Author: The North Journals

By Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah  Glaucoma is steadily emerging as a major public-health crisis in Nigeria, silently depriving millions of people of their sight while many remain unaware of the disease until it reaches an advanced and irreversible stage. Medical experts are increasingly warning that the condition, which damages the optic nerve and leads to permanent blindness, is one of the most under-recognised yet urgent health threats facing the country today. Speaking during the commemoration of World Glaucoma Day, glaucoma specialist Dr. Magdalene Ajani called for urgent, coordinated national action. She cautioned that millions of Nigerians may already be living with the…

By Ibrahim Babangida Lawal On the southwestern coast of Seychelles, the turquoise waters no longer whisper leisure. They warn. What appears to tourists as a postcard-perfect shoreline on Mahé is, for residents, a frontline in a quiet but relentless battle against coastal erosion. Here, the high-tide mark is no longer a natural boundary. It is an advancing threat. Across West Africa, from the Bight of Benin to the Gambian coast, experts say the unfolding reality in Seychelles may hold urgent lessons for a region facing similar environmental pressures. The Disappearing Shoreline In coastal communities such as Anse Royale and Beau…

By Radia Issah An outreach team from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (CSIR – FORIG) has taken its climate change awareness campaign to Ramseyer Technical Institute in the Ashanti region, aiming to equip students with knowledge on environmental protection and the dangers of illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey. The initiative, organised under the CSIR-FORIG environmental outreach programme, forms part of efforts to promote sustainable environmental practices at the grassroots level. It was led by the Head of the Forest and Climate Change Division at the Forestry Research Institute of…

By Radia Issah Tamale, Ghana In a decisive move to confront the growing threat of climate extremes, researchers, civil society organisations, government officials, and farmers have convened in northern Ghana’s regional capital, Tamale, to chart practical solutions to recurring floods and droughts devastating vulnerable communities. The gathering, which brought together about 38 stakeholders, formed part of the second phase of the Pan-African and Transdisciplinary Lens in the Margins: Tackling the Risks of Extreme Events (PALM-TREEs) project. The initiative focuses on developing inclusive strategies to address climate risks, particularly among marginalised populations disproportionately affected by environmental shocks. Participants at the workshop…

A new digital platform designed to strengthen peacebuilding coordination and improve access to peace-related data has been introduced under the initiative known as the Nigeria Peace Web (NPW), according to a policy brief released in March 2026. The platform, developed by researchers including George Biesmans, Dr. Timipere F. Allison, Dr. Saheed B. Owonikoko, and Distinct I. Obuzor, seeks to address what experts describe as a critical gap in how peacebuilding activities are documented and analysed across Nigeria. Bridging the Peace Data Gap According to the policy brief, while Nigeria has developed relatively strong systems for documenting violent conflicts and security…

Professor Chris Kwaja is a son of the Plateau and global citizen whose mind has travelled the world in search of answers to the very problems our communities face today. As a Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, his voice has echoed in some of the most respected global policy rooms. From Accra to Washington, Dakar to Geneva, Addis Ababa to Abidjan where the future of peace, security, democracy, and development in Africa is debated and shaped. For over two decades he has sat among global experts…

Support is building for Professor Chris Kwaja as a potential candidate for the Senate seat representing Plateau North, with admirers pointing to his international policy experience and long-standing involvement in peace and security research. Kwaja, a professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, has spent more than two decades contributing to discussions on conflict, governance, and development across Africa and beyond. Over the years, he has participated in strategic dialogues and policy conferences organised by major international institutions including the United States Institute of Peace, the African Development…

The Nationwide Aspirants Seminar Planning Committee (NASEPCO) of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on Nigerian youths and women to actively seek political offices, stressing that meaningful democratic inclusion can only be achieved when they move beyond voting to contesting for leadership positions. In a press statement issued on March 7, the committee said the long-held slogan that “youths are the leaders of tomorrow” has become increasingly frustrating for many young Nigerians, arguing that the time has come for youths and women to assume leadership roles in the country’s political system. The statement, signed by the committee’s Publicity Secretary,…

As the world commemorates International Women’s Day 2026, the Country Chair of the G100 Mission Million SDG Wing Nigeria, Amb. Dr. Tracey Chizoba Fletcher, has called for concrete action to advance gender equality, urging governments, institutions, and individuals to move beyond rhetoric and deliver meaningful change for women and girls. In a statement marking the global observance on March 8, Fletcher said this year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” highlights the need for deliberate investment in women’s empowerment as a pathway to stronger economies, better governance, and safer societies. “International Women’s Day is not only a day of celebration; it is…

The office of the National Youth Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has constituted a planning committee to organise a nationwide seminar aimed at preparing youth and women aspiring for political offices within the party. In an appointment letter dated March 6, 2026, the National Youth Leader of the party, Balarabe Rufa’i, announced the formation of the committee to coordinate a two-day Nationwide Aspirants’ Seminar focused on promoting 35 per cent youth and 35 per cent women participation in the party’s political processes. The initiative, according to the letter issued from the Office of the National Youth Leader, is…