Big Gist Africa

Nigerian professionals in the diaspora have declared support for Rivers State Governor,  Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, warning that renewed impeachment proceedings against the duo amount to a destabilising political project that threatens democratic order in the oil-rich state. In an e-statement issued on Monday, the Nigerian Diaspora Professionals for Democratic Stability (NDPDS) said the impeachment moves by the Rivers State House of Assembly reflect an abuse of legislative power rooted in a prolonged political struggle between Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now minister of the federal capital territory. The statement was signed by Dr Chukwudi Nnamani, president of the group, and Mr Adewale Ogunsiwaju, its secretary. NDPDS said the impeachment process, which resurfaced despite earlier political interventions and judicial proceedings, risks reducing constitutional mechanisms to instruments of political vendetta. “The impeachment threats a...

*Says placing foreign contractors above indigenous counterparts, counterproductive The National Forum of APC Young Professionals (NFAYP), on Sunday, told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led Federal Government, to intensive effort in clearing up the outstanding debts owed the indigenous contractors in Nigeria. This was, even as, the forum also cautioned the Ministers of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun; Works, Engr. Dave Umahi and the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), Mr. Shamsedeen Babatunde Ogunjimi; against placing premiums on the foreign contractors above their local counterparts. The call is coming on the heels of the protracted faceoff between the Federal Government and the Indigenous Contractors in Nigeria. The last quarter of the year 2025 witnessed a lot of protests from the contractors over unpaid debts of the already executed and commissioned projects contained in the 2024 budget. The Contractors, barricading the main entrance to the National Assembly and Ministry of...

 Special Adviser on Public Communications to Hon. Chief (Elder) Leke Joseph Abejide, Bashiru Abdul Mohammed (BAM),  has appealed to the people of Yagba East/West/Mopamuro Federal Constituency to consider the re-election of the lawmaker in the 2027 general election. Bashiru made the appeal while addressing a cross section of journalists at a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, where he stressed that continuity in representation would further consolidate the developmental and legislative gains recorded by the constituency at the National Assembly. Describing Abejide as a seasoned politician and an outstanding legislator, Bashiru said the call for a third term was informed by the lawmaker’s quality representation, people-oriented interventions, and effective participation in national lawmaking and oversight functions. The Public Relations expert, who is also the Chairman and Head of the Board of Directors of The Watch Newspaper & TV, noted that Abejide’s con...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) South-South Group has accused Rivers Assembly lawmakers loyal to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike of instigating impeachment threats against Governor Siminalayi Fubara after he refused to approve fictitious projects in the state’s 2026 budget proposal. The group made the allegation on Friday in Port Harcourt while responding to claims by members of the Rivers State House of Assembly that Fubara breached the peace agreement brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end the protracted political crisis in the state. Addressing journalists, Comrade Freedom Amadi, coordinator of the APC South-South Group, said the impeachment move was not rooted in any violation of the peace accord but was a calculated retaliation against the governor for resisting pressure to inflate the budget with questionable line items. “What is unfolding in Rivers State is not a constitutional dispute but a deliberate attempt to punish a sitting...

By MOHAMMED A. MOHAMMED  In Niger East, a quiet revolution began in 2019 when Senator Mohammed Sani Musa—known across the district as 313—stepped into the Senate with a resolve forged from a deep understanding of his people's struggles.  He had walked those dusty roads himself, seen the dim eyes of children denied education, heard the silent pleas of mothers in ill-equipped clinics, and felt the frustration of youths with talent but no tools. But 313 did not come to lament; he came to act. With deliberate sacrifice and focus, he channelled his resources, influence, and personal fortune into lifting his people. Boreholes sprang up where water was once a daily battle. Health centres rose where sickness meant long, perilous journeys. Scholarships carried sons and daughters to India and China to become doctors and engineers. Roads opened markets. Empowerment turned dreams into enterprises. What began as a mandate became a movement—a personal covenant between a leader a...

  The Centre for Energy Governance and Public Finance Accountability (CEGPFA) has dismissed claims by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval of the reconciliation and removal of certain Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) legacy balances from the Federation Account was unconstitutional or financially harmful to states and local governments. Speaking on Friday at a press conference held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, the centre said the allegations ignored the historical, legal and fiscal realities surrounding the disputed balances, describing them as “unfounded” and “misleading”. Dr Julius Osagie Eromonsele, executive director of the centre, said the balances in question were not fresh revenues generated under the current administration but long-standing legacy entries accumulated over several decades, many of which predated the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). “It is crucial to note that the balances in questi...