The parallel Zamfara House of Assembly has called on Governor Dauda Lawal to establish three Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the state. The appeal was made on Tuesday following a motion moved by Hon. Ibrahim Tudu-Tukur (APC, Bakura Constituency) during the parallel assembly’s plenary session in Gusau. The 10 suspended lawmakers held a separate sitting on Wednesday, resulting in the factionalisation of the assembly. One faction, consisting of 13 members and led by Speaker Bilyaminu Moriki (PDP, Zurmi South), is opposed by another faction of 10 members headed by Bashar Aliyu (PDP, Gummi I). Tudu-Tukur said the motion became…
Author: TheStories
There is no way anyone can chronicle Nigeria’s political history without mentioning the name Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Kwankwaso served as the Governor of Kano State twice—first from 1999 to 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015. He also held the position of Minister of Defence under President Olusegun Obasanjo, from 2003 to 2007. The same Kwankwaso was elected to the Senate in 2015, under the All Progressives Congress (APC). For those conversant with Nigeria’s political history, they must have come across the name Mohammed Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on the list of members of the House of Representatives in 1992.…
A Fulani herder named Musa was asleep at his home in northeast Nigeria in early April when he and his family heard gunfire and fled into the bush. When it was safe to return, Musa found that terrorists had stolen the source of his livelihood: 36 cattle and 40 sheep. Musa’s plight, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), is not unique among herders in the Lake Chad Basin, across West Africa and in the Sahel, where livestock is coveted and thieves sell stolen animals at local markets. “Cattle rustling is a major source of funding for armed groups,” an expert…
This week, an ardent reader of my column, ‘Deep Thought’, who is also a friend and colleague, Prof. A. A. Ammani, requested permission to use my column as a guest writer. I considered the subject of his discussion and believe the issue is essential, especially for the young Nigerians who annually write JAMB’s UTME in hundreds of thousands, if not millions. I hope the officials of JAMB and other relevant stakeholders will find the suggestions helpful in improving the efficiency of the entrance examination. Prof. Ammani was the reviewer of my book, SAA: Three Decades of Fight Against Hunger and…
Since Nigeria’s 2015 general elections, the country’s political scene has steadily shifted. What was once a competitive—albeit flawed—multiparty democracy now increasingly resembles a one-party system dominated by the All Progressives Congress (APC). With prominent defections from rival parties and weakened opposition voices, critics argue that Nigeria is inching toward a dangerous concentration of political power. By Usman Mohammed Binji But what does this trend mean for Africa’s most populous democracy? Are there benefits to having one dominant political force, or are Nigerians trading away accountability for the illusion of stability? While Nigeria remains constitutionally a multiparty democracy, the growing number…
In today’s Nigeria, you don’t need to look far to find a lie—just turn on the news, attend a political rally, scroll through Instagram, or listen to your neighbour’s “breakthrough testimony.” Lies have become a tool of survival, a badge of smartness, and sadly, a mark of leadership in every sector. But while Nigeria claps for cunning, heaven groans for truth. And the Bible? It doesn’t stutter. Let’s take a divine mirror and compare our national character to God’s eternal truth. Political Promises & Propaganda During elections, politicians promise pipe-borne water and 24-hour electricity, six-lane roads in six months, and…
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, has thrown his weight behind the 10th Senate’s proposed two-day National Security Summit, describing it as a timely initiative to tackle Nigeria’s growing security concerns. Speaking at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing on President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s scorecard, the minister emphasized that while the summit offers a valuable platform for dialogue, true progress lies in transforming ideas into concrete national defence strategies. Responding to a question from Punch correspondent Mr. Abdullahi Adeba, Badaru said: “When you hold a national security summit, you hear people speak, gather perspectives, and take those insights back to review…
The President General of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, on Saturday led a delegation of Northern youth leaders and activists to Tukur-Tukur in Zaria to condole with Comrade Abdul-Azeez Suleiman over the death of his elder sister, Hajiya Rahama. Hajiya Rahama, mother of Hajiya Hussaina—the first wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas—died on Thursday night at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, after a brief illness. During the visit, Shettima expressed deep sorrow over the loss, praying for the repose of the deceased’s soul and asking Allah to grant her Jannatul…
Special Assistants (SAs) who served in the administration of former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, have once again appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun over the non-payment of their severance allowances. The former SAs, who served Ogun State from 2015 to 2019, made their appeal in a statement by the group’s coordinator, Musiliu Oladeinde on Sunday. They urged Governor Abiodun to kindly consider approving the release of their statutory severance allowances, as prescribed by relevant laws. The group also called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and prevail upon the Governor to meet their demands in the spirit of the…
Hajiya Rahama, mother of the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas’ wife, has passed away after a brief illness. She died at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Shika, Zaria, on Friday and was buried the same day at the Tukur-Tukur cemetery after Jumma’at prayers. The sad announcement was made in a statement signed by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, younger brother of the deceased and a director at the Northern Elders Forum (NEF). Hajiya Rahama was also the mother of Hajiya Hussaina, the Speaker’s first wife. Her funeral was attended by dignitaries including Speaker Abbas, the Chief…