News
Coalition Criticizes Peter Obi Over Alleged Student Killings at Auchi Polytechnic
Mariam Abeeb
The Coalition of Civil Society Groups on Transparency in Governance have faulted presidential hopeful, Mr. Peter Obi for allegedly buying into the false narrative that students of the Auchi polytechnic were being maimed and killed by security agents.
The coalition led by its convener, Prince Danesi Momoh and Comrade Igwe Ude-umanta, co-convener at a press conference on Friday in Abuja wondered why a man of Mr. Peter Obi’s public and political standing could jump on a bandwagon and totally de-market and smear a thriving institution like Auchi Polytechnic.
The coalition noted that Obi’s intervention furher heightened anxiety amongst parents, guardians and the public who felt that the students are facing grave danger or dire security challenge.
“This unnecessary aggravation put more pressure on the school and Auchi town due to overstretched anxiety. Though we are aware of Mr. Obi’s political attention seeking schemes, which are within his rights; we are sore worried about why he will post an unverified news, even when he can easily access institutions that can give him the correct information,” they added.
“For a man who always charged us to “go and verify”, this is distasteful, because we have now verified and the result is the very opposite of what Mr. Obi posted. Yes, Obi lied; indeed he lied hard!We hope that he will have the humility to apologise and retract his statement.”
The coalition contended that security reports and report of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) who are officially accredited observers confirm that it was not a question of lack of security or management negligence, but clearly the work of fifth columnists who had concealed ulterior motives.
They added that the alleged sabotage led to allowing access to some members of the local community into the school to disrupt the election of the students union government (SUG) when their preferred candidate was clearly losing. These locals carried knives to scare students.
The coalition called for the immediate suspension of the SUG till all the surrounding and emerging issues are sorted stressing the need for an interim arrangement to be put in place for a very brief period for students- management engagements, since nature abhors vacuum.
Among others, they called for the consideration of electronic voting system in the future, especially in line with the innovations and excellence being vigorously pursued by the present leadership of Auchi Poly.
They thereby wished the Rector of the institution, Dr. S. S. Umar, his team, the Governing Council and indeed the ever resilient students all the best just as they applauded their prompt response to the disruption of activities in the institution of higher learning.
News
Tin City Warms Up for President Tinubu as North Central Embraces Renewed Hope
By Sunday Dare
When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu berths on the plains and rolling hills that dominate the Jos landscape tomorrow, he will meet a people resourceful, friendly and resilient but weighed down by conflict, yet unbowed by adversity.
So, tommorrow, national attention turns to the Plateau- a locale laden with history and rich with potential. From the tin mines that gave the city of Jos its name, to the Irish potato, strawberry farms and beetroot plantations that dot its landscape, Jos remains a land of promise—truly the Home of Peace and Tourism.
Jos is also deeply woven into Nigeria’s political history. Plateau is home to towering figures such as Generals JD Gomwalk, Yakubu Gowon, John Shagaya, Joshua Dogoyaro, and Jerry Useni. Solomon Lar, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and numerous others also stand tall in the annals Plateau political history.
Jos was also the rallying ground of the famed Langtang Mafia—a group of influential military officers from Langtang in Plateau State who, at the height of their power, played a significant role in Nigeria’s political and military affairs.
The story of Jos is both exciting and excruciating. The city lost its innocence some two and a half decades ago, when the popular Terminus Market was reduced to rubble through acts of arson and looting.
Thus at the turn of the millennium by 2001, Jos—and by extension, Plateau—was thrown into a cycle of unending conflict. Ethnic tensions, clothed in religious garb, tore through the city and spread across the state, dragging Jos into an abyss of violence, almost of Kigali proportions. Peace gave way to war, and tourism jaunts became undertakings to the undertaker.
Yet Jos has never surrendered. Every time it is written off, it rises again—scarred, but resilient. With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious fabric, the Plateau continues to trudge on in pursuit of peace, development, and egalitarian ideals.
It was here, in Jos, that Nigeria’s democratic resurgence was birthed. The historic SDP convention, where late General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Moshood Abiola held sway, took place in this city. Jos gave political life to Abiola, our hero of democracy in 1992
Now, thirty three years later, another hero of democracy and of the June 12 struggle returns to the Plateau. President Tinubu’s return and visit to Plateau State is not just to honor the transition to glory of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the APC National Chairman.
It is a visit that carries deeper meaning—one of empathy, solidarity, and renewed hope for a people who have endured decades of turmoil. It is a mission to preach peace, console the bereaved, bind wounds, and assure Plateau of its central place in the Nigerian project.
Mr President comes not just to mourn, but to reconnect. He comes to parley with the North Central, to commiserate with a people who have suffered, and to extend the hand of renewed hope. That Renewed Hope is laying a solid foundation as evidenced by Naira at N1,455 per dollar, rising Foreign Reserves at $43bn, Trade surplus heading for N25tr. Revenues up 411% and Inflation down to about 20 per cent. Over 600,000 students benefiting from NELFUND.
This visit is more than ceremonial. It is a journey into the very soul of a people who have known pain, yet remain resilient; a land scarred by conflict, yet still brimming with hope and promise. As the Tin City opens its arms, Jos will not just receive the President—it will receive a message of solidarity, healing, and renewal.
Tomorrow is about remembering the glorious past, confronting the present, and charting a path to a peaceful and prosperous Plateau within a united Nigeria. With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Jos once again stands at the intersection of history and destiny.
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