NIGERIAN NOTCH

 By Dr Nick Obidiukwu  Professor Charles Soludo had barely finished his interview with Channels Television when the media thugs and supporters of Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, descended on the Anambra State Governor with characteristic bile. What vitriol Obi's social media gangs spared the Governor was what their dark minds did not conjure up. Mr Obi's rampaging supporters could not live with the indictment that it did not make sense to save when a State lacked critical infrastructure and people were coping with hunger and poor healthcare. And it grated their ears that the value of the controversial investment in a brewery had drastically depreciated.   Obi, who had lately metamorphosed into a candidate of regional and generational anger, was bound to contend with the consequences of his serial lies some time. Mr Obi had the ambition to be a politician of distinction; the model citizen with superior moral and political records. A tall dream....

By Sam Omatseye I don’t see why some persons are not happy with Anambra State governor for saying what he knows about one of his bumbling predecessors who does not know how to invest.  The governor did not originate the question. Why accuse him for saying what he knew. Chukwuma Soludo did not even show zeal about the subject.  He was dismissive in attitude. He said the investment is worth nothing. Then the usual irate mob started lobbing stones. It is like Jesus said to the Jews, “You seek to kill me for telling you the truth.”  The Labour candidate’s sin is bad enough, but that is not the fellow’s worst offence against Anambra. What of the investment of Anambra money in his family business, or his offshore account, or the NEXT supermarket built while on the throne? Soludo is a man of accountability. A former CBN governor would not and should not have done less in his interview on Channels. Failed governorship candidate Babatunde Gbadamosi was being petty interrogating in...

The Vantage Canadian college Lagos has held its foundation laying ceremony of the college in Lagos Nigeria. The foundation stone laying was held on the 12th of November 2022.  The institution will be offering Grade 10-12 (SS1-SS3) which will be a University pathway to Ontario Secondary School Diploma in Nigeria.  In his welcome address the president of the college, Mr. Jamie Pajoel said that the institution when completed will serve as a bridge for a Nigerian -  Canadian exchange program, where students from the Institute can apply to study and work in Canada after there secondary school on Nigeria.  Continuing, he said that " The real world is rapidly becoming more competitive, dynamic and demanding, as greater emphasis is now being placed on graduates who can strategize effectively, act decisively, drive performance, collaborate successfully and creatively innovate." The Vantage Canadian college aims to ensure that children are well trained, well equipped with 21st...

….Soludo, the Solution  Louis Odion, FNGE Epic! The handicraft of a philosopher-king. One, I dare say not many of our political leaders have the facility of language and clarity of thought to seamlessly transmit such profound thoughts from mind to print, personally.   Professor Soludo, with this, you just reaffirmed the value/virtue I saw in you back in 2004 (first as Economic Adviser to OBJ, before being appointed CBN governor that transformed Nigeria’s financial landscape forever) and has glued us together ever since, not just as friends but brothers.  All through your political tribulations from 2010 - 2021, never did I see or hear you ever barter your nobility nor mortgage your high principle — whether in the face of tempting offer or tantalising assurance of instant political profits.  Truly, you are a man of steely character, profound knowledge and Solomonic wisdom, completely detribalised.  With this, you just rekindled my conviction that, ultimately...

The Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria has blamed charges in foreign exchange by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as creating disruption in market operations. The marketers have, therefore, asked the agencies to obey federal government’s directive on Naira transactions for ports charges. Vice chairman II, Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Mahmood Tukur, stated this on Sunday. The federal gvernment through its downstream regulator, and based on agreement reached with stakeholders, had earlier directed ports charges to be collected in Naira. The directives was contained in a communique issued in November 2021, and signed by heads of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulation Authority, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Major Oil Marketers Assocoation of Nigeria and DAPPMAN. Tukur alleged that the agencies were yet to comply with directives a...

With pressing national economic challenges, accentuated by what is best described as structural failure and emerging local and global trends, some governors and other stakeholders say there is a strong sense of urgency for the authorities to save the nation from sinking. Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Gombe State counterpart, Inuwa Yahaya, led the call for the federal government to urgently discontinue the unsustainable fuel subsidy regime, improve power supply and restructure the country, especially the economy. The governors were among other captains of industry who spoke at the ongoing 28th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja. While Governor El-Rufai emphatically said “remove subsidy now,” Obaseki said there is immediate need to ensure improved and stable power supply to drive production in line with the needed industrialisation of the nation. The Edo State governor said the economy would have been better if the revenues were coming fro...

  Pioneer chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Pascal Dozie, in a keynote address entitled: ‘The Nigeria we Need,’ said in a plural, multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic Nigeria, if the state (nation-state and its federating units) act in a way that promotes any religious above others, that would be sowing seeds of discord. “This deters cohesion, progress and development,” he stated. Mr Dozie said the use of public funds to sponsor persons on religious events, to build places of worship and the like, contradicts the secular nature of Nigeria as agreed by the founding fathers at independence. “Ours is a secular state – and must be seen to be so – in normative, positive and practical terms,” he added. The former NESG chairman said Nigeria must strive to shape legislative lists and powers to make laws – such as to have relevant tiers of government to be responsible for those issues that are best suited for. Former president of the Nigeran Bar Association,...

 It was all thanks to God and  Nnewi Catholic Diocese community, as Amb Charles Nwonye took a high powered delegation of friends, community leaders and we'll wishers to the launching of an endowment fund for the completion of St Philip's Catholic Church Okpunoeze Uruagu Nnewi.  The event which was graced by the bishop of the Catholic diocese of Nnewi, who was ably represented by Monsignor Patrick Obata saw to the large turnout of people from all walks of life, who in turn contributed immensely to the completion of the church.  In his keynote address, the Chief launcher and convener Amb Charles Nwonye took out time to explain to the congregation and visitors on the need to see to the completion of the church which is pivotal to the development of the community in particular and Nnewi as a whole. He opened the floor with a cash donation of #2M naira.  He therefore urged others who were not able to make it to the event to find out time and reach the priest in charg...

By Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR     My attention has been drawn to some of the tirades on social media following my frank response during an interview on Channels TV regarding the “investments” Mr. Peter Obi claimed to have made with Anambra state revenues. Sadly, several of the comments left the issue of the interview to probe or suggest motives, inferred from my response on “investment” that I am opposed to Peter Obi’s ambition and therefore committed a “crime” for which the punishment is internecine abuse and harassment even to my family. Some people even suggest that the gunmen who went to attack a checkpoint at my hometown on Saturday 12th November but were gunned down was part of the mob reaction. I used to think that for decent people, certain conducts are off-limits, and that in Anambra, politics is not warfare.   Of course, as a Christian, I know that telling the truth can be very costly, even suicidal. Our Lord and saviour was crucified simply for telling the tr...

By Christian ABURIME  One of the outstanding achievements of the government of Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, is the astonishing successes recorded in the area of security which Ndi Anambra have continued to commend him for Before Soludo was sworn in as Governor, Anambra State was almost in a state of war. There was hardly no week without report of innocent Ndi Anambra being mowed down by the marauding killers. Kidnapping, killings, stealing, ransom taking were the order of the day. Fear and uncertainty reigned supreme in the land!  While these hoodlums thought they were smart, Soludo obviously was smarter and a step ahead! The security architecture he put in place unnerved the hoodlums.  Today, the narratives have changed drastically. The senatorial zone that was in the grip of these killer gangs have been restored to normalcy. The 15 camps established by the gangs to terrorize Ndi Anambra have been effectively neutralized by security agents. Governor Soludo bol...

For the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, the gloves are now definitely off in their ongoing credibility battle ahead of the 2023 presidential poll. The duo engaged themselves more fiercely and aggressively yesterday over the purported indictment of Tinubu and subjection to criminal forfeiture judgement to the tune of $460,000 for an alleged narcotic offence by a United States court in Northern Illinois. The PDP standard bearer fired the first salvo when he alleged that Tinubu was no longer eligible to contest the 2023 election on account of his indictment. Speaking through the PDP national publicity secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba, during a press conference in Abuja, Atiku asked Tinubu to withdraw from the race, saying he stands disqualified according to the provisions of Section 137 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). But the APC ...