The Willink commission reported in 1958 but did not favour a further fragmentation of the country and opined that the majority party in the regions would by the nature of things have to win the support of the minority. The stage was hereafter set for the eventual attainment of independence by October 1, 1960. At independence […]

“And as in private life one differentiates between what a man thinks and says of himself and what he is and does, so in historical struggles one must distinguish still more the phrases and fancies of parties from their real organism and their real interests, their conception of themselves from their reality”— Karl Marx The […]

I have had several reasons to take on His Excellency, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, Executive Governor of Anambra State. For instance, I felt it was imprudent of him to truculently target Peter Obi the way he did during and after the 2023 political season. Obi was running for president, and Soludo was already a Governor. Soludo’s […]

 “When the roots are deep, there is no reasons to fear the wind”—  African proverb. A potentially damaging campaign against Nigeria is gaining ground in sensitive and influential circles at the international level, in particular in the US. Its  goals appear to be  to isolate and cripple Nigeria’s influence at the global level, limit its […]

Nigeria’s democracy is showing signs of fatigue where it matters most: at the ballot box. Voter turnout, a vital sign of democratic health, has declined from 57% in 2007 to just 26.7% in 2023—only 24.9 million of 93.47 million registered voters participated. These are not inert numbers; they are warnings. Many Nigerians now view elections […]

From last week continues the narrative that Nigeria’s adoption of the presidential system of government in 1979 created a monster as successive presidents since then serially abused the power vested in them by the Constitution, including using their presidential powers to rig election to their favour and that of their cronies.   The saying “power corrupts, […]

By Dele Sobowale “Sacked workers: PENGASSAN threatens to picket Dangote Refinery” – Report, September 29, 2025 When Alhaji Dangote embarked on establishing the largest single train refinery in the world in Lagos, his intentions could not possibly have included fomenting trouble. He had more exalted aims like ending Nigeria’s perennial and intractable fuel scarcity; saving Nigeria […]

The resolve, determination, precision   and speed with which the Petroleum and Natural Gas   Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN   took on Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, frightened the ruling elites.   They clearly had written off the Nigerian working people and their ability to strike if necessary. The elites   had come to the conclusion that the Nigerian people […]

When Olusegun Obasanjo took over in the middle of 1976 from the slain Murtala Mohammed as Nigeria’s military Head of State, the regime was already committed as a matter policy to transition power to an elected civilian administration in 1979.

It is imperative, in that calculation, to continue to ensure that Nigerians are “governed” by Temugedege. Nigerians who have read J.P. Clark’s Ozidi – both the play and the saga – will remember the “idiot king” Temugedege. Nigeria – the giant shit of Africa- is the only independent African nation, for instance, who organizes presidential debates […]

General Lucky Irabor, CFR,Nigeria’s immediate past Chief of Defence Staffis 60 today. Not much of the usual glamorous celebration was arranged for the worthy soldier and most famous Commander of the popular Operation Lafiya Dole – a Nigerian military counter-insurgencyoperation against Boko Haram and other extremist groups in the Northeast of the country. Two days earlier, […]

“Upon assumption of office, our administration ended the corrupt fuel subsidy regime… Our armed forces and security agencies are working tirelessly against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. Boko Haram/ISWAP in the North in the North-East IPOB/ESN in the South-East, in the North-West are being degraded. We salute the gallantry and sacrifices of our security operatives” – President […]

Today’s headline is taken from a South African newspaper, Sowetan. It derived its name from Soweto, an abbreviation of South Western Townships, suburbs in southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. In the 20th century, the Townships housed Black workers for the gold mines and eventually became a major symbolic center of the anti-apartheid struggle.  No wonder […]

Ikunle Abiyamo (The kneeling of the mother) That is what the Yorubas call it when women prepare to give birth It can be literal or figurative Whether the birth takes place as you push on your kneesyelling yourself hoarse Or you lie with your feet spread wide apart  while a new being almost splits you apart […]

Democracy returned but remained shallow. Institutions were rebuilt but corruption endured. Nigerians felt hopeful yet skeptical