Category: Nigeria

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has produced vulnerability maps to guide communities across the country as part of its ongoing campaign against flood disasters and related hazards.

The Director-General of the agency, Zubaida Umar, announced this during a stakeholders’ engagement and the flag-off of this year’s National Preparedness Campaign against flood disasters yesterday, held in Bauchi.

Represented by the Northeast Zonal Director Suleiman Abdullahi, the director-general highlighted the recurrent impacts of flooding, including loss of lives, disruption of public and private infrastructure,e as well as displacement of residents across the country, emphasizing the need for urgent and collective action.

According to her, the 2016 seasonal climate prediction released by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMET, and other relevant bodies, fourteen states and 132 local government areas fall within high-risk flood zones.

The state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hajiya Amina Katagum, called on civil society organisations, traditional and religious leaders,s to mobilise communities to participate in disaster preparedness activities.

While commending NEMA for organizing the programme, the commissioner urged residents in flood-prone areas to avoid building on waterways and maintain proper sanitation around their surroundings to ensure their safety.

A former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Bauchi State, Danjuma Adamu Dabo, has won the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Bauchi South Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Dr. Dabo, a grassroots politician and philanthropist, defected to the opposition PDP recently following intense pressure from supporters who insisted it was time for him to represent the South senatorial district at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja.

The event which took place in Bauchi town, Wednesday, was witnessed by a mammoth crowd of supporters and party faithful, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Representatives from party headquarters in Abuja as well as state officials of the party among other stakeholders.

Dr. Dabo was unanimously elected through a consensus option, and his election was consequently affirmed by the congress committee in accordance with party guidelines and the Electoral Act.

His emergence as the PDP flagbearer has introduced a new dimension to the contest in Bauchi South Senatorial District.

He will be contesting the seat with Bauchi governor Bala Muhammad of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Yakubu Shehu Abdullahi, APC candidate for Bauchi South in 2027 elections.

Also present at the PDP State Congress were the seven PDP aspirants for the Bauchi State House of Assembly, PDP members from the seven local Government Areas, officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) among other security agencies.

Dr. Dabo who is the founder of the Danjuma Dabo Foundation, a philanthropy organization that offers free education for indigent students and ophans in Bauchi, contested the senatorial seat in 2023 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

He is the former executive director at the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and National Implementation Advisor to the World Bank funded Better Education Service Delivery for All (BEDSA) – program under the Universal Basic Education Council (UBEC).

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Edet Otu, Wednesday flagged off the 2026 Wet Season Farming Programme with the distribution of improved seed yam inputs to farmers across the state, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to food security, rural prosperity and sustainable agricultural development.

The flag-off ceremony held in Calabar, amid renewed optimism for increased food production, featured the distribution of improved seed yams and other agricultural inputs to beneficiaries drawn from the 18 local government areas of the state, including farmers’ cooperatives, women groups, youths and agricultural extension workers.

Representing Governor Otu at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo Jr., said the early commencement of the 2026 wet season farming programme was a deliberate strategy by the administration to ensure farmers receive critical inputs in good time to maximize the planting season.

According to him, agriculture remains the backbone of Cross River’s economy and a major pillar of the administration’s ‘People First’ agenda.

“We are not just talking about food security; we are taking deliberate and practical steps to make it a reality. This distribution exercise is part of our broader vision to transform Cross River into the food basket of the South-south and Nigeria at large,” he stated.

Governor Otu, in his message delivered by the commissioner, described the exercise as another practical demonstration of his administration’s strong commitment to agricultural transformation, household food production and economic growth.

“We already know that agriculture remains the backbone of our economy and the primary source of livelihood for thousands of households across the state. This is why our administration continues to invest deliberately in programmes that directly support farmers and strengthen rural communities,” the governor said.

He noted that the distribution of improved seed yams followed the successful one-week train-the-trainer workshop recently conducted across the state in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), where over 400 yam farmers and agricultural extension officers were trained on yam seed multiplication and modern yam minisett technology.

“This strategic capacity-building initiative was designed to equip our farmers and extension agents with practical knowledge on rapid seed yam production, improved agronomic practices and disease management techniques. The state government subsequently took delivery of eight metric tonnes of improved seed yam varieties to support the programme,” he added.

The governor further explained that the minisett technology would create a rapid multiplication system capable of guaranteeing more seed yams, healthier planting materials, increased productivity and faster income generation for farmers.

“Seed yam remains the most expensive input in yam production, accounting for between 25 and 60 per cent of total production costs. Studies have shown that the use of certified seed yam alone can boost farmers’ income by up to 40 per cent. Our goal is to position Cross River as a major player in yam production, processing and seed yam commercialization in Nigeria,” he emphasized.

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the IFAD-assisted LIFE-ND Programme, Mr. Sam Abiodun, commended the state government for prioritizing agriculture and rural development.

“We are committed to partnering with the Cross River State Government to provide the necessary incentives and support that will drive rural development and boost agricultural productivity. With the collective efforts of farmers, youths and women participating in this programme, we are confident that success will be achieved,” he said.

The commissioner for agriculture disclosed that the distributed inputs were carefully selected based on ecological suitability and crop preferences across the state, covering key staples such as rice, cassava, maize, yam and vegetables.

He further revealed that agricultural extension officers had already been deployed in various communities to train farmers on modern farming techniques, climate-smart agriculture and best agronomic practices aimed at improving yields and reducing post-harvest losses.

Some beneficiaries, who spoke at the event, expressed gratitude to Governor Otu for what they described as a timely intervention capable of easing the burden on farmers amid prevailing economic and climate challenges.

Mrs. Grace Ene of Bekwarra Local Government Area said: “This support has given us hope again. Many farmers could not afford quality seed yams this season, but the government has stepped in to help us produce more food.”

Similarly, Mr. Emmanuel Bassey, a youth farmer from Yakurr, described the programme as a lifeline for young people venturing into agriculture.

“With these improved seed yams and the training we have received, we are confident of better harvests this year. The government has shown genuine concern for farmers,” he stated.

For Mrs. Florence Odama from Obubra, the intervention would significantly reduce production costs and improve household income.

“We are grateful because this support will help us expand our farms and feed our families. This is the kind of assistance farmers truly need,” she added.

With the 2026 wet season farming activities now underway, stakeholders in the agriculture sector said the Otu administration has set an ambitious target of significantly increasing food production across the state, as farmers return to their fields with renewed confidence in the government’s food security agenda.

Ikechukwu Christian Okoh and Benneth Iloka

An article published on May 15, 2026, in Vanguard by a group alleging political marginalisation in Enugu East Local Government Area accused the Nike-Uno Zone of monopolising political power for nearly three decades. The group, largely drawn from Mbulu-Njodo, Mbulu-Iyiukwu and Ugwogo zones, portrayed themselves as victims of exclusion while accusing Nike-Uno of domination and inequity.

However, available electoral records, political history and documented facts present a different picture. Evidence shows that the zones making the allegations have consistently occupied some of the most influential political positions in Enugu East since the creation of the local government, while Nike-Uno has repeatedly played the role of stabiliser, peace builder and unifier within the Nike Kingdom despite recurring politically charged accusations.

One of the central claims made in the publication was that Mbulu-Njodo, Mbulu-Iyiukwu and Mbulu-Owehe constitute about 75 per cent of the population of Enugu East Local Government Area. However, publicly available electoral data appears to contradict this assertion. According to the 2019 election records sourced from official Situation Room documentation for Enugu State, Enugu East LGA had a total of 188,484 registered voters. (See https://situationroomng.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ENUGU.pdf).

Wards associated with the zones making the allegations recorded the following voter figures: Mbulu-Iyiukwu Ward, 5,065; Mbulu-Njodo East, 15,414; Mbulu-Njodo West, 27,117; and Ugwogo Nike, 6,440. Combined, these wards accounted for 54,036 registered voters, representing approximately 28.7 per cent of the total electorate rather than the claimed 75 per cent. The remaining wards, largely associated with Nike-Uno, accounted for roughly 71.3 per cent of registered voters.

The implication is serious: the 75% claim was not merely inaccurate; it appears to have been deliberately crafted to manipulate public sympathy and mislead political authorities into believing that a vast majority has been excluded from power. Facts matter. Numbers matter. And the numbers simply do not support the claims being circulated.

The group also alleged that all council chairmen since the creation of Enugu East LGA, spanning nearly 30 years, emerged from Nike-Uno and that they have therefore suffered political exclusion for nearly three decades. But political leadership cannot be examined selectively. A broader assessment of political appointments and elected offices within Enugu East reveals that the zones making the allegations have, in fact, consistently occupied some of the most influential political positions in the local government and beyond.

Commissioner-level representation has remained largely within the Mbulu-Njodo axis throughout the democratic dispensation. Hon. Ment Nomeh served between 1999 and 2003, followed by Hon. Clement Okwor from 2003 to 2015, Hon. Gregory Nnaji from 2015 to 2023, and Hon. Felix Nnamani from 2023 to date. This means that for virtually the entire democratic dispensation, commissioner-level representation remained continuously within the same political bloc now claiming marginalisation. How then does a region that has consistently occupied executive cabinet positions claim political exclusion?

The same pattern is evident in legislative representation. The Enugu East Rural State Constituency has reportedly been represented by Hon. Gabriel Nomeh from 1999 to 2003, Hon. Christopher Ugwu between 2003 and 2011, Hon. Joseph Agbo Ugwumba from 2011 to 2019, Hon. Hillary Ugwu from 2019 to 2023, and Hon. Raymond Ugwu from 2023 to date. This reveals uninterrupted legislative influence by the same political bloc over decades.

In addition, the deputy chairmanship position in Enugu East LGA has reportedly remained with the same axis since 1998. They currently hold the Enugu East Urban House of Assembly seat through Hon. Osita Okoh, who has also been returned by the Governor of Enugu State. They also occupy the Federal House of Representatives seat for Enugu East/Isi-Uzo through Hon. Prof. Paul Sunday Nnamchi (Mbulu-Iyiukwu Zone).

These are not indicators of marginalisation. These are indicators of sustained political relevance and institutional access. The uncomfortable truth is that the Nike-Uno Zone has repeatedly sacrificed political opportunities in the interest of peace and unity within the Nike Kingdom. Historical accounts show that even during the old municipal era, leaders from Nike-Uno supported candidates from Mbulu-Iyiukwu despite strong internal political competition. Rather than exclusion, what the records show is accommodation, compromise and brotherhood from Nike-Uno towards the other zones.

The allegation that there was a binding rotational agreement which Nike-Uno violated is another misleading claim that requires serious clarification. First, those making this allegation have not produced any credible, verifiable and enforceable document showing that Nike-Uno entered into any binding agreement to surrender the chairmanship position on the basis of the rotational arrangement now being claimed. A political claim repeated over time does not automatically become a valid agreement. If such an agreement truly exists, the public deserves to see its content, signatories, scope, legal status and implementation terms.

More importantly, even if Enugu East wishes to discuss political balancing, such balancing cannot honestly be reduced to the office of the local government chairman alone. Equity cannot be selective. Fairness cannot be applied only where one group wants advantage and ignored where that same group already enjoys dominance.

A sincere conversation on power rotation must bring all political offices to the table, including: local government chairman; deputy chairman; commissioner positions; House of Assembly seats; Federal House of Representatives representation; party leadership structures; board appointments; special adviser and assistant positions; other appointive and elective offices connected to Enugu East.

This is where the contradiction becomes obvious. The same zones now alleging marginalisation have, over the years, clearly dominated major legislative and appointive positions linked to Enugu East. They have held commissioner positions, maintained strong influence in the Enugu East Rural House of Assembly seat, occupied deputy chairmanship slots, and currently enjoy other important representations.

Therefore, if there is to be a genuine balancing formula, it must not be designed to take the chairmanship from Nike-Uno while leaving every other strategic position under the firm grip of the same zones crying marginalisation. That would not be equity. That would be a political double standard.

The legislature is particularly important in this discussion. The group making these allegations has had repeated and sustained control of legislative representation, thereby marginalising other sections of Nike in that sphere. Yet, they conveniently avoid discussing legislative rotation because it exposes the imbalance they have benefited from for decades.

If they truly believe in fairness, then the first honest step is to open the entire political structure of Enugu East for review — not just the chairmanship. Political justice cannot mean: “Give us the chairmanship, but do not ask questions about the legislative seats, commissioner positions, deputy chairmanship and other offices we already control.” Such an argument is not a demand for equity; it is an attempt to expand political dominance under the cover of marginalisation.

Nike-Uno cannot be accused of violating an agreement that has not been credibly established. And Nike-Uno cannot be asked to carry the entire burden of political balancing while other zones retain the offices through which they have historically exercised influence over Enugu East.

A fair and honest political settlement must be comprehensive, not selective. It must examine every major office, every zone’s historical access to power, and every pattern of exclusion. On that basis, Nike-Uno stands not as the oppressor being portrayed, but as the zone that has carried the greatest burden of restraint, compromise and political accommodation.

One particularly striking contradiction within the allegations is the inclusion of Mbulu-Owehe in the marginalisation narrative. Observers have pointed out that the same axis recently produced a local government chairman from Amokpo Nike (Hon. Chief Alex Ugwu) who handed over to the immediate past chairman.  This makes the attempt to classify Mbulu-Owehe as politically excluded especially difficult to reconcile with recent political realities.

The allegation that Enugu East is sitting on a political “time bomb” appears exaggerated and politically motivated.  There is presently no evidence of political collapse, communal breakdown or widespread instability in Enugu East Local Government Area. What exists instead is a recurring pattern where marginalisation narratives suddenly emerge during local government election seasons. The timing of these allegations has therefore raised legitimate concerns among stakeholders who believe the claims are primarily strategic tools for negotiating political advantage.

The truth remains that the Nike Kingdom has largely enjoyed peaceful coexistence, and many fear that continuous propagation of divisive narratives may itself become the actual source of unnecessary tension.

Another major allegation was that political exclusion allegedly translated into developmental neglect. Again, the facts contradict the narrative. Several major institutions and infrastructure within the broader areas linked to the aggrieved zones include: Nike Judicial Division Headquarters, Nigergas Company Limited, Emene, PRODA, ANAMMCO, Coal City University, Godfrey Okoye University, Proposed Federal University of Agriculture, multiple federal and state institutions

These realities hardly support claims of abandonment or governmental neglect. Furthermore, under the administration of Hon. Beloved Dan Obi-Anike, development initiatives have reportedly been distributed across communities without discrimination.

The people of Enugu East deserve truthful conversations rooted in facts, not emotionally charged narratives designed to provoke division. The repeated portrayal of Nike-Uno as oppressors despite decades of political concessions, institutional sacrifice and support for broader Nike interests’ risks undermining the unity that generations laboured to preserve.

If equity is truly the objective, then every political office occupied across decades must be honestly accounted for — not selectively ignored. The facts presented above demonstrate that the zones making the allegations have enjoyed substantial political representation and influence across executive, legislative and administrative structures.

The attempt to erase these realities while branding themselves perpetual victims is unfair, historically inaccurate and politically dangerous. At a time when Enugu East should be consolidating development and strengthening internal harmony, stakeholders are urging all parties to abandon divisive propaganda and embrace unity, fairness and mutual respect.

* Chief Okoh is the President General of Mbuluowehe Nike and President of the Nike-Uno Unity Forum and Dr. Iloka is the Secretary of the Indigenous People of Nike Kingdom and Public Relations Officer of the Nike-Uno Unity Forum

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja 

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced a one-week extension in the opening of orientation camps for prospective corps members (PCMs) posted to Enugu and Osun States due to ongoing renovation works.

The NYSC management disclosed this in a press statement on Monday, stating that due to renovation works, PCMs to the two states cannot resume with their counterparts in other 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Director, Information and Public Relations, (DIPR), Caroline Embu, in the statement, said: “Prospective corps members deployed to Enugu and Osun States are to note that the orientation exercise for these states will commence on Tuesday, 28th April 2026, and end on Monday, 18th May, 2026; one week after commencement in the other 34 states and the FCT.

“This slight adjustment is due to the on-going extensive renovation of the camps by the state governments which has necessitated the change in date.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the orientation exercise for all other states and the FCT is scheduled to be held from Wednesday, 22nd April 2026 – Tuesday 12th May 2026.

“Affected prospective corps members are to duly note these differing dates for compliance, please.”