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Can Nigerians Still Trust the Skies? The Questions Behind Nigeria’s Troubled Airline Industry

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By Blessing Iriaka Between 2025 and the middle of 2026, I personally counted more than 10 reports involving aircraft incidents, flight delays, cancellations and other disruptions involving airlines operating in Nigeria. As a journalist who travels by air and as a passenger who has experienced some of these disruptions myself, I found myself asking a bigger question: What is the fate of the airline business in Nigeria? The question is not whether airlines should operate in Nigeria. Air travel has become an important part of how Nigerians move across the country and beyond it. The question is whether the systems surrounding the industry are working well enough to guarantee safety, professionalism, accountability, and respect for passengers. There is a tendency to think that an airline business is simply about having an aircraft, hiring a pilot and transporting passengers. It is much more complicated. Nigeria has a regulatory framework governing civil aviation. The Civil Aviation Act 2022...
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KELECHI UZOMAH: THE BLACKMAILER WHO COULD NOT GET ATTENTION

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Kizito Duru I read the rebuttal issued by the Okigwe Zone Youths Mandate with keen interest. It was as revealing as it was instructive. One key takeaway is that a person who presents himself as the National President of an organisation to which, according to the organisation itself, he does not belong, has a serious problem of moral standing when he lectures a politician on character, responsibility and readiness for public office.  The Okigwe Zone Youths Mandate did not merely disagree with Kelechi Uzomah's publication. It categorically stated that he is not a member of the association and has never been its National President. That clarification changes the colour of the entire publication because it means that a man who was not speaking for the organisation presented himself as though he was. When a political argument begins by borrowing an identity and authority that the owners of that identity say you do not possess, it becomes difficult to take the moral lecture t...
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How Assumptions Are Costing Us More Than We Realize

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In a world where communication is supposed to be easier than ever, misunderstandings still thrive and at the heart of many of them lies one quiet but powerful culprit: assumption . Assumptions have taken more from us than we often care to admit. They have shattered meaningful relationships, weakened friendships, disrupted beautiful unions, and even derailed dreams that once held so much promise.  Many things that were meant to last have ended, not because of truth, but because of what people thought was true. I remember one time, I had a health challenge and received help from someone. It was a moment that required support, and thankfully, help came.  However, what should have remained a simple act of kindness became something else in the eyes of onlookers. People who did not understand the situation began to interpret it through their own lenses. Their assumptions became visible, not just in whispers, but in their expressions, their tone, and even their greeting...
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₦1 Trillion and Counting: Will Imo’s 2026 Budget Become Development or Just Another Number?

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  Blessing Iriaka et Chimezie Ebosie during an interview session.  By Blessing Iriaka  A budget can look impressive on paper. Billions allocated to roads. Billions for power. Billions for education. Billions for health and other public services.    But the real question is not how much government plans to spend. It is what citizens will actually see at the end of the year.    That question became particularly important to me while examining Imo State's 2026 budget, estimated at more than ₦1 trillion, following concerns about the implementation of the state's 2025 budget.    During a conversation with Chimezie Ebosie, Imo State Officer of BudgIT Foundation, on my programme, Eye on Corruption, we examined what the 2025 experience could teach citizens about the year ahead.    The size of Imo's 2026 budget is significant. It is reportedly the largest budget in the state's history, with increased revenue projections partly linked to rece...
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Is the U.S. Really Banning Nigerians?

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  By Blessing Iriaka When news of a U.S. visa restriction involving Nigeria began circulating, one question seemed to be everywhere: “Does this mean Nigerians can no longer travel to America?” Social media, as usual, had answers. Some people understood the announcement as a complete visa ban. Others were unsure whether they could still apply, study, visit family or join relatives in the United States. But immigration policies are rarely as simple as the headlines that circulate online. I wanted Nigerians to hear directly from someone who understood the law. So, on my Follow the Law Interview, I hosted U.S.-based immigration lawyer Sr. Uchenna Ajaero to help unpack what the restriction meant and, perhaps more importantly, what it did not mean. One of the most important clarifications from the conversation was that the restriction was partial, not a blanket ban on every Nigerian travelling to the United States. For someone planning a trip, applying for a visa or waiting on an immigra...
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Burned, Broken and Defenseless: What Onyinyechi’s Story Says About Child Abuse in Nigeria

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By Blessing Iriaka  Child abuse remains one of the quiet crises ravaging Nigeria. And sometimes, the people a child should be safest with are the very people they need protection from. In December 2025, Onyinyechi, a five-year-old girl from Ideato North, Imo State, was burned, broken, and left defenseless by her supposed guardian .  What was her crime ? She didn `t kill She didn`t steal She didn`t Violate any law, all she didn't do was the house chores as signed to her earlier . P robably , Onyi was tired and needed some rest, probably she was hungry and needed to eat before she continued , probably she was just resting a bit.   Onyinyechi suffered severe burns after her guardian, Juliet Igwe, allegedly used a candle flame to burn her private parts and forced her hands into boiling water. Medical examination reportedly classified the injuries as third-degree burns , which mandated her to undergo two corrective procedures of debridement and skin grafting while ...
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