Nkemka jnr Emeniru. A librarian, teacher, farmer. @NEmeniru

Fix three things in Nigeria: EDUCATION, RULE OF LAW, and RELIABLE ELECTRICITY. Get these three right, and the foundations for national prosperity will begin to fall into place. Every presidential candidate should be challenged to present a credible, measurable plan for delivering all three. Nigeria doesn’t lack potential. It lacks functioning systems.

No university lecturer or teacher in Nigeria can afford to buy a brand-new car on their salary alone, not even with car financing. They can barely make ends meet. The very people entrusted with educating our children are suffering.

In this building, students from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands transform their final-year projects into market-ready solutions. They receive funding to bring their innovations to life. Many world-class companies have offices around the university, giving students incredible opportunities to explore, innovate, collaborate and build successful businesses. ASML, now one of Europe’s most valuable companies, has deep roots in Eindhoven’s technology ecosystem. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), can achieve this level of excellence if its leadership has the vision to see what is possible. Universities should not just produce graduates. They should produce solutions, industries and companies that transform economies.

You remember Joy Ezeugwu? the young girl who was expelled from her school in Enugu for exposing the deplorable state of Uwani General Hospital? She started at her new school today. Interestingly, her new school is also her dream university.

The second batch of students from Federal Government Girls’ College, Owerri, is currently participating in the South East Maths & Science Olympiad School-Level Pre-Qualification Examination. We have deliberately made the entire process transparent and inclusive to ensure that no child is left behind. In 10 years, we will build the greatest workforce in Africa.

A Nigerian youth corps member can work for an entire month and still not earn enough to fill the fuel tank of an ordinary car. Think about that. 30 days of work, yet a full tank of fuel remains a luxury. Even garri, once the cheapest refuge of the poor, is becoming unaffordable to the very people who depend on it for survival. This is the devastating reality of poverty in Nigeria. You cannot keep celebrating economic statistics when ordinary citizens cannot afford the basic necessities of life. An economy that looks good on paper but leaves its people hungry is a failed economy for those people. Nigeria needs a fundamental reset.

Starting today and continuing until November 14, we will be conducting the South East Maths & Science Olympiad pre-elimination examinations across all five South-Eastern states. All registered candidates and schools will receive the necessary information and instructions. Our children will be deeply engaged in Mathematics and Science on a scale never before witnessed in the South East. The top-performing students will advance to the State Elimination Examinations, where the best minds will compete for a place in the next stage. We are building a generation of exceptional thinkers, problem-solvers, scientists, and innovators.

We have commenced the pre-elimination stage of the South East Maths & Science Olympiad, which is being conducted in schools across the South East. Very tough competition. This is DMGS, Onitsha. The top performers will advance to the state-level competition, which will be computer-based. The winners at the state level will proceed to the Grand Finale in Enugu, which will be broadcast live on television.

Six years ago, young Nigerians went out to demand something so basic that it should never have required a protest: the right to stay alive in their own country without being brutalised by those paid to protect them. Some never made it home. Six years later, we have moved on with our lives, but some mothers are still waiting for children who will never return. Some families are still living with wounds that no amount of money can heal. What kind of country watches its young people demand an end to police brutality, witnesses the suffering that follows, and still struggles to deliver meaningful accountability six years later? We cannot keep telling young Nigerians to love a country that has not demonstrated enough love for their lives. If the life of a Nigerian citizen can be taken without justice, what exactly is the value of Nigerian citizenship?

Good news! Emmanuela and Jason Ngaha have started school today at Rainbow Bridge College, Enugu. We have restored happiness and hope to their lives. They will achieve greatness, and the world will celebrate them someday.

Alex Onyia @winexviv

2 months ago

I was heartbroken to learn about these students today. Their dad had both kidneys fail and no one could fund their education. They were forced to drop out of school in December last year. Their names are Emmanuella Ngaha and Jason Ngaha. They came by themselves from Owerri to

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The pre-elimination stage of the South East Maths & Science Olympiad is currently underway at Kings Kid School, Ngwo, Enugu. Their toughest exam ever. Over the next 60 days, children across the South East will be on fire for Mathematics and Science! We are grooming the next generation of stars who will make our region and nation proud.

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Tomorrow, Professor F. N. Okeke, the beloved wife of Professor P. N. Okeke, will deliver her valedictory lecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Topic: A Journey in Geomagnetic Research: Discoveries, Contributions and Impact. She is the only Nigerian to have an asteroid named in her honour and is widely regarded as one of Africa’s greatest female physicists of all time.

Eke Urum’s X account has been compromised. He is currently using @rumexx_fdn . He is one of our major supporters at ISEE and has consistently shared intelligent and insightful perspectives on this platform.

The heads of NAFDAC and SON must be held accountable. If they cannot protect Nigerians from dangerous and counterfeit products, they have no business remaining in office. Fake palm oil. Fake drugs. Adulterated rice. Counterfeit biscuits. Unsafe baby food. Substandard consumables. The list is endless! Nigerians are increasingly concerned about kidney failure, cancer and other life-threatening diseases. How much of this suffering is linked to what we eat, drink and consume every day? How many Nigerians must die before consumer protection becomes a national priority? This is no longer just regulatory failure. This is a matter of national survival!

Students’ toilet and hostel at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO). What is all this? We can no longer tolerate this level of decay and neglect in the South East. Our students deserve dignity, decent facilities, and a healthy learning environment. We must stop normalising rubbish!

The so-called big men in Nigeria are all struggling to survive. Watch the political scene and see how hunger, greed, and desperation have eroded common sense.

Students of DMGS, Onitsha, participating in the pre-elimination stage of the South East Maths & Science Olympiad this morning. Education will give our children a strong sense of self-worth. In 10 years, we will lead Africa’s workforce.

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Last week, I met an old friend in Toronto who works as a welder and pipefitter on a new nuclear power plant project in Ontario, Canada. He earns a base salary of $4,000 every two weeks, and with overtime, his earnings can reach as high as $12,000 monthly. He also told me that the Canadian government now offers financial incentives to encourage people to learn skilled trades. One thing is clear: Even as the world goes crazy over AI, skilled trades will never go out of demand. The world will always need people who can build, install, repair, and maintain the infrastructure that keeps society running.

The only chemistry laboratory at Imo State University. What a shame! We can no longer tolerate this level of decay and institutional neglect in the South East. Our students deserve better. This is unacceptable!

Today, we continue the preliminary elimination stage of the South East Maths & Science Olympiad today. This is Dozens College, Umuahia, Abia State.