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Dec
22
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
FGN To Introduce Mandatory Vehicle Recycling Fee From 2026

FGN To Introduce Mandatory Vehicle Recycling Fee From 2026

FGN, News Flash
FG To Introduce Mandatory Vehicle Recycling Fee From 2026 The Federal Government has announced plans to tap into Nigeria’s largely informal vehicle recycling market, projecting annual revenues of over N150bn from 2026, as part of sweeping reforms to modernise the country’s automotive industry. The National Automotive Design and Development Council disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, with the Director-General, Joseph Osanipin, saying the initiative would be driven by a comprehensive End-of-Life Vehicle programme already approved for implementation. Osanipin explained that the policy would formalise the recycling of vehicles that have reached the end of their useful lives, turning…
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Dec
22
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Police Confirm Release Of Remaining 130 Kidnapped Niger Students

Police Confirm Release Of Remaining 130 Kidnapped Niger Students

Crime, News Flash, North Central, Police Force
Police Confirm Release Of Remaining 130 Kidnapped Niger Students The Niger Police Command has confirmed the release of the remaining 130 abducted students and staff of St. Mary Catholic School, Papiri, in the Agwara Local Government Area of Niger. NAN reports that the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Minna. Abiodun said that the remaining batch of the victims was released on Sunday, bringing an end to the ordeal of the abducted students and staff of the school. He explained that a total of…
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Dec
22
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Disinformation, Lawfare, And The Global Assault On Governance: Why Abia’s Experience Is Part Of Worldwide Pattern – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Disinformation, Lawfare, And The Global Assault On Governance: Why Abia’s Experience Is Part Of Worldwide Pattern – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Politics
DISINFORMATION, LAWFARE, AND THE GLOBAL ASSAULT ON GOVERNANCE: WHY ABIA’S EXPERIENCE IS PART OF A WORLDWIDE PATTERN Across the world today, governments are confronting a new threat that does not wear uniforms or seize territory but corrodes institutions from within: organised disinformation amplified by digital platforms and weaponised through political polarisation. From Washington to Brussels, from London to New Delhi, democratic systems are struggling to distinguish legitimate criticism from coordinated falsehood designed to destabilise governance. What is unfolding in Abia State under Governor Alex Chioma Otti is not an anomaly—it is a local manifestation of a global governance crisis.Internationally, the…
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Dec
22
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Governor Otti, Due Process, And The Abia Airport Claim: Why Law, Not Noise, Defines Accountability – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Governor Otti, Due Process, And The Abia Airport Claim: Why Law, Not Noise, Defines Accountability – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance
GOVERNOR OTTI, DUE PROCESS, AND THE ABIA AIRPORT CLAIM: WHY LAW, NOT NOISE, DEFINES ACCOUNTABILITY Public debate around the alleged ₦10 billion Abia Airport expenditure has too often been framed as a “media trial.” That framing misses a crucial point: governments do not prosecute by press conference; they prosecute by evidence, audits, and due process. Since assuming office in May 2023, Governor Alex Otti has repeatedly stated that his administration would audit first, recover next, and prosecute last—in that order. This sequence aligns with Nigerian law and international best practice.Audits Before Arrests: What the Law RequiresUnder Nigeria’s legal framework, criminal…
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Dec
21
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Police Arrest Doris Ogala During Facebook Live Amid Faceoff With Pastor Chris Okafor

Police Arrest Doris Ogala During Facebook Live Amid Faceoff With Pastor Chris Okafor

News Flash, Love & Life, Police Force, Religion
Police Arrest Doris Ogala During Facebook Live Amid Faceoff With Pastor Chris Okafor The Nigeria Police Force have reportedly arrested Actress Doris Ogala amid online feud with Lagos-based Pastor, Chris Okafor. In a video sighted by AttNews correspondent, the actress was on Facebook live with a streamer, Real Talk With Aunty Adunni. Though, the Lagos police command is yet to issue any statement on the incident, but the case may be connected to an ongoing drama between her and Pastor Okafor. AttNews earlier reported that Ogala issued a formal legal demand to the founder of the Mountain of Liberation and…
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Dec
21
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Courts And Criticism: Why Abia’s Democratic Space Is Not Being ‘Shut Down’ – But Being Defined By Law – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Courts And Criticism: Why Abia’s Democratic Space Is Not Being ‘Shut Down’ – But Being Defined By Law – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, Human Rights, Politics
COURTS AND CRITICISM: WHY ABIA’S DEMOCRATIC SPACE IS NOT BEING ‘SHUT DOWN’—but BEING DEFINED BY LAW In any constitutional democracy, citizens have the unequivocal right to question the use of public funds, project execution, and governance decisions. But rights have limits; freedoms must be exercised responsibly, and democracies do not collapse because individuals are held to account for demonstrably defamatory conduct. Recent commentary alleging Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and human-rights abuse in Abia State under Governor Alex C. Otti, however earnest in tone, mischaracterises legal norms and misunderstands both the facts of the N100 bn defamation suit and…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Courts, Criticism, And Accountability In Abia: Defending Democracy, Not Silencing It – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Courts, Criticism, And Accountability In Abia: Defending Democracy, Not Silencing It – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance, Judiciary, Politics
COURTS, CRITICISM, AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN ABIA: DEFENDING DEMOCRACY, NOT SILENCING IT In every constitutional democracy, courts exist to protect rights, restrain excesses, and provide neutral forums for resolving disputes. When citizens ask hard questions about governance, they should never face intimidation—but equally, public office holders have every right to protect their reputations under the law when falsehoods cross into defamation. In Abia State, the recent N100bn defamation suit filed by Governor Alex Chioma Otti does not signal a crackdown on dissent; it underscores a deeper, under-reported truth: democracy requires both scrutiny and restraint. On December 18, 2025, a Federal Capital…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
When Accountability Meets Courtrooms: The Alex Otti Defamation Suit And The Health Of Abia Political Discourse – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

When Accountability Meets Courtrooms: The Alex Otti Defamation Suit And The Health Of Abia Political Discourse – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Abia State, Columns/Opinions/Letters, Good Governance
WHEN ACCOUNTABILITY MEETS COURTROOMS: THE ALEX OTTI DEFAMATION SUIT AND THE HEALTH OF ABIA POLITICAL DISCOURSE Abia State may be in the midst of an unprecedented political transformation, but its public discourse is also facing a test: whether vigorous debate about governance can coexist with civility and evidence-based scrutiny. The recent interlocutory injunction granted by a Federal Capital Territory High Court restraining a former Abia Commissioner of Information, Barr. Eze Chikamnayo, from publishing defamatory content against Governor Alex Chioma Otti is not merely a legal skirmish. It is a mirror reflecting the broader struggle between accountability and abuse, fact and…
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Dec
19
2025
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By Abia ThinkTank
Between Scrutiny And Slander: Why Accountability Questions In Abia Must Rest On Evidence – And Why Governor Otti’s Records Stands – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Between Scrutiny And Slander: Why Accountability Questions In Abia Must Rest On Evidence – And Why Governor Otti’s Records Stands – By Prof Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke

Columns/Opinions/Letters, Abia State, Good Governance
BETWEEN SCRUTINY AND SLANDER: WHY ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS IN ABIA MUST REST ON EVIDENCE—AND WHY GOVERNOR OTTI’S RECORD STANDS Democracy thrives on scrutiny, but it survives on evidence. In Abia State today, the loudest accusations against Governor Alex Otti often substitute insinuation for proof, and rhetoric for records. That is not accountability; it is slander by repetition. Genuine oversight requires facts—budgets, audits, timelines, and project sites that can be visited, verified, and evaluated. By that standard, the Otti administration’s record deserves a fair hearing grounded in public data, not conjecture. Nigeria’s accountability architecture is explicit. The 1999 Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility…
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