By Egbara Emmanuel Ikaba Nigeria has failed to progress from the illusion of independence to the reality of freedom because of betrayal; firstly by the then corruption power politics, and lately by the naive and treacherous former opposition. This is the tragedy of our political development. Independence was cheaper but freedom will be much more expensive as it is now. The fight for independence had clear targets but now the targets for purposeful governance are hidden in the corrupt and treacherous black hearts of APC led government. In APC as a political party one only remained a hero as long as they pay homage to Buhari. This was the critical test. Those that remained for long accepted money for their loyalty and pledged never to question Buhari’s dictatorship. They were as prosperous as the effort they put in suppressing the people. Those that changed their minds were quickly silenced. Those that supported Buhari lasted longer. For someone to claim they were not...

A social media Activist a writer and a grassroot mobilizer  in Yala Local Government Area of Cross river State, Egbara Emmanuel Ikaba, has disclosed that the state Governor, Senator Benedict AYADE deserves another second tenure in office, to enable him consolidate on the gains he has made for the state so far. He said that youths in Cross river North Senatorial District would ensure that Ayade's second term bid is successful. Egbara, in a chat with newsmen, commended the Governor  for attracting general development to Cross river North. According to him, “we are experiencing what we have never seen in terms of development in my area, and they are there for people to see. “This is not an attempt to commend non-existent achievements. Ayade has done well so far. And anybody, who has seen his good works, would only beg him to continue.  It is like a football match and you don’t stop a football match after the end of first half. So this is Ayade's first half; he d...

To permit politics to dictate your relationships is to give strangers who care nothing about you more power than they deserve. So many people I know are getting into Facebook fights, Twitter wars, Instagram arguments, and Snapchat squabbles. What begins as an ideological dispute ends in bitterness. People are provoking others, demanding those who do or don’t support their candidate leave their networks, cutting ties with friends and family, and all because of political differences. I can’t even imagine what the Thanksgiving table will be like this year! People perceive the stakes this year to be that high. To be sure, political philosophy does matter and does carry high stakes.  However, the partisan struggle for the control of the state apparatus by this or that temporary manager doesn’t matter as much as election season seems to suggest. You might be being manipulated, and friendships and families are actually too precious to throw away for transient reasons. It’...

T he cross river state Director General for due process and price intelligence bureau, Hon.Barrister Alphonsus Ogar Eba has expressed shock over the sudden death of Obudu lawmaker, Hon.Steven Ukpukpen. In a statement made available on social media by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Egbara Emmanuel Ikaba, he described the late  as very vibrant in legislative activities. “The late Gentleman was a vibrant lawmaker and public servant who was very passionate about his assignment and engagements in the Cross river state house of Assembly. “Hon.Steven Ukpukpen is one lawmaker you can never be in doubt where he stands on a particular issue. He spoke his mind fearlessly,” Eba said. “His contributions at plenary were always very incisive and rich. I find it difficult to acknowledge that he will not resume plenary again. “My heart goes out to his family, the Cross river state house of Assembly and the government and people of Cross river State over the loss of this c...