Emperor Tinubu and the Jos massacre, by Ugoji Egbujo
Emperors owe no duties to their subjects. When they deign to show pity, it must be applauded as great charity. President Tinubu cannot feel the people’s pain. He didn’t tell the truth to that woman who clutched to her dead son, Ayiba, and stirred the soul of the nation. He owes Jos—and the many other communities ravaged […]
Nigeria: A Country on a ‘One Chance’? By Ugoji Egbujo
A passenger boards a bus. The city is a little rough but he has taken his customary precaution; there are two women on the bus. He turns into the gaze of a wiry man with a Bible and the man smiles and nods at him. He imagines he is a peripatetic evangelist biding his time before unleashing […]
The Sanctification of Babangida, by Ugoji Egbujo
A man cancels a free and fair election. When crisis ensues, he panics and steps aside, foisting a one-legged contraption on the country. Soon, his co-conspirators are fed up with the pretence. They sweep away the props and seize power. And a plague feasts on the nation A man cancels the freest and fairest election his […]
Politicians and Media Awards: A study in vanity, by Ugoji Egbujo
The Media Awards are not altogether useless. A cinematic caricature of a country that has integrated clowning into the core of its political culture. They are trash, but they tell a bit of our story. I have been to a few of them. The expensive venues are part of the hype. An intricate ritual in overflowing self-deceit. […]
Tinubu’s Self Immortalization, by Ugoji Egbujo
A leader with an eye on posterity won’t have the appetite for the vanity of naming projects after himself. Because true immortality will be bestowed by history, not monuments that can be renamed. Tinubu needs to submit himself to some clear-eyed, sober reflection. This preoccupation with self-glorification and immortalisation is a telltale sign. There is now a […]
A Christmas and Misery Season, by Ugoji Egbujo
Yahoo Yahoo practitioners and drug dealers are steadily acquiring quick societal validation through dubious Christmas philanthropy across the country
One deadly stampede too many, by Ugoji Egbujo
In November, worshipers thronged Christ the King Catholic cathedral, Aba, for the annual Christ the King profession. The venue was packed. Every year, it has been filled, chaotic and hot. But no fatalities have ever been recorded. This time, in the middle of proceedings, the devil struck. The most reliable accounts said gunshots were heard. […]
The new church and the gambling culture, by Ugoji Egbujo
A few years ago, our fathers said gambling was sinful. They warned us to stay away from it as they warned us to stay away from narcotics. They said those who embraced gambling ran the risk of becoming slaves to it and ruining their lives. When we passed by pool betting houses, they didn’t let […]
Tinubu’s ‘Do As I Say’ Reforms
Tinubu said he came to initiate reforms. And the people waited to emulate him. Because talk is cheap. After taking away subsidies without cushions, he went for a bloated cabinet.
Tinubu’s ‘Do As I Say’ Reforms, by Ugoji Egubjo
Tinubu said he came to initiate reforms. And the people waited to emulate him. Because talk is cheap. After taking away subsidies without cushions, he went for a bloated cabinet. A flabby cabinet of the sons of profligacy to prosecute austerity measures. With his deliberate choice of some indicted persons as ministers, he signaled to […]
A prayer for the PDP, by Ugoji Egbujo
Almighty God, I bring the PDP before thee. That party has disgraced God and man. Its cup is full. However, my merciful Lord, I plead that the PDP is spared the fates of Jonah and Judas. Though Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan, whom it gave everything, have forsaken it, I believe the party is […]
