Today, in our beloved country Nigeria, harmless citizens performing their constitutionally guaranteed duties peacefully were tear-gassed simply for asking for what is right: free, fair, and credible elections in a democratic nation. Those who yesterday claimed to be champions of democracy, have today become destroyers of our democracy and the worst enemies of good governance.
I urge Nigerians, en masse, to resist these continued evil plans, to stand united against the destruction of our nation and collective future, and to ensure that free and fair elections are firmly established for the sake of our future.
We insist that there must be real-time mandatory electronic transmission of polling unit results to ensure transparency and trust in our elections.
May God grant us the strength to build a better country, founded on free, fair, and credible elections, justice, and good governance, for the future of our dear nation.
It is deeply frustrating and unfair that we, the Umuokpu indigenes of Awka, have been subjected to prolonged power outage .
Since December 2025, during the Christmas period, up till this very moment, we have not enjoyed stable electricity. At first, you would give us light for just a few minutes and take it away. Now, you no longer supply electricity to our community at all.
This situation is unacceptable.
We are law-abiding citizens who still receive and are expected to pay electricity bills, yet we live in total darkness. Our businesses are suffering, our daily lives are disrupted, and our comfort has been taken away. Electricity is not a luxury — it is a basic necessity.
We, the people of Umuokpu, demand an immediate explanation and urgent action. We deserve reliable power supply like every other community. Silence and neglect are not solutions.
We call on EEDC to do the needful and restore stable electricity to our area. Enough is enough.
Politics is often driven more by emotion than by strict rational calculation. Having observed elections over several decades, I can say with confidence that voter behaviour is largely shaped by inspiration, perception, and conviction rather than policy documents alone.In the absence of inspirational politicians, money politics becomes the new order.
Historically, only a few politicians have inspired supporters strongly enough to mobilize large followings without financial inducement. In recent times, figures such as Muhammadu Buhari and Peter Obi have demonstrated this phenomenon — attracting voluntary donations and loyalty from citizens who have never personally benefited from government. Their support bases are largely ideological.
As another election season approaches, political actors and interest groups are once again positioning themselves to protect economic and personal interests.
Personally, I do not believe Nigeria currently practices full democracy; what we operate is closer to civil rule. Nevertheless, those of us who advocate good governance will continue to educate citizens that ultimate power belongs to an informed populace — not a small circle of political or economic elites.
The so-called City Boys’ Movement, widely associated with support for President Tinubu’s re-election, appears largely motivated by political access, comfort, and patronage networks. Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has struggled with cycles of elite-driven politics, where state power often serves private interests.
One can observe this dynamic in many communities where political loyalty is tied to proximity to power rather than policy outcomes.
Supporters and campaigners should therefore reflect on sustainability and accountability. Citizens may legitimately ask:
* What federal policies have strengthened industrial production, including major projects such as Ajaokuta Steel?
* Why are Nigeria’s refineries still underperforming, and why is fuel expensive in an oil-producing country?
* Why does the justice system appear ineffective in tackling corruption?
* Why do political elites move with heavy security while ordinary citizens face insecurity?
* Why has structural political reform repeatedly recommended by national stakeholders not been implemented?
* What measurable progress has been made in reducing widespread poverty?
* Why does electricity supply remain unstable despite reform promises?
Citizens should engage political campaigners with issues and demand clear answers.Monetary inducement during campaigns may occur, but voters must remember that short-term benefits cannot replace long-term policy outcomes. Politics without ideology rarely produces sustainable development.
What most Nigerians seek is straightforward: affordable and reliable electricity, clean water, accessible housing, food security, safety, functional institutions, living wages, productive industries, employment opportunities, and a truly federal structure that allows regions to develop at their own pace rather than excessive central control.
The Village Boys’ Movement therefore symbolizes ordinary citizens pursuing public interest and accountable governance.
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu
Ambassador-General, Good Governance Ministry (GGM)
ggovernanceministry@gmail.com
Primogeniture: 6th Inaugural Lecture Series Of Tansian University Umunya Focuses On “Diokpala”, Law Of Succession, Inheritance, Distribution Of Estate
Tansian University Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State has held her 6th inaugural lecture series titled; “Obfuscation of primogeniture syndrome and dethronement of ergonomic organogram of the ‘diokpala’ in Nigerian law of succession, inheritance and distribution of estate”.
While primogeniture “denotes the state of being the first born child (generally male) among siblings”, jurisprudentially, the term “connotes the common-law right of the first born son to inherit his ancestor’s estate, usually, to the exclusion of his younger siblings.
Speaking on the topic, the resource person and Professor of Property Law, Very Rev. Fr. Edwin Obiorah, among other things, noted that the primogeniture syndrome has been seriously degraded, if not totally vanquished and obfuscated, by the continued democratization of the society.
Fr. Obiorah, who is also the Chancellor and BoT Chairman of the university, explained that “with the unyielding application of the ‘Repugnancy Test’, statutorily established under Section 18(3) of the Evidence Act, 2011, and the resuscitation of the ‘Right to Acquire and Own Immovable Property’ anywhere in Nigeria, as enshrined in Section 42 and 43 of the 1999 Constitution, the era of primogeniture began to fade into oblivion, if not completely obscured or obliterated”.
According to the Professor of Property Law, now;
*Women married under the ‘Marriage Act’ now have the right to own private property,
*Currently, even women married under the ‘Native Law and Custom’ can now own landed property and fully deal with land on their own names,
*Widows now have the right to inherit their deceased husband’s landed property or estate,
*A female child, whether married or single, can now inherit her father’s estate like her male siblings,
*The customs of ‘nrachi’ or ‘ili ekpe’ are now null and void,
*The custom of a woman marrying another woman to rear children for her deceased husband or family is now abolished,
*… customary ceremony of ‘itugha nkwu’, the Igbo version of levirate marriage, is otiose,
*A child born out-of-wedlock can now partake in the intestate estate of his or her deceased father along with the legitimate children, particularly if the paternity of the child is known or he acknowledged the child, and
*Where a man who marries under the ‘Marriage Act’ dies intestate, his estate is inherited only by the wife legally married to him under the Act and her children.
In their separate remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Eugene Nwadialor, and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academics, Professor Cater-Dike Umeoduagu, noted that inaugural lecture is one of the debts a Professor owes the university and the larger society, which helps in shaping narratives.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council with immediate effect. All commissioners and special advisers have been directed to hand over to permanent secretaries or the most senior officers in their respective ministries.
This decision comes after a closed-door meeting between Governor Fubara, President Bola Tinubu, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, aimed at resolving the ongoing political crisis in Rivers State.
Governor Fubara expressed gratitude to the outgoing members of the Executive Council for their service and wished them success in their future endeavors.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has classified “money bouquets” as a form of naira abuse, adding it to offences such as spraying, squeezing, selling, and defacing banknotes.
Money bouquet is when money is folded to look like a flower petal and then arranged together to create a bouquet.
The CBN made this known in a flier shared on its Twitter handle that listed forms of abusing the naira.
The apex bank captioned the post, “It is your civic duty to protect the naira. Report naira abuse today.”
Under the CBN Act, anyone caught tampering with the naira faces a minimum of six months in prison or a fine of at least A50,000.
Nigerians have been urged to protect the naira and report violations as enforcement agencies step up actions against offenders nationwide.
The CBN also provided toll-free hot-lines through which the apex bank could be reached to report such activities.
This comes just days before the celebration of Valentine’s Day, which sees many display their love by gifting their loved ones money bouquets and other items.
The Islamic regime has been executing injured protesters in hospital beds by shoOting them in the head, according to an Iranian doctor.
Dr R, a member of the Aida Health Alliance, said that many wounded civilians had been found lying in their treatment beds, still attached to machines, with bullet holes in their heads.
They accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) of murdEring those injured following the Tehran protests and also arresting several medical staff suspected of treating them.
‘If the patient already had the shot in the head [when they arrived at the hospitall, nobody would put the tube or catheter in because they’re already de@d.., the doctor told The Jerusalem Post.
‘So it means they went into the hospital and they k!lled them on the treatment bed!’
Dr R also shared chilling images with the newspaper of bodies in black bags with bullet wounds to the head, surrounded by blood, and still connected to medical tubes and catheters. These photographs have not been independently verified.
Iran Human Rights director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, said: ‘The testimonies of doctors show that the Islamic Republic has trampled even the most basic human and medical principles and has systematically used hospitals as instruments of repression and killing.
‘The deliberate shutdown of ventilators, the prevention of treatment for the injured, and the arrest of patients from hospital beds constitute crimes against humanity and demonstrate the complete collapse of any ethical or legal standards in this government!
He added: ‘When states use hospitals as tools of repression, this is not merely a human rights crisis but a global public-health crisis.
‘We call on the World Health Organisation to examine reports concerning the conversion of hospitals into
reports concerning the conversion of hospitals into instruments of repression, the denial of medical care to patients, and the obstruction of medical staff from carrying out their professional duties.
Nigeria, as presently constituted, does not function as a true nation-state but rather as a political arrangement shaped by powerful interest groups.
Over the years, successive political actors have sustained this structure without addressing its foundational contradictions.
For this reason, many now argue that a peaceful renegotiation of the union — even to the point of de-amalgamation — should be openly discussed. History offers several precedents: the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, the restructuring of the former Yugoslavia, and even the constitutional autonomy arrangements within the United Kingdom involving England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In the immediate term, citizens can continue to demand credible electoral reforms. However, it must be acknowledged that a political system built on persistent electoral manipulation cannot produce genuine democracy. In a properly functioning system, election rigging would be treated as an attack on constitutional order, comparable in gravity to a coup against the will of the people.
The Abia State Government has announced an imminent regulatory overhaul of the electricity sector, as the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA) prepares to issue a comprehensive order to regularise all electricity-related activities across the state before the end of January.
The disclosure was made on Monday by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, during a media briefing at the Government House, Umuahia, following the State Executive Council (EXCO) meeting presided over by Governor Alex Chioma Otti.
According to the Commissioner, the forthcoming regulatory order follows the successful transfer of electricity regulatory powers from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to ASERA, marking a significant milestone in Abia State’s electricity sector reforms.
Prince Kanu explained that with the completion of the transfer, ASERA is now the sole statutory authority responsible for regulating all electricity-related activities within Abia State.
“This is one of the outcomes of the release of the final transfer of regulatory authority from NERC to ASERA,” he said.
He noted that the regulatory order will serve as a framework to bring order, transparency, and accountability to the electricity market in the state.
“As the statutory regulator of all electricity sector activities in the state, ASERA will issue this order to ensure quicker resolution of consumer complaints, stronger consumer protection, better service delivery, and a fair balance between operators and electricity consumers going forward,” Prince Kanu stated.
The Commissioner emphasized that the intervention will protect consumers from arbitrary practices by operators while improving response time to complaints and strengthening trust between electricity providers and users.
The electricity sector reform aligns with the broader governance agenda of the Alex Otti administration, which prioritizes institutional efficiency, regulatory clarity, and improved service delivery across critical sectors of the state’s economy.
With ASERA now fully empowered, stakeholders and residents are expected to witness a more structured, responsive, and consumer-friendly electricity sector in Abia State in the coming weeks.
The regulatory intervention is widely seen as a bold step toward stabilizing the power sector and enhancing economic activities across the state.
Anaenugwu Ndubuisi
Ambassador General, Good Governance Ministry
Emailggovernanceministry@gmail.com
Our people are not asking for too much. What they need can easily be provided by any rational human being in a position of authority. They simply desire an honest and sincere Governor who can guarantee stable and affordable electricity, low-cost housing, affordable food, industrial and agricultural villages, a reliable database of human and material resources, improved healthcare services, functional and technical education (not merely certificate-oriented education), law and order, and a living wage for all.
The primary objective of government is to ensure the security and welfare of its citizens, as clearly stated in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Governor Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, is simply fulfilling this constitutional obligation with the launch of the Senior Citizens Welfare Scheme, aimed at improving the living conditions of elderly residents of Abia State aged 60 years and above. This welfare initiative is designed to provide financial relief, healthcare support, and social inclusion, especially for senior citizens without steady income or pension benefits.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries receive a monthly social support allowance intended to cover:
Basic food needs,
Transportation,
Minor household expenses.
Payments are made through transparent and verifiable channels to prevent diversion, manipulation, or favoritism. Traditional rulers, town unions, and local verification committees assist in confirming:
Age
Residency
Identity.
In addition, digital records are created to prevent duplication and fraud.
However, this welfare package is only the beginning of what the Good Governance Ministry (GGM) expects from Governor Alex Otti.A database for all underemployed and unemployed young people in Abia State should be developed immediately.
Our people have suffered greatly; their human dignity has been battered over the years. Many no longer expect anything from government and have resorted to personal struggle, family support, and communal survival. Confidence in governance had been completely eroded—until the emergence of Alex Otti.
Before his administration, public infrastructure such as roads, water supply, electricity, waste management systems, public schools, hospitals, and social welfare structures had virtually collapsed. It takes a first-class mind to know where to begin. Within his first 24 months in office, Governor Otti made a significant impact, winning the hearts of Abians through visible and purposeful governance.
Nevertheless, this article serves as a gentle reminder that the Governor is on a divine assignment and must not be distracted by the euphoria of early successes. His focus must remain firmly on building strong, enduring public institutions.
First, the Governor should work closely with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to establish a comprehensive and representative demographic database for Enyimba State.
Human resources are the most valuable assets God has bestowed upon society, and Aba youths can perform wonders when properly motivated and inspired by purposeful leadership.
Even citizens within the 60–70 age bracket can remain productive if properly organized within well-structured agricultural estates and senior citizens’ cooperatives. As an economist and seasoned financial manager, Governor Alex Otti can harness the experience of senior citizens to mentor younger generations within food production estates.
According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, food is the most basic human necessity. Therefore, in building a sustainable system, Abia State must fully deploy its abundant human resources for mechanized food production, supported by a well-organized and profitable agricultural value chain. The synergy between the elderly and the youth can make this vision achievable.
Western education must give way to functional, problem-solving education that addresses local realities. Certificate accumulation without skills has failed the society.
Governor Alex Otti must therefore de-emphasize certificate-driven education and promote technical and vocational skills capable of developing and sustaining the new Abia State and beyond.
As the Governor constructs roads and bridges, he must simultaneously develop a highly motivated, skilled workforce that will power public institutions. Senior citizens with knowledge and experience should be encouraged to transfer their skills to the next generation through structured mentorship programs.
Government has the unique capacity to organize the factors of production—land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship—to achieve optimal social welfare. Governor Alex Otti has started well. History now calls on him to institutionalize progress and build a legacy that will outlive his tenure.
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu
Ambassador-General, Good Governance Ministry (GGM)
