News
Buhari’s Government of Compassion
By Eric Elezuo
Not a few people could contain their amusement and laughter when it was reported that two political prisoners held by the Federal government were released out of compassion rather than people’s outcry or even the threat from the United States of America’s senators and congressmen.
To many, it was a comic relief necessary for the boiling point tension that has engulfed the length and breadth of the country as a result of the hunger ravaging the land and so many other inanities that seem not to have an escape route.
The Federal Government has prior to Christmas announced the release of the Presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in the February 2019 election and convener, RevolutionNow Protest, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, and former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki from detention after ignoring countless court orders to release them. While Sowere was arrested in his Magodo home on August 3, 2019, 48 hours before his planned RevolutionNow protest, Dasuki was arrested on December 29, 2015 and has been in detention ever since.
Responding to criticism and mockery from members of the public that the duo was released because a few lawmakers of the United States signed a letter addressed to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Mr. Abubakar Malami, the FG said that was far from the truth, adding that they were released based on compassion which the government has.
The government’s assertion begins to make one wonder when and how was this new found compassion developed? It would be recalled that the same Dasuki has been granted bail by a competent court on over four occasions, but the government’s compassion was practically unavailable at the time to do the right thing. In November 2016, Dasuki lost his father, the deposed Sultan of Sokoto, but he was not at the funeral, though the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazzau, told Nigerians Dasuki refused to either visit his father in the hospital or attend his funeral.
Then again, Nigerians ask, where was the Federal government’s compassion when the whole nation cried out over Sowore; when his wife and children cried out for the release of their bread winner; where was the compassion Malami talked about?
And without even going too far, where is the compassion of the Buhari administration as Nigerians weep over hunger, death traps called roads, poverty, inadequate and zero (depending on the part of the town you live) electricity? Where is the government’s compassion as borders remained closed in spite of national and international cry? The worse is the case that no government official has been seen eating the local rice for which the borders were closed. Where is the compassion when the populace are languishing in abject poverty while the men at the helm of affairs use the best of foreign goods. Compassion or hypocrisy?
If the government of President Muhammasdu Buhari claims to have a dose of compassion, there are many journalist who have been incarcerated for just doing their jobs; there are still the likes of Agba Jalingo. Malami and Buhari’s government’s compassion should as a matter of urgency extend to them.
This government should wake up as a matter of urgency and use the so called compassion to address the plight of the Nigerian populace. There is crisis in the land, and a whole lot of milk of human kindness, which the present administration called compassion is needed, and now too.
By Eric Elezuo
The West African Examination Council (WAEC) has announced the kickoff of the 2026 West African Second-term School Certificate Examination, saying it would be computer-based, and decrying the decline of male participation as against their female counterparts.
The Council made the disclosure on Monday, while addressing the media at its National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on steps so far taken to ensure a hitchfree 2026 Examination.
In his address, the Head of National Office, Mr. Jacob Josiah Dangut, remarked that the 2026 computer-based WASSEC, started on April 21, 2026 with practical test papers, stressing that the nitty gritty parts of the exercise will kick off on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, therefore the reason for the sensitization of the Nigerian public on the exams.
He noted that nearly two million candidates registered to sit for the examinations.
In his words, “A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination.
“Of this number, 958,564 candidates (48.92%) are male, while 1,001,072 candidates (51.08%) are female. This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut called on policy formulations to take the matter serious so as to reinvent the urge for education among the malefolks.
Meanwhile, Dangut informed the public that candidates are being tested in 37 subjects across 97 papers, supervised by about 29,000 senior secondary teachers nominated by state ministries of education.
Dangut said the rise in computer-based entries followed the successful debut of the format in 2025, with more schools and offshore institutions adopting it for its efficiency and alignment with global standards.
The 2026 exercise will run through to June 19th.
The simmering political battle in Rivers State appears to have taken a fresh turn, following the screening of aspirants for the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Assembly primaries, with several loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara failing to make the party’s final list.
In a development already stirring political intrigue across the state, former Obio/Akpor council chairman Chijioke Ihunwo and serving lawmakers Sokari Goodboy and Victor Oko-Jumbo — all widely regarded as strong allies of Governor Fubara — were among those not cleared by the party’s screening committee for various reasons.
Political observers are interpreting their failure to scale through as more than just a routine internal party exercise. They say it is the latest signal of the deepening political fault lines in Rivers, where Governor Fubara and his predecessor, Minister Nyesom Wike, remain locked in a prolonged struggle for political supremacy.
On the other side of the divide, the list of cleared aspirants appears to favour established political figures and returning lawmakers, largely seen as loyal to the Wike camp.
Among those cleared are:
Maol Dumle
Major Jack
Enemi Alabo George
Tonye Smart Adoki
Tekenari Granville
Their emergence is being viewed as a reinforcement of the influence of the former governor within the APC structure in Rivers State.
The screening exercise, announced by Rivers APC publicity secretary Chibike Ikenga, comes at a politically sensitive time, with alignments already forming ahead of future elections and control of the Rivers State House of Assembly remaining a critical battleground.
For many political watchers, the outcome raises fresh questions: Is the APC in Rivers consolidating into a single power bloc? And does this effectively shut the door on Fubara’s loyalists seeking alternative political platforms?
Fubara, elected under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, joined the APC last year, following a political dispute with Wike.
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has been factionalized ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.
While Uzodimma insists that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun and his Kwara State counterpart, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, are reportedly leading a separate faction.
Another bloc within the forum has reportedly queued behind the duo of Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.
The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack in the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions have been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.
As of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had made an official clarification regarding the alleged division.
