Viewpoint

By Eze Onyekpere The Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) prepared by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, was endorsed by the Executive Council of the Federation (EXCoF) and sent to the National Assembly (NASS) by the President in accordance with the demands of the Fiscal Responsibility Act…

By Emmanuel Ononokpono Fired For Zero Fire. Before September Day, one couldn’t use the name Buhari and the word ‘sack’ in the same sentence. When he named his cabinet six months after his election, President Buhari maintained the same team throughout his first term. This was inspite of some of…

By Emmanuel Ononokpono On July 8, 2019, Mele Kolo Kyari was officially inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari as the 19th Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). With the benefit of precedence, no one expected anything from him to set the Thames on fire. However, in his…

By Sam Akpe The story of Nyaknnoabasi Osso is an account of a greatly organised intellect and a passion diligently pursued with or without rewards. Nyaknnoabasi is a librarian who has given the job a meaning completely different from the usual. In his thinking and practice, a library is not…

By Etim Etim In the first part of this article, I focused on the growing menace of involvement of some pastors (or supposed men of God) and Governor Udom Emmanuel’s family members in the succession politics of 2023 in Akwa Ibom State. In that essay, I said: ‘’The Fathers of…

By Etim Etim A familiar malady is creeping into the transition politics of Gov. Udom Emmanuel, and that is the influence of family members. This writer has been reliably informed that one of the governor’s brothers is mounting pressure on the governor to anoint Umoh Eno, the Commissioner for Lands…

By ‘Timi Alaibe We have been in this season of bad news for too long. When are we getting out of it? When will death give up on us? Who can stop death from claiming our best — in business, in politics, in leadership, in the military, in sports, in…

By Ide Owodiong-Idemeko What does Akwa Ibom require to get back on track as we work our recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic? Yes, the impact of COVID-19 has been largely negative and disastrous, but in it also lies huge opportunities for transforming how we think about our economies and our…

By Ide Owodiong-Idemeko The impact of COVID-19 on young people, especially for the vulnerable youth across the world, has largely been felt in the fields of education, employment, mental health and disposable income. The worrying challenge is that if governments are unable to effectively execute recovery measures, present and future…

By Ide Owodiong-Idemeko Setting the scene Thank you for having me over to deliver this keynote speech at the 2021 National Convention of the Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria (USA), Incorporated. I had this rare privilege in 2013 when I delivered the keynote speech at the Convention held in…