I have been receiving calls from people seeking clarification on my decision to withdraw support for Governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo, with many assuming he has a strong advantage due to a lack of credible challengers and incumbent factor.
I must emphasize that this is my personal viewpoint, separate from GGM as an organization . My political decision is rooted in ideology not material benefits. My personal interest is that of public interest for a better society. . It is not a rocket science to build a modern society that will create economic prosperity for all the Anambra people .
As a Professor of Economics,i expected Mr Governor to use public policies to encourage production as well as securing lives and property . But , he has scored below average in these areas . I did not expect an economist to consider building a massive Government House at the period federal government policies have thrown millions into abject poverty via the removal of fuel subsidy and floating of naira with its multipliers effect in short terms. I expected him to respond with policies that will achieve industrial revolution within a short period of time like industrial villages , Agricultural villages , modern transport system , social housing ,automation of tax system as well as reducing tax rates etc .
Again , the resources deployed to building fun city would have been used in building modern abbattoir to develop food processing value chain ,which will encourage production. Fun city is a good public investment that encourages consumption . A visionary Governor will consider purchasing power of the people first . These projects could be pursued simultaneously to achieve desired economic results.
We have seen what Gov Mbah and Gov Otti have accomplished within 27 months , indicating that development is intentional . But , Prof Soludo, to a very large extent, is playing politics with development because of ignorance of Voters.
In the area of security, Mr Governor is not simply in charge . He told us that ” touts will go”. In making that public pronouncement , he did not create a platform where the touts will be migrated like farm settlement etc. Today , touts are in charge of Anambra security and that could be seen everyday around Anambra State . Few days ago ,as i was driving out of a plaza with my daughter, Agunemba boys drove towards our direction ,wearing mask and displaying their weapons harassingly . My daughter told me that these men look like kidnappers – that was the impression the small girl has! We can do better!
Mr Governor promised that the law on open grazing will be enforced to the letters but today Cows are still having their picnic even in front of Government House.
Mr Governor has been my Mentor but he has not lived up to my expectations.
The naira appreciated strongly on Monday at both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets, opening the new week on a positive note.
Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria showed that the naira gained significantly, closing at N1,506.84 per dollar on Monday, compared to N1,514.87 on Friday.
This indicates that the currency strengthened by N8.3 against the dollar on Monday, marking a higher gain than recorded at the official market on Thursday.
Similarly, at the black market, the naira firmed up by N9 to close at N1,530 per dollar on Monday, compared to N1,539 at the close of last week.
The development suggests that the naira is maintaining momentum against other foreign currencies at the official market.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s external reserves continued to rise, reaching $41.54 billion on September 4, 2025, up from $41.49 billion reported on the Central Bank’s website the previous day.
To form a formidable opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and beat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election, supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan have started wooing key aspirants to back his ambition.
With the APC hierarchy endorsing President Tinubu for re-election; and main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, zoning its ticket to the South, the 2027 presidential race is panning out as a Southern affair.
For weeks now, a host of PDP top shots, especially from the North, have been pressuring Jonathan to join the race.
Before then, some PDP bigwigs had also been wooing former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential standard bearer of Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, to return to the PDP.
Obi left the PDP in 2022 to join LP and clinched the party’s presidential ticket. Obi is among a host of opposition politicians supporting a grand coalition to square against the APC in 2027.
He is also among those backing the African Democratic Congress, ADC, coalition that has the likes of former Rivers State governor and immediate past Transport Minister, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; former Senate President, David Mark; former Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola; and former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai.
Asked at various times if he would return to the PDP or join the ADC, Obi who has been strident in his criticisms of the Tinubu administration, pointedly said he is for any move that will save the country from the APC.
Among Southern politicians nursing the ambition of confronting Tinubu are Mr Peter Obi; Mr Rotimi Amaechi; and Oyo State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde.
Sources told Vanguard, yesterday, that as part of his extensive consultations, former President Jonathan’s camp has started reaching out to key aspirants and has met Obi “to step down for Jonathan.”
There were speculations last night that Jonathan had met Obi in person to discuss the issue but sources close to the former Anambra State governor said no such meeting had been held.
“It is true that Jonathan’s people want Obi to step down for him but Jonathan himself is yet to meet Obi. I can assure you that Obi is committed to his cause of rescuing Nigeria,” the source said.
Best Southern aspirant
Jonathan’s backers said he remains the best Southern politician that can stop Tinubu at the polls because, if elected, he cannot do more than four years, which will pave the way for the prevailing North-South power rotation principle to be sustained.
In view of the power rotation principle, Mr Obi said recently that he would serve for a term of four years and not seek a second term, if elected.
The declaration elicited mixed views in the polity, with some saying many politicians made similar promises in the past but did not keep them, hence the need to go for a candidate that cannot do more than four years.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who ran on the platform of the PDP in 2023 but recently defected to ADC, has also promised to do one term, if elected.
However, those opposed to Jonathan said the PDP risks losing in court if it fields the former president because of eligibility.
Following an amendment by the National Assembly, which was signed into law by late former President Muhmmadu Buhari on June 7, 2018, Section 137 of the 1999 Constitution stops anyone who had been sworn-in twice as president to contest the presidency.
Jonathan, who was vice to late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, was first sworn-in in 2010 when Yar’Adua passed on.
He won his first election in 2011 and was sworn-in again. He contested for a second term in 2015 but lost to Buhari, the first time an incumbent president lost an election in Nigeria.
His eligibility to run has been a subject of controversy since 2022 and lawyers are sharply divided on the issue.
While some said he is eligible to contest because the law took effect from June 7, 2018, more than three years after he left office and cannot be applied retroactively, others said the constitution is clear that no one should be sworn-in more than twice.
Going further, anti-Jonathan pundits posited that the issue will be a subject of litigation if Jonathan was handed the PDP ticket and goes on to win, adding that it is difficult to predict the decision of the courts with certainty.
According to them, if the court holds that Jonathan is not eligible after the poll, the PDP and key politicians who stepped down for him would all lose out.
When former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) deputy governor Professor Kingsley Moghalu was appointed last year as the inaugural President and Vice Chancellor of the Kigali-based African School of Governance (ASG), I celebrated the news with effusive optimism.
I thought it was a great opportunity for Africa to nurture a new generation of leaders under the guidance of a thinker and practitioner whose career had consistently combined intellectual rigor with pragmatic vision.
In the octomer 21, 2024, article I wrote to celebrate his appointment, I wrote: “With Kingsley at the vanguard, I believe ASG is poised to be more than just a school. It will become a beacon for all of Africa that will cultivate the next generation of leaders who will redefine governance and public policy across the continent.”
I was not alone in this hopeful expectation. Many of us saw ASG as a chance to replicate, in Africa, the success of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, incidentally ASG’s strategic partner.
But scarcely a year into his five-year tenure, Moghalu abruptly announced his resignation. “After several months of toiling in the vineyard of a historic assignment, I will be departing from my role as President & Vice-Chancellor of African School of Governance – ASG,” he wrote on july 29, 2025, in a social media statement.
The announcement stunned observers. Why would a man who had invested his reputation and intellectual energy in a promising institution walk away so quickly?
The official explanation was disappointingly evasive. In a statement signed by Hailemariam Desalegn, former Ethiopian Prime Minister and Chairman of the ASG Governing Board, the school only offered sadly familiar platitudes: “The African School of Governance (ASG) was founded to provide a platform… to train a new African generation of ethical leaders grounded in the values of humility, servant leadership, integrity, and inclusivity. We thank Professor Moghalu for his service and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Noticeably absent was any substantive reason for his departure.
When I hosted Moghalu on our monthly ””Diaspora Dialogues” podcast last Saturday, I asked him directly why he resigned, but he declined to go beyond what he had already shared on social media, pointing instead to his public statement and that of ASG.
Yet, even in silence, words speak. His statement delicately referenced “challenges regarding corporate governance and institutional and academic autonomy.” Paired with ASG’s coldly impersonal farewell, the implication that jumped out at me is that Moghalu’s departure was not voluntary whim but the culmination of principled disagreements.
Two things, however, are beyond dispute. First, Moghalu’s impact on ASG in less than a year was undeniable. Testimonials have poured in from participants in the school’s inaugural “Transforming Countries” program and from leaders across the continent.
Former Nigerian Information Minister Frank Nweke, African Union Ambassador to Washington Hilda Suka Mafudze, Liberian parliamentarian Taa Wongbe, and many others attested to his transformative leadership. He gave the fledgling institution credibility, direction, and gravitas.
Second, the divergence between his statement and ASG’s carefully sanitized one suggests deep fault lines. Moghalu alluded to structural issues (corporate governance, institutional autonomy, academic independence) that strike at the very core of what such an institution must embody. This contrast evokes an old truth: in Africa, visionary ideas often stumble on the hard rocks of vested interests.
And management theorist Peter Drucker famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” If ASG indeed undermined its own governance culture, then Moghalu’s exit is less about one man and more about a structural failure.
Was he brought in as a respected face to lend legitimacy to an enterprise whose true agenda diverged from its lofty mission? Did he refuse to play along with backroom interests that sought to subordinate academic autonomy to political or personal whims? We may never know the answers to these questions, but they demand rumination.
If an institution founded to champion integrity, inclusivity, and servant leadership cannot embody these very values in its governance, what hope does it have of producing the ethical leaders Africa so desperately needs?
The irony is hard to miss. ASG’s governing board is stacked with some of the most distinguished African and global figures: Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank; Makhtar Diop, current Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation; Professor Hajer Gueldich, former Legal Counsel of the African Union; Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School; and Francis Gatare, Senior Advisor in Rwanda’s Presidency.
With such luminaries at the helm, one would expect robust governance and independence, not disputes over “corporate governance and academic autonomy.”
So, what went wrong? Scholars of governance point to three common pitfalls: phantom boards that exist only in name, rubber-stamping decisions without real oversight; boards dominated by their chairs, turning colleagues into mere ornaments; and boards handpicked by CEOs, rendering them unable to check excesses.
The third pitfall is unlikely here. Moghalu was a recruit, not the founder, and had no power to select or shape the board. That leaves the possibility of either a nominal board or one suffocated by its chair.
Interestingly, Moghalu himself was once central to restoring corporate governance in Nigeria’s banking sector after the 2008–2009 financial crisis. As CBN deputy governor, he helped clean up reckless practices that had nearly collapsed the industry. That a man with such pedigree would resign over governance failures at ASG underscores how dire the problem must have been.
Whatever the exact details, Moghalu’s departure should jolt us into confronting a recurring African tragedy: the chasm between vision and execution, between the rhetoric of reform and the reality of power politics. Institutions designed to embody excellence are too often hamstrung by fragile egos, compulsive control, and short-term interests.
This is not merely about Moghalu. It is about what kind of institutions we are capable of building. If ASG, endowed with international partnerships, global visibility, and an A-list board, cannot protect its independence, what hope exists for less celebrated African initiatives?
As we reflected on this issue with my friend Professor Moses Ochonu, who teaches African History at Vanderbilt University, we agreed that we need a bold alternative: a truly independent, private-sector-driven, pan-African institute for leadership training. Unlike ASG, such a body would not be beholden to governments, political patrons, or a single foreign donor. It would draw from the intellectual reservoirs of Africans at home and in the diaspora, free from the suffocating influence of political egos.
Imagine an institute located in a neutral hub such as Arusha, Tanzania, a place with symbolic resonance as the site of the Arusha Accords and the East African Community headquarters. Such an institution could embed shared governance, institutional autonomy, and academic independence into its DNA. It could model, not just teach, the principles it seeks to impart.
Who better to spearhead such an initiative than Kingsley Moghalu himself? His experience at ASG, though brief, has given him unique insight into both the promise and the pitfalls of such projects. Freed from constraints, he could help build an institution that truly embodies the ideals Africa needs.
Skeptics might shrug and say this is an internal squabble at an obscure school. They would be wrong. The battle over ASG’s soul is emblematic of a larger struggle: whether Africa will build institutions strong enough to outlive individuals and insulated enough to resist political capture.
If Africa is to rise beyond rhetoric, it must confront the uncomfortable truth that too many of our organizations collapse under the pressure of vested interests. Visionary leaders are often co-opted, silenced, or discarded when they resist.
Moghalu’s exit dramatizes this reality. But it also offers a chance for reinvention. If the continent can learn from this moment and commit to creating leadership institutes immune to political interference, we may yet cultivate a generation of leaders who will not only speak integrity but live it.
Kingsley Moghalu’s sudden departure from ASG is a disappointment, but it should not be the death knell of the dream that gave birth to the school. Instead, it should be a wake-up call. The values of corporate governance, institutional autonomy, and academic independence are not luxuries; they are the very foundations of credible leadership training.
The next step is to build institutions that embody these values without compromise. Moghalu may have lost ASG, but Africa has not lost Moghalu. If anything, his principled exit makes him an even more compelling candidate to lead a new, independent effort to shape the continent’s leaders.
From all indications, our President is not finding his home in Nigeria conducive for a long stay, and it should be concerning to us.
Just yesterday, for the umpteenth time, Mr. President waved the nation goodbye again, barely 6 days after his return to Nigeria, after he spent 15 whole days for just a five-day engagement. He is now heading for about his 10th trip to France in two years, this time for his annual holiday. It does look like Mr. President is running away from Nigeria at every slight opportunity. And one would wonder why so much of his two years in office has been spent on holidays or away from the very country he was elected to preside over.
Meanwhile, at least 79% of Nigerians have been reported to be facing food insecurity, that is over 180 million people facing hunger.
Nigeria, just last month, was declared the worst country to give birth, and just weeks ago, the worst place to live, with the world’s worst life expectancy. We deserve a president with all hands on deck to solve these issues.
Across Nigeria, last month alone while Mr. President was on one of his very many trips, over 50 people were killed in the horrifying mosque and village attack in Katsina State, with over 60 people kidnapped. This is exclusive of the many bandit attacks and kidnappings just last month.
One would have expected that the president would at least visit one of these states when he arrived 6 days ago, or at least visit Niger State where just yesterday, 60 of our citizens, women and young children, died in a boat mishap with many more still missing. What would it have taken the president to take a less than 30-minute trip to Niger State from Abuja in his jet? Mr. President could have at least visited the grieving families in Niger before jetting off again. Where is the compassion for Nigerian lives, Mr. President? How many more need to die for you to preside over the country?
No holiday is more important than the Nigerian lives you swore to protect. At a time when Nigerians need leadership, empathy, and presence, a President should not choose foreign holidays. True leadership is about sacrifice and the ability to improve healthcare, invest in quality education, pull millions out of poverty, and guarantee the security of every citizen.
Police Rescue Man On Suicide Mission Over Hardship In Anambra
A 28-year-old man who was on a suicide mission has been rescued by a team of operatives of the Anambra State Police Command attached to Awada Police Station in Idemili-North local government area of the state.
The victim, who according to the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, identified himself as Mr. Okwudili David Onyiba, was saved last Tuesday from a power transmission high tension where he had climbed to end his own life.
Ikenga explained that on getting a distress call from a concerned member of the public, the police team rushed to the scene situated behind the Grace of God Mission, off NEPA Road in Awada where the victim was already climbing the power transmission high tension.
The PPRO said it took several minutes of persuasion by the Police and some concerned members of the public before the man eventually descended from the dangerous infrastructure.
Ikenga added that the victim had been taken into protective custody at the police station, where he was made to undergo proper medical and mental health evaluation.
Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Ikioye Orutugu advised anyone experiencing hardship to open up to relations, friends and relevant institutions for justice instead of embarking on a mission to commit suicide.
“The Command appeals to members of the public to always seek lawful and peaceful solutions to personal challenges, and to reach out to family, friends, or relevant support groups in times of distress”, the state police image-maker stated.
The Federal Government said it completed a comprehensive review of school curricula for basic, senior secondary and technical education aimed to make Nigerian learners “future-ready.”
The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed on Friday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, and made available to newsmen on Sunday.
Folasade said the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, announced the curriculum on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, while speaking in Abuja.
According to the minister, the review was carried out in collaboration with key education stakeholders, including the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.
The new framework is designed to reduce content overload, improve learning outcomes, and ensure Nigerian students are equipped with skills relevant to today’s global demands.
Ahmad said the exercise went beyond merely trimming subjects, stressing it focused on improving content to promote deeper learning and reduce overload for pupils and students.
“Under the revised structure, pupils in Primary 1–3 will study a minimum of nine and a maximum of 10 subjects; pupils in Primary 4–6 will take 10 to 12 subjects.
Junior secondary students may offer 12 to 14 subjects, senior secondary students will take eight to nine subjects, and technical schools will offer nine to 11 subjects,” the statement read.
“The revised curricula will reduce content overload and create more learning time for students,” Ahmad said, adding that the changes reflect the government’s commitment to delivering quality, practical and relevant education in a rapidly changing world.
The Ministry of Education commended stakeholders for their role in the review and said implementation will be accompanied by strict monitoring to ensure a smooth transition across schools nationwide.
The ministry did not give an exact date for rollout, but said the new curricula will be phased in with oversight from relevant agencies to guarantee effective adoption.
Recall that Alausa had announced the postponement of the implementation of the revised basic education curriculum until September 2025.
The postponement followed the announcement by the immediate past education minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, that the new curriculum for basic education would commence across schools in January 2025.
Mamman had stated that under the new curriculum for basic schools, pupils will be required to acquire at least two skills.
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Thursday unveiled the revamped Nigergas Company Limited, restored and upgraded by his administration after lying dormant for over three decades.
Mbah announced that Nigergas had already provided direct employment for more than one hundred skilled and semi-skilled workers, with projections to generate over 5,000 indirect jobs in distribution, fabrication, transport, and supply chains.
He emphasized that the revival of Nigergas, which was originally established in 1962 under the administration of Dr. Michael Okpara but later abandoned, reflected his government’s determination to breathe life into moribund state-owned assets and drive economic growth from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
“What we have revived and unveiled today is not simply metal and a network of pipes; it is the restoration of purpose, dignity and productivity to a site that once symbolised Eastern Nigeria’s industrial promise.
When we speak of the goal to grow our GDP from $4.4bn to $30bn, it is not mere posturing. It is rooted in the conviction that Enugu can become a truly diversified, self-reliant economy, if we muster the will to do things differently to launch us to the future we dream of,” he stated.
On the rehabilitation and expansion strategy for Nigergas, Mbah explained:
“We approved a full rehabilitation scheme and a management model that blends public ownership with private-sector performance discipline.
The intention was clear: retain public ownership, but run the facility on modern, accountable, commercially viable lines.
So, today, Nigergas returns to production with modernised equipment and clear technical specifications designed to meet immediate healthcare and industry needs.”
He further disclosed that the plant’s upgraded capacity would ensure steady local supply of medical and industrial gases, reducing dependence on expensive, distant suppliers.
“Crucially, the plant will supply liquid oxygen, medical and industrial oxygen, and acetylene gas to our hospitals, welders, agro-processors and manufacturers, improving clinical outcomes and reducing production costs for businesses that are the backbone of local livelihoods.
The new plant has a capacity to produce 100 cubic metres of oxygen per hour; and 45 cubic metres of acetylene per hour.
We will soon bring on stream these additional products: nitrogen; argon gas; carbon dioxide; and CNG stations,” Mbah said.
The Governor stressed that the restoration of Nigergas would guarantee access to life-saving medical oxygen, affordable industrial gases for manufacturers, and stronger revenue streams for the state.
“These improvements ripple outward: increased industrial activity strengthens our revenue base, and deepens opportunities for MSMEs,” he added.
Mbah commended the Managing Director of the Enugu State Investment Authority and Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Industry, Dr. Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo; the engineering partner, Ten Gas Development Ltd (a division of INDEV GROUP); and the Emene community leaders for their contributions to the project.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Ogbu-Nwobodo noted that although the company, founded under Dr. Okpara’s administration in partnership with Siad Machine Impianti, had been crippled for over 30 years due to mismanagement, misappropriation, nepotism, and weak governance, Governor Mbah had rekindled its original vision.
The Managing Director of Ten Gas Development Ltd., Chief Chike Madueke, highlighted that the revived Nigergas would also serve as a training hub, providing thousands of jobs for Enugu’s youth.
Chairman of the Enugu State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu; health consultant, Dr. Joy Uduji; Chairman of Enugu East LGA, Pastor Beloved Dan Anike; and businessman, Engr. George Ndubeze Ugwu, all applauded Mbah for restoring abandoned state assets while building infrastructure that improves lives and empowers businesses.
“You are the Nehemiah of our time. Like Nehemiah, who came and supervised the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem, you have also come to rebuild Enugu State,” Dr. Uduji declared.
Also speaking, Nollywood veteran actor and filmmaker, Kanayo O. Kanayo, praised the Governor for strengthening security in the state.
“It is not praise-singing, security is working here because when I come to make movies here, we usually stay out late into the night at Nike, and we are safe,” he said.
Ahead of the resumption of the first term of the 2025/2026 academic session, the Anambra State Government has banned the practice of writing assignments inside textbooks, describing it as wasteful and unsustainable.
The practice, which is in place in most public and private schools in the state, renders textbooks unusable after a term, placing a serious financial burden on parents and sponsors of pupils and students, who purchase the textbooks.
The practice has also led to the exclusion of pupils and students, who could not afford the textbooks, from assignments and tests.
The announcement made by the Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, on Friday, has been greeted by the people’s general acceptance and applause.
Addressing participants at the third day of a capacity-building workshop organized by the Ministry of Education for private school proprietors and teachers at St. John of God Secondary School, Awka, Prof. Chuma-Udeh explained that the decision was aimed at making textbooks reusable, especially for younger siblings of pupils who would need them when they advance to the next class.
She also stressed the need for textbooks to be inclusive, reflecting diversity, equality, and the needs of all learners.
She warned that the government would not tolerate non-compliance with the directive and urged parents, teachers, and school administrators to ensure strict adherence.
“The initiative is part of the state government’s strategy to ease financial pressure on families while promoting quality and sustainable education,” she said.
“We encourage stakeholders to report cases of defaulters to the Ministry of Education and we will take the necessary action.”
Meanwhile, netizens have expressed support for the government directive, noting that it will end the era of exploitation of parents by schools, especially the privately-owned ones.
According to them, the decision is apt, considering the hardship families are facing presently and the need for the government to mediate in ensuring that public service institutions do not continue to exploit and extort parents in the name of providing education for their children.
