Editorial

Nigeria @ 59: The tasks ahead

Ihesiulo Grace 2 October 2019 0

Nigeria attaining 50 years, an advanced age of nationhood, is a great attestation to how the peoples of different cultures, languages, beliefs and orientations have been able to knit together their diverse backgrounds to build and nurture a united entity. Nigerians, therefore, deserve to roll

Editorial

Halting brain drain in health sector

Ihesiulo Grace 30 September 2019 0

The massive brain drain in the Nigerian health sector in recent years which has seen many medical doctors, nurses and midwives among other health professionals leaving the country has heightened the need for urgent steps to be taken to halt the trend in order to save the sector from total collapse. Many Nigerian doctors and […]

Editorial

Minimum wage: FG, States and Labour’s threat

Ihesiulo Grace 28 September 2019 0

If nothing is done quickly, the delay in the full implementation of the new minimum wage by Federal and states governments may snowball into full blown crisis which will further disrupt the nation’s industrial peace and worsen the economic situation in the country. Recall that the New Minimum Wage bill was passed by the National […]

Editorial

Malnutrition: Saving Nigeria’s endangered children

Ihesiulo Grace 27 September 2019 0

The revelation by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) that no fewer than 2.5 million children under the age of five in Nigeria suffer severe acute malnutrition has brought to the fore the urgent need for all hands to be on deck to stem the trend. According to the UNICEF’s nutrition specialist, Ms. Abigael Nyukuri, […]

Editorial

Health workers, diversion of malaria drugs and matters arising

Ihesiulo Grace 18 September 2019 0

News that millions of anti-malaria drugs (ACTs) donated to Nigeria by the Global Fund have been diverted is to say the least disheartening and should be condemned by all and sundry. In a country where malaria still looms large, resulting in rising deaths among newborns, pregnant women and other vulnerable members of the society, efforts […]

Editorial Featured

Time to step up battle against crude oil thieves

Ihesiulo Grace 16 September 2019 0

The revelation that about 22 million barrels of crude oil were stolen in the first six months of this year should worry every well-meaning Nigerian and calls to question the effectiveness of measures put in place to checkmate the menace. It is either that the measures are not working or there are collaborators within the […]

Editorial

Xenophobic attacks: Time to stand up to South Africa

Ihesiulo Grace 9 September 2019 0

Recent attacks on Nigerians, nationals of other African countries in South Africa and their businesses by South Africans are to say the least saddening and should be condemned by all right thinking persons. The latest unleashing of violence on Nigerians, other African immigrants and their businesses by South Africans is not the first time and […]

Editorial

FG, state police and matters arising

Ihesiulo Grace 20 August 2019 0

The clamour for State Police has heightened in recent months mainly due to the inability of the regular police and other security agencies to deal squarely with the rising insecurity in the country. Recall that the call for an autonomous state’s police reached its peak recently when the media misconstrued a mere directive of Mr. […]

Editorial

FG should release El-Zakzaky Now

Ihesiulo Grace 23 July 2019 0

The incessant clashes between security agencies and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), reached a crescendo on Monday at the Abuja city center when a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usman Umar, was killed in an attack by followers of the Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky led sect. The IMN members, who were protesting the continued […]

Editorial

The return of History to our schools

Ihesiulo Grace 10 July 2019 0

The decision of the Federal Government directing all primary and secondary schools across the country to immediately implement the teaching of History as a standalone subject from the next academic calendar is very welcome. Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Sonny Echono, who disclosed the directive in Abuja recently, said the Federal Government will

Editorial

Out-of-school children and future leaders

Ihesiulo Grace 9 July 2019 0

Nigeria with the current figure of 13.2 million out-of-school children occupies first position on the table of countries with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world certainly calls for sober reflection. More worrisome is the fact that the figure instead of decreasing in the last few years is rather increasing. This statistics which […]

Editorial

Taming the cancer scourge in Nigeria

Ihesiulo Grace 28 June 2019 0

Feeding on widespread ignorance about the disease, cancer of all forms has continued to wreak havoc on humanity, prematurely cutting down destinies and dreams. It has remained the world’s number one killer disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently revealed that new cancer cases and deaths in Africa are projected to double by 2040. Statistics […]

Editorial

Stemming upsurge of sickle cell anaemia

Ihesiulo Grace 26 June 2019 0

The revelation by the Coalition of Sickle Cell Non-governmental Organisations in Nigeria recently that at least 150,000 children are born with sickle cell disease in Nigeria every year, while about 40 million Nigerians are healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene, has heightened the need for all hands to be on deck to checkmate the […]

Editorial

Autonomy: The challenge before the legislature, Judiciary

Ihesiulo Grace 12 June 2019

The Fourth Alteration to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended) gave autonomy to the state legislature and Judiciary in a bill signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in June 2018. The amendment specifically meant the granting of financial autonomy and independence to Houses of Assembly and judiciary in the states. […]

Editorial

Issues as 9th National Assembly kicks off

Ihesiulo Grace 11 June 2019

Today, a new chapter in Nigeria’s political annals is being opened as the 9th National Assembly is inaugurated. Before today’s inauguration, there has been serious horse trading, political maneuvering, cohesion, persuasion and negotiation on the election of the Senate President and the Deputy as well as the Speaker, House of Representatives and the deputy. From

Editorial

ASUU and the threat of another strike

Ihesiulo Grace 27 May 2019

Barely three months after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off its strike, the union again on Thursday, May 23, threatened to embark on another strike over Federal Government’s failure to keep its own side of the bargain with regards to the 2019 Memorandum of Action. ASUU’s national president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi said […]

Editorial

FG, Saraki and dissenting opinions

Ihesiulo Grace 20 May 2019

The recent announcement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), that it had opened another round of investigations into the financial activities of the outgoing Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is the latest episode in the long drawn out battle between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)- led federal government and the number three […]

Editorial

Beyond passage of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Bill

Ihesiulo Grace 25 April 2019

Last week Tuesday, the Senate passed the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Bill which the House of Representatives had passed almost a year ago. The bill if transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari and receives his assent before the 8th National Assembly winds up in the first week of June this year, will definitely upgrade the funding […]

Editorial

Containing rising deaths from sickle cell anaemia

Ihesiulo Grace 17 April 2019

Sickle cell disease affects an increasing number of people but is still unknown to the general public. More than 66% of the 120 million people in the world with sickle cell disease live in Africa. In Nigeria, about 150, 000 children are said to be born yearly with the debilitating disease, heightening the need for […]

Editorial

Tackling the menace of drug abuse in Nigeria

Ihesiulo Grace 16 April 2019

The devastating consequences of drug use know no geographic, economic, social, or ethnic boundaries. Each year hundreds of thousands of people around the globe – rich, poor, educated, illiterate, male, female, and even young children die from drug abuse, and millions more are victims of addiction and drug-fueled violence. Beyond the toll drugs take on […]