THIS, in Nigeria, is the season of denials and other market stories. There is hardly any main event or issue that has not become controversial or denied. One of the latest occurred in the Office of the Senate Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu.

THE Holy Bible commands humanity “Thou shall not covet thy neigbour’s house, thou shall not covet thy neigbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neigbour’s” (Exodus 20:17) .

OLD friends, like old wine, are usually better than new ones. The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola is an old friend. The state he governs, like most in the country, has been financially challenged to the extent that it took a bail out from the Federal Government to pay salaries. Although almost all states in the country lie financially prostrate like Osun, Aregbesola, perhaps for his vibrancy, oratory and radical views has received the most bashing.

THERE is an on-going struggle for the soul of Brazil, the world’s fifth largest country which has become a model of how to rescue millions from abject poverty. The battles may well turn bloody because it is not strictly a fight over constitutionalism, corruption or the economy; it is primarily, a struggle of the social classes.

AS is usually the case with teenagers leaving home for the first time, when I went to the university, I was adventurous. During my first semester holidays, rather than go home in Lagos, I went with my new found friend, Edmond Enaibe whose home was in Port Harcourt. From Port, I travelled to my ancestral home, Patani to see my maternal grandmother. There was no East-West Road in those days, and a journey from Port Harcourt included going by road, crossing a river by boat, and completing the journey through bush paths by motorcycle.

THE move by the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) to impeach South African President Jacob Zuma for corruption, was bound to end in failure. This is because the ruling African National Congress (ANC) had ahead of the April 5, 2016 motion, backed Zuma. For the impeachment to sail through,

ONE of the first lessons I was taught in primary school was ‘the ingredients of good water’. We were taught that good water must be clean, colourless, odourless and tasteless. The best example of good water, was the public tap water. We were told that our parents pay tax in order for government to supply the citizens basic needs like water, education and good roads.

By Owei Lakemfa CHRISTIANS believe that  Easter Sunday is resurrection day. For them, it is an annual celebration. In Lahore, Pakistanis of all faith trooped  to a park to celebrate the day. As mainly children and women queued to buy tickets for a train ride at the park, a suicide bomber walked towards them and detonated […]

THE Rivers State electoral re-run was not an election; it was war and the generals on both sides lived up to the billing. Like in wars, manifestoes or programmes were unnecessary. The All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP simply told the voters that they were ready for the expected violence. There were pre-election shootings and bombing. It was a question of how many will be killed or maimed, how many wives will become widows, children that will become orphans, and families that will lose their loved ones. There was no pretense that the gladiators wanted peaceful polls.

I HAVE thought over an issue in the last few weeks. Who are the best ambassadors of a country? The professional diplomats in well-tailored clothes, exhibiting a cultured presence aided by good diction? Or the citizens who fan out to other countries usually to make a living, and exhibiting what can be termed their national traits?

NIGERIANS are yet to comprehensively assess the implications of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections annulment. One fall-out which we have not come to terms with is the rise of armed militancy. Some came to the conclusion that if a very rich and powerful Moshood Kashimawo Abiola could be denied his mandate, then, only through armed struggle can they assert their right in the country. Thus by 1995, armed groups started sprouting.

WE gathered in Abuja. A crowd of activists, academics, unionists, diplomats, students, lawyers and conscientious Nigerians. We were complemented by a platoon of ambassadors. It was Saturday March 12, 2016. The mood was sombre; tinged with the painful realisation that we were gathered to strategise against the monarchical elite of a brother African country who had decided to covet the riches of a sister country.

JACOB Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, President of South Africa came visiting Nigeria last week, bearing messages of hope and African renaissance. The Zuma story is one that teaches Nigeria how to handle its citizens and the fact that human beings if given the opportunity, can excel. Zuma was five when his father died, and his poor mother, a domestic worker found it difficult to feed him. He did not go to school, and by fifteen was working; he was essentially a herd boy in the mountains of Nkandla, South Africa where he looked after the cattle and livestock of families in the area.

I TOOK Donald Trump for a joker when he declared his intention to run for the American Presidency. I assumed the Apprentice was bored making deals, and wanted time out to engage in publicity stunts. I thought he would spice up the Republican primaries, but that not even he, would take himself serious. In any case if he were to, I assumed the American populace would get tired of his antics, shove him aside and get on with the serious business of looking for a new president.

OUR country is a secular state, but the Nigerian spirit teaches us to stand up for justice, defend the weak, the repressed and the oppressed. Nigerians are so fair-minded that even in football, if our national team is not playing well, we sometimes switch support to the visiting team. We are also quite religious; the Holy Books teach us to be our brother’s keeper.