By Eric Teniola The first part of this article focused on the empanelling of 400 delegates for former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s National Conference in July 2005 OTHERS were Polycarp Nwite, Mike  Akhigbe, Uba Ahmed, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Umaru Dikko, Ango Abdullahi, Saidu Barda, Bello Kaliel, Attahiru Jega, Ahmadu Ali, David Jemibewon, Kawu Baraje, Sikiru Shita-Bey, Femi Okunnu, […]

By Eric Teniola TO mark the first anniversary of his presidency on May 29, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari, granted a rare television interview. In an answer to a question on the National Conference of his predecessor, President GoodlluckJonathan, held in 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari declared: “I advised against the issue of National Conference. You would […]

  By Eric Teniola The first instalment of this piece published last week focused on the frustrating bid to maintain the four refineries in the country. This is the concluding part of the essay THE refinery was upgraded in 1971 to 60,000 barrel per day. The second Port Harcourt Refinery, a deep conversion facility, with […]

By Eric Teniola ABRACADABRA is now commonly used as an incantation in the performance of magic. Literally it is used as the more you look, the less you know or see. Abracadabra is the best word to describe what is going on in Port Harcourt Refinery. The refinery is situated at Alesa Eleme, which is […]

By Eric Teniola This is the concluding part of this piece first published two weeks ago. The second part last week posited that public enterprises were infested with numerous problems, including the fact that about 55 per cent of Nigeria’s external debts were due to funds sourced to establish them IF we are to go […]

By Eric Teniola The first part of this piece published last week posited that whereas the privatisation  programme of 1988/93 provided relief for government in financing public enterprises, it also created unemployment. THE mandate given to AIhaji Zayyad was just to privatise. Alhaji Zayyad’s committee, later transformed to what we now know as the Bureau […]

By Eric Teniola BETWEEN 1988 and 1993, Alhaji Hamzat Rafindandi Zayyad (1937-2002) dominated the headlines in this country. He was in the news not because he was the first chartered accountant from the old Northern Nigeria. He became an accountant in 1963. He was in the news not because he was a mentor and godfather […]

By Eric Teniola This is the concluding part of this piece. The second instalment, last week,  focused on countries that organised referendums to produce constitutions THE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Major General Joe Garba and the then Director General of the Institute of International Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, were present at the event. In his […]

By Eric Teniola This piece, last week, highlighted the difference between bicameral and unicameral systems of governance. Today, it traces the history of Nigeria’s bicameral constitution CERTAINLY the presidential system of government is not the major cause of our problems, but it has worsened our crises. No consultation with the people on the new adventure, […]

By Eric Teniola COVID-19 is ravaging our land and destroying the economy. In the meantime the economy is under-performing. The country has gradually continued to slip back. There is a shortfall on our oil revenue. Nigeria’s foreign capital inflow has sunk to $9.68 billion, the lowest in four years. The International Monetary Fund, IMF, says […]