Abia ThinkTank - Abia ThinkTank News

Nov

2025

Economic Development & Abia’s 2026 Budget: A Nafziger-Based Assessment Of Growth, Governance, And New Possibilities- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Economy, Good Governance

Economic Development & Abia’s 2026 Budget: A Nafziger-Based Assessment of Growth, Governance, and New Possibilities Using E. Wayne Nafziger’s classic text, Economic Development, as an analytical lens, Abia State’s 2026 Appropriation Bill — titled “Budget of Acceleration and New Possibilities” — represents one of the most structurally coherent and development-aligned budget frameworks produced by a Nigerian sub-national government in contemporary times. Nafziger reminds us in Chapter 3 (Economic Growth: Concepts and Patterns) that long-term transformation depends on expanding productive capacity, raising human capital, and improving institutional quality. At its core, Abia’s 2026 budget mirrors this development philosophy. Capital Expenditure Orientation:…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

A Gentle Clarification On Governance, Facts & Responsibility; A Response To “Exposing Ekwedike’s N32.7bn…” – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters

*A Gentle Clarification on Governance, Facts & Responsibility A Response to “Exposing the N32.7bn…” by EKWEDIKE My dear brother, first let me congratulate you on your latest outing. Your passion for public accountability is admirable, and no one in Government House—absolutely no one—desires to silence you. On the contrary, voices like yours form part of the democratic oxygen every government needs. Please be assured: your activities are classified as service to society, not sabotage.And for that, you deserve respect. Governor Alex Chioma Otti OFR fully understands and honours your civic engagement. He has never demanded silence from any citizen, nor…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

Abia: WhenThe Center Struggled, But Things Did Not Fall Apart – Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, Politics

ABIA: WHEN THE CENTER STRUGGLED, BUT THINGS DID NOT FALL APART In Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the tragedy of Umuofia was never that the people lacked strength. It was that the old order refused to listen, even as new winds gathered at the horizon. The real danger was not the arrival of the white man but the rigidity of a leadership that mistook stubbornness for wisdom. When the center failed to adapt, “the machete struck the air.” Abia today stands at a similar crossroads — a place where old suspicions wrestle with new realities, where citizens, long betrayed by decades…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

FAMILY AND LIFESTYLE: 2Baba And Wife Natasha Osawuru Welcome Baby Boy, Internet Erupts In Joy

Marriage And Love, Love & Life, News Flash

FAMILY AND LIFESTYLE: 2Baba and Wife Natasha Osawuru welcome baby boy, internet erupts in joyBy Maxwell Kumoye and Trust Ittai Nigerian music icon Innocent ‘2Baba’ Idibia and his wife, lawmaker Natasha Osawuru, have welcomed their first child together, a baby boy. Osawuru broke the news on her Facebook page on Sunday, sharing her excitement as the Idibia household added a new member. The lawmaker described the newborn as a blessing and a fresh chapter for their family. “Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Idibia. We joyfully welcome our bouncy baby boy…” she wrote, celebrating the arrival with a heartfelt message filled…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

US To Provide Intelligence Support, Defence, Equipment To Nigeria – FGN Reveals

FGN, Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Security

US To Provide Intelligence Support, Defence Equipment To Nigeria – FG Reveals The Federal Government says the United States has agreed to step up its security partnership with Nigeria. According to the Presidency, Washington has committed to providing intelligence support, defence equipment, and other strategic assistance to help Nigeria tackle terrorism and violent extremism more effectively. Officials described the development as a major outcome of last week’s engagements between a high-level Nigerian delegation and key US institutions. The delegation, led by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, held several meetings across Washington, including with senior officials from the US Congress, the…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

UK Rejects Nigeria’s Request To Transfer Ekweremadu

Foreign Affairs, Judiciary, Politics

UK Rejects Nigeria’s Request To Transfer Ekweremadu The British Government has turned down a request by Nigeria to deport former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who is serving a prison term in the United Kingdom for organ trafficking, The Guardian UK reports on Monday. Ekweremadu, 63, was jailed for nine years and eight months in 2023 after a UK court found him, his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, guilty of conspiring to exploit a young Nigerian man for his kidney. The kidney was intended for their daughter, Sonia, in a private London hospital. According to The Guardian,…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

South-West Governors Demand State Police Amid Rising Insecurity

News Flash, Security, South West

South-west Governors Demand State Police Amid Rising Insecurity Following a recent surge in insecurity that has unsettled communities across the region, governors of the Southwest states, operating as the Southwest Governors’ Forum, have stated their demand for state Police. They declared that establishing State Police “can no longer be delayed” and officially unveiled a new regional security architecture designed to protect lives and property throughout the zone. The governors met at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, hosted by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. Their extensive deliberations covered crucial issues, including security, economic development, agriculture, and regional…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

Nigerian Student Uche Okirie Stabbed To Death By Neighbour In UK

Crime, Foreign Affairs, News Flash

Nigerian Student Uche Okirie Stabbed To Death By Neighbour In UK Uche Okirie, a UK-based Nigerian student, was stabbed to death in the early hours of Saturday by a Congolese suspect, a report by the Norfolk police has confirmed. Colleagues of Mr Okirie told Peoples Gazette they had identified him but were struggling to reach his family in Nigeria. The Norfolk police also appealed to UK residents with useful information to contact them on 101, citing incident number 51 of Saturday, November 22, 2025. Mr Okirie, a student of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, was stabbed in…

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

Nigerian Student Uche Okirie Stabbed To Death By Neighbour In UK

Crime, Education, Foreign Affairs

Nov

2025

0 Comments

By Abia ThinkTank

Ban On Sachet Alchohol Threatens N1.9 Trillion Local Investments – MAN

Business, Manufacturing, News Flash

Ban On Sachet Alcohol Threatens N1.9 Trillion Local Investments — MAN The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the decision to ban the production and sale of alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and small PET bottles by 31st December, 2025 could lead to the loss of over N1.9 trillion investments by indigenous companies and 500,000 direct, and 5 million indirect jobs. The outcry follows the recent directive by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to effect a ban on sachet alcoholic beverages by the end of the year, based on a resolution passed…