Late Chief OluAboderin, the Founding Chairman of Punch Newspapers travelled quite a bit in his days and his preference was for the defunct Nigeria Airways whenever possible. I am a witness to this in a way. We had cause to travel out together a couple of times and he always leaned towards flying with the […]

“Some of us live and some of us die Someday God is going to tell us why Open your heart and grow with what life sends We’ll meet again at the festival of friends” – Bruce Cockburn Some twenty years ago, one of my favourite persons embarked on a journey out of the country with […]

The social media had since the elections, and probably even before that, been a sad place. For as long as I can remember, negative and unpalatable stories about Nigeria spewed fortheveryday, like lava from a volcano, staining and corrupting whatever they came in contact with. But last month, something beautiful and refreshing happened and the […]

Rare is anybody above 70 years who does not have an underlying ailment. And because of this, the reliance on others increases as we age.

What do you give a man who has everything? Or seemingly has everything? That has always been the perennial question. Relating this to the context of a powerful President and his birthday, what do you give our President on his birthday? What would he truly appreciate? These questions would have given his courtiers, Ministers and Special Assistants […]

I came across a comedy skit last week. It was about a teacher who was telling a class of six, seven year-old children about legacies. By stating that the best legacy one can leave their children is a good name, she reiterated what we, the much older generation learnt about a good legacy while growing up. This […]

I am neither an intelligence person nor a security expert. So analyzing intelligence reports is not my forte. I do not also know whether there is a dearth of intelligence in the country or a deliberate refusal to act on available intelligence. But clearly what is happening in the northern part of our beleaguered country suggests a […]

Although Punch actually turned fifty early last year, the celebratory drums were not rolled out until last week. I am reliably informed that the golden anniversary celebrations were deferred by a year to honour and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the passage of its founding Chairman who died on February 28 1984, eleven years almost to the […]

A number of people reportedly died while watching the match between the Green Eagles of Nigeria and the Bafana Bafana of South Africa during the recently concluded African Cup of Nations, AFCON. Among them, at least four Nigerians from different locations were reportedly confirmed dead during the tension soaked semi-finals which eventually ended in Nigeria’s favour. I […]

A hungry man they say is an angry man. Many people in the country today struggle to have a meal a day, so it stands to reason that many people are prone to anger. Nerves are on edge and a simple altercation can lead to an eruption. An employer should therefore choose his words when addressing an […]

The phone rang insistently. I ignored it as I normally do when I am in the bathroom. I have learnt from other people’s experiences that it is better to get a missed call than to get an accident. Then a thought occurred to me that whoever was calling at 8am either didn’t know my routine or it […]

I have met many wealthy men in the course of my work. Just the other day, I was regaling a few close friends of how my interview with American billionaire David Rockefeller in Nigeria got me my first US visa. This happened in – of all places- far-away Trinidad where I went to cover the carnival and […]

An In-Law and Big Brother had to go from Abuja to Otukpo in Benue State for an event that could neither be shifted nor avoided. Ordinarily, the trip is a breeze. I had taken that trip with him a few times in the past and I usually looked forward to it as it afforded me […]

I have neither the means nor the inclination to verify the contents in the said three-part BBC documentary on Pastor T.B Joshua of the Synagogue Church of All Nations. But the allegations of rape, wanton sex, manipulation, intimidation bothering on blackmail against the late Pastor which had been carried in snippets across various social media platforms, are […]

Minister Wike invited me to the sumptuous New Year lunch he had at his home in Port Harcourt in the first week of the year. It was an invitation I honoured – not physically since it was not a physical invitation – with an hour of my time. Many like me were invited when he […]