a handful of African countries stand out for consistently achieving high electricity access rates. These countries are united by a mix of committed infrastructure investment, diversified energy sources (often including gas or renewables), and policies that prioritize national grid connection.

While access rate is a useful proxy for stable supply, it’s essential to note the ongoing challenges, particularly in bridging the gap between urban and rural connectivity.

The top four countries have achieved near-universal or full electrification, a testament to decades of stable, strategic state investment.

How To Make Nigeria Work If Still Possible

 By Ugo Onuoha

It will be difficult, probably impossible, to make Nigeria work the way it is presently structured and governed. In theory we are running a federal system through the framework of a unitary structure. Operatives in  Abuja, the federal capital territory, determine who gets what, how, when, and where. Let’s illustrate right away with one trending absurdity. 

Until last week, Osun state was governed by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with Ademola Adeleke as governor. The ruling party in Abuja is the All Progressives Congress (APC). Last year the APC regime of Nigeria’s president, Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had approached the Supreme Court to make a pronouncement on the constitutional prescription on fiscal autonomy for the country’s 774 local government areas. And the court found in his favour.

Violence And The ‘Emilokan’ Presidency

 By Obi Nwakanma

It is no longer news that the current APC administration – the ‘Emilokan’ presidency of Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu – has no answers to the problems facing Nigeria. Bola Tinubu is in fact, out of his depths. He has not the actual training, the intellectual capacity, the visionary or rhetorical ability to move Nigeria forward. He is negotiating with terrorists.

*Tinubu

He is not only clueless – yes that word again that has come to haunt the APC and its supporters who first used it against Dr. Goodluck Jonathan – Tinubu is confused. He has no ideas, beyond his “Agbado solutions.” He is surrounded by the most incompetent people ever to be assembled on Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council. A cabinet of lightweights, who like the man Tinubu himself, are also mostly out of their depths.

Police State Or State Police?

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

On 26 November 2025, Nigeria’s president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, announced in a statement personally signed by him that he had “decided to declare a nationwide security emergency” to be accompanied by some measures, including the recruitment by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Armed Forces of 20,000 and 50,000 new personnel respectively.

In the fortnight preceding the announcement, a flurry of frightening terror incidents had created among populations and communities around the country a heightened state of fear. It also reinforced the perception of a normalization of insecurity and of the traumas associated with it.

Ten Reasons Peter Obi Must Shun ADC Now!

By Steve Osuji (EXPRESSO Umb-rage)

ONE: Engagement Through Subterfuge: The new party emanating from a coalition of opposition politicians has already been tainted. The African Democratic Congress (ADC), has been completely taken over by the Atiku group. 

*Obi

Analysts had mocked ADC as ATIKU DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS, and truly, the situation in the party today has proved them perspicacious. 

A few days ago, Atiku Abubakar, erstwhile vice president of Nigeria and one of the arrowhead of ADC announced that he had formalised his membership of the party. A few others followed suit. 

The Inside Story Of The Fake Coup In Guinea-Bissau

 By Owei Lakemfa

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo on November 26, 2025 sat in his office as the President of Guinea-Bissau. As a retired General, the 53-year-old knew when he was beaten. Three days earlier, he had succumbed to unbearable pressures that he allowed general elections to be held despite his fears. His tenure had expired on February 27, 2025.

Rather than hold elections in accordance with the constitution, he had it postponed. The Constitutional Court had come to his aid by setting September 4, 2025 as the new date for his departure or mandate renewal. The seven-month extension had seemed a long way off.

Insecurity: Between Badaru’s Resignation And General Musa’s Return

 By Adekunle Adekoya

Curious. And curiouser. 

That’s how I can describe happenings on the Defence turf. Just weeks ago, immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa exited active service as a uniformed soldier. His exit, still unexplained, led to the elevation of his immediate subordinates into vacancies created by his exit. The burly Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Olufemi Oluyede, stepped in as Defence Chief, while the Navy and Air Force and Army also got new chiefs.

*Gen Musa 

Prior to these developments, there had been talk of insurrection, with more talk of some soldiers having been arrested for questioning. After Musa was formally pulled out of service, all that talk vaporised. It seemed as if the dog had been given the name they wanted to give it so they could do to it what they wanted to do.

Renewed Hope Or Renewed Hypocrisy: Tinubu’s Risky Politics Of Redemption

 By Emmanuel Aziken

At a time President Bola Tinubu has chosen to nominate some of Nigeria’s most controversial personalities as ambassadors to represent the country abroad, the emergence of his so-called Renewed Hope Ambassadors—appointed to canvass support for his second-term aspiration—has shaken the polity in a manner that many did not expect but which, perhaps, should no longer surprise anyone observing the curious evolution of our political culture.

*Tinubu and Omokri 

 The inclusion of figures like Mr. Reno Omokri, whose pre-election stance painted Tinubu with every negative virtue that should not be associated with a leader, did not completely shock Nigerians. After all, before Omokri, the president had already appointed Dr. Daniel Bwala as Special Adviser, a man who only a year earlier emphatically declared that “even if you give Tinubu 30 years, nothing will work.” With such examples, it has become increasingly clear that Tinubu’s political instincts lean heavily toward embracing, rehabilitating, and strategically deploying his most ferocious critics.