General
SERG Urges Nigerians to Ignore Igbo Elites Fuelling Anti-Obi Campaign
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigerians have been urged to ignore a “few inconsistent and selfish” Igbo elites fuelling the anti-Peter Obi campaign ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
This appeal was made by a prominent pan-Igbo socio-political pressure organisation, the South East Revival Group (SERG).
In a statement, the organisation said these persons were “on a wild goose chase if they believe that any of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidates are interested in uniting the country through fairness and equity as they have equally exhibited selfishness in their quest to emerge as flag bearers.”
SERG was reacting to the reports credited to some elites of South East extraction, which have been making anti-Peter Obi comments.
In a statement signed by its President and National Coordinator, Mr Willy Ezugwu, the group said there was no going back in the “total support for the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, across the country.”
It maintained that “the fact that individuals who are part of the country’s failed leadership are exposing themselves is a good development in the build-up to an emerging new Nigeria.”
Recall that some PDP and APC chieftains have been urging the South East to support their presidential candidates in exchange for their support for the emergence of a South Easterner as President after their tenure.
But SERG said, “We recall that in 2017, a chieftain of the APC, Arthur Eze, had called for support from the people of the South East for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, stressing that it is only through President Buhari that the quest for Igbo presidency can be actualized.
“Arthur Eze, who is the founder and chairman of the oil exploration company, Atlas Oranto Petroleum, made the call in Abakaliki during Buhari’s visit to the state in 2017.
“At the end of the day, the Governor David Umahi he was positioning for President got disappointed when he didn’t get support from Mr President to emerge the presidential candidate of APC, despite dumping his party, the PDP, to join APC in anticipation that President Buhari will endorse him.
“The same game is on ahead of the 2023 presidential election, and this time, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, is the bait they are using to deceive a few Igbo elites that a support for APC or PDP in the presidential election will ensure that a President of Nigeria of Igbo extraction will be made possible whenever the PDP or APC candidate may have finished his tenure.
“If the support of the likes of Arthur Eze and David Umahi for APC did not translate into support for an Igbo to emerge Presidential candidate of the APC in 2023, which is what is fair and just, it will be unthinkable to believe that the emergence of an Igbo as president will be possible as being promised over the years.
“Nigerians are fully aware that it is unjust, unfair and devoid of equity for another Northerner to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. How can a Muslim northerner replace a Muslim northerner in 2023? Is it just? Is it fair? Is equity not lacking in that?
“Nigerians of good conscience know that PDP unjustly denied the Igbos the presidential ticket contrary to its zoning arrangement as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
“In the same vein, it is unfair and unjust to the South East for a Yoruba southerner to succeed President Buhari after Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a Yoruba, completed an eight-year tenure as President and the Yoruba has a sitting Vice-President who would have completed his eight years in 2023.
“As for Senator Adolphus Wabara, who claimed that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will hand over to an Igbo, how can that be when no South East man or woman was good enough for the position of a Vice-President in Atiku’s planned government in 2023?
“Is Senator Wabara telling us that an Atiku who desperately and deliberately usurped the turn of South East in his party and ensured the total desecration of the provision of the PDP constitution on zoning will now hand over to a South East person after his tenure?
“In 2019, Atiku Abubakar enjoyed the total support of the Igbos, but he paid the Igbos back by blocking every possibility of a South Easterner emerging presidential candidate or even a vice presidential candidate of the PDP. So, where is his professed love for Igbos?
“Therefore, we are happy that the 2023 presidential election has become a clear tool in the hand of God, and some individuals who hate Nigeria and love only themselves are being exposed on a daily basis.
“We’re equally happy that people of good conscience across the country, who are obviously in the majority, are rooting for justice and equity, which is what the presidential bid of Peter Obi represents.
“It is a quest for true unity, peace and prosperity of Nigeria as a country.
“Nigerians have seen that Peter Obi is competent, prepared and divinely favoured to win the 2023 presidential election, and they are set to actualise it.
“Peter Obi himself has on several occasions urged Nigerians to vote for him as a Nigerian, not because he is an Igbo man.
“That is a man who has a heart of a true leader and is ready to bring about a new Nigeria where peace and justice shall truly reign for the benefit of Nigerians from all works of life, irrespective of political party affiliation or religious beliefs.
“Peter Obi represents the true Nigerian spirit, not the selfishness of the leaders who have kept the country in captivity over the years for personal benefits.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has announced that Nigeria will launch a new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, 2026, with every home expected to have a unique postcode.
Mr Tijani disclosed the development in a video post on X, describing the new system as a more precise and digitally oriented approach to addressing locations across the country.
He said the initiative would mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s postal addressing system by assigning unique postcodes to individual homes.
The initiative marks a major step in Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. By replacing the outdated numeric-only system, the alphanumeric codes provide a more flexible and scalable framework that can accommodate the country’s rapid urban growth and diverse settlement patterns.
For emphasis, an alphanumeric postcode system is a postal indexing system that uses a combination of both letters (alpha) and numbers (numeric), along with spaces or punctuation, to identify specific geographic locations, streets, or individual buildings for mail delivery.
Unlike purely numeric postcode systems (such as the 5-digit US ZIP Code or 5-digit codes used in some European countries), alphanumeric codes offer a much higher number of unique combinations using fewer total characters. This flexibility allows postal authorities to pinpoint locations with incredible precision, often down to a single side of a street or a specific large building.
“On October 1st 2026 Nigeria’s new Alphanumeric Postcode System goes live,” Mr Tijani said.
“For the first time, every home will be assigned a unique postcode that’s simple, precise and built for a digital future,” he added.
The minister urged Nigerians to prepare to generate their individual postcodes ahead of the launch.
The new system is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s digital addressing infrastructure and improve the identification and location of homes and properties for postal and other location-based services.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s addressing and digital infrastructure.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has been directed to give an account to Nigerians on how the current government has fared since its inception on May 29, 2023.
This directive was given by President Bola Tinubu in a message posted on his verified social media handles on Wednesday.
This coincides with the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates seeking to become the country’s president are eligible to kick off their campaigns from today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
In his message today, Mr Tinubu said, “When we began this journey of reform in 2023, I promised that the difficult decisions we were making would serve the purpose of building an economy that works better for you and a country that is stronger for our children.
“Today, your government presents The Reforms Scorecard. It sets out what our reforms have achieved, what they have cost us, and the greater costs and harms we have prevented by acting when we did.
“I have therefore directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to give an account to Nigerians, to explain the numbers, the choices we have made, the progress recorded, and the work that remains.
“You deserve to see the numbers. You deserve to know what has changed and what these reforms mean for you, your family, your business and our country.
“This is your government. This is your country. This is our account to you.”
Shortly after he took the oath of office over three years ago, President Tinubu declared that subsidies on petroleum products were gone. He later approved foreign exchange (FX) reforms, which devalued the Nigerian Naira, shooting from about N800 per Dollar to nearly N2,000 per Dollar. However, it is currently slightly above N1,340 per Dollar in the official market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE) Limited are advancing discussions on the development of deepwater assets estimated to hold 500 million barrels of oil reserves.
The development followed a meeting between the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, and Agip’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Maurizio Pinna, in Abuja.
The talks focused on ongoing work on deepwater acreage jointly held by NNPC, NAE and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) as well as plans to bring the associated resources into production.
According to NNPC, the acreage comprises the Zabazaba and Etan deepwater fields, with estimated reserves of about 500 million barrels.
The fields are located in Nigeria’s deepwater terrain and are considered significant to the country’s efforts to expand its upstream oil production base, particularly as operators seek to advance projects capable of delivering additional barrels over the medium to long term.
While details of the expected production timeline were not disclosed, the meeting underscores renewed industry focus on unlocking Nigeria’s deepwater resources and growing crude oil production.
The acreage comprises licences converted from OPL 245 and is operated by NAE in partnership with NNPC Limited and SNEPCo.
Mr Ojulari and Mr Pinna also reviewed the work currently underway on the assets and the expected production outlook, with the discussions centred on advancing deepwater development.
The engagement comes amid renewed efforts to attract investment into Nigeria’s offshore petroleum resources and increase national oil production.
