Author: The North Journals

Renting an apartment in Abuja has become increasingly unaffordable for many residents, forcing a steady migration to nearby towns in Niger and Nasarawa States. The combination of limited affordable housing and Nigeria’s worsening cost of living has made the capital city one of the most expensive places to rent in the country. Under existing tenancy laws, landlords are allowed to request up to one year’s rent in advance. However, many Abuja property owners now demand payments covering two years, putting additional strain on tenants already struggling with inflation. Analysts say weak regulation and market-driven pricing have rendered rent control…

When 22-year-old Miracle Nwobodo left her family home in early 2021 to begin a new life as a police officer, hope was all she carried. Her mother, a widow, had watched with pride as her daughter joined the Nigeria Police Force, believing that her hard-won job would ease their struggle after her husband’s death. But only seven months into her service, that dream ended in tragedy. In March 2021, Miracle was shot dead in Anambra State by gunmen believed to be members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed group allegedly formed by separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu. Witnesses recall…

By Sani Saidu Muhammad (2024/2025 Resilience Fellow, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime) Across Nigeria’s northwest, gold no longer signifies fortune, it signifies fear. In the forests of Birnin Gwari and the valleys of Zamfara, bandits have supplanted governance. Gold has replaced government authority. The soil is rich, yet the people remain impoverished, trapped in a cycle of violence sustained by raw ore. Living Under the Gun Haruna Kabiru’s face is streaked with dust and sweat as he climbs from a shallow pit in midday heat. “We dig because we’re hungry,” he says. “But every dig might be the…

By Fasila Alhassan Chief Executive Officer of Ghana-based Sar Consult, Mr. Saddick Abdul Razack, has urged women bakers and small business owners to treat their customers with respect and professionalism to sustain their businesses. Speaking at a business training session in Kumasi, Mr. Abdul Razack noted that many entrepreneurs lose customers not because their products are substandard, but due to poor customer service. “It is more difficult to keep an existing customer than to get a new one,” he said. “Take your customers seriously so that they will love and defend your brand.” He expressed concern over how some vendors…

As Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections, the signs of democratic decay are unmistakable. With governors quietly collapsing their structures into a single ruling bloc, regional distrust widening, and the spectre of rigging haunting the polls, the country stands on the edge of an unprecedented political reckoning. This investigative editorial examines how another stolen mandate could finally awaken the ghost of 1914, unleashing the buried tensions of a century-old union and forcing Nigeria to confront the question it has long deferred: can a nation built on compromise survive another betrayal at the ballot box? The spectre of Nigeria’s 2027 general…

Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen In the small farming community of Yiwogu, located in Ghana’s Savelugu Municipality, there’s a patch of forest the people call Maltiti, which means “Do something good for us.” It covers about 12-acres of land, but for the people of Yiwogu, Maltiti is more than trees and grass. They see it as a living protector — one that gives them shade, brings rain, and offers peace of mind. For more than thirty years, this sacred forest has stood firm while trees all around it have vanished. It has protected the people — and in return, they have protected it.…

Yola,  In a decisive move aimed at strengthening healthcare education in Adamawa State, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has approved the reopening of Sa’adatu College of Health Technology, Mubi, following a successful review by the Committee on the Establishment of Private Colleges of Health Technology. The governor’s decision comes as part of a broader directive to ensure that all private health institutions in the state meet the minimum operational and academic standards required for effective training and certification in health-related fields. According to the committee’s report, eight other colleges have been granted a 6–12 month grace period to upgrade their infrastructure,…

Five years after the tragic events of October 20, 2020, at the Lekki Toll Gate, the echoes of gunfire and the cries for justice still haunt Nigeria’s collective memory. That night, peaceful young Nigerians—armed only with their voices and dreams—were met with bullets. The #EndSARS protest was never a rebellion; it was a call for dignity, accountability, and the right to live without fear in their own country. Today, that same cry for justice resonates again—this time through the call to #FreeNnamdiKanu. Though the names and faces have changed, the message remains painfully familiar: fairness must not depend on identity,…

Hundreds of Nigerians took to the streets of Abuja on Monday, defying a Federal High Court order to demand the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The demonstrators marched through major roads chanting “Free Nnamdi Kanu,” coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the historic #EndSARS protest movement. Kanu has been in detention since 2021 following his extradition from Kenya. He faces multiple terrorism-related charges and remains in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS), despite numerous court rulings ordering his release. Monday’s march unfolded amid stern warnings from the Nigeria…

The Youth Wing of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has issued a stern warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing them of plotting to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections. The group alleged that the APC is “desperately attempting to buy over weak and inconsequential governors” in a bid to instill fear and discourage voter turnout. Speaking exclusively with The North Journals, Comrade Chika Idoko, Special Adviser on Press and Media Relations to the National Youth Leader of the ADC, said the ruling party has resorted to “political manipulations aimed…