Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) said 59,786 inmates, representing 74 percent of the population across custodial centres nationwide, have so far been successfully registered in the ongoing National Identity Number (NIN) enrolment exercise. Public Relations Officer of NCoS, Umar Abubakar disclosed this in a Monday statement debunking media reports suggesting the process has not commenced in custodial centres across the country. He said, “This report is misleading and inaccurate and does not reflect the current state of affairs within our custodial facilities. “A majority of inmates across various custodial centres nationwide have already been successfully enrolled into the national identity…

The Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has insisted that he is not part of those who have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term in office. Ndume stated this on Sunday, while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme. The lawmaker was keen to remind Tinubu that former President Goodluck Jonathan was endorsed by 22 governors of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2015 election but lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Last month, 22 governors elected on the platform of the APC, unanimously adopted Tinubu as their…

Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has expressed disappointment that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, led by President Bola Tinubu was more obsessed with unprecedented early campaigns, defections to its fold and other maneuvers for re-election in 2027, than addressing the security challenges and other existential problems confronting the nation. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Muhammad-Baba, ACF lamented that public policy responses to the insecurity situation, especially in the northern part of the country, had remained ineffective, even as profligacy and reckless expenditures by public officials were in contrast to sacrifices by citizens. ACF stated: “A…

A devastating fire has gutted a popular wood and timber market known as Kara Market in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, destroying shops and properties. The fire, which began in the early hours of Sunday, resulted in the loss of goods and structures worth millions of naira. According to eyewitnesses, the fire spread rapidly before firefighters arrived. “We just saw smoke everywhere, and before we knew it, the flames had engulfed most of the shops,” Musa Bello, a trader at the market, said.” The cause of the fire remained unknown. The Kebbi State Government has expressed its sympathies to those affected.…

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kaduna, Most Reverend Timothy Yahaya, has called on President Bola Tinubu, National Assembly and state governors to prioritize governance for which they were elected rather than focusing on campaigning for re-election in 2027. The cleric, who pointed out that it was too early to start election campaigns in just the mid-term of the present administration, criticized political leaders for prioritizing power retention instead of addressing the numerous socio-economic problems confronting the nation. “Before this regime is two years in office, they started politicking, I think this is a bad culture for governance in…

The Federal Government has declared Thursday, 12th June, 2025, as Public Holiday to commemorate this year’s democracy day celebration. The Honourable Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated Nigerians on this occasion of 26 years of an uninterrupted civil rule. This was contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Magdalene Ajani, and released on Sunday. “June 12 represents our historic journey to building a nation where truth and justice reign and peace is sustained and our future assured,” the statement quoted the minister as saying.…

The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has accused the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, of deliberately abandoning all the uncompleted projects left by his immediate predecessor, late Rotimi Akeredolu. The PDP accused the governor in a statement issued by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr Leye Igbabo, on Sunday. According to the statement, the opposition party said it had a strong conviction that the governor was attempting to destroy all of Akeredolu’s legacies in the state. However, the state Director of Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Steve Otaloro, in a statement, reacted…

The Nigeria Union of Teachers has said that a shift to computer-based examinations by West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council will not eliminate malpractices. The NUT National President, Audu Amba, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja. Amba was reacting to the recent directive by the Federal Government that WAEC and NECO should fully transit to Computer-Based Testing for their examinations by 2026. By the directive, both multiple-choice and essay papers by the two bodies would be administered via computer, starting with the May/June 2026 examination cycle. Specifically, WAEC…

Constitutional lawyer, Professor Mike Ozekhome (SAN), has cautioned that Nigeria is veering dangerously toward authoritarianism, warning that the country could morph into a de facto one-party state if current trends continue unchallenged. Appearing on Channels Television’s Hard Copy programme on Saturday, Ozekhome sounded the alarm over what he described as a growing erosion of political diversity and ideological identity in Nigeria’s democratic space. “In a one-party state, dictatorship reigns supreme. Everybody will agree. National Assembly pocketed, judiciary will be pocketed, and everybody will be saying ‘yes, yes, yes,’” he said. Ozekhome condemned the escalating pattern of political defections and opportunistic…

The Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Saturday, said that the defection of Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress will benefit the South South region. Eno had on Friday joined the APC, taking with him 31 local government chairmen and all the lawmakers, with three commissioners resigning in protest against the move. While congratulating Eno, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Okpebholo commended his colleagues’ bold and courageous decision to align with the progressive ideals and national vision of the APC. This move, he noted, demonstrates…