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

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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Violence deepens, Tinubu must act – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:20:04 +0000

Violence is rapidly becoming the defining feature of life in Nigeria. That is a frightening reality. The growing audacity with which terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements operate across the country has become both alarming and deeply embarrassing. Hardly any part of Nigeria can still be described as truly safe. The security crisis is […]

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Nigerian workers deserve a living wage – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:49:22 +0000

This is a debate that never goes away for too long: what is due to Nigerian workers? The renewed agitation over workers’ wages, triggered by a fresh Nigeria Governors’ Forum proposal to raise the national minimum wage to N100,000 per month, only confirms that the country is trapped in an endless cycle of wage adjustments […]

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Gospel Kinanee’s 18-year ordeal: Fix this broken justice system – Punch

The Editor — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 08:41:38 +0000

A 14-year-old boy leaves home to play with friends. His mother and siblings expect him back before sunset. His father expects to hear his laughter again before nightfall. Instead, the boy vanishes. The family searches desperately, knocking on doors, praying and hoping. Days turn into weeks. Weeks become months. Months become years. The family’s savings […]

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Beyond Fulani militants’ menace – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:11:08 +0000

A new international report has cast a harsh spotlight on Nigeria’s worsening internal security crisis. Authored by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the report estimates that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across the country. That is a frightening figure, equivalent to more than 30 fully equipped army battalions. More disturbing […]

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Cooking gas price hike deepens Nigerians’ woes – Punch

The Editor — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:43:48 +0000

The last two weeks of May brought fresh misery to millions of Nigerian households as the price of cooking gas soared to alarming levels. The surge coincided with preparations for Eid al-Kabir, compounding the hardship of citizens already grappling with a crushing cost-of-living crisis. Earlier this year, cooking gas sold for about N1,050 per kilogramme. […]

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Nigeria’s obscene money politics – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 02:22:20 +0000

Money-sharing within political parties and at polling units remains one of the greatest threats to credible elections, democracy, and good governance in Nigeria. The practice is as old as the country’s politics itself. Worse, it has become normalised and widely accepted by many politicians and voters alike, turning electoral corruption into a routine feature of […]

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The $498.8m fund to fight Ebola – Vanguard

The Editor — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 02:02:07 +0000

The world has mobilised nearly half a billion dollars to fight the Ebola outbreak gripping Central Africa, yet this “victory” comes with the bitter taste of African inadequacy. Africa secured $498.8 million in pledges, barely $20 million short of the $519 million needed, but the cruel irony is that most of this money came from […]

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Three years of Tinubu reforms – Punch

The Editor — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:59:09 +0000

President Bola Tinubu’s Presidency will likely be defined by the sweeping reforms he unleashed from his very first day in office. Though he has repeatedly acknowledged the hardships caused by his economic and structural policies, the President once again celebrated his scorecard on the penultimate Sunday when he accepted the All Progressives Congress’ mandate to […]

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Children’s Day of gloom – Punch

The Editor — Sun, 31 May 2026 08:53:06 +0000

Nigeria was shrouded in gloom as it marked the 2026 Children’s Day on May 27. A day meant to celebrate and inspire the leaders of tomorrow, nurture their creativity, strengthen their dreams, and prepare them for the future, was instead overshadowed by mourning, fear, and despair. As children across the country celebrated, 88 of their […]

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Recycled leaders, Recycled problems – PM News

The Editor — Tue, 26 May 2026 13:20:21 +0000

As Nigeria gradually drifts into another election season, one familiar pattern has already resurfaced: the recycling of the same political faces. Former governors become senators. Former ministers return as presidential aspirants. As Nigeria gradually drifts into another election season, one familiar pattern has already resurfaced: the recycling of the same political faces. Former governors become […]

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Don’t allow insurgents to kill education – Punch

The Editor — Tue, 26 May 2026 12:42:24 +0000

The raft of school abductions in Nasarawa, Borno and Oyo states within days in May attests to the resolve of the insurgents to kill education in Nigeria. These attacks in Borno, the first to witness a school attack in Nigeria in 2014, and the latest incident in Oriire LGA in Oyo, South-West, are indications of […]

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Hepatitis: Rescuing Nigerians from needless deaths – Punch

The Editor — Fri, 22 May 2026 02:23:00 +0000

Nigeria’s worsening hepatitis burden demands urgent and coordinated action from the government, health authorities and citizens alike. The latest report by the World Health Organisation, which listed Nigeria among countries accounting for a significant proportion of global hepatitis-related deaths in 2024, is both alarming and unacceptable for a country already struggling with fragile healthcare systems […]

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