Public Affairs Archives - TheCitizen - It's all about you

Urgent measures needed against hantavirus – Punch

The Editor — Sun, 10 May 2026 15:49:08 +0000

A fresh global health concern is stirring anxiety following the outbreak of hantavirus disease. In early May, a rare cluster of Andes hantavirus infections was identified aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius during a voyage from Argentina toward Cape Verde. The virus has claimed three lives, with between five and eight confirmed cases. Among the […]

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The cost of living crisis is becoming a national emergency – PM News

The Editor — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:20:58 +0000

Across Nigeria today, millions of citizens are carrying a burden that grows heavier with each passing week. Nigerians are not merely complaining anymore; many are now exhausted. In homes, markets, offices, motor parks and street corners, conversations are no longer about building wealth or improving living standards. The discussion is now about survival. Families now […]

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Robbers on the rampage – Punch

The Editor — Thu, 07 May 2026 07:42:48 +0000

At a time when Nigeria is already grappling with terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping, a surge in armed robbery is compounding a growing sense of fear and helplessness among citizens. A recent daylight attack in the Ojo area of Lagos underscores the scale of the problem. The police should halt the robbers’ onslaught. About 15 armed […]

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Outrageous extrajudicial Delta police killing – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 04 May 2026 23:33:48 +0000

It is another season of official violence in Nigeria, reinforced by the senseless and tragic killing of 28-year-old musician, Oghenemine Ogidi, by a police officer, Nuhu Usman, in Effurun, Delta State. The outrageous killing is not merely another grim headline; it is an indictment of a policing system that too often operates outside the bounds […]

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Oyedele’s moment: Not business as usual – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 04 May 2026 08:53:56 +0000

If ever there was a moment that demanded clarity, courage and competence in Nigeria’s economic management, this is it. Therefore, the appointment of Taiwo Oyedele as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy cannot be just another cabinet reshuffle; it must count in substance and significance. Oyedele, the chairman of the Presidential Committee […]

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Rising cases of extrajudicial killings – Thisday

The Editor — Sun, 03 May 2026 03:46:41 +0000

All suspects should be taken through the due process of law Increasingly, many Nigerians are taking the law into their hands and delivering ‘instant’ and brutal justice without recourse to the law. What compounds the problem is that even those who are meant to ensure consequences for those who engage in jungle justice are also involved in perpetrating this […]

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May Day 2026: Nigerian workers need a lift

The Editor — Fri, 01 May 2026 11:29:23 +0000

Today, Nigeria’s workforce joins millions across the globe to mark Workers’ Day, a ritual meant to honour the sweat and sacrifice of labour that sustain governance and drive development. The World Bank estimates Nigeria’s labour force at 113.35 million out of a population of 237 million. Alarmingly, about 90 per cent of these workers operate […]

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Governors’ apathy toward security – Punch

The Editor — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:48:06 +0000

It is disturbing that, despite the worsening insecurity in the country, which has attracted international attention and intervention, state governors, who have the responsibility for securing their people, are lethargic about tackling it. The forests are unsafe, the roads are highways of abductions and killings, homes and churches are targets of the bloodthirsty demons. Yet, […]

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Electricity Act: What are states waiting for? – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:21:50 +0000

Nearly three years after the Electricity Act 2023 dismantled the legal monopoly that once concentrated authority in Abuja, many states are still dithering. This hesitation is costly. It prolongs a failed centralised model dominated by underperforming GenCos and DisCos, while businesses and households remain trapped in darkness or forced to rely on expensive generators. The […]

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NBC threat to press freedom – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:43:06 +0000

Democracy is shaking badly in Nigeria. Indeed, President Bola Tinubu rode to power as a defender of democratic ideals. Today, his government appears increasingly intolerant of scrutiny, with the media squarely in its crosshairs. This must not stand. In a bizarre intervention, the National Broadcasting Commission issued a warning to broadcasters ahead of the 2027 […]

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Hidden cost of elections – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:25:52 +0000

In Nigeria, elections carry hidden costs. One of the most troubling is litigation. The proposed N135.22 billion allocation in the 2026 budget for post-election litigation ahead of the 2027 polls underscores this reality. Disturbingly, this figure represents a staggering jump from the N3.08 billion spent on litigation and legal defence after the 2023 elections. This […]

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As Nigeria moves away from oil dependency – Punch

The Editor — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:24:36 +0000

Nigeria’s overdependence on crude oil has defined its political economy for more than five decades. From the oil boom of the 1970s to the repeated price shocks of later years, the country’s fiscal stability has often mirrored the volatile fortunes of global energy markets. Today, however, evidence suggests that, at last, Nigeria is beginning to […]

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Easter gets bloodier – Punch

The Editor — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:34:09 +0000

A grim and unmistakable pattern is taking hold in Nigeria with terrorists increasingly timing their deadliest assaults to coincide with major religious festivals, especially Christmas and Easter, when communities are most vulnerable. Indeed, churches, markets and crowded public spaces have become killing fields. On New Year’s Day 2018, Fulani herdsmen launched coordinated attacks across three […]

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Security chiefs’ discordant tunes – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:39:00 +0000

There is a distressing lack of coherence among Nigeria’s top security chiefs. At a time when clarity, resolve, and unity of purpose are most needed, those charged with safeguarding the country are singing in discordant tunes. This undermines the anti-terror war strategy, dampens troops’ morale and confuses a tense populace. The Minister of Defence, Christopher […]

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NASS: Withdraw MDPA amendment bill – Punch

The Editor — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:57:12 +0000

The current protests by the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations in Abuja are not just another labour agitation. They are an indication of how Nigeria’s fragile healthcare system is once again at the centre of a looming policy misstep that threatens professional harmony and undermines patient care. In response […]

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Anti-immigrant protests in South Africa – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 07:11:30 +0000

Xenophobia has become a recurring affliction in South Africa. For often flimsy and unsubstantiated reasons, native South Africans repeatedly turn on foreigners, with Nigerians frequently at the receiving end. Foreigners are accused of taking jobs, “stealing” women, and cornering economic opportunities. Nigerians, in particular, are routinely profiled as drug traffickers, an allegation that, while not […]

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Systemic corruption among treasury gatekeepers – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:22:08 +0000

The theft of public funds in a poor country is nothing short of economic violence. It kills as surely as neglect kills—through broken hospitals, impassable roads, and a hollowed-out public sector. Every naira stolen from Nigeria’s treasury is a sentence imposed on the most vulnerable. That this plunder is routinely carried out by those appointed […]

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Judgement on filming police deepens freedoms – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:00:48 +0000

A landmark judgement delivered by Hyeladzira Nganjiwa, a judge at the Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, marks a significant step forward for constitutional rights and civic freedoms in Nigeria. In awarding N5 million in damages to a private citizen who challenged unlawful police stop-and-search operations conducted without proper identification, the court has sent […]

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Revisiting Nigeria’s housing deficit – Punch

The Editor — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 02:34:50 +0000

Nigeria’s housing deficit has reached epidemic levels. A new report by a Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development technical committee puts the 2025/26 deficit at an alarming 14.92 million units, with an additional 15.2 million homes classified as structurally inadequate or outright substandard. The scale is staggering. In monetary terms, the deficit is valued […]

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Exploitation Unlimited! – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:19:24 +0000

Nigerians are reeling under a punishing climate of unchecked and often brazen exploitation. A new report by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission merely confirms what citizens already know from lived experience. The energy, fintech and telecommunications sectors are at the forefront of a systemic assault on consumers. The indictment is hardly surprising; it […]

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