When the people lie against the government, by Owei Lakemfa
The day Nigeria turned sixty-six as an independent country, it marked it with fine speeches and assurances by its leaders. Both those in government and those outside competed. On that Thursday, October 1, 2026, twenty youth corpers set out in two buses from the comfort and safety of their homes to serve their country. But […]
Kindred spirits: Rawlings, Balarabe and Erekat
By Owei Lakemfa WHEN the old or those who play the role of elders die in Africa, we do not weep. Rather, we celebrate them because they merely transit from the physical to the pantheon of ancestors who watch over the living. Three elders who led the struggle for a better humanity transited within three […]
The future doesn’t belong to us the old and greying
By Owei Lakemfa I HAVE before me, two statements that speak to our present and future. One is by 78-year old Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The other is by Rachael Rinu Bolatito Oduala, 22, a student who is no older than the former’s grandchild or great granddaughter. Buhari came to […]
Press freedom is less important to the journalist
By Owei Lakemfa THE most fundamental human right to the journalist is life, followed by the right to wages or income. These are the foundations on which his profession and the freedom of expression are built. A journalist with a perpetually rumbling stomach cannot be a reliable soldier of press freedom. At best, he becomes […]
A people united can never be defeated
By Owei Lakemfa Twenty-twenty is the Year of the Pandemic and Protests; the year of major elections and political upheavals. In October 2020 alone, street protests swept through many countries, making landfalls, with some leaders swept away. The latest is President Sooronbay Jeenbekov of Kyrgyzstan who had claimed victory in parliamentary elections. But the people disagreed […]
Governance without morality
By Owei Lakemfa LAGOS State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, 55, a surveyor-turned-banker was wide awake and at his duty post when the COVID-19 pandemic broke. At that time, the Federal Government was dozing. Not a few praised him for helping to combat the pandemic and saving many lives. A few months down the line, he […]
