Author: Lawan

The Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), has recorded another significant operational success following a well-coordinated joint offensive against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the Kopre Mountain general area of Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The statement was signed by Captain Mohammed Goni, Acting Military Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI, Maiduguri. Acting on credible intelligence, a joint force comprising the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) Tactical Team and newly inducted troops of 226 Battalion, recently deployed to Sector 4, Adamawa State, under the directive of the Chief of…

Obanikoro: Omoluabi and Service Can Take You Further Than Money in Politics Money has become one of the biggest forces in Nigerian politics, with candidates often expected to spend heavily to secure party tickets and run competitive campaigns. But former Minister and Senator Musiliu Obanikoro believes financial strength alone does not guarantee victory.Obanikoro makes the argument in Seun Oloketuyi’s forthcoming book, How to Win an Election in Nigeria, scheduled for release on September 6, where he reflects on what really determines success at the polls.While acknowledging that elections are expensive, Obanikoro says the more important question is what the money…

The Federal Government has called on Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to take greater ownership of the Nigeria National Water Compact 2026–2030, describing their participation as critical to strengthening the country’s water security. The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, FNSE, made the call in Abuja today at a nationwide stakeholders’ consultation workshop on the draft Compact. Utsev said water remained central to public health, food security, agriculture, industrial development, environmental sustainability, economic growth and national security. He identified rapid population growth, urbanisation, climate change, environmental degradation, inadequate infrastructure, institutional fragmentation and…

Former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, has described the administration of former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, as a defining period in the state’s political history, saying Kalu put Abia firmly in the national conversation and made the state punch above its weight. Chidoka also observed that the momentum recorded during the Kalu era faded after he left office, with infrastructure deteriorating and Abia’s national standing diminishing in the years that followed. The former minister said Kalu understood the political realities that confronted Abia State and the South East at the beginning of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and provided…

Chidoka, however, said the momentum faded after Kalu left office, with infrastructure deteriorating and the state’s national standing diminishing in subsequent years. Speaking as guest speaker at Abia State’s 35th anniversary celebration, the former minister said Kalu understood the political realities confronting Abia and the South East at the advent of the Fourth Republic and provided the assertive leadership the period demanded.“At the beginning of the Fourth Republic, the South East was searching for voice and relevance in the new democratic order. Orji Uzor Kalu understood that moment. Young, assertive and politically visible, he put Abia firmly in the national…

The United States is preparing to withdraw about 200 troops deployed to Nigeria for counterterrorism operations, with the larger contingent expected to leave by late September, according to a report by The New York Times. American and Nigerian officials told the publication that the deployment, though relatively small, produced significant results in the fight against Islamist militants. Small teams of US trainers and intelligence analysts are expected to remain in Nigeria after the withdrawal. The report said US officials regarded the Nigerian deployment as a potential model for future American counterterrorism operations in Africa, particularly because of the results achieved…

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has joined the Nigerian media industry and family members of the late publisher of Eagleonline news website, Dotun Oladipo, to grieve his tragic and untimely loss. Oladipo, 56, died after a brief illness on Tuesday, August 25. In a statement signed by Adeshina Oyetayo, his Special Adviser on Research, Media, and Documentation, Speaker Obasa said he received the news of the demise of the consummate journalist with profound sadness and shock, saying, “His reputation for professional and ethical journalism, the type that is rare in this fast-paced…

Babajimi Benson did not leave his 2023 re-election in Ikorodu to chance. The lawmaker secured 60,890 votes to retain his seat in the House of Representatives, comfortably ahead of his closest challenger, Abdulkareem Olugbenga Shittu of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 15,966 votes. But what goes into producing that kind of result? Benson offers some answers in Seun Oloketuyi’s forthcoming book, How to Win an Election in Nigeria, where he reflects on his political journey and the work that happens behind a successful campaign.For him, an election is not simply about putting up posters or drawing crowds at rallies.…

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially flagged off its campaigns for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, with a charge to residents of the state to resist intimidation and stand by their votes during the poll next year. Addressing party faithful at the campaign flag-off ceremony held at the Ake Pavilion, Alake’s Palace, Abeokuta, Oladipupo Adebutu, the Chairman of the Campaign Committee and the governorship candidate of the party in Ogun State, urged them to remain vigilant after casting their votes and to follow the process through to the collation centres to safeguard…

The duo of the President and General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and Dr Mohammed Sanusi, respectively, have finally resigned their positions with the football house. Confirming the development, the immediate past chief scribe of the federation, Dr Sanusi, told Daily Sunspots that the resignation was true, quipping; “Yes, the news about the resignation of the president and myself is true.” Interestingly, Gusau, while fielding questions from the media during the unveiling of the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) on Wednesday, claimed that he was not under any form of pressure over the incident.The…