HE brushed it aside,   saying that he would not lose sleep over the prophecy. But you could tell, even by a casual look, that it was not the new year present he was expecting. Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo has been trying to be a man since Father Ejike Mbaka prophesied on New Year’s Eve that his days as governor are numbered. It’s not been easy.  

IN an article entitled “2019: How Atiku will lose – and other matters,” published this time last year, I made six predictions: 1) Atiku will lose 2) despite Access Bank having Diamond Bank for supper, there won’t be a rat race for size among banks and liquidity will get tighter 3) Super Eagles will reach the semi-finals of the Nations cup and Gerhot Rohr will still be in charge 4) Manchester City will win the premier league, despite being third on the table and seven points adrift at the time 5) the telcos may finally get licences to upgrade to status of payment service banks. 

I MET him three or four years ago. We were introduced by a mutual friend sickened by the story. What struck me about this man who I was meeting for the first time was his calmness, in spite of the story of cheating and betrayals, which he would later share. 

POLITICIANS are not leaving anything to chance. Even before the posters for the 2019 elections have been removed, the race for 2023 has started and it’s just as charged at the national level as it is in the states. 

SINCE we have eyes but cannot see, the Department of State Services, DSS, invited us to look again at the viral video of the invasion of Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu’s courtroom on Friday. Laughable, if it wasn’t a travesty. The previous day, the judge had given the DSS 24 hours to release the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, who was arrested on August 3, but detained for 72 days after the first court order for his release, bringing his total detention period to 125 days.

LITERATURE, like other art forms, is a reflection of society. It is from the society that creative writers get their ideas. Society is the subject matter of literary expression. This is one of the reasons why literature is viewed in relation to the era or age it reflects. 

WHEN the tenure of a chief executive is coming to an end, there’s usually a feverish outbreak of schemes to push him over the edge, for good or bad reasons. Lobbyists are masters of the game. They keep a diary of appointment and termination dates – including possible renewal where the law permits – and also […]

DEFEAT is an orphan. Nothing illustrates its orphanage status as vividly as the fate of two politicians involved in last week’s elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states: Senator Dino Melaye and Governor Seriake Henry Dickson. 

BY last week, the governorship/senatorial election in Kogi State had been reduced to a sex duel, with Senator Dino Melaye inviting his arch rival, Governor Yahaya Bello, to a mojo contest. 

IT was framed as a question roughly one year ago. In a piece entitled “Is Magu still Nigeria’s most dangerous man?”, I wondered why in a country with a shortage of heroes, a public servant would be rewarded with suspense and anxiety for giving of his best to his country. There’s no need to wonder. The question mark is off.