Shettima’s final test, by Azu Ishiekwene
Vice President Kashim Shettima cannot be blamed for having doubts about whether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would renominate him as his running mate for a second term. As governor of Lagos State for eight years, Tinubu used three deputies: KofoworolaBucknor-Akerele, Femi Pedro, and AbiodunOgunleye. Only Senate President GodswillAkpabio (as AkwaIbom governor) matched this record in the […]
An unusual view of banditry, by Azu Ishiekwene
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, is hardly in the news. Lawal has enough on his plate in a region struggling with banditry and insurgency, and in a state whose political heavyweights oppose him over political differences. He has learned to mind the state’s business, hardly ever throwing stones except when attacked by Abuja politicians who […]
Why Jonathan won’t contest, whatever the courts say
After the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, announced last week that it would zone the presidency to the South in 2027, some names have been widely mentioned as possible frontrunners. Former President Goodluck Jonathan and the Labour Party’s presidential flagbearer in the last election, Peter Obi, are perhaps the two most serious contenders. With Obi […]
Nigeria’s top oil boss walking into a trap, by Azu Ishiekwene
When I wrote that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, is an animal that eats its curator for lunch, it sounded like a stretch. But so far, the tenure of Bayo Ojulari as group chief executive officer is proving it. This might not be obvious if you look solely at Nigeria’s current crude oil sales. […]
Putin as the President’s medicine, by Azu Ishiekwene
European leaders often portray Russian President Vladimir Putin as a tyrant, a land grabber, and a Russian bear. And following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine War three years ago, the deadliest in Europe since World War II, Putin has gone from being a bad guy in Western European eyes to being something worse: a war criminal. […]
What happened in the matter of Bayo Ojulari? By Azu Ishiekwene
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, is an animal that eats its curator for lunch. To survive it, either do not get close or prepare to feed this beast with an endless supply of oil deals, the country’s lifeblood. When former Governor Nasir el-Rufai accused NNPC of being a parallel government and added that if […]
