Tag: Opinion

This is the weekend of May 30, the date of the official declaration of the former Republic of Biafra: the Land of the Rising Sun! Biafra holds a duality of meaning to the Igbo and other Nigerians. To millions, it was the highest point of their expression of the creative  skills and existential ingenuity of the Igbo, Annang, Ibibio, the… Read More

One of the five cardinal objectives of the United States foreign policy is “promoting and supporting” democracy. The US has fought wars and spent billions of dollars “promoting and supporting” its own genre of democracy in other countries – especially in the developing world. The country touted itself to be the emancipator of the world – against communism — during… Read More

“Looters Equality: My Thief, Your thief, Our Thief”, was to debut with the story of a General’s  generous ghost whose “assets” and not loot according to the Presidency. “Asset” that has continued to grace the hands of public servants and line the pockets of leaders since after his demise. According to his compatriot General Muhammadu Buhari, General Sani Abacha is… Read More

53 years after the Nigerian-Biafran war, old wounds have not healed. The consequences of the violence and hate born during the war between the Easterners and their fellow Nigerians have not died out completely. Many hearts are still hurting. Many souls are still troubled. Many born after the war are looking for answers to their questions. The Nigerian Government has… Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic is another momentous challenge for African countries, albeit one that the continent should use as an opportunity to fast-track the process of development and welcome the chance of becoming self-reliant and autonomous, as the West focuses on its survival and recovery. The epicentre of the pandemic has gradually moved from China to Europe and now the United… Read More

Introduction While there has been much talk on insulting the prophet of Islam, there has not bpeen enough focus on Islam based phobias, that is, strands of hatred that draw from Islamic beliefs and practices, texts, and traditions. In this piece, I use the story of Gandoki and some verses from the Quran to highlight some jihadist narratives and phobias.… Read More

Health Minister, Osagie Ehanire, has been in hot water lately. It’s hard to sympathise with him because he jumped into the cauldron with his eyes open, wearing his trademark black cap. And not once. The first time was when Ehanire appeared before the House of Representatives to answer questions about the welfare of medical personnel on the frontline of the… Read More

Tomorrow, May 29, 2020, is what is referred to in Nigeria as “Democracy Day.” It is usually a welcome excuse for great celebrations, chest-beating and wild claims about humongous achievements, many of which exist only in the imagination of the mostly failed leaders.  Even the term “Democracy Day” is such an excruciating irony in a country where almost all the features that distinguish democratic… Read More

Look at the picture attached to this article. Yes! You. The young man and woman in my generation.  You should be familiar with that sheet and the handwriting on it by now. If you are, then you can continue reading this piece.  If you are not, a faint search on Google using the keywords- “Obasa, spending, loots” will bring you… Read More

Since 27th February when Nigeria confirmed its first case of Coronavirus, there have been varied efforts to inform and educate citizens on the disease and its prevention. At the fore of these efforts to make information available to Nigerians was the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control mainly through social media and predominantly in English language. The NCDC over this period… Read More