SA News

By Tunde Rahman When the 2023 presidential election results were announced, many analysts and commentators gave a largely unanimous verdict regarding the voting pattern in the South-east. The region had voted almost entirely along the ethnic line. The figures told part of the story: Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party swept the zone with over 1.8 million votes. In comparison, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded just about 127,000 votes across the five South-east states. Three years into the President Tinubu administration, that electoral map is already being redrawn - not by rhetoric, but by landmark projects, appointments in strategic positions and deliberate political engagement. The South-east has historically complained of federal neglect, specifically in relation to federal presence. President Tinubu has moved to close that gap with visible infrastructure projects.  The federal projects, completed or ongoing in the zone, are now too numerous for one to l...

By Seye Oladejo,  Lagos APC Chieftain One of the recurring criticisms against successive governments in Nigeria has been the inability of millions of hardworking young people to access affordable financing for their businesses. Across the country, countless brilliant business ideas have remained on the drawing board, not because of a lack of talent or determination, but because conventional financial institutions have erected nearly insurmountable barriers in the form of collateral requirements, guarantors, and prohibitively expensive lending conditions. The launch of the YOUTHCRED for Entrepreneurs Initiative by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is therefore much more than another government programme. It is a strategic intervention that addresses several socio-economic challenges simultaneously. It is, indeed, an initiative that kills several birds with one stone. The programme’s design reflects a deep understanding of the realities facing Nigeria’s youth. By making ...

The Nigeria Police Force has commenced disciplinary proceedings against four officers captured in a viral video allegedly displaying unprofessional conduct and making derogatory ethnic remarks during a stop-and-search operation on the Lagos-Benin Expressway. The Force in a statement by its spokesman, CSP Ani Iniedu, said the officers, comprising one Assistant Superintendent of Police and three Inspectors, have been identified and taken into custody pending an orderly room trial. Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, directed the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State to carry out a comprehensive and transparent investigation to determine the level of involvement of each officer and recommend appropriate disciplinary measures. According to the Police, the conduct seen in the video does not reflect the values and professional standards of the Nigeria Police Force. The Force stressed that ethnic profiling and disrespect towards any citizen would not be tolerated, warning that o...

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has stressed that responsible handling of personal data is central to its anti-corruption mandate, saying public confidence depends on the Commission's ability to protect sensitive information. ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), stated this while declaring open a one-day sensitisation and awareness programme on data protection and privacy for officers and staff at the Commission's headquarters in Abuja. Represented by the Director of Legal Services, Henry Emore, the chairman said the Commission handles large volumes of personal information relating to petitioners, suspects, witnesses, complainants, employees, contractors and members of the public in the course of its investigations. He noted that every personal record in the Commission's custody represents an individual's dignity, privacy and trust, making it imperative for officers to process and safeguard such information lawfully a...

With 21 days to the Osun State governorship election, a coalition of civil society organisations has scheduled a Citizens' Town Hall to promote electoral integrity and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process . The event, organised by the Civil Society Network on Election Integrity, will hold on Sunday, July 26, in Osogbo, bringing together electoral officials, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, youth and women groups, persons with disabilities, media practitioners and other stakeholders. The network comprises the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), ElectHER, TAF Africa, The Kukah Centre, the International Press Centre (IPC), the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) and YIAGA Africa. According to the organisers in a statement signed by the IPC's Communications Officer, Olutoyin Ayoade,  the non-partisan town hall is designed to provide a platform for citizens to engage directly with key institutions responsible for the...

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed reports claiming that Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Rilwan Disu directed officers to "shoot anyone with illegal firearms," describing the reports as false and misleading. In a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Inieduon Saturday, the Force said the police chief's remarks at a stakeholders' meeting in Makurdi, Benue State, were taken out of context and did not amount to a "shoot-on-sight" directive. According to the statement, the IGP merely reminded officers that only legally authorised security personnel are permitted to carry firearms and expressed concern over the proliferation of illegal weapons used in kidnapping, armed robbery, banditry, cultism and other violent crimes. The Police explained that Disu also drew the attention of officers to Force Order 237, which outlines the legal conditions under which police personnel may use fir...