Frank & Fair

Osun and the Demons of Our Doomed Democracy, by Ugoji Egubjo

We no longer have a sick democracy. We have a counterfeit one. Osun lays it bare. Every pathology is on open display.  The capture of institutions. Tthe hunting of opposition. The casual slaughter of ordinary people. And the near-total resignation of the public to the farce. We have lost the capacity for shame. In Osun, […]
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The fall and fall of our big prophets

Our prophets are coming again.  This is their season. The  big one who is also called a Primate has given it to Saraki.  He has a huge prophetic reputation but statistics show he is not better than a mere pundit. He gets it right not more than half of the time. He is sure Saraki  would win in 2019, but would rule for four years only. We must give him credit for courage. Because in Nigeria, prophecies, when they are prophecies,  are naturally vague.  Often times we hear  inanities like—many people will get married. Every December, we will get many lists from the big prophets. They will contain  the coming of natural disasters like floods and wild fires. No one in their congregation has summoned the irreverence to tell them  that these natural disasters have become part of the global calendar. After such a prediction, when the hurricane season comes, they will dust up their books of prophecies and wave them at us. And their fawning followers will sing alleluia to them and they will smile the smile of true prophets.

The PDP and the August defectors

They were celebrated. The defectors. They brought euphoria.  After  Ali Modu Sheriff  and the journey through the valley of the shadow of death in the Supreme Court, the fanfare was understandable.

Restless karma is relentlessly undressing political hypocrites

The signs are good. We  have  chosen the long, tortuous, treacherous path. But we will get there. We have  stumbled and strayed.  We could loiter in the wilderness for a century. But we will grope our way to milk, honey and order.

President Buhari and his ‘Guantanamo’ Argument

President Buhari took law to a gathering of lawyers. And he came clutching what looked like  a supreme court decision. When did  the president develop appetite for legal gymnastics?  And he is now striving to be a contortionist. Igbos know that a frog doesn’t make dashes in the afternoon in vain.

Igbo and the 2023 Presidency

The civil war left  many chronic wounds. But Igbos have survived and thrived. Igbos may have been hampered  by  national structural defects and systemic injustices. But they have  flourished and have the economic heft to surmount subsisting inequities.

Saraki is no Oba : 55 Senators can force the doors open

The APC  has come  alive. It barks endlessly these days. That is some  consolation for many of its disillusioned supporters.  They can begin to hope again. That  this enthusiasm and energy would yield a strong party  with  firm democratic traditions.

Of history and a season of dramas and alarms

It’s effectively election season. Internally displaced and disaffected politicians are migrating like seasonal birds. Their flight paths are not new. Whatever they do to  ensure self survival and fatten their  bellies and pockets,  they will pass off in beautiful patriotic colors. Jostling and shoving, everywhere, are getting vigorous.

The PDP and the premature hosanna

The PDP is euphoric. But it must contain itself.  Its concentration must be on the electoral map. It must formulate  a concise message. No one has heard it say how it plans to curb corruption. All it does is hysterical  lamentation of  the poor performance of the ruling party.  The PDP has been on the ropes for too long. Succor has come.

Fayose , Fayemi and advanced stomach infrastructure

In 2014, Ekiti governorship election held. The results astounded everyone. The opposition party in the state walloped the incumbent governor. Fayose won in all local government areas. Fayose  thumped his chest and bragged about knowing the feelings of the people. He ridiculed the defeated incumbent governor, Fayemi, for being insensitive and aloof. He dismissed his ideas as too intellectual, too naive. Fayemi and his party had been impeded, harassed and terrorized by federal security agents controlled by Fayose, deployed by  President Jonathan. But the election  results left Fayemi with no room for grumbling. He conceded the election, and congratulated Fayose.

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