Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The United States has announced that it is resuming the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but will now require monitoring of the social media activities of the applicants. The U.S. Department of State said all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for review in an attempt to expand screening and vetting for visa applicants. The government had, in May, temporarily halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for foreign students hoping to study in the U.S. The department’s spokesperson, in a statement, said a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.…

Human rights activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi has stated that it would have been better if President Bola Tinubu had not visited Benue State than to visit the state and remain unfeeling towards the plight of its people. Farotimi said the only person who said anything of note during the president’s visit to Makurdi, the Benue State capital on Wednesday, was the Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, who described the attacks as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits”. “I must say very quickly that it would have been better if the…

Abia State Civil Service Commission has suspended employment in the health sector, as earlier advertised by the Abia State Ministry of health. A statement signed by the Chairman of Abia State Civil Service Commission, Eno Jerry Eze, said that the public will be communicated about when the employment exercise will resume. Similarly, Abia State Ministry of Health has announced that it has recalled the recent advertisement it placed online for employment of healthcare workers in the State. This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Ifeyinwa Blossom Uma-Kalu, who said that the Ministry does not recruit staff…

Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon has said he wishes to be remembered as a patriotic leader who deeply loved Nigeria and consistently prayed for its unity and progress. Speaking in an interview with Arise Television, the 90-year-old elder statesman reflected on his years in office from 1966 to 1975, particularly addressing the causes of the Nigerian Civil War, which broke out in July 1967 and lasted for 30 months. Gowon revealed that efforts to prevent the conflict failed largely due to irreconcilable differences that surfaced during the January 1967 Aburi summit held in Ghana. He noted that Eastern…

The Senior Pastor of House on the Rock Church, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, has been granted bail by the police following questioning over a viral video showing him holding a gun-like object. The Lagos State Police Command disclosed this in a statement after questioning the cleric who turned himself in on Tuesday. According to the police, Adefarasin was interrogated and he volunteered a cautionary statement to the police investigators. It added that a stun gun was recovered from the cleric. “What was recovered from him, the gun-like object seen in the viral video, is not a lethal weapon or firearm but…

The 17 candidates nominated by President Bola Tinubu to oversee the affairs of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Rivers State Civil Service Commission and Rivers State Local Government Service Commission have officially declared their assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau. The assets declaration came on the heel of security clearance by the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police. The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this during the screening exercise by the Senate ad hoc committee to oversee the activities of the Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice Adm Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd). The development comes barely one…

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday, commended President Bola Tinubu for signing into law the bills for the establishment of three important tertiary institutions in the South-east geopolitical zone. The new institutions are the Federal University, Okigwe in Imo State, Federal College of Education and Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences, both resident in Bende, Abia State. In a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio praised stakeholders in both the House of Representatives and the Senate for their steadfastness and support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration. The Senate…

The Benue Government has declared Wednesday, June 18, a work-free day. The declaration was announced in a statement by Mrs Deborah Aber, Secretary to the State Government on Tuesday in Makurdi. “This is in honour of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is scheduled for a one-day visit to the state. “The visit is to commiserate with the government and people of the state over incessant security challenges. “Note, however, that those engaged in essential services like health workers, security agencies and banks are exempted from this holiday,”…

President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated the construction of the annex office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, commended Tinubu for attending the ceremony. Yakubu said the commission has long struggled with congestion at its current headquarters, which was commissioned in December 1997. He said the building, originally designed for a smaller structure, has become overstretched due to the expansion of INEC’s operations over the years. “Our present national headquarters is severely congested. Today, there are 13 full-time Commission members, 22 Departments/Directorates and 1,048 staff. Every facility…

Victor Ukaogo, PhD The socio-political landscape of Nigeria is characterized by a complex interplay of ethnic identities, historical grievances, and aspirations for development. Among the various ethnic groups, the Ndigbo have experienced significant challenges, particularly in the post-civil war era. The need for reintegration and development has become a focal point for leaders and policymakers. In this context, the establishment of a federal university in Item and a federal college of education in Bende, both located in Abia State, represents a significant step towards addressing the educational and developmental needs of the Ndigbo. My intervention at the moment explores the…