Frank & Fair

APC Janjaweeds and 2027: Will the Elections Hold? By Ugoji Egbujo

APC Janjaweeds and 2027: Will the Elections Hold? By Ugoji Egbujo

The elections are in clear jeopardy. In Benue, a state ruled by a priest, state-financed hooliganism targeted at the opposition has sprouted. If a presidential candidate of one of the major parties cannot move around freely, then the elections, even if they hold, will be a sham. When Governor Alia barred Obi from entering Benue […]
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Nigeria: A country run haphazardly, by Ugoji Egbujo

Nigeria: A country run haphazardly, by Ugoji Egbujo

That Wednesday morning, the chickens came home to roost. Our governments don’t think methodically. Often they explain away consequences as inevitable. That was how our naira crashed and plunged everyone into deeper poverty. Good policies that are poorly thought through and implemented erratically. This time, there was no wiggle room.  They would like to tell us what […]

Nigeria: A Country on a  ‘One Chance’? By Ugoji Egbujo

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

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

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

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 […]