LAURETTA ONOCHIE

 The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has directed its members to withdraw services from public hospitals nationwide from Friday. The action followed the expiration of a 24-hour ultimatum issued to the Federal Government to meet its outstanding demands. The ultimatum came after an earlier 10-day deadline, which lapsed on 10 September, without resolution. On 1 September, NARD had warned it would embark on an indefinite strike if the government failed to address the issues within 10 days. Resident doctors, who constitute the majority of the medical workforce in teaching and specialist hospitals, have repeatedly gone on strike in recent years over unpaid wages, poor welfare, and inadequate working conditions. NARD President, Dr. Tope Osundare , told Daily Trust on Thursday that the fresh ultimatum was the outcome of a six-hour virtual meeting of the association’s National Executive Council (NEC) held on Wednesday. Daily Trust reports that the doctors are demanding imme...

 REJOINDER TO FELIX MORKA’S POLITICAL FANTASY: NIGERIANS ARE NOT F00LS! By: balazamora@yahoo.com The recent press release by Felix Morka , the Publicity Secretary of the APC , is a desperate attempt to mask the glaring failures of the Tinubu administration with empty rhetoric, selective data, and laughable sycophancy. In his poorly crafted political sermon, Morka tried to cast Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as an “inconsolable sulker,” simply because the former governor had the courage to speak a hard and uncomfortable truth—that this administration is running Nigeria into the ground with a smile on its face. Let’s be clear: Morka’s long-winded outburst is nothing but a diversion from the real issues affecting Nigerians—poverty, inflation, insecurity, joblessness, and a near-total collapse of public trust in leadership. If anything, it reveals how disconnected the APC propaganda machine has become from the actual pains and frustrations of everyday Nigerians. A GOVERNMENT BUILT ON SLOGANS...

  Nigerians are in pain. Hunger walks freely in the land. Inflation is out of control. Insecurity is a daily nightmare. Public infrastructure is crumbling, and millions now live on the edge of survival. With such unrelenting economic hardship, people are asking tough questions: Where is all the money going? Why has life become this unbearable, especially after the removal of fuel subsidy that was meant to save Nigeria billions? A timely and thought-provoking discussion recently aired on Channels TV’s Politics Today, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, featuring Alwan Hassan, a chieftain of the ruling APC. The topic, “Nigeria Under Tinubu’s Watch,” couldn’t be more apt. The conversation explored the dire state of the economy and the deepening frustration of Nigerians. One critical question emerged from that discourse: Why are State Governors not being held accountable despite receiving massive monthly allocations post-subsidy removal? That question hit a nerve, and rightly so. Since the remo...

Nigeria's (FG only) domestic debt as at June 30, 2015 was 8.4 trillion Naira (N8.4trn). Nigeria's (FG only) domestic debt as at June 30, 2023 was 48. 31 trillion Naira (N48.31trn). This amount included N22.7 trillion Ways and Means the Federal Government of Nigeria borrowed from Central Bank of Nigeria largely to subsidize electricity cost. So in essence, the Federal Government domestically borrowed 39.91trillion Naira (N39.91) in eight years, i.e. from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2023. This translated to an average yearly domestic borrowing of 4.99 trillion Naira (N4.99trn) in the eight years period (July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2023). Nigeria's (FG only) domestic debt as at December 31, 2024 was 70.41 trillion Naira (N70.41trn). This meant that in eighteen months (July 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024), the Federal Government of Nigeria domestically borrowed 22.11 trillion Naira (N22.11trn). This is more than half of the N39.91 trillion Naira (N39.11trn) that the immediate past adm...

Dr. Uche Diala is a Progressive Democrat. Last year, after supervising the degeneration of our power supply to worse than pre-2015 levels, the Minister of Power delivered the most uncharitable and worst form of revisionism and manipulation of facts, probably in Nigeria's history. He said interalia then: "Unfortunately, the late Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, the foremost champion of the project (Siemens Power Project), passed away. After that, an election occurred, and a new government took over. Between 2018 and 2023, there were no significant developments concerning the agreements". That mischievous and deceptive submission by the Minister made me write a piece on 8th April 2024 titled: 'AN UNFORTUNATE ATTEMPT AT HALF BAKED REVISIONISM BY THE HONORABLE MINISTER FOR POWER' where I addressed the Minister's mischief. Unfortunately, the Minister, obviously determined to deceive Nigeria and to distract attention from his woeful outing as Minis...

We are very quick to condemn people without knowing their backgrounds. Childhood experiences, shape what we later become in life, affecting us positively or negatively.  Most of the leaders we have today, are products of child abuse, being made to feel inadequate in primary schools and beyond. They watched as their classmates were praised for coming top of their class as they come in the bottom.  Then they develop LOW SELF-ESTEEM and become playground bullies because they have to "count for something". They wanted to show the "Smart Ones", that they have raw strength.  Another point is childhood poverty. This is not about not having fat bank balances, big houses and cars. It's a mindset of not being contented with the little your parents were able to provide. In reality, this traumatic experience can lead to social isolation due to lack of resources, such as toys, books, or opportunities for extracurricular activities. They are at a higher risk of psychological ...