Long before she faces opponents at the ballot box, she is expected to manage perception at home, in public, and in between

The political troubles now trailing Lagos lawmaker and Nollywood actor, Desmond Elliot, may appear on the surface like a local Surulere power tussle. But beneath the noise is a deeper revelation about the way President Bola Tinubu has managed his political empire for decades, particularly in Lagos, where his authority has rested on a careful balance […]

A close friend told me a story last week that was very touching. It was about someone he had helped decades ago but who never lost touch. Every Christmas, every New Year and every birthday, he would send prayerful messages followed by calls. Then, last Easter, he made a request for a physical meeting. My […]

Bombs tormented Henry Onyemanze Nwosu all through the Civil War years while his family sought refuge in Biafra. As hostilities ceased in 1970, they relocated to Lagos to begin a new life. When the footballer started his career, Aguda Bombers was an attraction. By 1972, Nwosu was playing for Aguda Bombers, a youth team. That was how […]

Arsenal had amassed more points than any other club in England over the last three seasons, yet they were still branded losers and bottlers. In a world of fickle metrics, success is measured in the harshest, most linear way possible. And  winners take all. Clubs pumped up on financial steroids can despite 115 overdue  charges, spend  stupendously […]

This week, I am doing what I may have done only once before since I started keeping a newspaper column in February of 1978.  I am giving up my space for an article written by respected Chairman of Stationery Stores FC, Adetilewa Adebajo.  As the 2025/2026 football season comes to an end, his article that […]

I first met Aderemi Muyinudeen Makanjuola in 2003 when I was Special Assistant to Dr Abiye Sekibo, the then Minister of Transport; and he immediately struck me as exceptional.  He was a serious, no-nonsense entrepreneur and perfectionist. He had a creative and technical mindset – an unusual combination in my experience. And I later discovered that […]

The world  reset in 1945, or so it thought. The Second World War which had taken about ninety million lives, had come to an end. Humanity erupted in joy. To many  of the colonized, it was a war for human freedom. But they were mistaken. The European powers that had ignited the war were the same […]

THE few days were days of anguish; headlined by the horrific developments in Oyo State. Now that the whole of Nigeria is in the firm grips of these felons, I remember that about a year ago, I warned about this development in a piece on this page on May 23, 2025. I reproduce it below: The Barbarian […]

I love Arsenal fans. I sometimes think there can’t be many of them who won’t make good spouses or lifetime friends.  It takes the patience of Job and the fidelity of a monk to support a team through 22 winless seasons and 835 matches and still have the heart to sing “The Angel (North London) Forever,” […]

Lord Palmerston, a 19th-century British Prime Minister, famously coined the saying: “There are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.” He was talking about relations between nations. However, Nigerian politicians have unashamedly hijacked the maxim to justify their utterly unprincipled,chameleonic behaviour. Nigeria is a country where politicians go to bed saying one thing and […]

Structured reasoning determines how intelligent people think you are. Not what you know. Not how creative you are. Not how hard you’ve worked, but how clearly you organize and present your thinking. This is non-negotiable. Your emails get read or ignored based on it. Your essays earn distinctions or mediocre grades based on it. Your business […]

When I stepped out of the main auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) to welcome Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, to TheNiche lecture on April 23, 2026, I knew the sacrifice he made to be there. Yet, my “thank you Agbogidi for coming” greeting was gently rebuffed with a riposte: “I wasn’t […]

Beyond being an act of defiance, the terrorist attack on Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities in the Orire LGA of Ogbomoso, was a clear message to the Yoruba that they are not immune to the murderous antics of the invaders that have turned different parts of the north and Middlebelt of Nigeria into killing fields. These […]

Concerning DSO, there is fresh excitement, optimism and great expectation preceding the July launch, and I am happy to share in all the euphoria. After blowing over N60bn on a project that smaller African nations have since concluded but which remains in a convoluted suspense here, you won’t blame anybody for hoping once more. The word […]