Opinion

Pastor Yinka Yusuf’s one million crusade, self-inflicted crisis

Pastor Yinka Yusuf’s one million crusade, self-inflicted crisis

January 30, 2026 Markup 0

A sermon by Pastor Yinka Yusuf has been circulating widely on social media, provoking outrage in some quarters and deep reflection in others. In the sermon, the cleric spoke about Akwa Ibom children who ought to be in school but are instead trapped in menial domestic work. He also highlighted a culture of infighting, pull-him-down tendencies, excessive pride, and a mindset that celebrates proximity to power rather than productivity. Pastor Yusuf attributed these setbacks to ancestral influences that, in his view, require spiritual intervention, which he said informed the controversial crusade planned for Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. While many were quick to attack the messenger, a few paused to interrogate the message itself.

Power without performance: The 2027 reckoning the world must heed

Power without performance: The 2027 reckoning the world must heed

December 31, 2025 Markup 0

It will be exceedingly difficult for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to secure a second mandate in 2027. At the summit of leadership, longevity is never the ultimate measure of success. What endures are strategic coherence, moral credibility and outcomes that tangibly improve the lives of ordinary citizens. On these defining pillars, the current administration appears dangerously unmoored, drifting amid a storm of unmet promises and deepening public discontent.

Nigeria’s security crisis has metastasised like an untreated wound, spreading across regions and generations. Yet there is still no clearly articulated, coherent and time-bound national strategy capable of restoring public confidence or decisively dismantling the machinery of terror.

Malice, not facts: Debunking Sowore’s claims against Senator Ned Nwoko

Malice, not facts: Debunking Sowore’s claims against Senator Ned Nwoko

December 29, 2025 Markup 0

For nearly five years, Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, has repeatedly targeted Senator Ned Nwoko with allegations many observers describe as personal, vindictive and unsupported by facts.

Senator Nwoko has since approached the courts, filing libel and defamation suits against Sowore. Unable to substantiate his claims, and at times reportedly denying ownership of Sahara Reporters, Sowore has increasingly taken to social media to sustain what critics describe as a campaign of demonisation against the senator.

A’Ibom APC, ambassadorial snub: Call for reflection, inclusion

A’Ibom APC, ambassadorial snub: Call for reflection, inclusion

November 30, 2025 Markup 0

The newly released ambassadorial list, which should reflect national fairness, competence, and unity, has completely excluded Akwa Ibom State. Not a single nominee was considered worthy of representation, either as a career or non-career ambassador.

This omission is shocking, insulting, and deeply revealing.

Sowore's serial blackmail: Senator Ned Nwoko never grabbed any land at Idumuje-Ugboko

Sowore’s serial blackmail: Senator Ned Nwoko never grabbed any land at Idumuje-Ugboko

November 20, 2025 Markup 0

Sowore Omoyele, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, has begun re-enacting the same old lies he told more than two years ago — that Senator Ned Nwoko grabbed land in Idumuje-Ugboko and caused the murder of some persons.

As someone who has followed the trauma suffered by the 29 victims of the 2017 Idumuje-Ugboko mayhem, allegedly orchestrated by Prince Chukwunonso Nwoko, the current state-installed Obi of Idumuje-Ugboko, I am in a good position to correct this malicious falsehood against an illustrious son of the community.

In 2015, Prince Ned Nwoko, now a Senator, applied for a 90-hectare piece of land to establish a Sports University in Idumuje-Ugboko. The then Obi of the community, HRM Albert Nwoko, consulted members of the land allocation committee. After a series of verifications and consultations with stakeholders from the four federating villages, the land was duly approved by the late Obi and allocated to Linas International Limited, a company owned by Ned Nwoko.

Comrade Ini Ememobong: A fitting choice for PDP’s voice

Comrade Ini Ememobong: A fitting choice for PDP’s voice

November 16, 2025 Markup 0

The election of Comrade Ini Ememobong as the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been met with widespread commendation, and rightly so. His emergence reflects both the confidence of party stakeholders and the unmistakable evidence of competence he has consistently demonstrated over the years.

Comrade Ini is a widely respected public administrator and communicator who has served Akwa Ibom State with distinction. As Commissioner for Information and Strategy, he worked under two state administrations and earned a reputation for clarity, professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to truthful, responsible information management.

His subsequent service as Commissioner for Special Duties and head of the Ibom Deep Seaport project further showcased his administrative depth, discipline, and strategic vision. Before these roles, he had already made his mark as the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Akwa Ibom, a position in which he distinguished himself with sharp messaging and grassroots engagement.

Of President Trump’s fast, vicious and sweet attack and Tinubu’s diplomatic blunders

Of President Trump’s fast, vicious and sweet attack and Tinubu’s diplomatic blunders

November 2, 2025 Markup 0

For years, rivers of innocent blood have flowed across the valleys of Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, and Niger States. Christian communities have been burned out of existence; churches razed on Christmas Eve have become an annual tragedy in Northern Nigeria.

Year after year, the scenes repeat as worshippers are slaughtered, homes torched, and survivors left to pick through their ashes in silence. Yet, successive Nigerian governments have treated these horrors with the indifference of a spectator.

From the mass killings in Barkin Ladi and Bassa, to the razing of the village of the Yelewata community in the Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, including Rumji, Kurmin Masara, and Asha-Awuce, Kunkum Daji, all in Southern Kaduna, the story remains painfully the same. Attacks are announced in advance, no arrests afterward, and statements of “deep concern” that lead nowhere. What began as isolated incidents has grown into a sustained campaign of terror against defenseless citizens, particularly Christians.

Debunking the myth of Ibibio hegemonic claim

Debunking the myth of Ibibio hegemonic claim

November 2, 2025 Markup 0

#A critical analysis of attempt at cultural, territorial expansionism in A’Ibom State

In the intricate mosaic of Nigeria’s ethnic diversity, Akwa Ibom State stands as a microcosm of plural identity.

The state’s founding vision, rooted in equity and mutual respect among its constituent nations, notably the Oro-Obolo, Annang, Efik, and Ibibio, was to create a federation of equals, not a hierarchy of dominance.