Frankly Speaking

From begging to banditry: Revolt of the almajiris, by Dele Sobowale

From begging to banditry: Revolt of the almajiris, by Dele Sobowale

“No revolution is the fault of the people but the fault of the government” – Johann Goethe, 1749-1832, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ. A revolution is underway in the Northern states of Nigeria. The downtrodden, constituting 99.9 per cent of the population, hitherto docile beggars, saying “rankadede” to the privileged 0.1 per cent are sick and […]
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Still on El-Rufai

Still on El-Rufai

The 2019 elections are starting early in Kaduna State and the first slogan of the campaign for those elections is El-RUFIA MUST GO – at least that should be expected from some quarters in the light of the disaster that is Southern Kaduna. He can go and run for President since he is rumoured to be interested in presiding in Aso Rock

In Kaduna the chief security officer is the chief problem

In Kaduna the chief security officer is the chief problem

It needs to be stressed, however, that this is not a Christian versus Muslim conflict. It is herdsmen versus everybody else – people who get compensated for losing cows after destroying peoples’ farms, churches and homes

Ladies’ man and Life in a Nigerian Bario

Ladies’ man and Life in a Nigerian Bario

The seventh of my seven children – all girls – finished university last month and is now waiting for National Youth Service call up. She is also the seventh graduate and she had completed fro me a long term programme which started in May 1970, at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, USA, when my first child and daughter was delivered by one Dr Macovitch. Like most selfish young men, especially Africans, a boy was my choice; but a girl was what God had decreed.

Thrown two life lines Nigeria can now hope for economic revival

Thrown two life lines Nigeria can now hope for economic revival

While others had their eyes glued to the pages carrying the President’s budget address to the joint session of the National Assembly, NASS, some of us were paying greater attention to movements in the global oil sector. Like it or not, the volume of oil exported next year and the average price per barrel will still be the major determinant of how the Nigerian economy performs next year – just as it was in 2016 and years before it.

Poor Mrs Uwais: A victim of benevolence

Poor Mrs Uwais: A victim of benevolence

Tell me quickly which appointed Federal Government official received the highest vote in the 2016 Budget? If your answer is Babatunde Fashola, the Super Minister of Power, Works and Housing, you are dead wrong. The biggest “pot of gold” or naira actually was handed, again on paper, to someone who is not even a Minister. She is just a Director, but a really Super-Super Director.