Still standing: The story of a ‘Tall’ woman who refused to fall
The book is inspiring because it did not set out to inspire. It is the result of a journal she kept during long months of incapacitation and loneliness
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Don’t they realise we are mourning?
Two young people solemnised their union in the ancient city of Kano last weekend. I rejoice with them and wish them a blissful marital life. It is always a joy to watch the power of love at play especially when it crosses boundaries and social strata. The love of Fatima and Idris may not have crossed the social or religious divide, but it does cross geographical and ethnic divides.
Read More A reconciliator in need of reconciliation
It’s not easy to spot a talent. In my recruiting days as Editor or Publisher, I often asked young writers to write about their partners. My aim was to see how well they could make their intimacy breathe on a blank piece of paper. I would want to see a turn of phrase, a play on words and a general ease with language that would show promise.
Read More Blessed are the peace makers
There are two ways to become a Head of State. It is either by a coup or the ballot box. President Buhari has used both methods. It is a rather sad reflection on his grasp of contending national issues and interests that the euphoria of his ascendancy on both occasions died not too long after his elevation leaving many people disenchanted and frustrated.
Read More A woman needs love just as you do
One of my oldest friends was born on February 14. (Why we didn’t nickname him Val given his amorous tendencies I’ll never know. I suppose it is now too late in the day to give a sixty-something year old a new appellation).
Read More A man dares to change the story of Africa
Imagine you were in your 30s, had doctorate degrees in a couple of disciplines which gave you a prestigious and comfortable lifestyle in an American University. You were single and therefore devoid of distractions in an environment that would allow you to fulfil your academic and social potentials. More significantly, you were a black person from Africa where diseases ravaged, poverty ravaged, crime ravaged, corruption ravaged and had been lucky to escape all these into a different clime where freedom and opportunities beckoned.
Read More Don’t make Ekwueme turn in his grave
A good man was laid to rest at the weekend. Dr Alex Ekwueme had passed on in a London hospital at age 85. He had been a colossus in the political arena in the past 40 odd years. I caught up with his night of tributes on NTA last Sunday when a friend called to intimate me of it. Such is my respect for him that I dropped everything to stay glued to the station. It was a rewarding experience to hear the glowing tributes being paid by political peers and subordinates to a man whose public life was exemplary in many ways.
Read More The politics of land
If you were familiar with Sherlock Homes, the popular but fictional British detective, then you would know the phrase, ‘things are not always what they seem.’ It was a phrase he loved to use as he unravelled the intrigues of crime to Dr Watson, his bosom friend
Read More Trump’s challenge to the rest of us
Africa is an enchanting continent in terms of vegetation and topography. It is an intriguing one in terms of diversity. It is a warm one in terms of people and weather. It is a rich one in terms of nature’s endowments. It is a blessed one in terms of the absence of natural disasters. It is truly God’s own continent despite the swagger and precocity of the Americans in claiming that appellation. But, unfortunately, it is an abused and raped continent.
Read More We fielded our first eleven for Yusuf Buhari – Muyiwa Adetiba
If there was one good news that broke with the new year, it was that of the stabilization of the President’s son from his near fatal accident. The preceding week must have been an anxious one for the President’s family. As a human being who believes that the death of one diminishes all, I feel for the President. As a parent who has raised a son through university with all that it entails, and I am not speaking of finance now, I empathise with him.
Read More Half empty, half full – Muyiwa Adetiba
I will start the New Year with a couple of narratives. My favourite haunt is the place I play squash twice, three times a week. It is also a place I savour indulgences far beyond the exertions of squash. A few years back, two young women with similar, yet distinct circumstances frequented the club. They both at the time, had two children. Both were married but in name only as they carried the financial burdens of their homes. The husband of one had lost his job and was finding a ‘befitting job’ hard to get. The husband of the other had relocated abroad but ‘forgot’ to send back some dollars to feed his family.
Read More Christmas stories
This is one Christmas story that should never, ever be told again—by government, marketers, anyone
Read More What are you doing at Christmas? – Muyiwa Adetiba
What are you doing at Christmas? This is a question which often comes with the yuletide season from lovers, spouses, friends, children, parents, family members, social and business associates. It starts as early as three months to Christmas, but gets more frequent as we get nearer Christmas. And the answers can be as varied as the persons asking.
Read More The more things change.… – Muyiwa Adetiba
The life of a columnist is calibrated in weeks. He is expected to bring fresh insights to happenings around him week after gruelling week even when history is repeating itself and the network stations are filled with bland news. Even the most gifted of columnists, those who can make something special out of the mundane sometimes feel uninspired if a week is filled with Déjà vu moments.
Read More We export crude oil and slaves – Muyiwa Adetiba
I got a call last month from one of my closest friends. The voice on the other end was quiet and subdued. His daughter and her husband had just left his place. They came to tell him they were relocating abroad at the end of the month. Their explanation for the short notice was that they were given only two weeks to tidy up their affairs or forfeit the chance. ‘Just like that? What about his job?’ was all I could say. ‘What about their jobs? They both have good jobs.’
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