NIGERIAN NOTCH

By Chigozie Igbo Jnr  ABUJA,  Renowned Sierra Leonean journalist and parliamentary affairs analyst, Melvin Tejan Mansaray, has called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria and Sierra Leone in promoting African heritage, culture, and identity among young people across the continent, warning that Africa risks losing its cultural essence if deliberate efforts are not made to educate the next generation. Mansaray, who spoke during an interview at Top Rank Hotels Galaxy in Abuja on the sidelines of an ECOWAS Summit, stressed that the future of Africa depends largely on how well Africans understand their history, appreciate their cultural values, and develop confidence in their own identity. I am Melvin Tijerman Sari. I work for Sleek Television in Sierra Leone, and I've been working for the ECOWAS Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament and other parliaments across the world,"  "If we are to benefit from our resources, our talents and our potential as a people,...

Amb. Lotanna Ikebunwa has emerged as the clear winner of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) House of Representatives primaries for Nnewi Federal Constituency, further cementing what supporters and political observers describe as his status as the most popular political figure currently seeking the party's ticket in the constituency. The direct primary election, which was conducted across Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Local Government Areas, witnessed an unprecedented turnout of party members and supporters, but was later overshadowed by controversy, disruptions and allegations of attempts to alter the outcome after Ikebunwa reportedly established a commanding lead across the three local government areas. Our correspondent, who monitored the exercise, observed that the overwhelming support demonstrated for Ikebunwa throughout the primaries left little doubt about the preference of NDC members in the constituency.  According to one party member, the extent of Ikebunwa'...

The Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA) has unveiled comprehensive Out-of-Home Promotions and Visual Campaign Guidelines ahead of the 2027 General Elections in the state, including approved permit fees for political parties and candidates. The guidelines were officially presented during a press briefing held on Friday at the agency’s headquarters in Awka. Speaking during the briefing, the management of ANSAA said the initiative was aimed at ensuring orderly, peaceful, safe and lawful political campaigns across Anambra State, especially as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to lift the ban on political campaigns nationwide. The agency commended political parties and aspirants for the peaceful conduct of their internal activities so far and urged them to sustain the atmosphere of maturity and civility throughout the electioneering period. ANSAA reiterated that it remains the statutory body established by the Anambra St...

‎From Kenechukwu Onyekwuluje, ‎Awka ‎ ‎As the National Democratic Congress (NDC) concluded its party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections, Hon. Uchenna Charles Okafor of Awkuzu has emerged as the party’s candidate for the Oyi/Ayamelum Federal House of Representatives seat. ‎ ‎The primary election, which took place at Nteje the Local Government Headquarters, pulled (NDC) Party faithful across all wards in the constituency from communities of Nteje, Ogbunike, Nkwelle Ezunaka, Umunya, Awkuzu, across all the communities in Ayamelum. The party recorded what party officials described as massive participation by party members. ‎ ‎Hon. Okafor secured a landslide victory with 1,100 votes, defeating his closest rival, Hon. Vincent Ofumelu 64 votes, Akwaeze who polled 624 votes, Rapjoe 89votes. ‎ ‎Declaring the results, the representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Election Party Monitoring, officially announced Hon. Uchenna Okafo...

From Mary Obi  Thousands of aggrieved members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) from Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State on Friday stormed the Anambra State Government House in Awka, protesting what they described as the manipulation of the party’s House of Assembly primary election for Oyi Constituency. The protesters, comprising party faithful, youths, elders, and stakeholders from the area, called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene and restore what they termed the “authentic mandate” of the incumbent lawmaker representing Oyi Constituency, Hon. Innocent Ojike, popularly known as “Ojicam.” Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Soludo, Protect APGA Integrity,” “Return Ojicam’s Mandate,” “Our Votes Must Count,” “We Demand Justice, Not Political Fraud,” and “Bring Back Our Popular Candidate, Ojicam,” the demonstrators accused some party officials of subverting the will of the people by allegedly replacing Ojike with another asp...

Barely hours to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries for the Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency, the political atmosphere within the constituency witnessed a dramatic twist as Prince Africa Afordoo Adimnchezo Nwafor-Orizu, son of Nigeria’s first Senate President Dr. Abyssinia Akweke Nwafor Orizu, officially stepped down from the race in support of Amb. Lotanna Ikebunwa Fidelis. The development is already generating widespread reactions across the constituency, with political observers describing the move as a major boost to the growing momentum behind the youthful and increasingly popular stance of Amb Lotanna Ikebunwa, whose grassroots appeal has continued to resonate among party faithful and the electorate ahead of this crucial primaries. In a statement personally signed and released to party members and supporters under the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Prince Africa Afordoo Adimnchezo Nwafor-Orizu said his decision was ...

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic Oko, Dr. Chioma Irene Awuzie has declared open, a two-day training workshop for Teaching staff of the institution on the digitisation of Students results in tertiary institutions. In her address, the Rector explained that the training represents a strategic step towards strengthening the institution's capacity, improving service delivery and aligning the Federal Polytechnic Oko with the global best practices. She succinctly described students results' digitisation as the use of computer -based systems and digital platforms for recording, processing, retrieving, transmission and management of academic results electronically instead of relying solely on the manual methods. The Rector, identified delays in results computation and release, calculation errors, loss of records, inefficiency in transcript processing and poor data storage and retrieval system as the major challenges associated with the traditional manual system w...

The Federal Polytechnic Oko has on Tuesday 26th May,2026 appointed  Dr. Okafor Ifeanyi Fidelis as the Director of Medical Services of the institution. Dr. Okafor, a distinguished medical practitioner and experienced General Surgeon, brings to the office a wealth of professional experience spanning over fourteen years across tertiary, secondary, and primary healthcare systems. An Alumni of University of Benin, A Fellow of the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS) and Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (MRCS England), Dr. Okafor also holds a Master of Science degree in Human Anatomy from Ahmadu Bello University. He is equally certified in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) by the American College of Surgeons. Before his appointment, Dr. Okafor served in several strategic clinical and administrative capacities at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, where he demonstrated strong leadership in surgical services, clinical governance, patient safety, ...

As members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) across Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency prepare for tomorrow’s direct primary election in line with the provisions of the 2026 Electoral framework, the moment has come for party faithful to make a defining decision about the future of the constituency and the electoral fortunes of the party. The essence of direct primaries is to return power to ordinary party members allowing grassroots voices, not political imposition, to determine who flies the party’s flag in the Nnewi Federal Constituency elections. In this regard, many stakeholders and observers believe the momentum within the NDC is clearly tilting towards Amb. Lotanna Ikebunwa, a candidate widely regarded as the face of youth inclusion, grassroots acceptance, and people-oriented leadership. At a critical time when political parties across Nigeria are struggling to reconnect with young voters and ordinary citizens, Amb. Lotanna has emerged...

The Anambra State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has commenced its 2026 Eid-El-Kabir special patrol operations across the state with the deployment of over 210 personnel to ensure safer roads and effective traffic management during the festive period. The operation, which began on May 25 and is expected to end on May 31, is part of the Corps’ nationwide strategy aimed at reducing road crashes and ensuring free flow of traffic during the4 celebration. According to the Command, the personnel deployed comprise Regular and Special Marshals who will be stationed at critical locations across the state to monitor traffic, enforce road safety regulations, and provide prompt emergency response services where necessary. The Sector Commander, Bridget Asekhanuo, said the exercise was designed to address the expected increase in vehicular movement associated with the Eid-El-Kabir festivities. She explained that the operation would focus on public enlightenment, t...