- Dear esteemed readers, it is our pleasure to welcome you to 2026-a year of hope, restoration and pleasant surprises in the country’s socio-economic and political spheres. Although, the challenges of insecurity, exacerbated by kidnappings, banditry and terrorism, still persist across the country, the Federal Government seems to be making some headway in the fight against insurgency, partly due to the United States President Donald Trump’s promptings.
At the sub-national level, Rivers State continues to attract attention post-emergency rule, as the state lawmakers and the executive arm of government headed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara are back in the trenches of political crisis, with threats of impeachment hanging on the governor and the Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Odu.
As things stand, former Governor of the state and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is obsessed with absolute control of the state resources, has refused to back down on his determination to make Rivers ungovernable for the incumbent, insisting that Fubara has breached certain agreements reached prior to his reinstatement on September 18, 2025.
However, feelers from most Nigerians and the presidency (considering the fact that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress has declared Fubara leader of the party in the state following his defection) are that Wike has ostensibly overreached himself in the political crisis that has become the hallmark of Rivers State, which is why most Nigerians are of the view that the FCT Minister’s fall is imminent, but whether he would listen to the voice of reason is another kettle of fish.
Well, the saying that “whom the gods want to destroy, they first make them mad,” may soon apply to recalcitrant Wike, if he does not ‘repent’ and retrace his steps to allow for responsible governance that would lead to the delivery of democracy dividends in Rivers State. The developments in the oil-rich state are captured in our Cover Story captioned: “Rivers Supremacy War: Fubara’s Re-election Coast Clears …As Wike’s Waterloo Draws Closer.”
Besides the Rivers State political quagmire, we offer you other thought-provoking stories, including the unthinkable defection of Atiku Abubakar’s son to the ruling party and his declaration of support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections, Doctors of Perdition and the Makoko Demolition of Deaths, Nigeria’s neglected and unregulated $700 billion solid minerals sector.
In this first edition of the year, we also serve you a rich mélange of stories on plenary health diet, innovations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, as well as encouraging efforts of Customs Controllers from several commands, among others.
With all the pressures of the Janus-faced month, this is the least we can offer you at the start of the year and trust, our best is yet to come. Grab a copy and savour the moment!
