Author: Tahir Ahmed

By NEXTER The Nasarawa State Government has trained management staff in Ministries, Department and Agencies on tools to implement climate-smart Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, to address infrastructure deficit and boost economy. The capacity building workshop was anchored by Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA) in collaboration with United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF). Speaking at the event on Friday in Lafia, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, Managing Director, NASIDA, noted that the importance of PPP to infrastructural development could not be overemphasised, saying that Nasarawa remained a shining example amongst sub nationals in the West African region. Abdullahi said that…

By Bizuum Yadok Let us assume that Nigeria does not survive as a nation and, somehow, its northern part collects large portions of its surrounding countries around West Africa and becomes known as the United States of West Africa (UNWA). Let’s also assume that it miraculously prospers rapidly. Now let us stop assuming because that is the alternate reality that Nathaniel Bivan presents in his debut novel, Boys, Girls, and Beasts. This goes without saying that it is a speculative fiction, but it is set in the United Nations of West Africa beginning from 2068. The advancement of this new…

By Aideloje Ojo In peaceful environments, parents drop their children in school without the fear of any danger to them. In the same vain, many parents believe that sending their wards to boarding school is even more secured under the school’s authority and the government if the school is a public one. However, in recent years this confidence has been eroded by constant fear and security threats to their wards at day and boarding schools due to escalating terror attacks where educational facilities and pupils/students are used as soft targets. In Niger State, the story is the same, with most…

The Nigerian government has announced plans to investigate the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as a primary route for smuggling weapons into the country. This move comes as Nigeria struggles with the escalating proliferation of small arms and light weapons. While the decision is a step in the right direction, some critics argue it is too little, too late. Attayi Ajobe & Muhammad Mansur write that the government’s slow response to the growing threat of weapons smuggling has exacerbated the issue. The recent disclosure by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, that the federal government is probing GoG’s role in…

By Fidelis Mac-Leva PERSONS Living with Disability (PWDs) were among the estimated one million victims affected by the flood that hit Maiduguri, the Borno State capital and its environs on September 9. With over 10,000 members spread across the 27 LGAs of the state, findings indicate that no fewer than 5,000 were affected by the floodwaters that swept through the LGAs that were worst hit – Jere and Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC). In this special report, the ICIR exclusively recounts tales of physically challenged persons caught up in the fury of the rampaging flood. A large-sized aluminium pot is standing…

* Warlords recruit natives for offensives, engage locals as farmhands TWO notorious warlords, representing separate terror groups, are spearheading deadly attacks on communities in Niger communities, investigations by NEXTER reveal. They are Dogo Gidae, a notorious bandit leader, whose name sent shivers down the spines of locals in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna States, and a Boko Haram commander, simply referred to as Malam Umar. The duo has established control over areas designated as ‘red zones’, cutting across Shiroro, Rafi and Munya local government areas of Niger State. These areas are close to Kamuku forest, stretching from Birini Gwari LGA of…

By NEXTER The Supreme Court, on Friday, sacked Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP). A five-member panel of the Supreme Court set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which recognised Abure’s leadership. The apex court unanimously held that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to have affirmed Abure as chairman of the LP since the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership. It held that the issue of leadership was an internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction. It upheld the appeal filed against the judgement…

By Abubakar Daya Politicians have a way of creating needless discontent in the polity for self-profiteering. They suddenly become human right crusaders, freedom fighters, and even ethnic bigots. We have seen them over many decades mounting rooftops shouting down messages laced with hates and divisions which often spur their foot soldiers on the path to anarchy with unbridled rage. As the 2027 political atmosphere approaches, we are likely to see more of these crusaders on the route to next general elections. They are likely to draw us into the fray by whipping up sentiment around marginalization, equity, fair play amongst…

By NEXTER The Dangote Packaging Limited(DPL) has commissioned some state-of-the-art machinery in a significant move to further enhance its production capabilities. Speaking during the commissioning of the machinery, the Managing Director/Chief Eexecutive Officer of DPL, Mr. Sai Prakash explained the salient features of the new machinery and described them as the latest “state of the art” technology. He added that the introduction of the machinery was a major accomplishment and would contribute to improved productivity and improved quality of the bags being produced from Obajana Plant. In the same vein, the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr, Arvind Pathak,…

By NEXTER Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, has approved the employment of 34 resident doctors for residency training for a fixed term of seven years. This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the minister, Lere Olayinka in a statement on Wednesday, in Abuja. According to him, the doctors are the first batch of the 60 medical residency trainees in eight specialities in the FCTA hospitals approved for employment. “This is the first time this is being done outside employees of the Health Management Board, thereby giving doctors…