Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

A new manufacturing complex is taking shape in Obazu-Mbieri, Mbaitoli LGA of Imo State, with Marvico Foods Limited already beginning operations ahead of its expected official commissioning in the coming weeks. The facility, owned by Chief Nnamdi Iroegbu, popularly known as Udu, brings several production lines together within one integrated industrial complex. During a tour of the facility, Imo State Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Investment, Chief Barr. Rex Anunobi, accompanied by Prince Eze Ugochukwu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, and Prof. Cona Asinu-Anosike, inspected the production lines, machinery and processing areas. Unlike a factory built around…

Incase you are not aware, the ANOH Gas Processing Company Limited (AGPC) has just completed a full onboarding induction for the newly inaugurated Board of Trustees of its Host Community Development Trust (HCDT). It sounds like a mouthful, but the point is simple: money meant for these communities is now closer to actually being used for them. Of a truth, something important just happened for the oil-producing communities in Ohaji/Egbema, Imo State. Under the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 — Chapter Three, Sections 235 and 236 — oil and gas companies must set up a Host Community Development Trust. They also…

Prince Eze Ugochukwu There is a pattern emerging that is too consistent to be dismissed as coincidence. Not long ago, Imo was in the news for crises that felt manufactured, scripted, meant to wound. Now? The same state has somehow become Nigeria’s default boardroom — the place where some of the country’s most consequential gatherings are happening. Sometime in mid-August, I received a call from a friend who is a Commissioner for Finance in one of the South-West states. He was in Owerri. Not for politics, not for a private visit, but for the National Council on Finance and Economic…

As 2027 approaches, the conversation about who should represent the Ohaji-Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency should go beyond personalities, political parties and the simple question of whose turn it is. After sixteen years and four consecutive legislative cycles, we now have enough history to ask a more important question: What has federal representation actually delivered across our three LGAs? What does that record tell us about Oru West? And, most importantly, how can the next four years deliver substantially more for everybody? Our review deliberately concentrates on the sixteen-year period from 2011 to 2027, covering the tenures of…

As Nigeria marks its 66th Independence Anniversary, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu,has called on Nigerians to remain hopeful and committed to nation-building. In his Independence message released on Tuesday, Kalu congratulated President Bola Tinubu,and Nigerians at home and abroad on Nigeria’s 66th anniversary The Deputy Speaker, who represents Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State, said the occasion should renew patriotism and faith in the country. “I warmly congratulate our dear President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and Nigerians at home and abroad on the occasion of our nation’s 66th Independence Anniversary. “Today,…

The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has commended what it described as Governor Peter Mbah’s exceptional leadership in Enugu State, noting that he had built solid infrastructure needed for growing the state’s economy. The Guild bared its mind at the weekend during an interactive session with Mbah at the Government House after a tour of several mega projects executed by the administration on the sidelines of the 2026 All Nigerian Editors Conference (ANEC), attended by over 300 editors, senior media executives and veterans. NGE’s President, Eze Anaba, noted that Mbah’s infrastructural revolution was a clear testament to what a sub-national…

The Enugu State Government has empowered 512 young people from the Enugu North political zone through a targeted youth capacity-building and economic empowerment programme designed to equip participants with practical skills, expose them to government enterprise opportunities and provide productive tools to support sustainable livelihoods. The event which happened on the 24th of September, 2026 at the E24 Auditoium, Onuiyi, Nsukka, was coordinated by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Strategic Communications. The initiative brought together youths drawn from the 13 Deaneries of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka, as well as young people from other…

…approves AI, cyber security, others The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved the unbundling of Mass Communication at Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU) from a single academic department into a full Faculty of Communications and Media Studies, comprising five specialised departments. The approval followed the outcome of a resource verification exercise conducted by the NUC and will take effect from the 2026/2027 academic session. Under the new structure, the Faculty of Communications and Media Studies will comprise: 1. Department of Advertising 2. Department of Broadcasting 3. Department of Film and Multimedia Studies 4. Department of Public Relations 5. Department of…

The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims that a recent Supreme Court judgment puts the eligibility of its 2027 governorship candidate, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, in doubt. The apex court, in a judgment delivered on September 24, 2026, stressed compliance with Section 77(5) and (6) of the Electoral Act. The provisions require political parties to submit a verified register of members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before conducting primary elections. The ruling has triggered a legal and political debate over whether it affects Chinda’s bid to contest the 2027…

Built by Nigeria’s irrepressible Chinekezi brothers, JobSeeker AI emerges as a bold new force in artificial intelligence, challenging the conventional belief that the advancement of AI must inevitably come at the expense of human employment. A new chapter in the global conversation around Artificial Intelligence is unfolding with the launch of JobSeeker AI, an innovative employment and entrepreneurship development platform created by the Chinekezi brothers of Nigeria, described as among Africa’s leading AI developers and technology innovators. Launched recently on the World Wide Web under the technology portfolio of Avatar and Qantum AI Technologies Limited, JobSeeker AI seeks to redefine…