Author: Drum Africa Correspondent

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…

The Federal Government has filed a five-count charge against activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, after he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal” in a viral social media post. The case, lodged before the Federal High Court in Abuja, also drags X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (owners of Facebook) into the dock as second and third defendants. The charges were entered through the Director of Public Prosecutions, M. B. Abubakar. Sowore’s Viral Post and DSS Reaction Sowore’s controversial post came on August 25, shortly after President Tinubu claimed during an official visit to Brazil that his administration had…

Former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has explained why he crossed over to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying the move is part of a wider opposition coalition to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections. The 2023 candidate, who ran against Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, declared that he is “better prepared” to take another shot at Lagos Government House. Rhodes-Vivour stressed that his defection was not a betrayal of Labour Party but a strategic alliance, as the LP itself is split into factions. According to him, the ADC was adopted as the umbrella…

One major criticism of Nigeria’s political parties has been the lack of internal democracy and weak political education among members, many parties are often seen as election vehicles rather than institutions that groom leaders; but the Labour Party (LP) says it wants to change that narrative. On Monday, LP National Chairman Julius Abure announced plans to establish a Labour Party Democratic Institute in Abuja. The proposed institute, he said, will provide structured political training for members, party agents, and aspiring politicians, while promoting civic engagement across the country. Abure revealed this when he received a delegation from the International Republican…

The Nigeria-Biafra Civil War, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970, ended with both sides agreeing to a “no victor, no vanquished” order. However, the traumatic memories and painful remnants of the conflict still haunt the Igbo people, particularly the families who lost loved ones and breadwinners during those 30 months of violence. In the aftermath, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) emerged as a response to the failures of leadership and the Igbo people’s yearning for national reintegration and renewal. These aspirations stemmed from the oppressive behaviors and anti-people policies of previous governments, compounded by the…

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, PhD, CFR has called on Nigerians to fully support the various economic reforms being implemented under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.  He equally urged the people to give their backing to the reserved seats bill that is currently before the national assembly. Kalu made the appeals when he met with the 2025/2026 Cohort of Nigerians at the Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America over the weekend. Deputy Speaker emphasized the importance of backing the reforms, saying they are aimed at driving economic…

The Niger State Government has introduced a new policy that requires all preachers to submit their sermons for approval before delivering them in public. Governor Umar Bago announced the move during an appearance on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, saying the step is necessary to curb inciteful or harmful messages that could threaten peace. According to him, the state is not banning evangelism but wants to ensure that religious messages do not promote division or anti-government sentiments. “Even in Saudi Arabia, this is done,” Bago noted. Why the New Sermon Approval Policy? Nigeria has in recent years witnessed cases where inflammatory…