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TACKLING INSECURITY IN ENUGU: Stakeholders Accuses Mbah Of Illegitimacy
The Enugu State Stakeholders Forum (ESSF) has ascribed the failure of the state government’s cancellation of the Monday sit-at-home order to the lack of legitimacy by the new Peter Mbah government that came into being last May 29.
In a statement in Enugu today signed by the ESSF’s leader, Professor Joseph Aneke, and the secretary, Dr Ifeanyi Agbo, the stakeholders said that what would have been a good government initiative failed spectacularly because Mbah did not think through it before announcing it.
“Mbah has been desperate to do something popular to get accepted by the Enugu people because he and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government did not win the March 18 gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections”, declared the stakeholders.
“He merely hit upon the idea of ending the illegal sit-at-home declared by nonstate actors; it is a brainwave rather than a sound government policy”.
The ESSF observed that if the government had thought through it, the administration would have first called a meeting of stakeholders to discuss the government’s new step to end insecurity and provide honest suggestions on the way forward which all groups would accept to implement from an agreed day.
The ESSG regretted that with “the government order failing as most Enugu people last Monday observed sit-at-home as usual, out of fear of vicious attacks by nonstate actors, the state government took a panic measure by calling for a meeting of all kinds of stakeholders yesterday (Saturday) at the Old Governor’s Lodge in GRA, Enugu.
“The meeting should have been called before announcing the cancellation as no right-thinking person puts the cart before the horse.
“The central issue in ending the destructive sit-at-home order is deploying security forces everywhere, from markets to government offices to motor parks to major and minor roads, and all other public places.
“The people will defy IPOB and its agents once there is a fair assurance of security”.
The group also faulted the government for implementing the cancellation before the appointment of key government officials.
“It is top government officials like the Commissioner for Security and the Special Adviser on Security who will drive the implementation of this security step and take responsibility for it, not just the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, a fellow Nkanu person who is the only person appointed by Mbah since assumption of office”.
The ESSF criticised the meeting at the Old Governor’s Lodge “for having only one item on the agenda: endorsement of the anti-sit-at-home order, which looks pretty sycophantic.
“It should have discussed in a serious manner modalities for the success of the government’s cancellation of the order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that has been taking a tremendous toll on the entire people of the Southeast.
“The government’s resounding failure or inability to think correctly before taking action is what normally obtains when the people did not choose a government, and so does all manner of things to gain acceptance.
“Security is not provided through populism and all such acts of playing to the gallery”.
In a somber development for Nigeria’s journalism community, Yakubu Mohammed, a co-founder of the iconic Newswatch magazine and its former deputy chief executive officer, has died at the age of 75.
Mohammed’s passing, announced recently, follows closely on the heels of the death of his longtime colleague and fellow co-founder, Dan Agbese, who succumbed to a prolonged illness on November 17, 2025, at age 81.
This marks yet another significant loss among the pioneering generation that launched Newswatch in 1984, revolutionizing investigative journalism in Nigeria.
Alongside Dan Agbese, Ray Ekpu, and the late Dele Giwa (who was tragically assassinated via a parcel bomb in 1986), Mohammed helped establish Newswatch as a trailblazing weekly newsmagazine known for its bold, fearless reporting and commitment to truth during a turbulent era in Nigerian history.
Reports indicate that Mohammed had been battling an undisclosed ailment before his death. Just months prior, in October 2025, he released his memoir, Beyond Expectations, which provides deep insights into the magazine’s founding, its challenges, and its enduring impact on Nigerian media.
The deaths of Agbese and now Mohammed represent profound blows to the legacy of Newswatch, which set new standards for ethical, investigative, and interpretative journalism in the country.
Tributes are expected to pour in from media practitioners, political leaders, and the public as the nation mourns another pillar of its press freedom movement. May his soul rest in perfect peace.
News
U.S. delivers ‘critical military assets’ to battle terrorists, bandits
Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, visited the U.S. to quicken the process for the supply of 12 AH-1Z fighter jets by Bell Textron of California.AH-1Z, a modern attack helicopter, is equipped with advanced sensors and precision-guided weapons with night-fighting capabilities.
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM), has confirmed the delivery of critical military supplies to Nigeria to support the ongoing security operations against terrorists and other non-state actors.
“This delivery supports Nigeria’s ongoing operations and emphasises our shared security partnership,” said AFRICOM on its official X account yesterday.
AFRICOM, however, did not name the “critical military” tools.
Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, visited the U.S. to quicken the process for the supply of 12 AH-1Z fighter jets by Bell Textron of California.AH-1Z, a modern attack helicopter, is equipped with advanced sensors and precision-guided weapons with night-fighting capabilities.
The supply of the critical military tools came after Washington launched deadly strikes on terrorists in the Northwest on December 24.
News
World Bank projects Nigeria’s urban population to reach 264m by 2050
According to the report entitled ‘Multi-sector analytical review and pathway to transformation’, Nigeria’s urban population has grown exponentially over the last 65 years – from just under seven million in 1960 to over 128 million in 2024, with nearly half the urban population living in slums.
• Lagos Business District
The World Bank says that people living in Nigerian cities will over the next 25 years reach 264 million from the current 140.3 million people.
The Bank made the projection in its Global Economic Prospects report, released yesterday, also forecasts that the Nigerian economy will grow by 4.4 percent in 2026 and maintain that pace in 2027.
In the report, Nigeria is expected to be the third most populous country in the world, after China and India
According to the report entitled ‘Multi-sector analytical review and pathway to transformation’, Nigeria’s urban population has grown exponentially over the last 65 years – from just under seven million in 1960 to over 128 million in 2024, with nearly half the urban population living in slums.
It is projected that 70 percent of the population will live in urban areas by 2050, with cities at the centre of the country’s economic future.
BREAKING: Another Newswatch Magazine Co-Founder Passes Away – Yakubu Mohammed Dies at 75
U.S. delivers ‘critical military assets’ to battle terrorists, bandits
World Bank projects Nigeria’s urban population to reach 264m by 2050
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