Author: The North Journals

By Comrade Balarabe Rufai Youth Leader, African Democratic Congress (Opinion) When this administration speaks about tax reform, it hides cruelty behind polite language. Officials say “broaden the base” and “improve compliance” while young Nigerians skip meals, close businesses, and abandon hope. These policies are not neutral. They are not technical. They are choices. And for two years, every major choice has pushed young people closer to the edge. There is no positive youth facing policy to point to. No safety net built before taxes were raised. No jobs created before costs exploded. What we have seen instead is a steady…

By Aminu Adamu A new conflict assessment by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) warns that the Sahel is entering a dangerous new phase as militant groups expand their operations beyond Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger and apply coordinated strategies of “economic warfare” aimed at destabilising military governments and crippling national economies. The Conflict Watchlist 2026 report, released on 11 December, shows that previously separate conflict zones in the Sahel and coastal West Africa are converging into one interconnected theatre of violence. This emerging belt of instability now stretches from Mali through Burkina Faso and Niger into…

By Aminu Adamu A prolonged dry spell in 2024 devastated farms across Adamawa State, leading to crop losses of up to 46 percent and exposing deep vulnerabilities in rain-fed agriculture, according to a new research report presented at the December meeting of the Adamawa Climate Change Sector Working Group (CCSWG) in Yola. The event also marked the official unveiling of the Savannah Climate Research Centre (SCRC), a newly established institution expected to strengthen climate research, agricultural resilience and policy decisions in the state. The report, presented by Professor Abel A. Adebayo, Director of the new centre, described the 2024 episode…

The Federal Government has unveiled three flagship education policies designed to strengthen teaching quality, improve school safety, and integrate out-of-school children into formal learning an intervention officials describe as central to advancing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. The new frameworks, launched in Abuja by the Federal Ministry of Education, include the National Teachers Policy, the Guidelines Against Drug and Substance Use in Schools, and the National Policy on Almajiri Education. Collectively, they mark one of the administration’s most ambitious efforts to address long-standing gaps in Nigeria’s education sector. Speaking at the launch, Minister of Education Tunji Alausa said the…

The Federal Government has announced a sweeping reform prohibiting Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) from collecting cash for any form of revenue, directing all payments to be conducted strictly through Point of Sale (POS) machines and other approved digital platforms. The directive, part of a new initiative known as the Revenue Operational and Payment System (RevOP), is designed to eliminate leakages, strengthen transparency and enable real-time tracking of government income. According to government officials, the RevOP system will provide an end-to-end digital trail for all revenue inflows, ensuring that payments are captured instantly and monitored centrally. The move aligns with…

By Acheli Fwa Four years after surviving a brutal acid attack in Adamawa State, no suspect has been arrested, leaving a young woman, Miss Eve Usman Kwala, trapped in a cycle of pain, trauma and financial ruin. Miss Kwala, a resident of New Nigeria in Yola South Local Government Area, said the attack which damaged her ear, chest and breast has left her struggling physically and emotionally. Speaking with journalists, she recounted the night that changed her life on 10 December 2021, around 8 p.m., at Ribadu Square, Yola. “I went to eat at my stepmother’s place. As I was…

By Acheli Fwa A growing wave of disappearances in Adamawa State has thrown several communities into panic, as residents report that people of all ages have gone missing within 48 hours without a trace. Families of the missing persons say they are distressed and helpless, while many members of the public express fear over what they describe as a worsening pattern of kidnappings and unexplained disappearances across the state. One of the recent cases involves a seven-year-old boy, Simon Samson Ibrahim, who was last seen on Sunday in the Bachure community of Yola North Local Government Area. According to his…

By Ibrahim Babangida Lawal Jaiz Bank Plc and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen and expand the Hajj Savings Scheme (HSS), in a move expected to significantly reshape the financing landscape for Nigerian pilgrims. The agreement, endorsed during a high-level engagement in Abuja, brings together Jaiz Bank and other partnering financial institutions in a renewed commitment to deepen transparency, enhance operational efficiency, and broaden access for Muslims preparing for the annual pilgrimage to the Holy Land. According to Jaiz Bank officials, the revamped framework ensures a seamless, fully Shariah-compliant…

By Ibrahim Babangida Lawal Nigeria has completed the construction and full furnishing of the $5 billion African Energy Bank (AEB) headquarters in Abuja, marking a major milestone in the continent’s push for energy financing autonomy and infrastructure development. The state-of-the-art complex, located in the Federal Capital Territory, positions Nigeria at the heart of Africa’s emerging energy financing architecture. The bank—jointly promoted by the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank)—is expected to provide critical funding for oil, gas, and cleaner energy projects across the continent. The African Energy Bank is envisioned as a continental response to…

By Comrade Chika Idoko Enugu State is approaching a critical political moment. Across the state, residents are expressing growing frustration over what they see as worsening economic hardship, intensified taxation, and policies that undermine livelihoods under the administration of Governor Peter Mbah. From Nsukka to Udi, Nkanu to Oji River, the sentiment is becoming consistent: 2027 must mark a decisive shift, and the people are preparing to reclaim their state. In a briefing with journalists, I, Comrade Chika Idoko, former African Democratic Congress (ADC) Senatorial Candidate for Enugu North, issued a call for political renewal rooted in both civic responsibility…