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BREAKING: Political Scientist, Dr. Agih Abdul Micah, Appointed Deputy Dean, Students’ Affairs at PAAU


ANYIGBA, KOGI STATE — The Vice-Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU), Anyigba, Professor Salisu Usman Ogbo has approved the appointment of Dr. Agih Abdul Micah as Deputy Dean, Students’ Affairs, in a move aimed at strengthening students’ administration in the institution.


Dr. Micah, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and a scholar of Political Economy, was until his appointment actively involved in teaching, researches, and several administrative responsibilities within the university.


Known among colleagues and students for his commitment, discipline, and dedication to duty, the new Deputy Dean has previously served the university in a number of strategic roles. These include Level Adviser in the Department of Political Science, Chairman of the Examination Monitoring Committee, as well as Member of the Students’ Organizing Committee.


University sources said the appointment reflects the Vice-Chancellor’s confidence in Dr. Micah’s capacities, experiences, and track records of service to contributing meaningfully to students’ management and welfare at the institution.

Dr. Micah is expected to support the Dean of Students’ Affairs in coordinating student-related policies, promoting disciplines, and enhancing the overall welfare and engagement of students within the university community.

Monday 9th March, 2026.

𝐈𝐤𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

An Ikorodu teacher, Mrs. Rukayat, is facing a life sentence, or at least 20 years in prison, after being accused of stripping, touching the chest, and defiling a 3-year-old child with a Biro. This shocking development comes despite police discarding initial statements and a series of inconsistent testimonies from the child's father.

The ordeal began in October 2021 when a parent claimed her 3-year-old, Aduke, returned home and resisted having her private parts washed. Aduke allegedly stated that a classmate, Toluwani, had inserted a pencil into her. This was reported to Mrs. Rukayat and the headmaster.

Mrs. Rukayat, a mother of one and three months pregnant at the time, vehemently denied the possibility, explaining that male and female students were kept separate in the classroom, and any such incident would have been noticed by her assistant or nanny, or the lack of any male staff.

The following day, Aduke's father took her to Ikorodu General Hospital, where doctors confirmed a small tear in her va**na. The father attempted to have Toluwani arrested, but police deemed the young boy incapable, noting Aduke was older and larger. Instead, the headmaster and Mrs. Rukayat were arrested and pressured to confess. They were later bailed by the school owner. Mrs. Rukayat tragically suffered a miscarriage in detention due to torture and starvation.

Initially charged with negligence, the case took a bizarre turn. After police investigations seemed to corroborate the teachers' account, Aduke's father insisted on proceeding to court. He then changed Aduke's testimony, first accusing the school owner, and then the school bus driver.

In both instances, police investigations proved these claims false, confirming the owner had no presence at the school and Aduke was never alone with the driver.

When the case reached the magistrate court in Ikeja, the father failed to produce Aduke's alleged torn uniform and stained underwear, eventually ceasing his court appearances. The case went cold until March 2025.

Suddenly, an NGO conducted a "forensic interview" and a GBV report emerged, stating that Aduke had finally recalled the "true" events: Mrs. Rukayat, the then-pregnant teacher, was the one who stripped, caressed her chest, and repeatedly penetrated her with a Biro.

Based on this, all other parties—Toluwani, the school, the headmaster, the bus driver, and the assistant teacher—were discharged. Mrs. Rukayat, pregnant again and at risk of another miscarriage, was declared guilty, facing a life sentence without any new evidence or independent investigation.
In March 2025, she was abducted by police, accused of evading court, and held with her 9-month-old baby for four days at Kirikiri before being bailed. Since then, she has been continuously battling in court.

Mrs. Rukayat, whose salary was a mere ₦20,000, now believes only another forensic GBV report can save her, though she still anticipates a 5-10 year jail term. Her next hearing is March 12th, and she is desperately calling on the Lagos State Government to intervene in this case from Imota, Ikorodu.

Odaudu Joel Minister writes from United Kingdom!

It's truly something to behold – the way Idris HK, a native son of Ajaka Ward 1, has been openly disavowed, publicly shamed, and dragged through the mud by his own kinsmen within the APC. This isn't an isolated incident; it's a stark reflection of what Igala politics has become. We saw it first with Muri Ajaka in 2023, and now it's Idris HK's turn. Both are individuals who, within their means, have genuinely tried to make a difference in their communities and contribute to the larger Igala society.

Yet, it’s depressingly predictable to watch their own people be rallied, often with external backing, to tear them down and invalidate their efforts. This damaging pattern has unfortunately solidified into a recurring trait of our political landscape in Igalaland. Instead of nurturing and safeguarding those who show promise or offer service, we seem intent on self-sabotage, dismantling them from within.

Meanwhile, Yahaya Bello and his coterie of political opportunists have been keenly observing these internal fissures. To be brutally honest, the Ebira political establishment has meticulously dissected our vulnerabilities and now understands us all too well. The Ebira people have us figured out, plain and simple.

It's precisely this entrenched dynamic that led me to step away from anything to do with Igala politics a long time ago. If you value your peace of mind and want to steer clear of unnecessary stress and high blood pressure, my advice is to disengage from Igala politics and its cast of characters for the foreseeable future.

The Igala people, at their core, are simply not ready for the kind of deep self-reflection and strategic overhaul that their current political mess urgently demands. They haven't reached that point yet.
When that moment of genuine readiness finally arrives – when there's a sincere, collective determination to reclaim political relevance and authority – they will undoubtedly rediscover voices and perspectives that are currently being ignored.

Whenever they're prepared to break free from the chains of political subservience that currently bind them, they will step forward and seek out those with the strategic foresight, practical political acumen, and intellectual clarity needed to tackle the political disaster they now face.

For my part, I'll continue to keep my distance from the daily political drama unfolding in Igala affairs. I choose to protect my peace, safeguard my well-being, and let time and reality unfold as they inevitably will.

𝑨𝒕𝒊𝒌𝒖 & 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉-𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝑫𝑪 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔

Yesterday, former vice president Atiku Abubakar met with key ADC South East and Igbo leaders at Chikwe Udensi's Abuja residence. The private meeting, held last night, centered on potential political collaboration ahead of the ADC presidential primary. Attendees included Senator Augustine Akobundu, Chief Chekwas Okorie, Emeka Nwajiuba, and other prominent figures.

The family of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has strongly denied the claims made by the ICPC regarding a raid on his Abuja home.

The ICPC stated they found "sophisticated phone-tapping equipment and sensitive security documents," but El-Rufai's son, Hon. Mohammed El-Rufai (representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency), issued a statement on Monday calling these assertions "false and politically motivated."

He clarified that no advanced tapping gear was confiscated during the search.

According to Mohammed El-Rufai, only "old discarded personal mobile phones… storage devices like flash drives and laptops" were removed from the property.

His mother, Hadiza El-Rufai, backed up this account on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "I was there. No such equipment was found. They lie. But why? An agency with no credibility at all."

Protest Erupts in Sokoto State as Nigerian Muslims Mourn Death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Putin!

BREAKING: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed dead after Israeli strike

Credit - Fox News

BREAKING NEWS

The U.S. Naval Base in Bahrain was struck by Iranian ballistic missiles.

Ballistic missiles fired from Iran are intercepted by Israel’s air defense system as seen from Jerusalem.

Photos by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Rejoinder: Setting the record straight on Ugep FedPoly Rectorship

Dr. Inyali Peter’s recent publication titled “Is C’River Really Surrendering Fed Poly Ugep Rectorship to Kogi?” reflects a deeply troubling mindset, one that mistakes federal institutions for ethnic property and merit-based appointments for territorial surrender. While his passion for the state is commendable, the conclusions drawn in his write-up unfortunately mischaracterize both the process and the broader principles that govern federal institutions in Nigeria.

Let me begin by dismantling the flawed premise upon which his argument rests: Federal Polytechnic Ugep is a federal institution, not an appendage or provincial parastatal of Cross River State. It is a creation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, constituted and regulated under extant federal statutes, including the Polytechnic Act 2019 (as amended). Its leadership is neither the outcome of provincial bargaining nor ethnic brokerage. Rather, it emerges from a rigorously competitive process conducted by the duly constituted Governing Council and subsequently ratified by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in strict conformity with the law.

The appointment of Dr. Makoji Stephen was executed in scrupulous adherence to due process. Interview scores were meticulously documented. The Governing Council discharged its statutory mandate by forwarding its recommendation. The President, exercising constitutional prerogative, granted approval. To insinuate that the emergence of a Kogi indigene amounts to Cross River “surrendering” something is not merely inaccurate; it is intellectually untenable. Such framing reflects a misapprehension of the very architecture of federalism. Federal institutions are conceived as instruments of national integration, not bastions of subnational exclusivity. If every state were to insist that only its indigenes may preside over federal establishments within its territorial bounds, we would corrode the foundations of national cohesion and imperil the ethos of the Nigerian federation.

It is worth asking, Dr. Inyali: how many Cross River indigenes currently serve as Heads, Directors, or Principal Officers in federal institutions located outside Cross River State? Should those states demand their removal on the basis of indigeneity? That would set a dangerous and divisive precedent. The strength of Nigeria lies in reciprocity and openness, not territorial ownership of federal establishments.

Dr. Inyali also asks: “Which state in Nigeria today has a non-indigene serving as Rector of a federal polytechnic located in its territory?” The answer is straightforward: several states. Federal institutions across Nigeria are headed by Nigerians from diverse states because they are intentionally structured to promote national integration, not parochial consolidation.

However, that should not have been the question in the first place. The more pertinent questions are these: Was the process transparent? Was it competitive? Is the appointee qualified? Does he or she possess the requisite administrative and academic competence to lead the institution effectively? If the answer to these questions is yes, then what the institution deserves is support, not agitation.

The students’ protest he referenced was precipitated by calculated disinformation, the spurious narrative that a Cross River indigene emerged first in the selection process. Documentary evidence incontrovertibly establishes otherwise. If merit is to retain any normative value within our educational architecture, it must be upheld not only when it favours us, but also when it does not.

Even more disconcerting is the insinuation that only an indigene can safeguard opportunities for locals. Such reasoning reduces leadership to ethnic patronage and diminishes the institutional integrity to parochial calculus. Sustainable academic excellence is anchored in competence, transparency and visionary governance, not in the accident of geographical origin. Simply put, competence, transparency and institutional growth, not ethnicity, are what sustain academic institutions.

The campus land may have been donated by Cross River State, but the institution itself is federally owned and funded by Nigerian taxpayers from all 36 states. By that logic, should every federal institution sit under ethnic control based on land donation? That would dismantle the very idea of Nigeria as a country.

Dr. Inyali frames this appointment as a “dangerous precedent.” On the contrary, the dangerous precedent would have been discarding a transparent, competitive process in favour of ethnic pressure. Nigeria’s higher education system already battles credibility challenges. What it does not need is intellectual justification for ethnic gatekeeping. The appointment of Dr. Makoji Stephen is not a loss for Cross River. It is a gain for Federal Polytechnic Ugep. His credentials, academic experience and international exposure are public record. Leadership should not be viewed through the narrow lens of state of origin but through the broader lens of institutional advancement.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Cross River has produced brilliant academics. But brilliance must compete and win on merit. That is how institutions grow. That is how standards are preserved. History will not remember whether the rector was from Kogi or Cross River. It will remember whether the institution progressed under his leadership.

Dr. Inyali, this moment calls not for agitation, but for maturity. Your vigilance reflects love for Cross River State. However, love for our state must not translate into suspicion of fellow Nigerians or resistance to lawful processes. Rather than framing this appointment as ethnic displacement, it would serve Cross River State better to demonstrate political sophistication and intellectual generosity. Federal Polytechnic Ugep can only rise when stakeholders rally behind its leadership, not undermine it from inception.

Dr. Makoji Stephen is both competent and duly appointed in accordance with the law. As he assumes leadership of the institution, what is required now is cooperation, constructive engagement, vigilant yet fair oversight, the goodwill of the host community, and a stable environment that fosters the academic and administrative advancement of Federal Polytechnic, Ugep. Leadership is judged by performance. The new Rector should therefore be assessed on the strength of his vision, his fairness, his administrative prudence, his commitment to staff development and student welfare, and his capacity to drive infrastructural growth, not on the basis of his state of origin.

I therefore urge you and all well-meaning indigenes of Cross River State to jettison animosity, resist divisive rhetoric, and instead extend a hand of cooperation to the new Rector. The success of the new Rector will ultimately benefit the students, staff and host community alike.

Let us choose collaboration over confrontation. Let us choose institutional excellence over ethnic sentiment. Let us choose progress.

By and large, Federal Polytechnic Ugep must be a symbol of academic excellence, not a battleground for ethnic sentiment. The future of the institution depends not on where the rector comes from, but on what all of us are willing to build together.

— Odaudu Joel Minister