November is the month for the dead. November 2 every year, is All Souls’ Day. It is a day to pray for our departed loved ones whose deeds on earth were not deemed good enough to take them to heaven nor bad enough to take them straight to hell. These are called ‘souls in purgatory’; […]

For reasons I can’t explain, the song ‘Power Show’ by Fela was what came to my head as I watched the President of the Trade Union Congress on TV threatening to shut down the economy because his compatriot in the Nigeria Labour Congress was beaten and humiliated in Imo State. When asked whether shutting down […]

I recently attended the wake-keep of a schoolmate who was a year ahead of me. Three of his brothers also attended the same school so there were many ‘Old Boys’ at the event. As to be expected, there were people in the hall I hadn’t seen in five decades or even more. Some faces I […]

One of the differences between animals and humans is that we take – or should take- parenting more seriously.

By Muiwa Adetiba ‘You cannot have two captains in a ship’ is a settled societal belief which rests on the notion that the buck must stop with one person who is considered the Captain of the ship, whatever that ship is. I often wonder however, what would happen if the buck stopped with a wrong […]

The Nigerian story is a unique story. It is like the Ancient Mariner’s ‘water, water everywhere but not enough to drink

Those who have lost their hearing but have not lost their sight can see the desperate signs of poverty in the society.

I do not believe that the CSU case in America was about seeking transparency or integrity as some of the foot soldiers are making themselves to believe – neither of the two gladiators is that altruistic. I also do not believe that it was about seeking the truth – I think both know enough ‘truths’ about each other. In my opinion, what is playing out is a deadly game of chess for the highest of stakes by two wily, old Grandmasters.

One of the realities which has ushered us into our Independence Day is that of a thousand Naira exchanging for a dollar. We had thought about the possibility of that happening in the past but I always thought we were exaggerating things. I never thought it could happen in my lifetime coming as it were, from the days a Naira exchanged for two dollars. What is marking the day with us tomorrow is not only a depreciating Naira, it is the hyper-inflation that comes with it.

General Obasanjo, like General Adebayo, has always paid his respects to this ancient tradition – I have seen a picture of him prostrate before an Oba before. And to the best of my knowledge, these respects have always been reciprocated by the Obas. This is why the public humiliation that happened in the ancient town of Iseyin last week caught many observers by surprise.

Dressed mostly in white, he stood apart from the rest. Unlike some others, his disability was obvious- a leg was amputated

I am of the school of thought which believes that wealth, like many other endowments, is a gift from God to be held in trust by men. Any of these gifts, including power and positions, can be taken away at any time and not necessarily by death

As the plane taxied to a stop, a member of the cabin crew said the familiar, often clichéd words of how nice it had been taking care of us then added jocularly that she would see us all on our way back when we ‘have all become fabulously rich’. To which a cynical passenger could […]

We all probably have read of the incident in various forms during the past couple of weeks – as news, analyses, opinions and even social media jokes. I am talking about the Freudian slip of the President of the Nigerian Senate when he said money would be sent to the accounts of lawmakers so they […]

From all accounts, all newly convicted prisoners irrespective of crime or status, are thoroughly searched before they are turned in to their cells. In some countries, they are compelled to go under the shower with supervision. The rooms are also laid bare and swept clean. The major reason is to prevent them from concealing weapons […]