Blog - Abia ThinkTank News

Aug

2023

Obi, Otti, Abure, Others Storm IMO For Achonu’s Campaign Flag Off

Obi, Otti, Abure, others storm Imo for Achonu’s campaign flag off Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti and the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, among other party members on Tuesday stormed Owerri , Imo State for the party’s governorship campaign flag-off. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and Alex Otti among others were received by the party’s governorship candidate Senator Athan Achonu and other LP chieftains at the event. Speaking during the flag-off which witnessed a large turnout of party members and supporters, the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti maintained that the Labour…

Feb

2026

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Ukwa East Mayor Leads Labour Party Expansion As Former Majority Leader, Key Political Figures Defect To Support Governor Otti’s Re-election- By Ebere Uzoukwa Ph.D (SSA To Governor Otti On Public Affairs)

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Politics

Ukwa East Mayor Leads Labour Party Expansion as Former Majority Leader, Key Political Figures Defect to Support Governor Otti’s Re-election The Executive Mayor of Ukwa East Local Government Area, Hon. Chibunna Akara, has continued to strengthen the Labour Party at the grassroots as Hon. Paul Taribo, former Member representing Ukwa East State Constituency and former Deputy Majority Leader of the 7th Abia State House of Assembly and Mrs. Theresa Ijeoma Oxford Nwabara, on Saturday, 7th February, 2026, officially defected to the Labour Party alongside other political figures and supporters. The defection ceremony took place in Ikwueke East Ward, where Hon.…

Feb

2026

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Bandits Kidnap Catholic Priest, 10 Others, Kill 3 In Fresh Kaduna Attack

News Flash, Northern Nigeria, Religion

Bandits Kidnap Catholic Priest, 10 Others, Kill Three In Fresh Kaduna Attack Again, terrorists in Kaduna State have abducted a Catholic priest and 10 other residents while killing three persons during an attack on Karku community in Kauru Local Government Area. The Catholic Archdiocese of Kafanchan confirmed the abduction of Reverend Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, Parish Priest of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, who was reportedly taken alongside the other victims in the early hours of Saturday. In a statement, the Diocesan Chancellor, Very Reverend Father Jacob Shanet, expressed deep sorrow over the incident and called for prayers for the victims. “Dear…

Feb

2026

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President Tinubu Present As Bello Matawalle’s 10 Children Wed In Abuja

Humanitarian, Marriage And Love, News Flash

Tinubu Present As Bello Matawalle’s 10 Children Wed In Abuja President Bola Tinubu and Carlos Manuel Vila Nova, President of the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, were among the dignitaries who attended the wedding of the children of Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence. Matawalle celebrated the weddings of his ten children, five daughters and five sons, at the National Mosque, Abuja, on Friday. The minister gave away his daughters—Maryam, Safiyya, Farida, Nana Firdausi, and Aisha—while his sons—Ibrahim, Abdul Jalal, Surajo, Bello, and Fahad—also tied the knot. The Islamic ceremony was officiated by Imam Luqman Zakariyah, who…

Feb

2026

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Akpabio Admits, Defends Removal Of ‘Real-Time’ From Electoral Bill

National Assembly, News Flash, Politics

Akpabio Admits, Defends Removal Of ‘Real-Time’ From Electoral Bill President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Saturday admitted that the Senate deliberately deleted the provision for “real-time” transmission of election results from the Electoral Bill, 2026. Akpabio said the Senate took the decision because it believed that “technology must save and not endanger democracy.” He spoke in Abuja at the unveiling of a book titled “The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria”, authored by Senator Effiong Bob. The Senate President likened the issues raised in the book to the challenges faced by lawmakers in the course of their duties, including the…

Feb

2026

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North-South Alliance: Obi – Kwankwaso Ticket Proposed Ahead Of 2027

News Flash, Politics, Presidency

North–South Alliance: Obi–Kwankwaso Ticket Proposed Ahead Of 2027 Supporters of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have proposed a joint presidential ticket pairing Peter Obi and Kwankwaso ahead of the 2027 general election. The proposal was announced on Friday in Kano by Abba Sadauki Gwale, who spoke on behalf of several Kwankwaso support groups. He said the idea reflects the desire of their supporters to back a political alliance that can address Nigeria’s growing insecurity and economic hardship. According to Gwale, the Obi–Kwankwaso ticket could run on any political platform, stressing that public…

Feb

2026

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Fx-Inflation Reality Check On “N90BN Vs N410BN”: Why Nominal Figures Don’t Prove Failure – They Prove A Weaker Naira- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Abia State, Good Governance

A FX–INFLATION REALITY CHECK ON “₦90BN vs ₦410BN”: WHY NOMINAL FIGURES DON’T PROVE “FAILURE” — THEY PROVE A WEAKER NAIRA If we are going to argue Abia’s finances with figures (as the livestream did), then we must argue with real figures, not headline naira.The easiest trick in Nigeria’s fiscal debate is this: quote big naira numbers in 2025/2026 and pretend they mean the same thing as naira in 2017/2019. They do not. Not even close. �Reuters +1 1) THE “₦410BN FAAC” ARGUMENT COLLAPSES UNDER BASIC FX CONVERSION Let’s use the SAME method critics love (money), but apply the method they…

Feb

2026

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Flashing N6.7BN Without Cost Structure Is Fiscal Misdirection- Recurrent Costs, Not Office Walls, Drive Government Spending- By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance

FLASHING ₦6.7BN WITHOUT COST STRUCTURE IS FISCAL MISDIRECTION — RECURRENT COSTS, NOT OFFICE WALLS, DRIVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING By AProf. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke Let us bring clarity and structure into the debate. Waving a single figure — such as ₦6.7 billion for the Governor’s Office — without cost composition breakdown is not financial analysis. It is presentation without structure. IN PUBLIC FINANCE, STRUCTURE MATTERS MORE THAN HEADLINE FIGURES. Globally, government budgets are divided into two major cost blocks: capital (fixed/asset costs) and recurrent (operational costs). The fixed structure — buildings, offices, furniture, utilities, maintenance — typically represents a small fraction of…

Feb

2026

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Salary Is Not ‘Nothing’ – It Is The First Proof That Government Is Working – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance

SALARY IS NOT “NOTHING” — IT IS THE FIRST PROOF THAT GOVERNMENT IS WORKING By AProf. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke The viral claim that “salary is nothing” in judging Abia’s finances is not just misleading — it directly contradicts global public finance standards. No serious fiscal system in the world treats salary payment, pension settlement, and arrears clearance as irrelevant. That is where real governance begins. NO GOVERNMENT IS CREDITABLE IF IT CANNOT PAY WORKERS AND PENSIONERS. Abia’s inflows — including State and Local Government FAAC — are publicly verifiable through the National Bureau of Statistics FAAC datasets:https://microdata.nigerianstat.gov.ng/index.php/catalog/156https://microdata.nigerianstat.gov.ng/index.php/catalog/156/download/1125/FAAC_Disbursement_August_2024.xlsx Those are official…

Feb

2026

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N410BN LGA Funds In Abia: Facts, Projects, And Verified Outcomes- A Pro-Governance Note – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Abia State, Good Governance

₦410BN LGA FUNDS IN ABIA: FACTS, PROJECTS, AND VERIFIED OUTCOMES — A PRO-GOVERNANCE NOTE By AProf. Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke Let us move this discussion from noise to records. Much has been said online about “₦410 billion received by Abia LGAs.” Good. Big numbers deserve serious verification — and serious governance deserves documented credit, not social-media arithmetic.First, the receipts themselves are verifiable through official national data portals. Monthly FAAC allocations — including Local Government disbursements — are published and downloadable from the National Bureau of Statistics microdata system: NBS FAAC Disbursement Portal:https://microdata.nigerianstat.gov.ng/index.php/catalog/156Sample FAAC Workbook (official):https://microdata.nigerianstat.gov.ng/index.php/catalog/156/download/1125/FAAC_Disbursement_August_2024.xlsxMulti-Month FAAC Bundle:https://microdata.nigerianstat.gov.ng/index.php/catalog/156/download/1268/FAAC_January-June_2025.zipThese are not blog posts.…

Feb

2026

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The Architects Of Decay: When Lawyers Betray The Bench – By Charles Ude, Esq

Judiciary, Columns/Opinions/Letters

The Architects of Decay: When Lawyers Betray the Bench By Charles Ude, Esq.Legal Practitioner, Author, and Social Critic The Judiciary Under Siege The judiciary has long been regarded as the "last hope of the common man." Today, however, this vital sanctuary is under threat, not from external forces, but from within. The greatest danger to justice comes not from litigants presenting their cases, but from lawyers who have sacrificed professional integrity for political influence and personal gain. The Art of Deception These lawyers go beyond ordinary practice; they weaponize the law. Under the guise of "vigorous advocacy," they inundate public…