News
Prof Iredia says Politicians Should Focus on Governance Not Future Elections
The Chancellor of the University of Communication in Benin City, Prof. Tonnie Iredia, has urged Nigerian politicians to shift their attention from constant talk about upcoming elections to the real business of governance.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Thursday, Iredia noted that political leaders often abandon the responsibilities of governance to focus on elections that may still be years away. He stressed that this constant obsession with campaigns and future ambitions robs the people of good leadership and meaningful development.
According to him, politics should have clear stages, campaigns, elections, the establishment of government structures, and then governance. Unfortunately, many leaders skip the most important stage by staying fixated on power rather than service.
Iredia also called on the media to play a stronger role in redirecting politicians to their duties. He said the press must set the agenda by reminding leaders that the time for campaigning is over and the priority now should be projects, policies, and results that directly impact the people.
“This is not the time to talk about who wants to contest again,” he said. “What Nigerians need to hear are the things being done in government, not the next political ambition.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has reportedly declared a strike at Taraba State University over outstanding salary-related demands and delays in payments.
The strike is scheduled to begin today, October 12, 2026. According to the union’s chairman, the union had been engaging the Taraba State Government over its outstanding demands since February 2026.
“The union had exercised considerable patience and demonstrated its commitment to dialogue since February 2026, when it began engaging the Taraba State Government over the outstanding issues,” Mbave said.
“The union had earlier suspended its planned industrial action following an appeal by the government for additional time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, in the interest of maintaining industrial harmony,” the chairman added.
The Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, Torseer Yina, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the ancient town.
The curfew takes effect from Thursday, October 8, 2026, following unrest and violent protests in the area.
According to reports, the action was taken to contain the unrest and violent protests by members of BEMOA following the death of one of its members by unknown gunmen.
The protest, which was reportedly hijacked by hoodlums, turned violent after an angry mob burnt two vehicles belonging to the Benue State Civil Protection Guards.
The Gboko council chairman said the curfew takes effect immediately and warned that anyone caught flouting the order or breaching public peace would be decisively dealt with.
Nine people have died in a fatal road crash along the Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway in Ogun State.
The crash occurred on Monday at about 4:55pm around the Bethel area along the Ijebu-Ode/Ore axis of the expressway. It involved a white Toyota Hiace commercial bus belonging to Delta Line and a white Sino truck operated by Bill Gas Solution Ltd.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), all nine people involved in the crash, comprising three males and six females, died in the incident.
The FRSC said the crash occurred while it was raining and the road was wet, with preliminary investigations identifying speed violation as the probable cause.
The FRSC rescue team arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the report, while the bodies of the victims were taken to the General Hospital Morgue in Ijebu-Ode.
The Ogun State Sector Commander, Oludare Ogunjobi, urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to obey speed limits and exercise extra caution when driving in the rain.
Judge Tells Duane Davis He Must Face Justice for Tupac’s Murder
Timini Egbuson Reflects on Embracing YouTube Movies in Nollywood
