Day: August 13, 2023

Another Look At The Ministerial Screening By Mon-Charles Egbo

Emporium Reporters

Nigeria is presently going through her worst of times. The country never had it this devastating. The citizens are not just wailing but are suffocating sequel to pains and frustrations.   Yet ironically, these have provoked an unusual sense of vigilance and activism among the citizenry. Most people have suddenly become interested in governance more than ever. And consequently, there is now a massive expression of impatience regarding the expectations for interventions that deliver direct relief and assurances. The people are lamenting that what they experience today was certainly not…

Osun government and politics of plurality By abiodun KOMOLAFE

Emporium Reporters

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State deserves a pat on the back for instructing the three senators representing the state in the Upper Chamber to “mobilize support for former Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s nomination as Minister” during last week’s screening exercise. Of course, it is a gesture that could not be caged! But beyond sheer propaganda, did the senators’ support amount to anything? Are we saying that, as senators, they cannot reason or talk unaided? If Osun senators have spoken against Nominee Oyetola, would the senate have rejected him and would…

Niger junta makes U-turn,ready to dialogue with ECOWAS, apologizes for snubbing Gen Abdusalami Abubakar, Sultan

Emporium Reporters

Niger junta makes U-turn,ready to dialogue with ECOWAS, apologizes for snubbing Gen Abdusalami Abubakar, Sultan The military junta in Niger headed by General Abdourahmane Tchiani has backtracked saying its now open to dialogue with the the President Bola Tinubu-led ECOWAS while also apologizing for snubbing the mediation team earlier sent by President Tinubu led by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) and Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar. The matter has tilted dangerously towards war with ECOWAS initially issuing a seven-day ultimatum for the reinstatement of ousted…

Speaker Abbas condemns Zaria killings, seeks immediate investigation

Emporium Reporters

The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has condemned, in strong terms, the killings of two individuals at the Kofar Gayan area of Zaria during an attack by suspected bandits on Saturday night. The suspected bandits, who invaded the area,were reported to have shot sporadically, killing the two individuals, while they made unsuccessful attempt to kidnap several others. The Speaker said the killings, coming just over 24 hours after the death of several individuals during the collapse of parts of the Zaria Central Mosque, were most…

Obi, Atiku, Tinubu: Judgment Day beckons By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

The Nigerian Presidential Election Petition Court has reserved its judgment. Apprehension and expectation are playing hide and seek in the air. Judgment Day is here. Theologians, writers and musicians have painted poignant colours of the judgment day. From the 1998-direct-to-video film of John Terlesky with that same title – Judgment Day – depicting disaster in the air as a giant meteor that would soon hit the earth, to the Italian Renaissance painter, Michelangelo’s fresco painting which he labeled The Last Judgment, judgment day has never been a tea party. Rastafari-influenced…

France, your Queendom is falling! By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

Zimbabwe-born medical doctor and activist, Arikana Chihombori-Quao’s viral video which hit airwaves last week evokes the music of iconoclastic Jamaican reggae musician, Peter Tosh. The video explains the rebellion going on in the Sahel against France. In Tosh’s system-bashing, anthem-of-resistance song, a call to action against the evils of colonialism and oppression, the coup in Niger Republic and France’s decades of paternal oppression against French-speaking Africa gets graphic detailing. His Mystic album, especially the track Babylon, your Queendom is falling, is pregnant with powerful lyricism that is unpretentious against colonial…

Abbey at 70 By Festus Adedayo

Emporium Reporters

The headline of this piece is almost a heresy. Unbeknown to him, our boss at the Tribune Newspaper House, Imalefalafia, Abiodun Oduwole, Fellow of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (FNGE) was known and called by his junior staff as simply Abbey. We however dared not bring this appellation to his attention. Abiodun Oduwole, Editor-in-Chief of the Tribune newspapers in the 1990s, was identified by that funkivised inflection of his name by his junior staff like me. Those who belonged to his school called him EiC, the shortened form of his…

SENATE SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS: Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi’s Vision for A Digital Nigeria

Emporium Reporters

Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, the nominee from Niger State, has outlined a compelling vision for a digital Nigeria during his Senate screening. He emphasized the significance of investing in Nigeria’s digital assets to meet international standards and stressed the need for comprehensive training and retraining programs for media workers to effectively utilize the equipment. Malagi, who is the Publisher of Blueprint Newspaper and CEO of WeFM, highlighted his track record of employing over 200 people, with 100 of them being Nigerian graduates, illustrating his commitment to addressing unemployment challenges. During…

Tinubu’s Forex Unification, Failure of CBN’s I&E Window to Save the Naira

Emporium Reporters

Just three months into the implementation of the brand new monetary policy of President Tinubu’s administration – ‘Forex Unification and the CBN ‘I&E Window’, the fate of the Naira regaining its value hangs in the balance. A situation where the national currency consistently falls flat to the devaluation pressures at the official market, parallel and black market, suggests that the policy of Forex Unification and I&E Window may not be working, as we are beginning to see. Arguably, the forex environment is being overtaken by its own systemic and systematic…

APC Thugs allegedly touches SDP Office in Anyigba

Emporium Reporters

APC Thugs in Anyigba, Dekina local government area of Kogi state has attempted to raze down the newly inaugurated office of SDP in Anyigba over the night. An eye witness account monitored in the early hours of Sunday morning saw the hoodlums burning down neighbouring houses and cars of adjoining offices, with burnt tyres at the entrance of the new office. The Dekina local government chairman, Prince Ishak Okolo had threatened to burn down the house of Alhaji Salami Abdullahi, ASTA Nigeria Ltd for giving out an office complex to…