Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, CFR, PhD, has said that Nigeria lost a great patriot in former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Innocent Ogbeh. Ogbeh died on Saturday at the age of 78. His illustrious political career spanned decades, with notable appointments under President Shehu Shagari as Minister of Communications in 1982, and later, Minister of Steel Development. Ogbeh’s tenure suddenly ended in December 1983, when a military coup brought Major-General Muhammadu Buhari to power. In 2001, he emerged as the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, CFR has bagged a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Policy and Strategic Studies (PSS) from Yakubu Gowon University, formerly University of Abuja. The Deputy Speaker who represents Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State holds a Bachelor of Laws, (LL.B) and a Master of Laws (LL.M) from University of Calabar while currently pursuing his Doctor of Laws (LL.D). Kalu who is a member of ECOWAS Parliament, Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) also holds a Certificate in Migration and Human Rights from John Cabot University Campus, Italy; Certificate…

Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said that genetically modified foods (GMOs) are not inherently harmful to human health, provided that they meet established safety standards.  She made this known during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, amid growing public debate around the consumption and regulation of GMO products in Nigeria. “GMOs are genetically modified foods when it comes to food, and they are not bad for us,” she said. “They’re not bad for us, depending on what type of foods they are and whether the safety…

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, has inaugurated a 100-bed Renewed Hope Mother and Child Specialist Hospital at Oko Ita in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area of the state. The facility, constructed under the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu, is designed to provide comprehensive maternal, neonatal, and paediatric care to residents of the area and neighbouring communities. Inaugurating the hospital on Wednesday, Eno, who was represented by his deputy, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, commended President Tinubu for providing the resources for the construction and equipping of the facility, noting that the hospital would significantly complement his administration’s efforts in…

A former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has faulted the rotational presidency debate in the country. The human rights activist stated this in an appearance on the Tuesday edition of Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily. Sowore said the country should be interested in a president who will run Nigeria better, irrespective of his region. “If I have a good president in Nigeria who can run this country very well, I don’t care where he comes from. “That is what the majority of the Nigerian people are aspiring for. That is the idea of this federation…

Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as laughable and delusional, the recent statement credited to Mr. Dino Melaye, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), claiming that the party would produce a candidate capable of unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election. The party in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Mr Seye Oladejo, said: “The statement, coming from a politician whose recent electoral record is nothing short of disastrous, only confirms the growing disconnect between the ADC’s ambition and its political reality. Mr. Melaye, having failed woefully in his own…

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu, CFR has congratulated the nation’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, following their historic victory at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship, where they clinched their fifth consecutive title. Dtigress extended their dominance in African women’s basketball on Sunday, defeating Mali 78-64 in Ivory Coast to win a record fifth consecutive FIBA AfroBasket Women’s title. Kalu in a statement hailed the team’s remarkable display of resilience, determination, and teamwork, describing them as an inspiration to the girl child. The Deputy Speaker also commended the Coach, Rena Wakama and the crew…

Renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has lamented the hardship in the country, saying that those in the middle class now beg to survive. While making an appearance on Channels Television’s Amazing Africans, Chimamanda stated that political judgments should be based on how citizens are faring. While brushing off issues like the stock market, she disclosed that her primary concern is how those earning minimum wage are faring. “Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and me I can see it. For example, people who were formerly kind of securely middle class, not that life was rosy for them, but…

The Independent National Electoral Commission has warned that any staff member who compromises the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System ahead of the forthcoming governorship election in Osun State will face the law. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mutiu Agboke, spoke with journalists shortly after a programme on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, titled “Gbagede Oselu,” in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Sunday. Speaking on the election scheduled for 2026, the REC said INEC had regulations, adding that whoever contravened the process should be handed over to the security operatives. “INEC has regulations. It has stipulated the way…

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has described former Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi as a liar following his one term presidency remark. Onanuga said Obi is neither Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, nor John Kennedy of the United States. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, has said his vow of one term presidency of four years was sacrosanct. Responding, Onanuga posted on X: “You’re neither a Mandela nor a Lincoln or a Kennedy. You sound as if you have never held an elected office before. You sought re-election as Anambra Governor in 2010, and…