Renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the rising economic hardship in the country, warning that the deteriorating living conditions have pushed many middle-class Nigerians into poverty. Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s programme Amazing Africans, Adichie described the level of suffering across the country as “deeply troubling” and cautioned that worsening poverty could lead even decent citizens into desperation and crime. “Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and I can see it,” she said. “People who were formerly securely middle class—people…

Scores of retired military personnel on Monday barricaded the entrance to the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, protesting the non-payment of their pensions and other outstanding entitlements. The aggrieved ex-servicemen, many of them elderly and visibly distressed, gathered as early as 7:00 a.m., blocking access to the ministry’s headquarters and halting official activities for several hours. They displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Pay us our dues,” “We served Nigeria, don’t abandon us,” and “Years after retirement, still no pension.” The protest caused gridlock along key routes in the…

I was a member of the inauguration committee of then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos State in 1999. Senator Babafemi Ojudu was the chairman. Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, former commissioner for works in Lagos State, two-time governor of Osun State, former minister of interior and now general secretary of the newly formed coalition party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), was also a member. My recollection of Aregbesola was that of a scruffy looking man, with his ‘tebliq’ trousers. What he had going for him at that time was his capacity as…

Six Nigerian law students who were abducted last week in Benue State have regained their freedom, following a coordinated rescue operation by security operatives. The students, all undergraduates from various universities preparing for admission into the Nigerian Law School, were reportedly kidnapped while traveling along the Otukpo–Enugu highway on their way to Makurdi for a preparatory workshop. Security sources said the victims were rescued late Wednesday night in a forested area near Agatu local government after days of intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering. The operation was carried out by a…

The Federal Government and representatives of striking nurses and midwives are scheduled to meet this week in a bid to resolve the industrial action that has disrupted healthcare services across public hospitals nationwide. The National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) declared an indefinite strike earlier this week over what it described as the government’s failure to meet longstanding demands, including improved remuneration, better working conditions, and the full implementation of allowances approved in previous agreements. Hospitals in several states have reported partial or total shutdowns of services, especially…