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 […]
Peter Obi’s dangerous game, by Azu Ishiekwene
Peter Obi has the best chance against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027 of all opposition candidates. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may have received a slightly higher percentage of the votes (6.9 million or 29.1 percent) in the last presidential election; still, that was poor for Atiku, a sixth-timer in the […]
Musings on Muhammadu Buhari, by Azu Ishiekwene
I met him several times after he became Nigeria’s president in 2015, but the meetings did not change my impression of him as an enigma. Yet, as history peels back layer after layer of Muhammadu Buhari’s place, we may discover the essence of his beguiling simplicity. Tight-lipped and taciturn, a soldier in bearing and character, […]
Again, Trump’s way or the highway, by Azu Ishiekwene
It’s hard not to love US President Donald Trump. He is the world’s most powerful president and wears his preeminence on his sleeve. Not for him the crooked modesty of the Chinese or the boring self-effacement of the British. Six months after his second inauguration, it’s been one day, one Trump. Two of his latest […]
Danger of the Single Story, DSS, by Azu Ishiekwene
There’s a part of my job that can swallow you whole. Journalists are brought up on a diet whose main ingredients are a deliberate blend of crime, sex, and money. Everything else is a side dish. That’s why if you follow what you read daily in the newspapers, on the radio or TV or any of […]
Ruffled feathers: Rejoinders to my article on the Israel-Iran War, by Azu Ishiekwene
The proper thing to do when readers respond to a newspaper article is to respect their right of reply. There were two irate responses to my article last week, “Not the Iran We Thought It Was: What Has Changed in the Persian Gulf.” One, entitled “Not the Azu We Thought He Was,” by Yakubu Musa, a […]
