Author: Eye Reporters

By Abdul Lauya In a sweeping push to decongest Nigeria’s overstretched custodial centres, the Federal Government has released over 7,600 inmates between January 2022 and June 2025. Yet, despite this significant intervention, correctional facilities across the country remain alarmingly overcrowded, with a total population of 81,746 inmates, far exceeding the system’s 50,000 capacity. The mass release, largely facilitated through payment of fines for indigent inmates, plea bargaining, and judicial reviews, marks one of the most ambitious decongestion efforts in recent years. According to official figures, 707 inmates were freed in 2022, followed by 4,678 in 2023, 1,843 in 2024, and…

By Abdul Lauya The Chairman of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) and former Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade (rtd), has called for a shift from Nigeria’s centralised security architecture to a more community-driven model anchored on local intelligence and grassroots cooperation. Speaking at the First Bi-Annual Community Security Engagement Training in Abuja, Olukolade said the surge in insecurity, including insurgency, banditry, cultism, and farmer-herder conflicts, highlights the urgent need for stronger synergy between security agencies and local communities. He stated that mass sensitisation, public security education, and an empowered citizenry are essential for improving intelligence gathering…

By Abdul Lauya President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Dr Ibrahim Bello, the Emir of Gusau in Zamfara State. The traditional ruler, who also held the title of Sarkin Katsinan Gusau, passed away on Friday morning in Abuja at the age of 71. In a statement released on Friday, the President described the monarch’s passing as “a collective loss beyond his immediate domain.” According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu praised the late emir’s lifelong service at various levels. The President said the traditional ruler would be…

By Abdul Lauya After over two decades of unrelenting struggle, the Federal Government has finally approved the payment of outstanding pensions and severance entitlements to thousands of retired aviation workers, marking a significant milestone in a prolonged battle for justice. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration gave the nod to the long-delayed payments this week, effectively addressing a major grievance that has lingered since the controversial liquidation of the defunct Nigeria Airways in 2003. The move has drawn cautious praise from industry unions and policy observers, many of whom recall the years of bureaucratic inertia, broken promises, and heartbreaking losses that…

By Abdul Lauya Fresh cracks have emerged in the leadership of the Nigerian Senate following a heated altercation between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele during a closed-door executive session on Wednesday. The confrontation, which sources described as nearly devolving into a physical scuffle, underscores growing discontent with Akpabio’s leadership style and has intensified concerns over unity within the 10th Senate. Multiple insiders who witnessed the exchange said Bamidele openly accused Akpabio of running an autocratic chamber, sidelining key leaders in decision-making, and failing to convene statutory leadership meetings. According to reports, Bamidele was so incensed he…

Eye Reporters Editorial The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has finally released Nigeria’s long-awaited rebased Gross Domestic Product (GDP), resetting the base year to 2019. The numbers are striking: from a nominal GDP of N205.09 trillion ($134 billion) in 2019, Nigeria’s economy expanded to N372.82 trillion ($243 billion) in 2024. This jump, on paper, signals resilience and growth, especially after the COVID-19 shock, currency reforms, and fuel subsidy removal. Yet beyond these headline figures lies a more complex reality, one that challenges the simplistic narrative of “growth equals progress.” Yes, Nigeria’s economy has grown by over 80% in nominal terms…

By Abdul Lauya In a decisive political reset, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday appointed 56-year-old Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda as its new National Chairman and simultaneously extended the tenure of its executive committees at all levels, national, state, local government, and ward. Yilwatda, a Plateau-born engineer and current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, succeeds Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje following months of internal agitation and strategic consultations. His emergence was confirmed at a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The NEC also used the occasion to extend the…

By Abdul Lauya Barring any last-minute changes, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, is poised to emerge as the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), multiple authoritative sources confirmed early Thursday. Yilwatda’s imminent appointment follows high-level consultations between President Bola Tinubu, APC governors, and party stakeholders late Wednesday night in Abuja. Party insiders described the move as a “strategic consolidation of loyalty” ahead of the 2027 general elections. The APC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is expected to ratify his nomination today at a scheduled meeting in the Banquet Hall of the…

By Abdul Lauya Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has attained its long-held vision of becoming a fully-fledged postgraduate institution, with a record 529 programmes and a postgraduate student population exceeding 7,000. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, made this known during the matriculation ceremony of newly admitted postgraduate students for the 2024/2025 academic session. He said the university had critically reviewed its postgraduate offerings to ensure they respond effectively to emerging societal challenges. “With the highest postgraduate programmes totaling 529 and a total of over 7,000 postgraduate students, the university administration is fully aware of this eminent change,” Prof. Ahmed stated.…

By Abdul Lauya The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced a change in the venue and time of its forthcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. According to a press statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, CON, the meeting earlier scheduled to hold on Thursday, 24th July, 2025, at the Party’s Headquarters, Abuja, will now take place at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Morka stated that the meeting will begin at 2pm. The shift, from the APC National Secretariat at 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja, to the Presidential Villa, Morka explained was due…