Author: Drum Africa Correspondent
The people of Cross River woke up to shocking news on Thursday morning as the state Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Morrison Ogbonna, was found dead in his hotel room in Calabar. According to sources, Ogbonna’s officers had gone to pick him up for an official assignment when they noticed he was not responding to knocks on his door. The hotel management was alerted, and upon opening the room, the commander was discovered lifeless. Ogbonna was only transferred to Cross River in August 2025, replacing Mrs. Rachel Umebuali, who was redeployed to another state. His…
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has assured Nigerians that peace has returned to Rivers State after months of political turmoil. Wike revealed that he spoke with Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who is set to return to the state following President Bola Tinubu’s decision to lift the six-month emergency rule. Tinubu had in March suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Dr. Ngozi Odu, and the State House of Assembly after a bitter power struggle between Fubara and his predecessor, Wike. The crisis threw Rivers politics into uncertainty, forcing the president to intervene directly. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics…
The Rivers State House of Assembly has reconvened following the expiration of the emergency rule imposed by President Bola Tinubu in the state. Lawmakers, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, resumed plenary on Thursday, September 18, with a fresh agenda to restore normal governance after months of political tension. Lawmakers Commend Tinubu, Demand Commissioner List In a motion sponsored by nine members, including House Leader Major Jack, Linda Somiari-Stewart, and Sylvanus Nwankwo, the assembly commended President Tinubu for restoring democratic institutions. The House also urged Governor Siminalayi Fubara to forward the names of his commissioner nominees to fill vacant positions in…
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially lifted the six-month-long state of emergency in Rivers State, paving the way for Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly to return to office. Tinubu made the announcement in a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday night, declaring that “with effect from midnight today, the emergency in Rivers State shall end.” The President explained that the intervention, declared on 18 March 2025, became necessary after bitter political battles between Governor Fubara and the State Assembly stalled governance and threatened peace in the oil-rich state. The Rivers political…
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has released the results of the 2025 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE internal), just 54 days after the final paper was written. Announcing the results at a press briefing in Minna, Niger State, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, revealed that 818,492 candidates (60.26%) scored five credits and above, including Mathematics and English. In total, 1,144,496 candidates (84.26%) secured five credits and above, whether or not English and Maths were included. According to NECO, Kano topped the chart with 68,159 candidates who cleared five credits, including English and Maths. Lagos followed closely with 67,007, while Oyo…
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has dragged the Department of State Services (DSS) to court over what he calls “unconstitutional censorship” of his social media accounts. Sowore’s suit, filed through his lawyer Tope Temokun at the Federal High Court in Abuja, came hours after the Federal Government charged him for describing President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” in a social media post. In his filing, Sowore asked the court to restrain the DSS from directing global platforms like Meta and X (formerly Twitter) to delete his posts or suspend his accounts. Temokun described the DSS clampdown…
Nigeria’s Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu,PhD, CFR, has joined the 55th Session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. This significant participation comes on the heels of Kalu’s membership of the WTO Steering Committee, alongside fellow members from 8 other countries, including the European Parliament. Kalu is essentially participating in the Steering Committee meeting to strengthen parliamentary engagement and interaction with the work of the WTO led by its Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria. The Deputy Speaker’s…
The National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) has appointed Mr. Emmanuel Odo as the new Acting Clerk to the Senate. The decision was reached on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, during the Commission’s 10th meeting, according to a statement signed by Emmanuel Anyigor, Deputy Director of Information and spokesperson of the NASC. Dr. Saviour Enyiekere, Executive Chairman of the Commission, confirmed the appointment in a letter personally signed by him. He explained that the appointment was made in line with Section 6(b) of the National Assembly Service Act, 2014. “I write to inform you that the 6th Commission at its 10th Meeting…
The Governing Council of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, has suspended the activities of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Bida Chapter, with immediate effect. Registrar of the institution, Hussaini Enagi, announced the suspension on Tuesday, citing rising tension and security concerns on campus. The decision comes just as the union directed its members to resume a suspended strike over unpaid allowances. According to ASUP, the management has failed to settle at least six months of an alleged 18-month backlog of Excess Workload Allowances owed to staff. In a statement, the ASUP chapter told members to resume strike…
No fewer than 123 million Nigerians have been successfully enrolled into the National Identity Database, according to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). The Director General of NIMC, Engr. Abisoye Coker-Odusote, revealed the figures on Tuesday in Abuja during the 7th National Identity Day celebration, held at the International Conference Centre. Coker-Odusote explained that over 52 percent of Nigerians living abroad have also been captured in the system. In addition, 85 percent of inmates in Nigeria’s correctional centres now have National Identity Numbers (NIN). She noted that the Commission has expanded its reach with more than 200 enrolment centres across…