The Ebonyi state government has cautioned the opposition against politicising natural disasters in the state or exploiting the plight of victims for partisan purposes.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebe made the admonition while reacting to oppositon statements on the recent devastating flood at Akaeze, Ivo Local Governentl Area (LGA) of the state.

Omebe said the government has taken proactive steps to ameliorate the plight of victims such as directing the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on coordinating appropriate emergency response measures.

“Political actors have constitutional rights to canvass for public support ahead the 2027 general elections but public–based discourse should remain issue-based, responsible and devoid of inflammatory rhetorics.

“This is to prevent situations capable of aggravating anxiety and vulnerability of disaster–affected communities.

“Political parties, candidates, community leaders and stakeholders should demonstrate restraint and place the safety, dignity and citizens’s welfare above partisan considerations,”

The commissioner reiterated the government’s deep concern and sympathy to the Akaeze flood victims and other communities across the state affected by the recent flooding,.

“The government acknowledges resultant displacement of households and destruction of farmlands, crops, properties and other means of livelihood; with attendant hardship.

“The government also acknowledges the disruption occasioned by the incidents and has intensified coordinated emergency-response measures.such as relief, rehabilitation among others.

“We are also engaging relevant federal emergency-management institutions such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for complementary intervention and support to affected communities.”

He noted that the welfare and security of the people remain central to the People’s Charter of Needs administration of Gov. Francis Nwifuru’s administration.

“The government urges affected residents to remain calm and cooperate fully with emergency-response officials conducting assessments and coordinating relief operations.

“Residents are advised against returning prematurely to flood-prone areas or occupying structurally compromised buildings until such are declared safe by appropriate authorities.”

Omebe urged residents to take weather and flood alerts issued by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and other competent authorities.seriously.

“Residents of flood-prone communities are advised to monitor official weather forecasts and early-warning information.while complying with evacuation advisories where necessary.

“They should also, avoid crossing flooded roads, bridges and waterways, while promptly reporting emerging threats to the relevant emergency-response agencies.

“The government appreciates the resilience and community spirit demonstrated by residents, traditional institutions, local government authorities, security agencies, first responders among others to the incident.”

He reiterated that the Nwifuru administration remains committed to protecting lives and safeguarding livelihoods while strengthening measures to reduce vulnerability to future flooding.

By Katharine Viner

American President Donald Trump’s disdain for the free press has long been obvious, and his second term, as predicted , has been characterised by threats, assaults, bans and lawsuits against media figures ranging from Jimmy Kimmel to local newspapers , the New York Times, the BBC and the Guardian.

This week, in one of his most brazen moves yet, the president banned CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House, despite a judge ruling that the move breaches the First Amendment, which guarantees a free press. The outlets were finally granted access on Thursday, 24 September, just as the president hosted a summit with China’s President Xi Jinping.

Before the court intervened to block the ban, Margaret Sullivan called  for Washington journalists to stand in solidarity, boycott White House events and instead “report aggressively from off campus”. Many did just that: Ariana Baio and Maanvi Singh reported on US TV networks suspending their pool coverage  as Trump launched his own “Trump TV feed” (our US team stopped using live footage of Trump until the ban was lifted).

As Alice Speri revealed on Monday  as part of a wider Guardian investigation into the cruelty of the administration’s deportation programme, journalists are being caught up in ICE’s dragnet, including a Colombian reporter for a US outlet who was arrested in March and held by ICE for two weeks.

As I’ve written many times, the global threat to journalism and journalists is ceaseless. Press freedom is at its lowest ebb in more than a quarter of a century , and 129 journalists and media workers were killed in 2025, the highest figure since data began to be collected 30 years ago. (Most of those killed were in Gaza.)

Donald Trump is, of course, only part of the picture. The threat against journalists reaches beyond the borders of repressive states.
This week, Kim Willsher interviewed Roman Badanin and Mikhail Rubin, two Russian journalists forced into exile for their reporting, who have recently published a critical biography of Vladimir Putin. They told Kim about their fears of being reached by “Putin’s death squad” even in their new countries, thousands of miles away.

The threats against Israeli journalists and filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor are especially concerning to me at the moment. Yuval and Rachel’s NAZA, produced by the Guardian, about the secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of civilians in Gaza, has led to an extreme response  in their home country. This has included death threats, angry mobs outside a family home and attacks on the offices of +972 Magazine and Local Call, the publications where Yuval’s first reporting on the allegations appeared, in collaboration with the Guardian.

As our editorial last week put it : journalism is not treason – it needs to be defended.
“Attacks on the free press are attacks on us all.”

NAZA will soon be shown in cinemas in 56 countries, streaming on the
Guardian’s website in November.

Katharine Viner is Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian

National President of the People’s Club of Nigeria International (PCNI), Chief F.O. Onyebueke has urged new members of the club to serve humanity.

Onyebueke, spoke when he led the induction of the 10 new members of PCNI, Waco Texas Branch at a ceremony in Garland, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, on September 5, 2026.

Among the inductees was educator and Igbo community leader in the Diaspora, Chief/Dr. Acho Orabuchi, also known as Iyi Ogberuru and Ebubedike Ezimba-Ogberuru.

Others included Super High Chief Prof. Anthony Ume-Ezeoke, Chief Emmanuel Ibe, Hon. Olayinka Adesulu, Nze Eddy Chukwu, Chief Lawrence Okeke, Dr. Philip Odoemena, Chief Nnamdi Nnodobe, Dr. Agwu Ama Ibom and Chief Daniel Ogbogu.

Nigerians and Americans attended the event in large numbers. Distinguished guests from Nigeria included Chief Onyebueke and the Chairman Governing Council and Patron Trustee, HRM Sir L.O. Igwe Arinze.

Onyebueke also urged the new members to promote peace in all their activities while he also reminded them of PCNI’s motto: “Unity, Love, and Service.”

He encouraged the members to live by the motto through their principles, spirit and actions. “I urge you to do good to the underprivileged while clubbing,” Onyebueke said.

The PCNI Waco Branch executives who also attended the ceremony included Branch Chairman Prince Sir Iyke Ginigeme, First Vice Chair Hon. Austin Ikechukwu, General Secretary Hon. Ikechukwu Ukoha, Assistant Secretary Hon. John Ajoh, Welfare Officer Hon. Abosede Jackson, Second Vice Chair Hon. Maurine Achilike, PRO Hon. Elder Ken Okoro, Treasurer Pastor Anthony Njugoh, Financial Secretary Chief Ferdi Ugude and House Master, Hon. Olayinka Adesulu.

Similarly, Chief Jerry Ken Ike, Chief Fidelis Umeh, Hon. Leonard Ohaeri, Ozo/Dr. Fred Ngwu, Hon. Oliver Achime, Nze/Sir Ogbogo Achonwa, Chief/Dr. Chuck E. Osondu, Mr. Ngozi Echebelem and Chief/Dr. Chimezie Osondu attended the event.

Prince Sir Iyke Ginigeme described the Waco Branch as a strong and resourceful branch with high membership standards. He said the branch attracts professionals and other prominent individuals who share its commitment to excellence.

According to Ginigeme, the induction brought together dignitaries, community leaders, professionals, families, friends and supporters from across Texas and beyond.

He said the event honoured people whose lives reflect leadership, service, achievement and community commitment.

In response to hardship among Nigerians, Ginigeme outlined plans to support motherless babies’ homes, scholarships for orphans and microfinance schemes for widows.

He also said the branch would support destitute homes and other community welfare projects through philanthropy.

The First Vice Chair and Planning Committee Chairman, Hon. Austin Ikechukwu, also praised the branch’s growth plans. He described PCNI Waco as a transformational branch and said it would become a fast-growing branch in the United States.

Ikechukwu said the branch would attract quality members committed to humanity. Hon. Lady Maurine Achilike also praised the ceremony, describing it as the best induction ceremony so far.

Chief Sir Polly Ubah, Ugo Eji Eje Mba Na Ishi-Ubomiri, Chairman Emeritus, PCNI-Princeton Branch, NJ, Global 1st Vice President Emeritus and Patron-Elect, congratulated Ginigeme and Orabuchi.

Ubah described Orabuchi as a tested community leader in the Dallas area and across Texas. He said Orabuchi would become a major asset to the Waco Branch and PCNI.

He also welcomed Orabuchi to the PCNI family and congratulated the new members. However, Ubah said he could not attend the ceremony in Dallas after earlier promising to do so, but expressed confidence that Ginigeme would deliver a successful event.
External links
People’s Club of Nigeria International⁠
Nigerian Embassy in the United States⁠

By Dianabasi Effiong

Christians have been reminded of the importance of conducting themselves in ways that have a meaningful impact on others since nobody created by God will live forever.

Rev. Emmanuel Etuk of Qua Iboe Church said this at the funeral service for the late Chief Okon Udo Udo, the father of Maj.-Gen. Enobong Udoh (rtd), former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt.

The funeral service, which was held at the Qua Iboe Church Primary School, Ishiet Erong, preceded the burial of the deceased in his compound at Ikot Udobia, Etinan Local Government Area, on Friday.

The officiating Minister, who preached his sermon on the theme, “Disappearing, to appear”, said that no one was created to last forever.

According to Rev. Etuk, who took his sermon from Psalm 90, verses nine and 10, as well as from Second Corinthians, five, verses nine and 10, every human being “will appear at birth and disappear at death”.

“As Christians, we believe that no man was created by God to last forever; a time will come when they will look for you, and you will be no more;, just like our Papa is no more today.

“Papa was not created to last here. He has flown away. Our life is brief and fragile. You will fly away. Have that at the back of your mind that you will eventually die. All humans will die at some point in their lives.”

He added that Christians believed that as you disappear through death, you will appear before God for judgement.

“It is not necessary that all of us must appear at the same time, but all of us will surely appear before God at judgement to answer for our deeds and according to what we have done in the body while on earth.

“That means Heaven keeps records of what you were doing while in your temporary life,” the Cleric told the congregation.

Etuk also said, “The question is, if you disappear today, where will you appear? If you appear, will you be accepted?

He added that it was better “for everyone to touch lives, worship God, and pray that when they ‘appear’, they will be accepted by their Creator.

He also urged everyone “to live in preparation to meet your Lord when you disappear to appear, and to live wisely.”

In a tribute to his late father, retired Maj.-Gen. Udoh, who also served as the Chief of Army Training and Operations, said that the discipline he got from his father, fondly called “Papa Uyo” by his admirers, saw him through his service years in the Nigerian Army.

Similarly, one of the sons, Ekere Okon Udoh, in his tribute described the deceased, who lived for 89 years, as ‘a very good, caring, disciplined, and protective father.’

He added, “It is always disheartening to experience the demise of a lovely father, at a time when you needed his counsel most.”

He also recalled a risky venture taken by him deceased on during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, “My heart leaps when I remember those turbulent days, especially during the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War when you took a lovely risk on the day your first daughter was born in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Umuahia; you were arrested for violating the kaws of curfew at 1:00 a.m., many thanks to late Gen. Philip Effiong, who came to your rescue.”

By Edwin Nwachukwu

As the political atmosphere in Osun State reaches a fever pitch ahead of the upcoming governorship election, conversation across political circles, tea shops, and digital spaces centers on a familiar, intimidating phrase: “federal might”. 

With the machinery of the Federal government often viewed as an omnipotent force in Nigerian off-cycle elections, whispers have intensified that unseating the incumbent has transformed from a competitive democratic contest into a pre-scripted script of state capture, a “mission accomplished.”

Yet, reducing Osun’s political landscape merely to a foregone conclusion under the weight of federal intervention underestimates both the unique political consciousness of the state and the historical resilience of its electorate.

In Nigeria’s sub-national electoral matrix, “federal might” invokes images of heavy security deployment, federal institutional leverage, and alignment between the state and central ruling parties. Critics and opposition strategists frequently point to this dynamic as the ultimate decider, arguing that an incumbent fighting against the political party controlling the center faces an uphill, if not impossible, battle.

Proponents of the “mission accomplished” narrative argue that the ruling party at the federal level cannot afford to cede strategic ground, making the mobilization of state resources and political alignment an inevitability. To them, the election is decided long before voters step into the booth.

Looking strictly through the lens of federal might ignores Osun State’s specific political DNA. Osun has long carved out a reputation as one of Nigeria’s most fiercely independent and unpredictable political battlegrounds.

Osun voters have repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to punish non-performing incumbents or reject candidates pushed primarily by external establishment forces, regardless of who sits in Abuja.

In previous cycles, political outcomes in the state have routinely defied federal expectations. The electorate’s connection to grassroots realities often outweighs the distant gravity of federal influence.

With civil society organizations, media scrutiny, and advanced voter accreditation technology (such as the BVAS) playing critical roles, wholesale manipulation has grown increasingly difficult to execute seamlessly.

Labeling the election a “mission accomplished” serves a psychological purpose in political warfare, it is designed to demoralize the incumbent’s base, disincentivize opposition mobilization, and create an aura of inevitability.

In reality, elections are won on the ground, not through speculative headlines. The true test on election day will not be the theoretical might of federal machinery, but:

 1. How effectively the incumbent has delivered on governance and retained the trust of the masses.

 2. The capacity of opposition parties to present a compelling alternative rather than relying solely on federal coattails.

 3. The resolve of the Osun electorate to protect their mandate.

As the clock ticks down to the ballot, the rhetoric of federal might will continue to dominate political commentary. But Osun State has historically refused to read the script written for it by external power brokers. Far from a “mission accomplished,” the upcoming election stands as a high-stakes crucible where the power of the ballot will once again be tested against the pressures of state power.

By Aare Amerijoye DOT.B

This Sunday morning, somewhere outside Makurdi, a Tiv farmer woke in the bush beside his yam heaps, not in his own house, because the men who come at night do not knock. He will not make it to church today.

This Sunday morning, in Kano’s Kurmi Market, a Hausa trader is opening his stall. He knows the day’s takings will be bigger in naira than ever and will still buy less than they did three years ago.

This Sunday morning, in Onitsha, an Igbo mother is warming yesterday’s soup before church and telling her children it tastes better on the second day.

This Sunday morning, in Ado Ekiti, a retired teacher is dressing for service and wondering what he can put in the offering plate from a pension that no longer buys a month of drugs.

Across Nigeria, the pews will be full today, and so will the prayer requests.

None of them was consulted. Every one of them is paying.

That is why Tinubu must go.

THE DAY POLICY WAS SPOKEN, NOT MADE

On 29 May 2023, a new President stood at Eagle Square and uttered four words: fuel subsidy is gone. No debate. No framework. No cushion for the poor. In one sentence, the price of every journey, every bag of rice and every loaf of bread in Nigeria was rewritten.

He was not proposing. He was pronouncing. Over 200 million Nigerians have lived inside that pronouncement ever since.

In the same season the naira was cut loose, and both shocks landed on the same kitchen table at the same time. That was not reform. That was a stampede, and the poor were the ones trampled.

A reform the people cannot survive is not a reform. It is a sentence.

The government’s own statistics bureau recorded the damage. By August 2024, food inflation had reached 37.52 per cent year on year, with headline inflation at 32.15 per cent. That is not an opposition slogan. That is the Nigerian state signing its own charge sheet.

THE NUMBER THEY ARE DANCING TO

Now the Presidency’s men are celebrating a new figure. Headline inflation eased to 15.39 per cent in August 2026, a third straight month of slowdown.

Let them dance. But every Nigerian should understand what that number actually says. A falling rate is not a falling price. It means prices are still rising, only more slowly. The garri, the rice and the fare to market that leapt in 2023 and 2024 have not come back down. They have merely stopped sprinting.

Read the same report to the end. Food inflation still stood at 19.57 per cent in August, and food remained the single largest contributor to headline inflation. Worse, rural inflation’s monthly rate rose to 1.79 per cent from 0.78 per cent in July, signalling fresh price pressure in the villages.

The villages, where most of our people live, are still being squeezed while Abuja holds press conferences.

THE NIGHTS THE STATE DID NOT COME

The first duty of any government is to keep its people alive. Judge this one by that duty alone.

On 3 February 2026, hundreds of militants attacked Woro and Nuku in Kwara State, killing at least 162 residents in one of the deadliest attacks in months. Reports say the attackers withdrew only when a military aircraft appeared, hours after the killing began.

In March, multiple suicide bombers struck Maiduguri after years of calm. In July, at least 14 villagers were killed in an attack in Benue State.

Different towns. Different tongues. The same abandonment.

When the state arrives only after the killing is done, the state has already failed.

THE CORRUPTION THAT WAS NEVER DEFEATED

This government insists it is winning the war on corruption. Transparency International answered with the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index: Nigeria scored 26 out of 100 and sat 142nd of 182 countries.

Nigerians were told the subsidy savings would build roads, hospitals and schools. Three years on, go to your community and ask where the new hospital is.

THREE YEARS OF “WAIT”

Every time the people cry out, the answer is the same: wait. Wait for the reforms to bite. Wait for the gains. Wait for renewed hope.

The trader in Kurmi has waited. The mother in Onitsha has waited. The farmer in Benue has waited in the bush. A government that asks the hungry for patience while it asks nothing of itself has exhausted its right to ask for four more years.

NIGERIA HAS DONE BETTER, AND KNOWS IT

This country is not cursed. Between 1999 and 2007, Nigeria’s GDP grew from $58 billion to $270 billion. External reserves rose from $3.7 billion to about $45 billion. Nigeria settled with the Paris Club and walked out of that debt trap in 2006.

Same oil. Same people. Same Nigeria. What differed was a government that phased hard reforms and carried the people with it.

At the heart of that economic machinery sat the Vice President, who by law chaired the National Economic Council and the National Council on Privatisation. His name was Atiku Abubakar. Today he is the ADC candidate, with Rotimi Amaechi beside him. Their working documents are already published and placed before the people to examine.

A SUNDAY PRAYER FOR NIGERIA

To every Christian going to church this morning: carry Nigeria with you to the altar.

When the prayer points are called, let yours be plain. Tinubu must go.

Pray it in the cathedral and in the Pentecostal hall. Pray it in the white garment church by the stream and in the village chapel under a zinc roof. Pray it in Yoruba, in Igbo, in Hausa, in Tiv and in English. Heaven understands every one of them.

Pray that he goes by the ballot on 16 January 2027, and that he lives long in Lagos to watch a better Nigeria rise.

Pray for the farmer in the bush, the mother at the stove and the teacher counting coins for the offering. Pray for the soldiers in the North East and the bereaved families of Woro and Nuku.

Then rise from your knees and work, because faith without works is dead. The prayer is said on Sunday. The answer is written with a thumb on 16 January.

Say it on Sunday. Seal it with your thumb.

The mosques offered their prayers on Friday. The churches offer theirs today. On 16 January, the whole nation answers together.

HOW HE MUST GO

Tinubu must go by the only door Nigerians still control: the ballot.

Collect your PVC. Verify your polling unit. Bring your household, your street, your church and your mosque to the queue on 16 January 2027. Remain peacefully, at the lawful distance, until the result is announced, recorded and uploaded.

No stone, no fire. Only thumbprints, in their millions, guarded to the last count.

Pray today. Queue on 16 January.

119 days remain. The farmer, the trader, the mother and the teacher are counting. So is Nigeria.

#TinubuMustGo #AtikuAmaechi2027 #16January2027

Aare Amerijoye DOT.B
Director General, The Narrative Force
thenarrativeforce.org
20 September 2026

Every bank that has my contact details seems determined to sell me Dangote Refinery shares.

Fair enough.

But to everyone putting their money into the refinery, I have a simple question:

If you believe enough in Dangote Refinery to buy its shares, do you believe enough in it to support the policies that will make it succeed and make your investments safe to earn you a return on investment?

Because you cannot invest in the refinery with one hand and undermine the economics of domestic refining with the other.

Shareholders should be among the strongest voices for policies that deepen local refining.

Support cheaper, reliable domestic crude supply to your business.

Support targeted petroleum support that strengthens local refining rather than perpetuating import dependence that would ultimately kill your business.

Support policies that make Nigerian refineries (your business) competitive.

Support the entire ecosystem that turns refinery capacity into jobs, businesses, tax revenue and economic growth.

That is why the ATIKU ABUBAKAR AERP Subsidy Reform Proposal matters.

The proposition is straightforward:

If government must provide petroleum support, let that support strengthen domestic production and refining where you have put your money.💰💰💰💰

When the cost of producing petrol locally falls, the refinery becomes more competitive.

When the refinery becomes more competitive, its capacity to produce, grow and create value increases.

And when domestic refining grows, the Nigerian economy grows with it.

So, to every prospective shareholder:

Your share purchase is a vote of confidence in domestic refining. Let your voice and thumb on the ballot be a vote of confidence too.

Ask for a policy environment in which the refinery you have invested in can thrive.

Don’t just buy the shares.
Support the ecosystem.
Defend the investment.
Champion domestic refining.

Because ultimately:

You put your money where your heart is. Now put your voice and your vote where your investment is.

—AA MOVEMENT –

Nigeria’s football family is in mourning following the tragic death of Wilfred Ndidi’s father, who reportedly lost his life in a motor accident.

The heartbreaking news broke on Tuesday through an emotional Instagram post by the Super Eagles captain, who shared a photo of himself with his late father and poured out his grief in raw, personal words that have since shaken fans across the country.

In the post, Ndidi revealed that his father had called him earlier that day. What sounded like a normal conversation later turned out to be a final goodbye.

“Eeraq (as he fondly calls his father)you call me this morning with excitement in your voice but deep down na good bye you dey tell me,” Ndidi wrote.

“What about the things we talked about? So we no go talk again? Na only memories?”

The Super Eagles captain also recalled one of his most emotional career moments—his first national team goal—and how he celebrated it in honour of his father.

“Even when I score my first ever national team goal I do that papilo dance for you, but you just go like that ERAQ.”

The post ended with a painful sense of disbelief, capturing the shock that often follows sudden loss.

Since the post went public, Super Eagles players, former internationals, football administrators, and fans across Nigeria and beyond have all been left in shock of the tragedy that befell our beloved Captain.

Many described the loss as not just Ndidi’s pain, but a shared grief felt by a nation that has watched him grow from a promising midfielder into a respected leader of the national team.

Wilfred Ndidi is known for his calm strength on the pitch. Yet, this moment reminds Nigerians that even their heroes carry private pain.

Once again, football has shown that it is more than a game in Nigeria. It is a bond. It connects families, communities, and an entire nation in moments of joy—and in moments of deep sorrow.

At this time, Nigerians stand with their captain, not as fans alone, but as one family.

As the Super Eagles captain navigates this painful chapter, Nigeria mourns with him.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Wilfred Ndidi, his family, and loved ones.

May his father’s soul rest in peace.

Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) on Tuesday staged a protest in Ikeja, Lagos State, demanding urgent action over the abduction of school children and teachers in Oyo State.

The demonstration, which drew a large number of teachers and supporters, was held as concerns continue to grow over the safety of students and education workers across the country.

Protesters marched through parts of the state capital carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs.

They called on security agencies and relevant authorities to intensify efforts to secure the release of the victims and improve security around schools.

participants were seen displaying different messages highlighting the need for safer learning environments. Some of the placards read, “End the religion of fear in our schools” and “let teachers teach in peace.”

The teachers said the continued attacks on schools pose a serious threat to education and could discourage parents from sending their children to school. They also warned that insecurity in learning institutions could negatively affect academic activities and the welfare of teachers.

The rally comes amid growing public outrage over the recent kidnapping incident in Oyo State. Many Nigerians have continued to urge the government to take stronger measures against criminal groups targeting schools and communities.

Several civil society groups and education stakeholders have also expressed concern over the development, stressing that schools should remain safe spaces for learning and teaching.

The protesters called on both federal and state authorities to act swiftly, rescue the abducted victims, and ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.