Features – Nigeria News Mark

Emmanuel Ironbar: Loyalty, Experience, and Strategic Leadership

June 5, 2026 admin

Photo: L-R Emmanuel Ironbar and Gov. Bassey Otu By Patrick Asuquo Over the years, I have come to appreciate a simple truth about public service. Its success is rarely built on noise, popularity, or fleeting moments of public approval. Rather, it is sustained by consistency, trust, sacrifice, and the ability to remain steadfast through changing political tides. In Cross River State today, few public servants embody these qualities as distinctly as Hon. Chief Dr. Emmanuel Ironbar, the Chief of Staff to Governor Bassey Otu. His journey in politics and public…

Opinion: AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF INEC: THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY AND THE REWARD OF DOING RIGHT

June 1, 2026 admin

Photo: Professor Joash Amupitan, By: Valentine Obienyem AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CHAIRMAN OF INEC: THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY AND THE REWARD OF DOING RIGHT Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, The title of this letter should ideally be: The Choice Before You: Professor Mahmood or Professor Nnenna Oti. The reason is not far-fetched. As you approach your own defining moment, the choice before you is, in many respects, the choice between these two legacies. Both occupied positions of public trust and faced defining moments in Nigeria’s democratic journey, yet history has…

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY MR. PETER OBI FOLLOWING HIS NOMINATION AS THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE NIGERIAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC) – MAY 30, 2026*

May 30, 2026 admin

Photo : Mr Peter Obi Protocols, Esteemed citizens of Nigeria, It is with deep humility that I accept the role of presidential candidate for our party. I express my profound gratitude to the leaders of our party. His Excellency Seriake Dickson, the National Chairman, National Secretary and the National Working Committee, NWC members and members of our relentless supporters, and the Nigerian populace who have steadfastly kept the spirit of hope alive. I commend those who have made the journey from every region of our nation to convene here in…

My Reflections at Late Rev. Anthony Kerimu Inaboya’s Glorious Homecall

May 10, 2026 admin

Photo: Late Rev. Anthony Kerimu Inaboya By Daniel Kanu I joined a solemn procession recently, precisely on Saturday, May 2, 2026, to lay one of God’s generals, Rev. Anthony Kerimu Inaboya, to rest after the burial service. It was a quiet and reflective journey—one that spoke loudly about the fragile nature of human existence. Filled with hymns, prayers, and moments of deep reflection, the occasion delivered a powerful Christian truth: the vanity of life. Life on earth is temporary, but eternity is real. Standing at the graveside during the interment,…

Why Philips Nto Emerges as Strong Contender for Abia North 2027 Senate Seat

May 8, 2026May 8, 2026 admin

Photo: Dr Philips Nto By: David Kalu The growing clamour for Dr Philips Nto to represent Abia North Senatorial District in the Senate is not a coincidence. It is a reflection of the yearning of the people for competent, visionary, and intellectually grounded leadership at a time the zone urgently needs effective representation at the National Assembly. For years, Abia North has remained one of the most politically conscious and intellectually vibrant zones in the South-East. The district boasts accomplished professionals, academics, entrepreneurs, and seasoned public servants. Yet, many constituents…

Firm Leadership, Higher Standards: Why Ogunwole’s FUOYE Reforms Deserve Applause

May 5, 2026 admin

Photo : Prof Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor, FUOYE By: Daniel Kanu In the often turbulent terrain of Nigeria’s higher education system, progress is rarely accidental. It is the product of vision, discipline, and sustained leadership. At the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, that leadership has, in recent years, been embodied by its Vice-Chancellor, Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole—a scholar-administrator whose tenure has been marked by deliberate reforms and measurable gains. To understand Ogunwole’s impact, one must first appreciate the context he inherited. FUOYE, like many relatively young federal universities, has had to navigate the dual…

OPINION:: Nigeria’s Sugary Drinks Boom: Why Higher SSB Tax Is a Public Health Imperative

May 4, 2026 admin

Photo: Mr Humphrey Ukeaja By Humphrey Ukeaja Nigeria’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) market is not just growing; it is expanding its product lines and accelerating the establishment of new plants in a country already carrying a heavy and costly burden of non-communicable disease (NCD). Evidence indicates that SSB consumption in Nigeria rose by 123 percent between 2008 and 2022, while per capita SSB sales increased by 119.1 percent between 2010 and 2024, placing Nigeria among the fastest-growing SSB markets in Africa, the largest consumer on the continent of soft drinks. The…

When the Stream Poisons Its Own Fish: How Exclusion Is Dimming Stars in Osun State .

April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 admin

Photo: President Tinubu By: Sunbo Asungbalaja The elders say when the head of the fish is rotten, the whole body suffers. In the politics of our land, the water that should nurture new fish has turned bitter, and many bright ones are gasping before they ever swim far. A house where malice sleeps on the mat will never know peace at dawn. What began as a contest of ideas has become a contest of grudges. The young shoot that dares to grow is cut, not because it is crooked, but…

Osun East Tensions: Defections and Ticket Claims Stir Crisis Within APC

April 28, 2026 admin

Photo: President Bola Tinubu By: Bayo Obalende In politics, defections are neither new nor unusual. Across Nigeria’s democratic history, politicians have crossed party lines in search of ideological alignment, electoral advantage, or sheer survival. But in Osun East senatorial district of Osun State, a recent wave of defections is stirring more than the usual ripple—it is generating a deepening crisis of confidence within the All Progressives Congress (APC), one that party stakeholders fear could spiral into electoral backlash if not carefully managed. At the heart of the unfolding tension are…

Abuja: Why are the Americans running?

April 13, 2026 admin

Photo: President Bola Tinubu By Lasisi Olagunju War commanders die cheap deaths; farmers are murdered on their farms, traders in their shops, landlords vanish on their lands, tenants in their rented rooms; students abducted from their studies. What more must happen before we become what Italians would call “Paese dei Morti” (Country of the Dead)? When I read last Thursday that the United States had asked all its non-emergency staff to leave its embassy in Abuja, and had followed this by suspending visa issuance in the city, I asked the…