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Ahead of its 28 April national convention, the Labour Party (LP) on Tuesday named chairmen and members of sub-committees to conduct congresses…

The post Convention: LP appoints electoral sub-committee chairs appeared first on Tribune Online.

The Abia State Government says it will not apply force or any form of maltreatment in relocating traders at Isi Gate, Umuahia, to a new site in Umuahia North LGA.

The Special Adviser to Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, gave the assurance on Monday while explaining the outcome of the Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Otti.

He said the traders would be moved temporarily to Okigwe Motor Park in Umuahia, adding that they would trade within the motor park until the completion of the Afara market site, where they would relocate permanently.

Ekeoma, who stated that the state government does not believe in the use of brutality in implementing its policies, said the traders would be relocated in an orderly manner without harm.

The Abia State Government also dismissed claims that the Federal Housing Estate in Umuahia is solely a federal government project, maintaining that the land for the project was acquired by the state, among other contributions.

Also speaking on the outcome of the Executive Council meeting, the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said that the state government would construct a new railway station to ease transportation in the city, in collaboration with the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

We won’t apply force in relocating you – Abia govt allays Umuahia traders’ fears

American multinational technology company, Apple, has announced that Timothy Donald Cook, popularly known as Tim Cook, will step down as

The post Apple CEO: Key facts to know about Tim Cook’s life, career, others appeared first on Tribune Online.

Former Kano State Commissioner of Police Muhammad Wakili has described the menace of drugs as a serious problem harming Nigerian society as a whole.

In a chat with DCL Hausa, the former commissioner, popularly known as Singham, said that three days before retiring in Kano, he confiscated hard drugs worth almost N3 billion.

However, he said he has still not been informed of what eventually happened to the drugs.

“Three days before I retired in Kano, I seized hard drugs worth nearly three billion naira. But up till now, I have not received any information on what was done with the drugs. Some people even said the drugs were released and returned to those who owned them,” he said.

According to him, “When I seized (the drugs), I called an international press conference, including the BBC and RFI. We told them that Allah has helped us; we caught 313 cartons (of tramadol). Even at that time, the price was around N3bn.”

According to him, he later heard claims that the drugs had been released.

“I have retired; what can I do about it?” he said.

Wakili stressed the need for stronger action against drug abuse in Nigeria, warning of its impact on young people, saying, “We must wage war against drugs. We have the police; we have NDLEA; we have DSS.

Failure to act could harm the future of many youths, affecting their education and moral values, he stated.

The former Commissioner of Police maintained that all relevant agencies must work together to tackle the drug problem in the country.

Ex-Kano Police Commissioner Wakili alleges seized N3bn drug haul returned to owners

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has distanced itself from what it described as an unauthorised move by a group of individuals to convene an Emergency Delegates Meeting (EDM), declaring the planned gathering illegal and void. In a press release issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Mannir Bature, the association said its National Officers Committee […]

The post NMA disowns ‘illegal’ emergency delegates meeting, warns perpetrators appeared first on Tribune Online.

When the rains start pouring in Nigeria, most catfish farmers feel a mix of relief and anxiety. Water is life for fish, sure, but too much of it is terrible. That is where things get disheartening. 

The post Smart tips: Economics of catfish farming during the wet season  appeared first on Tribune Online.

“So not too long ago, a very senior politician said, ‘Oh, Jonathan was too young and probably that’s why he made mistakes.’

The post I tried my best as president despite making mistakes — Jonathan replies Atiku appeared first on Tribune Online.

The poster child of Russia’s authoritarianism in Africa, Capt Ibrahim Traoré, on April 2, 2026, stated “Democracy “kills” and the people of Burkina Faso must “forget” it” in an interview aired on state television.

This was not entirely surprising for a geopolitics watcher. Having seized power in a coup in 2023, the junta leader pledged to restore democratic rule by July 2024, but two months before the deadline, Traoré announced it would extend its rule for another five years. He will go on to place a ban on all political parties as part of a plan to “rebuild the state.”

In his April 2 rambling interview, he suggested that most Africans do not want a democratic system and that Burkina Faso had its own alternative approach. What alternatives, he did not say.
This wasn’t happenstance. It was forged as a long-term strategy by the Kremlin. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the so-called Alliance of Sahel States, AES, became the staging grounds for Moscow’s grand plan of democratic scuttling in Africa.

A report by the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies indicates that there has been a steady effort to recede democracy on the continent in recent years. According to Freedom House, 31 African countries have seen their democracy scores decline over the past 5 years.

It makes the argument that external authoritarian actors have played a less well-appreciated role in facilitating this deterioration. “Russia stands out in this regard. Among other aims, undermining democracy has been a strategic objective of Russia’s Africa policy for the past two decades.

Authoritarian governments lacking domestic checks and balances provide permissive environments for enabling Russian influence on the continent. Normalising authoritarianism abroad, meanwhile, validates Russia’s nondemocratic governance practices at home,” the report states.

Various studies conclude that Russia’s disruption of democratic processes occurs through both official channels (such as blocking UN resolutions condemning African regimes’ human rights abuses or fraudulent electoral claims) and irregular means (such as disinformation campaigns targeting democratic proponents, election interference, the deployment of Wagner paramilitary forces, or illicit arms for resources deals).

Traoré, just like his contemporaries who see only the shortcomings of politicians and mistake them for democratic failings, was in his element when he noted that the dissolution of political parties was due to their being divisive, dangerous, and incompatible with the revolutionary project.

“The truth is, politics in Africa – or at least what we’ve experienced in Burkina – is that a real politician is someone who embodies every vice: a liar, a sycophant, a smooth-talker,” he said. He, too, has shown that he is that and much more. He promised elections within a timeframe but failed to keep to it.

He assured Burkinabes of security, but has completely failed to rein in Islamists and other threats, not just to the country, but the entire sub-region. He leads today on all fronts in smooth talking and exploiting AI vulnerabilities with doctored videos and reels to deceive the gullible.

The basis of democracy is the ability of people to say “enough is enough” and choose who to lead them. And this Traoré and his ilk in AES and their handlers in Moscow fail to acknowledge. Nothing best exemplifies the beauty of democracy than Hungary’s ousting of authoritarian President Viktor Orbán. After 16 years of misrule, corruption and human rights abuses, democracy pushed back, and the will of Hungarians came to bear. This is what Traoré cannot bear.

The strongman in Ouagadougou must realise that Africa cannot be recolonised under any guise; therefore, there is an urgent need for him to come to terms with reality. The continent has had enough of opportunistic illiberal regimes that exploit anti-colonial rhetoric to advance their own geopolitical agendas.
While there are divergent views on democracy’s impact on economic growth and social cohesion, there is barely any substitute for it, at least, not the Kremlin’s brand. Except that he wants to end up in the dustbin of history like those who embraced authoritarian leaders, such as Zimbabwe’s anti-colonial freedom fighter-turned-despot, the late Robert Mugabe, and Cameroon’s Paul Biya, then he must look towards stable, prospering democracies like Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and South Africa.

History indicates that the most prosperous countries are democratic, as they offer their citizens the freedom to think and contribute their own ideas to nation-building.

As it is, Captain Traoré needs to come to terms with the fact that Russia’s anti-colonial crusade belies its efforts to advance its own political and economic interests. Moscow’s efforts in Africa are borne from a desire to undercut Western influence in the region; shore up diplomatic support for itself in multilateral forums, such as the United Nations; and reinstate Russia’s reputation as a global superpower, secure access to Africa’s vast natural resources, including criterial minerals, and take advantage of illicit networks, such as illegal gold mining, to circumvent international sanctions and fund its war in Ukraine. He and his friends in the AES ought to have a rethink and not plunge their people into Moscow’s dragnet of self-perpetuation.

-Amajama, a social commentator, writes from Abuja and can be reached via amajamaip@gmail.com

OPINION: Russia, Traoré And Death Knell For Democracy In Africa is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Olugbemisola Titilayomi Odusote, on Thursday, 17th April 2026, delivered a formal welcome address to newly admitted students of the 2025/2026 academic session at the Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja.

She urged the students to uphold discipline, professionalism, and academic excellence, emphasizing strict compliance with the School’s Code of Conduct and zero tolerance for examination malpractice, indiscipline, and misconduct.

Dr. Odusote introduced the #ARISE Framework—Academic Excellence, Research and Renewed Service, Infrastructural Rebirth, Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement, and Enabled Digitization—as the guiding vision of the institution.

She encouraged students to actively engage in lectures and group activities , make full use of their lecturers as mentors, and maintain proper conduct and appropriate dressing throughout their stay.

The Director-General warmly welcomed the students to the Nigerian Law School, describing it as a very big experience, and said together we will achieve academic excellence.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, National Legislatures Forum, on Tuesday warned President Bola Tinubu’s administration against taking the party’s humane’s disposition for weakness.

Speaking at the forum’s press conference in Abuja, a former member of the House of Representatives, Chile Igbawua, warned that the ADC is not begging but asking the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to carry out its duties.

According to Igbawua: “Agreed that the ADC has been as humane as the opposition political party can be but I would like to sound a note of warning that this government should not take that for weakness. We are not begging, we are simply asking everybody to do what they are supposed to do. The judiciary and electoral umpire should do their work as they are assigned.

“As it stands, ADC doesn’t have confidence in INEC as it’s presently constituted. It’s surprising that the head of the legislature has become a press secretary to the INEC Chairman that when accusations are done against him, he sit there in the other arm of government to defend him just like he defends other functionaries in the executives.”

Igbawua also accused Senate President Godswill Akpbio of destroying the Nigerian legislature, stressing that the forum is ashamed of the current National Assembly.

He added: “We know that Akpabio has destroyed the legislature and we are ashamed to say so, we were there and we knew what we did when occasion demanded.

“We are ashamed of what we see there today but we believe that those who think that they have a field day should know that they don’t, they will all give account if anybody tries to mess up the democracy; he will account for it personally and corporately.”

Don’t take us for granted, Akpabio destroyed NASS – ADC members warn Tinubu