From last week, continues the list of names of the ministers produced following the alliance between the Northern Peoples Congress, NPC, and the Nigerian National Democratic Party, NNDP that gave birth to the NNA in the First Republic.  Others were Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (Prime Minister and External Affairs), Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu (Defence), Chief Festus […]

A coalition government is in no position an inferior government nor illegitimate; power sharing is good for democracy; it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Power sharing makes people dependent and responsible

From last week, continues the narrative in support  of the preservation of our culture and tradition, arguing that it was wrong and counter-productive for the very important traditional institution to be deleted from the Constitution. TRADITIONS are a vital part of how we interact with the world around us. They provide a sense of identity and […]

From last week, continue excerpts of General Obasanjo’s broadcast to the nation following the promulgation of Decree 25 which proclaimed the 1979 Constitution endorsing the presidential form of government for Nigeria. WE are, of course, aware, and I am sure that no member of the Constituent Assembly can claim that the Constitution is a perfect document. […]

To me the denouncement of America by General Moham- med looked contradictory when earlier on October 18, 1975 he forced on us without a referen- dum or a plebiscite, the Ameri- can presidential system of government

ON Tuesday, August 9, 2022, Kenya held its general election during which the President, governors, senators and members of the National Assembly were elected. The results of the elections were announced on August 15, 2022. William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (57) had 7,176,141 votes, that is 50.5% of the total votes, while Mr. Raila Odinga (79) […]

This concludes the narrative from last week, that following the shift of presidential power to the South, sectional groups like the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, often resort to using the Hausa services of foreign radio stations to whip up anti-government sentiments bordering on  alleged marginalisation of the North, as was the case during the Obasanjo […]

From last week, continues the narrative of how the Obasanjo regime  hastily appointed Dr Ibrahim Ayagi to defend the presidency in the face of the crisis arising from the introduction of Shariá law in the North. Dr Ayagi was a former director of Continental Merchant Bank, formerly Chase Merchant Bank of Nigeria. THE same government […]

The introduction of Shari’a was initially very popular, for several reasons; foremost among these was public disenchantment with a government and a legal system which were failing people in many respects

From last week, continues the narrative of how the Obasanjo regime responded to a strike action organised by the NLC over fuel subsidy by inuagurating a committee in 2000 made up of eminent Nigerians to resolve the issue   THE committee was headed by my friend, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, while the secretary of the committee was Chief […]

“It is totally false to suggest, as we are apt to do, that Nigerians are fundamentally different from any other people in the world. Nigerians are corrupt because the system under which they live today makes corruption easy and profitable; they will cease to be corrupt when corruption is made difficult and inconvenient….The trouble with […]

From last week, continues Professor Ihonvbere’s quote from the foreward of his book: Standing Tall, published in March 2005. This also concludes the treatise on the transition of the old National Anthem to a new one and the  roles played by different individuals in this process. A third problem is that Nigerians, over the last four […]

From last week, continues the narrative of the transition of the old National Anthem to a new one, the  roles played by different individuals in this process, including Professor Julius Ihonvbere, one of Obasanjo’s speech writers as president. While Mr. Ad’Obe Obe published a book, A New Dawn, in three volumes, Professor Ihonvbere published Standing […]

From last week, continues the narrative of the transition of the old National Anthem to a new one, including the roles played by different individuals in this process during the Obasanjo military regime. GENERAL Olusegun Obasanjo,  who was then Head of State, accepted the work and modified it. In September 1976, he decreed that all […]

From last week, continues the narrative of the roles played by different individuals such as Prof. Fela Sowande and Dr Ekundayo Phillips, in the adoption of Nigeria’s first national anthem UNDER Phillips’ tutelage, Professor Sowande earned the Fellowship Diploma, FRCO, from the Royal College of Organists. At that time, he was also a bandleader, playing […]