Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

By S. I. Anyanwu-Azuka This is Chief Ikedi Ohakim. The man behind the Clean and Green initiative in Imo State between 2007 and 2011, with his new face of Imo mantra. He was the man that brought out the beauty of the capital city of Imo state Owerri, with his regular monthly cleanup exercises across the states. Chief Ikedi Ohakim during his regime provided to the people of Imo State over 500 Keke New Face to help combat challenges faced by Imo people on transportation after the removal of Okada which was a move that saved the lives of many…

In what proved to be drastic U-turn of domestic entrepreneurship, the Ministry of Labour and Empowerment in Nigeria’s South-West Zone has adopted in the One Kindred One Business Initiative (OKOBI), introduced by Governor Hope Uzodimma. OKOBI, is a brainchild of Hope Uzodimma, the Governor of Imo State, who launched the initiative in 2023 as a pragmatic response to unemployment and grassroots economic stagnation. At its core lies a simple but potent idea: small, trust-based groups—typically between two and ten individuals—should be supported to form cooperatives and run viable businesses. These enterprises are deliberately modest in scope but high in relevance,…

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has commended troops of Operation UDO KA (OPUKA) for their resilience, gallantry, and sustained offensive operations against criminal elements of the proscribed IPOB/ESN in the South East. Colonel Appolonia Anele, Acting Director Army Public Relations said that the commendation was delivered during the Chief of Army Staff Special Sallah Luncheon held at Mother Valley in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State, a location previously identified as a stronghold of the insurgents. Represented by the Chief of Training (Army), Major General Valentine Okoro, the COAS conveyed the appreciation of the…

By Nze Tobe Osigwe (Ezeikolomuo Igbo Consciousness Teacher) Few days ago, the committee that was set up to look into the crisis with Awka traditional stool submitted their findings and declared Igwe Gibson Nwosu as the authentic Eze Uzu and His Majesty Austine Ndigwe as illegitimate. First, I am not disputing the findings and resolution of this committee. In fact, for the fact the government of Anambra State found it expedient to look into this crisis, I give them kudos. However, what I find strange is the speed and manner the committee went about their job. It took the committee…

Staff Sergeant Amoke, the soldier who led the operation that ended the reign of the notorious Abia-born kidnap kingpin, Obioma Nwankwo, also known as ‘Osisikankwu’, in Aba in 2010, has been honoured by Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti DrumAfricanews reports that when the ‘Osisikankwu’ led a notorious kidnapping hoodlums was terrorising Aba and its environs between 2009 and 2010, Amoke, a member of the Nigerian Army, played a key role in tracking and apprehending the gang leader, restoring security to the state. During a visit to the soldier at his country home in Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South LGA, Otti…

Information available to DrumAfricanews from the BudgIT service delivery monitoring platform, Tracka, shows that Abia State has 20 per cent abandoned projects in the years under review, which placed her second to Taraba State with 29.9 per cent.  BudgIT, in its uncovering of widespread cases of abandoned projects across several states in Nigeria, revealed that after Abia, in second position, Nasarawa State has 10.5 per cent; Adamawa State has 7.5 per cent, while Ogun State has 7.1 per cent.  According to BudgIT (7.11 per cent), these states, led by Taraba and Abia, collectively account for 97.5 per cent of all abandoned…

South East Network of Civil Society Organisations (SENCSO), a coalition of civil society organisations in the South-East, has condemned what it termed an attempt to bully and harass the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Benjamin Kalu. Recall that recently, the Civil Society Groups of Good Governance (CSGGG) Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) cleared the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, in a petition alleging certificate fraud. SENCSO said that it is its firm belief that every public office holder is entitled to due process and fair treatment and that constructive oversight by…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said it is disheartening to hear the reports of an incident involving a Federal High Court judge in Abuja and a defence lawyer, insisting that no judge has the power under Nigerian law to order a legal practitioner to kneel in court. NBA in release by its President, Afam Osigwe, said the association was disturbed by reports that Justice Mohammed Umar allegedly directed a lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, to kneel in the courtroom during proceedings. The incident reportedly occurred on Monday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, when Abubakar appeared as lead defence counsel for…

Labour Party’s (LP) National Executive Council (NEC) has set May 23 as the date Senior Special Adviser (SSA-Media) to the Interim National Chairman, Ken Asogwa, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. He said this was part of the approved timetable for the party’s primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections. Asogwa said that the timetable was fixed at a statutory NEC meeting observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to Asogwa, the party, in compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines, also approved April 15 for submission of the membership register to…

What can be described as a new dawn for rural connectivity is coming up in Isiala-Mbano and Ehime-Mbano in the Okigwe Zone of Imo State, as the Imo State Government has intensified efforts towards the recovery of the area. As part of efforts to ensure sustainable project delivery, the Commissioner for Works, Ralph Nwosu, made an unscheduled inspection visit to the ongoing rehabilitation of the Amaraku/Umuelemmai road in Isiala Mbano LGA and the construction of the Agbaja, Mgboroko, and Umuezeala Umukabia road in Ehime Mbano LGA. The visit, as gathered, is focused on the progress of works along the Amaraku/Umuelemmai…