Category: Opinions

In Nigeria’s politics, the north holds the trump card – an inconvenient reality. By the inexorable contrivance of the divine, the northern region is a chief decider of the nation’s leadership. Since the country’s independence in 1960, the north has had the political Midas touch. Although some Nigerians are of the opinion that the British contrived the political advantage the… Read More

I was a bit taken aback. Not so much by the  responses to my Friday November 12, 2021 column titled ‘Migrants about to freeze to death, salute Europe.’ but by the forcefulness with which some made their points. I seemed to have touched some raw nerves. My main point was to draw attention to the plight of about 4,000 refugees,… Read More

On November 20, 2021, the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, will wrap up his current visit to three African countries, namely: Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal. Blinken’s assignment which runs from November 15, started with his first destination being Nairobi, Kenya — where he met with the country’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Raychelle Omamo,… Read More

Since the unfortunate news of the appointment of  Governor Akeredolu’s son, Babajide Akeredolu as the Director General of Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit, I have agonised and ruminated on what the title of this piece should be.  Not until yesterday when l stumbled on Gerard Manley Hopkins’ poem -” The child is father to the man.”  The first and… Read More

Last week, the country was engulfed in a mutiny across party lines. After members of the National Assembly surreptitiously inserted a provision in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill calling for direct party primaries, governors, who rarely agree on anything except money, cried foul. They loaded their guns and opened verbal fire on members of the National Assembly for being clever… Read More

The Nigerian citizenship has got to be one of the most frustrating things God has ever created. Being a Nigerian stands logic on its head, particularly being the happiest people on the planet. That’s what Fela called suffering and smiling. We are a resilient bunch, looking great in the midst of troubles. We are an easy going lot. When the… Read More

Some Nigerian governors are beginning to do things differently in the way they reward academic excellence. And this is commendable. Hopefully, others will catch the bug, and begin to place appropriate value on academic exploits. Who knows, this could help in re-directing the minds of some youths that have erroneously concluded that education in Nigeria is a scam. It may… Read More

More than a year ago an unprecedented mini-revolution took place in Nigeria whose minimal success far outweighed its failure. Last year October thousands of young and mobile Nigerians took to the streets (especially in the southern part of the country) protesting peacefully against the storied atrocities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). SARS, prior to its forced disbandment, had… Read More

On October 20, 2020 unarmed youth trooped out en masse to peacefully demand a better country and an end to police brutality, doing so by singing the national anthem with Nigerian flags, an act which signalled loyalty and love for their country. However, despite being peaceful, they were brutally attacked and killed by Nigerian soldiers who were trained, equipped and… Read More

The report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution on Lekki Toll Gate shooting incident and cases of Police brutality as well as human rights violations has indicted the Nigerian Army and Police of complicity in the death of unarmed protesters at Lekki Toll Gate!  Indeed, like I once opined, the bullet of the Oligarchy targeted at the youth… Read More