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

Probe Habila’s death – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 01:07:57 +0000

Every death diminishes the rest of humanity. The unfortunate death of a 26-year-old nurse, Mary Habila, and the controversies surrounding it have further cast Nigeria as a country where matters of life and death are not particularly taken seriously. The incident called for swift investigations. But more than one month after it, there is still […]

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There’s no escaping inflation, yet – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:49:47 +0000

The apparent easing of Nigeria’s headline inflation to 15.91 per cent in June masks an unsettling reality. Inflation remains punishingly high across much of the country, exposing the limits of statistical rebasing and successive governments’ failure to address the structural drivers of the cost‑of‑living crisis. The National Bureau of Statistics’ latest Consumer Price Index report […]

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Africa’s hunger burden – Punch

The Editor — Sun, 26 Jul 2026 23:44:28 +0000

In Africa, policy failure is pervasive. It is a failure of vision, leadership and execution. While the continent’s population continues to grow rapidly, food production has failed to keep pace. Hunger is no longer a looming threat; it is an everyday reality. Yet governments display little urgency or seriousness in confronting it. The United Nations […]

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Apapa gridlock must be resolved permanently – Punch

The Editor — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:01:01 +0000

Apapa, host to Nigeria’s maritime hub, is in the news again. Indeed, the Mile 2-Apapa corridor in Lagos is once again buckling under suffocating gridlock. Users of the roads, especially between Mile 2 and Kirikiri, blame the proliferation of container terminals. According to Vanguard, trucks transporting empty containers routinely occupy the highway, creating bottlenecks despite […]

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Duty waivers must not become a fiscal hole – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:02:36 +0000

The revelation by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, that approvals under the Import Duty Exemption Certificate scheme reached about N34 trillion in 2025 has sent shockwaves through Nigeria’s fiscal policy landscape. It should. At a time when the country is struggling to generate enough revenue to finance development, service a mounting […]

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State airports: White elephant epidemic – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:14:19 +0000

The warning from the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, to state governments against the indiscriminate construction of airports cannot be taken lightly. It is one of the most candid assessments yet of a dangerous trend in which governors try to outdo each other in sinking billions of naira […]

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Jega resonates loudly on Electoral Act underbelly – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:15:19 +0000

President Bola Tinubu ignored the concerns raised by many Nigerians over some provisions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2026. He signed the bill into law barely 24 hours after the National Assembly passed it on February 17, 2026. Yet, if Nigeria is to conduct a transparent and credible election in 2027, these grey areas require […]

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Almajiri Commission: Stop this budgeting absurdity – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:17:10 +0000

If anyone still doubted that Nigeria’s budgeting process has descended into institutional absurdity, the 2026 budget of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education should end the debate. It is difficult to imagine a more glaring illustration of how far the country’s appropriation process has drifted from reason, planning and accountability than assigning […]

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Deadly toll of living with terrorism – Punch

The Editor — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:34:55 +0000

Terrorism exacts a deadly toll on Nigerians every single day. A new study by the Observatory for Religious Freedom (ORFA) in Africa indicates that 79,323 people were killed in terrorism-related circumstances between 2020 and 2025 alone. Another 43,773 were abducted. Over the same period, internally displaced persons’ camps swelled with more than one million anguished […]

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Nigeria’s costly blackouts – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:12:50 +0000

While Nigeria’s electricity crisis has become all too familiar, the latest evidence about its debilitating impact should end any lingering illusion that this situation is nothing short of a full-scale economic emergency. In just the first quarter of 2026, 24 companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange spent a staggering N400.83 billion on diesel, gas […]

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Herders’ violence: Enough excuses, implement ranching – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:19:00 +0000

Another authoritative report has confirmed what Nigerians have known for years but what successive governments have stubbornly refused to confront: open grazing has become one of the country’s gravest security and economic disasters. The new report, “Insecurity, Livelihoods and Welfare in Northern Nigeria”, concludes that herders’ violence against farmers, banditry and insurgency are driving millions […]

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What next after US terror financiers list? – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 06:05:10 +0000

If the available evidence is any guide, foreign governments seem to have more resolve than the Nigerian authorities in confronting terrorism on Nigerian soil. Foreign intelligence services identify terror financiers, provide actionable intelligence and, in some instances, even participate in eliminating high-value terrorist targets. Yet Nigeria’s response too often appears hesitant, inconsistent or altogether absent. […]

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Nigeria is bleeding – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 06:14:51 +0000

Nigeria is bleeding—literally and financially. According to media reports, at least 5,272 people were killed in violent circumstances within the first five months of this year. This grim statistic underscores a worsening security crisis that has left citizens fearful, communities devastated, and confidence in the state’s ability to protect lives increasingly eroded. The situation is […]

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Single 6-year tenure, dangerous idea – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 16:20:27 +0000

In Africa, despotism begins with little, innocuous steps like changing term limits midstream. So, a proposed bill by Opeyemi Bamidele for a single six-year term for the President and governors in the 11th National Assembly might seem altruistic at the moment. But in a country which once witnessed a scheme for a third term and […]

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Another General falls – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 11:41:34 +0000

On June 18, retired Army generals gathered in Katsina to bury their colleague, Rabe Abubakar, the latest senior military officer to fall at the feet of terrorists. Their call for a “realistic and proactive response to insecurity” echoed a point this Editorial Board has repeatedly made: lethargic and reactive measures will not win Nigeria’s war […]

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NASS jumbo pay under scrutiny, again – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 13:56:26 +0000

Yet again, the jumbo pay of the National Assembly has come under scrutiny. The renewed focus came on May 6 after Yelim Bogoro, judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, declared the N110 billion vehicle and allowance schemes unlawful. Delivering judgement in a suit filed against the National Assembly by the Socio-Economic Rights […]

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Waste crisis in states – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:11:45 +0000

Nigerian cities are steadily turning into sprawling dumpsites. A recent alert by the Federal Ministry of Environment that heavy rainfall could trigger flooding in 11 states in 2026 is, therefore, not merely a weather forecast; it is an indictment of decades of neglect. Unless governments confront the waste crisis decisively, flooding, disease outbreaks and environmental […]

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Party primaries of discontent – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:20:44 +0000

Discontent is brewing again, as is usual with party primaries in Nigeria. Thus, the 2027 general elections precursor has exposed the underbelly of the country’s 27-year-old Fourth Republic and its core underpinnings – the new 2026 Electoral Act, the umpire, the parties and political actors. Soon, the train will land at the judiciary, with a […]

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The reign of kidnappers – Thisday

The Editor — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 04:08:48 +0000

All stakeholders should do more to contain the scourge Across the country today, the act of kidnapping for ransom has become a growing industry. From ordinary citizens to businessmen and traditional rulers, nobody is safe. Many of the victims have also been killed even when their families paid the demanded ransom for their release. The kidnappers have no regard for age, class or […]

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Foreigners looting national assets intolerable – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:25:52 +0000

Nigeria has long prided itself on being a hospitable country. Foreigners who live, work, or invest in the country are entitled to protection under the law and the opportunity to pursue legitimate economic activities. In return, they are expected to respect Nigeria’s laws and contribute positively to national development. Unfortunately, a disturbing pattern has emerged […]

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