In many parts of the country, the rains poured down earlier in the week, bringing much physical and psychological relief from the searing heat.  The absence of electricity from public supply channels made it worse. Average daytime temperatures throughout March ranged from 33 degrees to 38 degrees centigrade in Lagos and Abuja, respectively. Nigeria’s public electricity […]

Last month, I received an email from a marketing executive who was wrestling with her conscience. Her company had developed a new software product that was genuinely innovative, but her boss wanted her to create a campaign that exaggerated its capabilities and downplayed its limitations. “Ruth,” she wrote, “I know how to persuade people. I’m good […]

It was Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, the French critic, journalist, and novelist, who, in 1849, coined what has become an enduring proverb: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose – the more things change, the more they stay the same. In matters of governance and power in Nigeria – military or civilian – nothing can be […]

First of all, congratulations are in order. Although I am unapologetically and unrepentantly a principled critic of President Bola Tinubu, whose self-serving politics and indifference to moral leadership I find objectionable, I must admit that his recent state visit to the United Kingdom was a great honour to him. It was also an honour to Nigeria […]

By Stephanie Shaakaa You know that feeling when something seems real for a moment, and then you realize… you’ve been fooled? That’s April Fools’ Day. One day in the year where lying is allowed, where reality bends just enough to make you laugh, gasp, and maybe even question yourself. Some people announce surprise weddings, others […]