Converstion with Azu

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A party for Nigeria’s latest abductors, by Azu Ishiekwene

A party for Nigeria’s latest abductors, by Azu Ishiekwene

Nigeria’s main political parties are in the thick of their primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections. That politicians can still manage to hold primaries in the midst of a worsening wave of horrendous attacks on communities and kidnappings in parts of the country, not to mention the economic hardship, suggests we must be living in […]

Arsenal, at last, by Azu Ishiekwene

Arsenal, at last, by Azu Ishiekwene

I love Arsenal fans. I sometimes think there can’t be many of them who won’t make good spouses or lifetime friends.  It takes the patience of Job and the fidelity of a monk to support a team through 22 winless seasons and 835 matches and still have the heart to sing “The Angel (North London) Forever,” […]

Does it matter to Africa if Nigel Farage comes to number 10? By Azu Ishiekwene

Does it matter to Africa if Nigel Farage comes to number 10? By Azu Ishiekwene

The next British general election is in 2029, but you could already feel the tremor from the Council election of May 7. The surge of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party is the clearest warning sign yet that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is living on borrowed time. The Labour Party is divided, its influence weakened, and Starmer’s […]

Who is After Obi, Kwankwaso Again? By Azu Ishiekwene

Who is After Obi, Kwankwaso Again? By Azu Ishiekwene

The former Labour Party presidential flagbearer, Peter Obi, thinks he is Nigeria’s most misunderstood politician. Why is it hard for us to see that his serial party flipping is not a sign of desperation but a tactic of survival for our own good? Why, even though he has flipped political parties five times in three election […]

Tinubu-Ruto banter as food for thought, by Azu Ishiekwene

Tinubu-Ruto banter as food for thought, by Azu Ishiekwene

Listening to Kenyan President William Ruto diss Nigerians with a smile from faraway Italy, one would think he had taken a page from Amos Tutuola’s The Palm-Wine Drinkard. It was obvious that Ruto assumed Nigerians spoke that variety of unconventional English rendered by Tutuola in his story of magical realism from Yoruba mythology.  Yes, Tutuola’s English […]